Thoughts And Opinions On : The Recent Riots And The Role That Racial Bias and Profiling Played In It
The Death
A article like takes awhile to compose. The issues playing out are very
much real. The
reason why there is so much attention surrounding the death of George
Floyd isn't simply because he died, but why and how he died. His
death was a result of institutionalized prejudice combined with officers
who already deemed him guilty simply because of the color of his skin.
The office who killed him simultaneously played judge, jury, and
executioner all in one. George Floyd's due process under the law and
Constitution rights were robbed from him.
Motive and suspect
was formed simply
because of the person's skin and nothing more. Would the police have
applied excessive force if the assailant was white. The murder of George
Floyd was a hate crime, plain and simple.
In a perfect world, labels shouldn't have to be used. A person should be held accountable for there crimes, regardless of there background. However, this is very seldom the case. There is racial bias in the judicial system. Statistics have shown that labels in the form of racial profiling against African Americans and non-whites is the norm. They are linked below. African Americans and non-whites are much more likely to be profiled for alleged wrongdoing compared to whites in a similar situation. Statistics back up this argument. One can form an opinion about this without conforming to a political slant. This isn't a Liberal vs. Conservative battleground. This is a racial issue at heart. This issue was a result of our country's original sin: systematic racism.
Some have the dismissive attitude like "are they STILL talking about this!". This is a statement of shear ignorance by those who are self-absorbed with themselves and dismissive of the issues of race. Those that might not be racist, but are extremely insensitive and dismissive of the suffering of others on the topic of race.
Even though the term "Black Lives Matter" isn't the best of terms when it comes to highlighting this movement, people who get distracted by this term and don't move beyond its wording fail to understand the issue playing it. With that noted, the term doesn't imply that black lives are more important than everybody else. Everybody's lives count. The term is used to highlight how African-Americans are targeted specifically by the police because of there race. It's time to move beyond the slogan and see the issues that are driving the riots.
When one examines the statistics, one realizes that African-Americans and non-whites have been targeted far likely to get shot than whites. They are much more likely to get arrested for the same crime than whites, despite them making up a much smaller portion of the population. In some areas, according to the ACLU, African-Americans were six times more likely to get arrested for marijuana possession compared to whites committing the same crime. They are much more likely o face much stiffer prison sentences for the same crimes compared to whites under a similar situation. Non-whites were more likely to face traffic stops compared to whites. Even though African-American drivers are stopped more, more illegal contraband is found with white drivers.After a shooting, it's typical for the police department involved to publish the criminal history of the victim as a way to justify the use of extreme force in that particular situation. While most caught up do often have a criminal background, the response doesn't justify the use of deadly force. How would you respond if a police office was justified in murdering someone because that person wrote a check that bounced. If your response is that this is wrong, then why would that response be any different from George Floyd.
George Floyd did have a criminal record. However, that is irrelevant. Like everybody else, he had personal faults and lapses in morals and ethics. However, this is also irrelevant. The reason why the personal attributes in his personal character are irrelevant in the situation is that he shouldn't have been killed period. If he was behind the crime, he should have been arrested in the calm manner that doesn't warrant excessive force and dehumanizing tactics. The arrest needed to be determined by proof of criminal motive and not simply because of the color of the person's skin.
Also, even if
the suspect in question does have a criminal history, did the police
officers know that in the initial stop? Don't just assume that any
African-American is going to have a criminal record just because of the
color of there skin. This is ignorance at its worst. A stop is justified
if there is a reasonable amount of justification to stop someone.
However, often in these cases, race alone is often use as this
justification to stop the person in question.
Now, police do
play a very important and fundamental row in our society. At the same
time, there are as much accountable for there actions as the suspects
that they are arresting. Accountability isn't one sided. Saying this
doesn't make me or anyone "anti-police", or as that worthless phrase
goes. It's possible to be supportive of the police and the role they
play in the community while holding them accountable for racially
motivated crimes. One doesn't have to pick one or the other. However, believing that the police are above the law and beyond accountability is a very
destructive idea.
