George Floyd’s murder was a tragedy and an abomination.
George Floyd’s murderer, former police officer Derek Chauvin, had received 17 complaints of brutality and inappropriate behavior, all but one of which had been swept under the rug thanks to his police union and the public officials who depend on union contributions for their election campaigns. One of those prior officials was a former county prosecutor and recent Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. Amy Klobuchar.
Minneapolis prosecutors took an unconscionable four days to file charges and arrest Chauvin. What’s the message when a police officer is shown in a video with his knee on Floyd’s neck? For four days, country-wide anger built.
Law-enforcement officers who represent the government must be held to a higher standard. When they violate that standard, especially when that violation results in a needless loss of life, they should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
Nonetheless, it’s important to remember that almost all police officers serve in an exemplary manner. Sadly a few bad apples have an outsized impact on public perceptions.
Protesters have every right, both legal and moral, to be outraged. But it’s important to distinguish between peaceful protests and riots and looting that harm the innocent. Protesters, passersby, reporters, and small business owners have been injured and at least two killed.
In Minneapolis, a $2 million Native American youth center was destroyed and a $30 million affordable housing project under construction was burned to the ground.
People don’t riot and loot to seek justice for George Floyd, they riot and loot because they can when police protection is absent. Even radical-left Rep. Ilhan Omar, whose sympathies lie with the protesters, argued that the rioters “are not the people who are interested in helping get justice for George Floyd.”
Are riots and looting what George Floyd would have wanted? Not according to his girlfriend, Courtney Ross, who urged residents to stop looting and burning in his name. She said “I am heartbroken. Waking up this morning to see Minneapolis on fire would be something that would devastate Floyd.”
Minneapolis and other hard-hit cities are likely to suffer for years. Long term studies show conclusively that riots harm communities instead of reforming them.
Michael Brendan Dougherty writes in the National Review that riots “often initiate a general spike in violent crime. Baltimore saw this spike in the past half-decade. Riots dissuade individuals, families, and businesses from staying in or joining a community.”
To avoid charges of racism, police officers around the country have stepped back from fully enforcing the law. Entire neighborhoods have descended into free-fire zones, where street violence and homicides have skyrocketed.
Chicago where virtually all victims are black or Hispanic is a case in point. Earlier this year its police superintendent hoped that the number of murders would drop below 300 this year for the first time since 1957. This past week’s rioting and looting have dashed that hope.
So who benefits from riots?
New York Times columnist Ross Douthat warns liberals that riot violence might well be to Donald Trump’s advantage. He cites a study that showed 1960s peaceful protests helped Democrats win white votes; then violence pushed voters toward Republicans, enough to tip the 1968 election to Richard Nixon.
Martin Luther King Jr. warned shortly before his death that “Every time a riot develops, it helps George Wallace.” Douthat warns his liberal readers that a “long, hot, virus-shadowed summer” is not likely to be to their advantage.
Governors and mayors have no problem locking law-abiding citizens into their homes, shutting down their businesses, demanding people social distance, wear masks, and having people arrested for playing basketball in the park. But when the looting starts, the fires burn and the Molotov cocktails fly, they suddenly can’t string two stern words together.
It’s time for liberals to recognize that kowtowing to rioters to avoid being accused of exercising “white privilege” is playing right into Trump’s hand.
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I am not questioning the racial paradigm nor judging it. As with toilet paper hoarding, one can see a deep freudian connection. In regards to the riots, catharsis and emotional release comes to mind, especially considering the psychological pressures the pandemic has caused. For some that catharsis is rooted in the subconscious. On that note the lesser known riots in Italy this last week not covered by the media were directed at the government in regards to quarantine issues. Just an observation folks. We are not addressing the core issue of mental health and my guess more chaos is coming. We all feel it, let’s be honest. Time to talk about it and face our fears together as a nation. .