Stop blaming victims for racism

I have been reading my Facebook news feed throughout the day and noticed a disturbing pattern. Numerous white people were blaming Floyd George for his murder. Someone said they had read that he had been incarcerated for rape, and had drugs in his system. Even if that were true, it does not excuse Derek Chauvin for keeping his knee in the man's neck until he died. Some of the comments indicated that a lot of white individuals believed he was a thug and had done something to make the policed officer manhandle him. This attitude is something I see all the time in my city of Roanoke Virginia. Whenever a black man is murdered by local police, they put all of his business in the newspaper as if somehow he deserved to die.

What I found interesting today is that no one is saying that about the 75 year old white male who was knocked down by members of the Buffalo police department. The video clearly shows this gentlemen walking over to the police, and saying something. I have seen not one post that said he was wrong, or that he instigated the situation. This older gentleman, named Martin Gugino, clearly instigated the events that took place but he has only received sympathy. Even if George Floyd was a mass murderer, in the nearly nine minutes that knee was holding him down, he did nothing to deserve it.

Whatever is meant by these comments, here is what many African Americans are hearing: " Just another black man who is a drug addict, drug dealer, felon etc. and he deserves what he got. It is as if many, but not all Caucasians need to downplay the fact that many black men have been brutalized by the police for 400 years. These white men and some women just cannot seem to bring themselves to say that Derek Chauvin was a bad cop. No human being deserves to die the way George Floyd did, but for some reason there are white Americans who believe he did. I understand diversity and believe everyone should be able to express their own opinion. I know that others will not always see my point of view, nor I theirs. Even so, I had to delete several people as my Facebook friends today because their posts and comments had serious racial overtones that troubled me.

I wish I could have a forum where white males would honestly say what it is that causes them to be so brutal with black men. What has happened in your life that makes you so judgmental. I cannot understand how anyone could watch that video and say that George Floyd was at fault. I am finding out through this that as a whole, there is a vast difference in the way that African American and Caucasian Americans see things. Most black people view Derik Chauvin as a racist cop who murdered George Floyd and want to discuss the situation on social media. A growing number of white people are saying they just want it all to end and everyone to get along. This sounds as if they don't want to deal with such situations and wish people of color would just move on.

We cannot bury our heads in the sand because we must live with it every day. The older gentleman who was knocked down can go on with his life and not ever be targeted by the police. I have a friend over age 65 who gave someone a ride home one night and was stopped by the police. They forced her out of her car and had her empty her handbag. They looked at her license, saw her address and asked why she was in that particular neighborhood. Since when can a 65 year old woman not drive her own vehicle wherever she desires. The man who was knocked down does not have to be concerned about such things because he is a white male.

Actress Niecy Nash was on CNN last week and she said police stopped her young adult son as he was driving a vehicle she purchased for him. They actually asked him how he could afford such a nice car. This was none of their business but it was their way of implying that he was a drug dealer. In spite of the success of people of color like former president Barack Obama, former Attorney General Eric Holder, General Colin Powell, and former Secretary of State Condolesa Rice, some white people see all blacks as criminals. Yes I know there are those African Americans who perpetuate stereotypes, but this is true in any race.

I don't know how we get there but white Americans must stop viewing black people in this nation as one entity. Even if George Floyd was a criminal, he had paid his debt to society. It is really despicable at a time when the nation to needs healing, to throw salt in the wound by saying such insensitive things and blaming victims. As African Americans are grieving the loss of another black male, at the hands of the police, other Americans are trying to make him out to be public enemy number one and imply he deserved the fate he met. These two varied responses is part of what keeps racial issues going and prevent healing. Blaming victims for their own murder whenever race is involved needs to stop.