In many parts of the country, the police have been very responsible to the public that they serve. They efforts should be recognized. However, in other parts of the country, the police do have a very negative reputation. Corruption has occurred. Innocent people have been punished because of there actions. Not only that, in many parts, the police have been receiving military-grade training. There taught to look at potential suspects as insurgents that are out to kill you at all cost. Thus, any situation, no matter how mundane, requires excessive force. As such, these police officers have basically embraced a us-vs.-them mentality.
In many parts of the country, the police will need to be retrained. The training of military-grade tactics need to stop. The police need to stop looking at minorities as if they are insurgents that are out to get them. The fact is that violent crimes are at a 50-year low. Youth crimes are also at a all-time low. These lows were brought on by a expansion of the welfare system, expanded education, and greater economic activity that resulted in more job opportunities. They were not a result of militarized police. Several will grasp at straw like blaming fringe groups, the media, and video games. Some will embrace conspiracy theories of fringe groups funded by George Soros or try to make the claim that holding a plastic controller is the same as holding a real gun. However, those are simply scapegoats and there is no evidence to support such claims. These claims are often used a distractions to move the attention from police departments receiving military-grade training. Some who have never seen military combat (David Grossman) and thus aren't qualified to give such advice have been training police departments all over the country. This just had "bad idea" written all over.
There are criminal thugs in society, as there are thugs within many police departments as well. There are thugs who will exploit the protester's anger by inciting riots and robbing stores. There will also be police officers who will provoke protesters so that they will have an excuse to use excessive force and deem them rioters. The protesters will have to be on the sharp lookout so that neither side tries to discredit them. Both forces will be out to discount there freedom of expression.
Trump sure
isn't helping matters. In a time that we need
reconciliation and a peacemaker, Trump is seeking conflict and
division. He seems more interested in taunting the protesters than he
is seeking resolve. Trump has perpetrated conspiracy theories that
aren't root in reality. He is portraying the spontaneous rioters as a
"well organized" group being back by some nefarious villain. As in
typical Trump fashion, he makes the ridiculous claim without
providing proof to validate those claim. His base will eat it up, proof
not required. The only requirements for the claim being true is that
it conforms to the person’s worldview.
As stated before, this isn’t an Democrat vs. Republican, liberal vs.
Conservative battleground that many are making it out to be. Partisan
politics and absurd conspiracy theories serve as a distraction to the
real issues why these riots occurred; racial profiling.
"when
the looting starts, the shooting starts"
Donald
Trump in a tweet.
Now, law and order is essential in a
democratic society. As such, when riots do occur, there needs to be
law-enforcement to deal with those resorting to public looting. Even
then, the punishment has to fit the crime. Resorting to gunning down
rioters does not fit the punishment. The rioters do need to be condemned
for there actions. However, the act of demonstrating/protesting and rioting are two very
different things. Rioting is the destruction of property while
demonstrating is a non-violent for of free expression guaranteed to us
in the Constitution. Just assuming that all protesters are rioters that
have to be stopped is a violation of there Constitutional right of free
expression.Even the crack-pot conspiracy-theorist protesting about phony
and non-existent grievances had a right to demonstrate. A non-violent
gathering to voice there opinion is a form of free expression guaranteed
in the Constitution. They are not
one and the same with the rioters.
In Trump's eyes (and several of his supporters ) though, rioters and demonstrators are one in the same. In his realm, anyone who expresses a difference of opinion publicly that is counter to his own is a violent agitators that has to be suppressed by any means necessary. This is called Fascism. The hypocrisy here is that in Trumps world, protest were justified as long as it catered to his interest, but wrong when when it comes to topics that he dismisses, like racial tension. This is also Fascism.
While the actions of rioters aren't justified, the demonstrators are operating independently from them and these demonstrator have real grievances, as highlighted in the statistics linked below. They have a right to assemble and they are not "rival opposition" that are to be crushed violently. Personally, I’m actually not that crazy of the protesters getting together simply because of the fear that Covid-19 might spread in an even more unrestricted manner. However, these protester are fully justified in exercising there right of free expression as there grievances are real.
