I need to preface this by saying this is
insanely difficult to write, so please accept my apologies if it isn’t as
coherent as I usually write. I just
don’t know how to put this into words in an articulate manner.
I was
14 years old on April 29, 1992. Honestly
I don’t recall what I was doing. Knowing
14 year old me, I was probably looking forward to leaving school and going home
to play Super Mario Bros 3. I wasn’t a kid who watched or paid much
attention to the news, but I was casually paying attention to Los Angeles,
California and the drama playing out in a courtroom. In early March, a video began circulating
throughout the country of five officers from LAPD surrounding someone and
mercilessly beating him in the middle of street during a traffic stop. Being young and naïve, I wondered what the
driver had done to deserve it. I knew
what I watched seemed brutal and excessive, but police are here to protect and
serve so there had to be a reason for it, right?
The
next month and a half rolled by with arrests and charges for the officers. The driver, Rodney King, had every piece of
dirty laundry aired out to the public.
He was on parole and fleeing from the cops so he must have deserved it,
seemed to be the thought from the defenders of the officers. Conversely, the African American community
had rallied behind King. While openly
admitting that he didn’t have a choir boys’ record, he was still a human being
that did not deserve to be assaulted. He
did not deserve to have 11 skull fractures, permanent brain damage, broken
bones and teeth, kidney failure and a lifetime of emotional trauma. Even at 14 years old, I could see something
much larger was at play. I just didn’t
know what.
 |
| Aftermath of the LA riot |
The afternoon
of April 29th the verdicts were read in the trial of the
officers. Moved out of LA to the suburb
of Simi Valley, they were acquitted of the charges of assault and excessive
force. Hit with batons 56 times…not
guilty. Even my young mind couldn’t wrap
my head around that. I always believed
police were there to protect and serve but five on one with that many strikes
seemed like a lot. Within hours, LA was
ablaze. Fires, looting, riots,
assault. The community in LA did not sit
back. They let their displeasure known. For five days, the tension was palpable and
eventually subsided, with hopes that the leaders would work towards easing
tensions that were clearly drawn down racial lines.
I
didn’t think I would every see anything like that again. Over the last 28 years I have witnessed other
situations that have ended in death, but nothing seemed to spark national
outrage the way that King and LAPD did.
We’d see news reports that would cause us to sit up and take notice that
there’s still tensions between law enforcement and African American
communities, but they seemed to simmer down quickly. We’d talk about it briefly and then things
just seems to fade away. From my
perspective, I would think that there was more to the stories so maybe the
initial response didn’t accurately portray the situation. Honestly, that may have just been my way to
use the “bad apples” argument. There’s
good and bad in every collection of people.
The bad were being weeded out so we’ll get to a point where law
enforcement and every community can live harmoniously. It was a utopian mindset. Everything is going to work itself out and
we’ll all be on the same page. Such a
naïve way to think.
See,
I’ve never had a bad interaction with law enforcement. I’ve been pulled over. The interactions were good. Move on.
When I was managing a movie theater, I was almost robbed. Unbeknownst to me, the police would monitor
me every night to make sure I was safe, knowing how much money would be flowing
through the business. They stopped
anything from happening. You develop a
soft spot for them when they spare you from getting pistol whipped. I have friends in law enforcement and I can’t
imagine what they encounter on a daily basis.
Bluntly put, I’m not brave enough to do what they do and I have the
utmost respect for them doing it.
However, they’re the good ones.
We all know there’s some bad ones.
 |
| George Floyd |
The
latest incident was George Floyd in Minneapolis. Suspected of using a counterfeit $20 bill, a
store clerk contacted police, who appeared on the scene. Four officers pulled up and handcuffed
Floyd. After 8 minutes and 46 seconds,
face down with an officer’s knee pressing into his neck, Floyd had died. I watched the full video, as well as the
security footage and alternate angles.
It was one of the most heart wrenching things I have ever seen. I regret watching it because his pleas for
help, calling out for his deceased mother, were ignored. He repeatedly said, “I can’t breathe”,
something we heard a few years ago in New York with Eric Garner. Floyd said that 15 times during the
incident. He passed out and never
regained consciousness. While lying
there, limp and motionless, the officer maintained his knee on Floyd’s neck,
essentially choking him to death. Once
the ambulance arrived, the officers got up and without any care, threw Floyd’s
lifeless body onto a stretcher. Just
another day in the office, apparently.
The video quickly found its way online and the news sources
everywhere. I assumed justice would be
swift on this one; 4 officers arrested for the murder of George Floyd. Boy, was I wrong.
It
took three days of protests, peaceful and violent, to get an arrest. When that arrest came, it was only one
officer and the charges seemed less than they should have been. The other officers, who had all been fired,
were still free. Outrage and frustration
had boiled over nationwide. It was
another few days before the others were arrested.
So
much happened in the days after the murder.
The world has since devolved into chaos.
Looting. Assaults. Tear gas into innocent crowds. More assaults. People wanted answers, they wanted justice,
they wanted equality and they wanted to know why this keeps happening,
seemingly to the same group of people.
They repeatedly got no answers.
Instead, they were met with brutal force. Instead of having a compassionate ear, they
were attacked and threatened. Where was
our leadership? Hell, where’s our
“leader”? That’s right. He’s hanging out in a bunker, like a
coward. He’s tweeting like a 12 year old
with threats of violence and military presence on the American people he is
supposed to work for, not against.
That’s no way to lead. Leadership
would have been to immediately speak out against the murder of George Floyd. Leadership would have been going to
Minneapolis to meet with the state leaders and public. Show people that you care. That didn’t happen.