Some will respond that instead of protesting, these demonstrators should be writing to there congressman or representative. Many have been doing that for years upon years with no action. For many, demonstrating is the only recourse available.
As stated in the NYTImes article, Trump
seemed more
intent on taunting the protesters than he was resolving the violence.
He encouraged his base to incite violence with the protesters. Trump
forgot that he's the president for all, including the protesters.
He's not just the president of his base. However, he and many of his
supporters won't see it as such. They will grasp straws and blame
Democrats and the mass media for issues that were decades in the making,
like racial profiling. Trump will hint at conspiracy theories
centering around Antifa or George Soros and have no basis in reality. He
won't provide evidence to support his claim. Non-partisan issues will
be turned into partisan one to serve as a distraction. The topic of
racial profiling will drown in a sea of
blood.
This organization was the best thing to ever happen to Trump. You
basically had this unknown and loosely affiliated organization of
like-minded individuals on the extreme fringes of society that became
the boogeyman to demonize the entire left. Whataboutism takes hold as
the extreme fringes are presented as the political norm.
Now
extremism is extremism, regardless of the group. However, I'm not
aware that Antifa has actually even killed any people to this point. Since 2009, extreme-left
violence (including anarchists & black nationalist) accounted for
about 3.2%
of extremist crimes in this country. Radical Islam accounted
for about 23.4%, while right-wing extremism (including
white-supremacist) have accounted for 73.3%
of all extremist crimes
in this country during the same time(ADL Statistics).
I've included these statistics since Antifa is regularly a target if Trump. However, he doesn't mention Neo-Nazis or white-supremacist under the same breath. Trump is demanding that Antifa be considered a terrorist organization. This is a move I'm fine with as long as they consider Neo-Nazis and white-supremacist groups as terrorist organizations as well. One can't cherry-pick there preferences since extremism is extremism, regardless of the group. Doing for one means doing it for all. This move would actually make more sense for the white-supremacist/white-nationalist groups because they have committed the vast majority of the extremist crimes in this country. It seems hypocritical to condemn one groups as terrorist while passing off the groups that is actually responsible for the vast majority of crimes as "pillars of democracy and free speech". One can't tell a difference between an ISIS fighter and a White-Supremacist, as they are one in the same.
At this point though, I think that Trump is simply using Antifa as a distraction to cover for the fact that over 100,000 people died from Covid-19 over two months, with no end in sight. Trump is using the organization as a distraction so that people don't examine the roles that militarized police and racial bias played in the riots. Presenting boogeymen as Anitfa, Democrats, or some other <insert conspiracy theory here> serves as a distraction so people don't talk about the real issues and how Trump is hindering the path of reconciliation.
The NFL declares that they are fully in support for BLM, but yet, haven't acknowledged the existence of Colin Kaepernick or the role that he played in the "taking-the-knee" movement. There support for BLM is only paper-thin and token to cash in on the controversy. Amazon states that there against injustice, but sell surveillance technology to a police state. Also, what about the equality and safety of the warehouse workers. What about there rights? Mike Bloomberg stated that we must be against racism and discrimination. Was he against racism and discrimination when stop-and-frisk reached its height when he was mayor of New York City? The vast majority who were frisked were non-whites.
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerburg declared that we must be united against racism. Yet, his platform has been used to fan the flames of racism, division, hatred, and misinformation. Facebook is a toxic, rancid wasteland full of misinformation and Zuckerburg won't do anything about it. He is the last one to speak out about unity.
Zoom threw there support behind BLM, Yet, the company wouldn't encrypt there calls so that they could cooperate with law enforcement. Not only that, Zoom closed an account of a US-based Chinese activist who publicly commentated the victims of the Tienanmen Square massacre in 1989. According to AXIOS "Zhou Fengsuo, founder of the U.S. nonprofit Humanitarian China and former student leader of the 1989 Tienanmen protests, organized the May 31 event held through a paid Zoom account associated with Humanitarian China.... On June 7th, the Zoom account displayed a message that it had been shut down, in a screenshot viewed by Axios. Zhou has not been able to access the account since then, and Zoom has not responded to his emails, he told Axios."
If these companies are truly genuine about equality and civil rights, start donating to organizations that supports such causes. Stop showing token support, stop giving money to lobbyist, stop abusing your employees and stop supporting oppressive regimes. These companies could care less about equality. If Fascism was the in-thing, then there tweets would have Swastikas everywhere in anti-Semantic rhetoric in the form of anti-Jewish caricatures and stereotypes everywhere.
I don’t understand how people see Trump as a pillar of morality. It’s very baffling to the human mind and imagination to say the least. This was a person who never showed any interest in religion or Christianity specifically until the election. Trump has a long history of sexual misconduct going back decades. This is fact and not liberal propaganda. There is also a long history of racial and sexist attitudes. The Central Park 5 case is a prime reminder of how people were robbed of the due process of the law guaranteed to them in the Constitution because Trump created extreme prejudice with his ads.
It would be one thing if Trump has showed genuine attitude of reforming himself. However, he has showed no interest in reforming his personal conduct. If anything, he’s doubling down on his negative attributes, while many blindly see him as the Messiah. Many American Evangelicals compromised of there Christian beliefs for a cheap victory. These Christians lost the moral high ground. Many Televangelist are quick to say "hate the sin, not the sinner". As true and fundamental as this phrase is within Christianity, many of these Televangelist were prominent when Clinton was president. They didn't show the same restraint for him as they did for Trump.
Many recognize that Trump's commitment to Christianity is insincere and only for show. For those at St John's Episcopal Church, to say that he wasn’t wanted is an understatement. Who could blame them! As stated in the BBC article, Right Reverend Mariann Budde of the Episcopal Bishop of Washington, stated that: "The president just used a Bible, the most sacred text of the Judeo-Christian tradition, and one of the churches of my diocese, without permission, as a backdrop for a message antithetical to the teachings of Jesus."
A tweet by James Martin largely sums up my attitude about the whole thing: "Let me be clear. This is revolting. The Bible is not a prop. A church is not a photo op. Religion is not a political tool. God is not your plaything." . Well said.
Things don’t get any more direct than that. Trump has basically used religion as a political tool in order to fool millions of gullible people to vote for him. Trump has basically used religion as a prop. He politicized and manipulated it for his own likening.
In order for a democracy to work, the rights of others have to be upheld as well as those of the individual. As such, racial prejudice needs to be called out. A democracy stops functioning when we become self-absorb with our own rights while being dismisses of the grievances of others. The "Golden Rule" applies here too. If you don't show concern for the rights of others, then others won't show concern for your rights. This is why as Americans, we need to uphold there rights of African Americans and non-whites who faced racial profiling from police. Upholding there rights means upholding our own rights as well, even if the cause doesn't relate to our own situation.
Knowledge Is Power. The war against prejudice and racism is going to be won by knowledge and those that embrace it. It's a fight that's not going to be won by selfish and pathetic rioters that are exploiting the protesters legitimate grievances. It's a fight that's also not going to be won by militarized police officers looking to provoke the protesters to justify excessive force.
Deescalation needs to takes place as gullible individuals need to stop grasping straws and conspiracy theories while distracting everybody else by blaming everything under the sun except the genuine causes at heart. A productive dialogue on the topic of racial profiling and militarized police needs to be started so that these topics can be addressed in a meaningful way. Those in society will have to make the initiative though as there not going to get any help from Trump. Reconciliation isn't going to come from conflict and division. Luckily, we are not dependent on the President for change though as a meaningful impact can move on and occur without him.
Satan is real. He's called fear, arrogance, ignorance, and paranoia. Hated, and racism is the by-product of those attitudes. When we embrace them, we become our own worst enemy. The villain become the person in the reflection in the mirror when we embraces these horrible attributed.