I hate
talking politics because it is such a divisive topic, but I’m not even sure
what I say next is political. It’s more
about decency, humanity and equality. The
current president has no sympathy for you if you are not white. I don’t even think it’s a question at this
point. Look at his response to
Charlottesville, VA. Look at his response
to Lansing, MI. These were people,
carrying weapons with them, who were not met with the type of force we’ve seen
this week. The people of Lansing,
yelling and berating the police vociferously, were not met with riot gear, tear
gas and physical assaults. They were
allowed to voice their opinions and allowed to go home without issue. The president called the racist protesters in
Charlottesville “very fine people”. The
protestors in Michigan were “very good people”.
When Black Lives Matter protestors started in Minneapolis the response
was “thugs” and “when the looting starts, the shooting starts”, a phrase coined
by Miami police chief Walter Headley in 1967 after proudly proclaiming “We don't mind being accused of police brutality.
They haven't seen anything yet.” This is
the type of “leadership” we have in the White House. Riots and looting occurred as law enforcement
increased their violence. Violence
begets violence and that was on full display.
 |
| Protesters attacked in Charlottesville |
I’m astonished every day when I talk to the wonderful,
smart people I have in my life that support him. We’re in the most volatile time I have been
part of, whether race relations or the fumbling of a pandemic, and his lack of
leadership is glaring. Yet, he still has
his supporters. I know my words won’t
change their minds, nor will their words change mine. I’ve seen an enabling of racism where a white
athlete’s opinion is happily accepted (Drew Brees) and an African American
athlete told to “Shut up and dribble” (LeBron James). It just seems to me that racism is becoming
more accepted and out of the shadows, which is the absolute wrong way for this
country to go. When you have a president
that is perceived to be racist and supportive of those who also share that
mindset, it empowers that ignorance. I
could go on and on, but I know those who agree with me will nod along while
those who disagree won’t change their stance.
It’s why I hate politics.
Everyone digs into their opinion and refuses to look from a different
angle.
Black Lives Matter.
It’s really that simple. In
saying that, no one is saying that other lives don’t matter; white, Asian,
Mexican, police, on and on. Yes, all
lives matter but they can’t all matter until Black Lives Matter too. Yes, there have been law enforcement crimes
against other races. Where’s your
passion for that? Why aren’t you
protesting for fair police treatment? If
you feel like a white guy has been wronged by the police, where’s your voice
for that? Is it that you don’t really
care about that, as it doesn’t affect your little bubble? No wait.
I’ve got it. You’d rather spend
your time and energy continuing to oppress, belittle and treat others with
inequality. Do me a favor. Go watch the end of the George Floyd video
when those officers unceremoniously toss his dead body around like it is
garbage and then tell me that they thought his life mattered. They couldn’t have cared less about this man,
his friends, his family, his 6 year old daughter. He was just another victim, murdered because
he was accused of using a fake $20 bill.
Say it with me. Black. Lives.
Matter.
Look, I
have friends in law enforcement. Based
on posts in Facebook, I also have friends who are anti-law enforcement. To quote a Tweet I saw recently, I think this
sums it up perfectly:
“I respect the police, their jobs and their
courage, but they’re leaders. Leaders are held to a higher standard. When those
standards aren’t met there are bigger consequences. Put those offenders in jail
forever to HELP prevent this from happening again.”
I have
friends on every end of the spectrum so I made the conscious decision, many
years ago, to stay silent on politics and situations such as this. As I examine the world right now, I realize
that my silence makes me complicit in this.
I didn’t understand that my privilege allowed me the choice to stay silent. I can choose to interject an opinion or say
something, but I can easily sit back and not acknowledge the inequalities that
millions live with every day. I thought
that living how I do, with no prejudice in my heart and teaching my son that we
don’t judge people by how they look, was good enough. I felt that those efforts were enough to help
this and the next generation change the world to be a better place. I was wrong.
There’s a battle out there for equality and, until we raise our voices,
this will continue. It’s time for
everyone to stand up and speak out for our fellow human being; irrelevant of
color, background, sexual orientation, religious affiliation.
 |
| DMPD with some night hoops |
As
with most things, the attention is usually paid on the negative and not on the
positives. The overall protests have
been peaceful, filled with good-hearted people trying to impact change. This isn’t just civilians, but police as
well. So many moments of kneeling,
walking arm in arm, handshakes and crying together. The police have the hardest job in the
world. It’s not just enforcing the law,
but sometimes just pulling up to a park for a quick pick-up basketball game on
a slow night (happened in Des Moines a couple years ago). They’re there to keep us safe. However, there has to be accountability and
repercussions when they do wrong…much like every day citizens. We need transparency. We need to know what’s happening in these
situations where an officer has crossed the line. And, damn it, it should never take days to
arrest an officer or officers who clearly murdered a man with no care for his
life. We need everyone to be treated with respect. Period.
 |
| The Rock |
Do
yourself a favor and listen to this. (You didn’t think we’d get through one of my
blogs without referencing The Rock, did you?)
He’s not coming from a political place.
He’s coming from a place of love and compassion. He’s gently calling out someone he’s known
for many years. Let his words sink in.
It's
been almost eight years since Rodney King passed away and, sadly, as a society
we haven’t learned anything from the lessons of his unfortunate situation. George Floyd.
Eric Garner. Tamir Rice. Philando Castile. Michael Brown. Breonna Taylor. The list goes on and on. “Can we all get along?” That was what Rodney King was pleading
for. Unfortunately, with the lack of
leadership we currently have, we still have a long road to go.