We cannot being dismissive of the suffering of others simply because we can't relate to it. Knowledge is power! I have various links in the sources below, along with articles of interest. The grievances are real, and the statistics confirm it. Numbers do not lie. People are entitled to there opinions. However, people are not entitled to there own "facts". It's alright to disagree the role that racism and militarized police played in the shooting if they make a sound, convincing argument with facts to back up that argument. However, to form that opinion because there dismissive of the facts basically means that they don't like facts. Facts are facts, regardless of a person's take on them. When one ignores a topic because they don't like the numbers, that person is living in a state of denial or ignorance. The numbers have been painted. We need to address these injustices. Knowledge is a weapon that is far more powerful than any gun!
On one hand, invoking change is easier said then done. However, once this is started, we can start moving on as a society. Knowledge will provide the tools necessary for us to move on.
If there's a source that I forgot to mention or other stats that might be useful, please link it in the comments.
BBC : George Floyd:
How are African-Americans treated under the law? https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-52877678
ACLU : The War On Marijuana In Black And White (PDF) - https://www.aclu.org/files/assets/1114413-mj-report-rfs-rel1.pdf
ACLU : Racial Profiling Alert (PDF) - https://www.aclu.org/sites/default/files/images/asset_upload_file664_34572.pdf
ACLU Massachusetts : ENDING RACIST STOP AND FRISK - https://www.aclum.org/en/ending-racist-stop-and-frisk
ACLU : The School-To-Prison Pipeline: Racial Profiling In Traffic Stops - http://riaclu.org/issues/issue/the-school-to-prison-pipeline-racial-profiling-in-traffic-stops
The Philadelphia Inquirer : Patrolling for bias - https://www.inquirer.com/news/inq/racial-profiling-traffic-stop-philadelphia-police-pa-nj-20170705.html
The Washington Post : Police are searching black drivers more often, but finding more illegal stuff with white drivers - https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/10/27/police-are-searching-black-drivers-more-often-but-finding-more-illegal-stuff-with-white-drivers-2/
ADL : Murder and Extremism in the United States in 2018 - https://www.adl.org/murder-and-extremism-2018
Wikipedia : Killing of George Floyd - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killing_of_George_Floyd
Wikipedia : George Floyd - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Floyd
Wikipedia : Dave Grossman (author) - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Grossman_(author)
Wikipedia : Militarization of police - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Militarization_of_police
Corporations
Screenrant : Blizzard Called Out For BLM Protest Support After Blitzchung Hong Kong Controversy - https://screenrant.com/blizzard-protest-blackout-black-lives-matter-hong-kong/
Daily Beast : These Companies Have the Most Hypocritical Black Lives Matter Messaging - https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-companies-with-the-most-hypocritical-black-lives-matter-messaging-from-fox-to-facebook
Vox : Consumers don’t care about corporate solidarity. They want donations. - https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2020/6/3/21279292/blackouttuesday-brands-solidarity-donations
AXIOS : Zoom closed account of U.S.-based Chinese activist “to comply with local law” - https://www.axios.com/zoom-closes-chinese-user-account-tiananmen-square-f218fed1-69af-4bdd-aac4-7eaf67f34084.html
More Articles
NYTimes : In Days of Discord, a President Fans the Flames - https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/30/us/politics/trump-george-floyd-protests.html
BBC : George Floyd death: Trump's church visit shocks religious leaders - https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-52890650
BBC : George Floyd death: Spike Lee says protesters were 'not just born angry' - https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-52890620
BBC : George Floyd: 'Pandemic of racism' led to his death, memorial told - https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-52928304
Homicide Rates Among Persons Aged 10–24 Years — United States, 1981–2010
CDC
WWW.CDC.GOV
The Rise and Fall of American Youth Violence (PDF)
Urban Institute
WWW.URBAN.ORG
The Evidence that Video Games Lead to Violence Is Weak
Psychology Today
WWW.PSYCHOLOGYTODAY.COM
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