Government Must Take Responsibility For the Minneapolis Protests
It is quite a twisted world we live in when certain people care more about $50 in store merchandise than the life of a human being. Surely by now you’ve heard about the senseless murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis Policeman Derek Chauvin. The protests, burning of police precincts and looting of private businesses that have followed in the ensuing riots have sent shockwaves through every corner of the United States. Images of looting in particular have distracted Americans from the true issue of police brutality and instead brought the country’s attention to something even more sinister. While looting of private businesses should in no way be glorified the very action should never be a death sentence. Money and merchandise can be replaced. Lives cannot.
The fact that Donald Trump tweeted “When the looting starts, the shooting starts” is an affront not just to the killing itself but to basic humanity. It’s hard to expect any decency from Trump these days, but his statements are a new low even for him. Trump’s statement is filled with bigotry that harkens back to the days of segregation when Alabama Governor George Wallace and Miami Police Chief Walter Headley commonly uttered it in public. The word “looting” has long only applied to Black Americans and not Caucasians, and Trump is trying to stoke racial tensions for the sole purpose of his reelection campaign. It’s a disgusting display that has the potential to lead to countless deaths.
Donald Trump and his supporters’ rhetoric was one of the causes for the despicable Pittsburgh Synagogue shooting that left 11 Jewish worshippers dead. Trump of all people should know the power of rhetoric and words and yet he continuously flaunts them for his own gain. Trump has made the conscious decision to only mention Floyd in passing and has focused his strongest criticisms on Americans protesting the circumstances of Floyd’s passing. If there is anyone who Trump should be admonishing it is Derek Chauvin and the Minneapolis Police Department.
The City of Minneapolis and its Police Department must take responsibility for Floyd’s death and the protests that have followed. Minneapolis must set up a fund to reimburse any business owner whose property was damaged during the ensuing riots. It is not the fault of the private businesses that an arm of their government committed such an atrocious act and put their respective businesses at stake.
The actions of the Police Department directly triggered the protests and it is the responsibility of the City to make business owners whole. Additionally, the Minneapolis Police Department must relinquish the situation to the National Guard. Minneapolis’ Police Department, through the death of George Floyd, and its embarrassing arrest of a CNN crewhas shown itself to be wholly incapable of handling such a tense situation.
If the National Guard does take the lead in restoring the peace, however, Trump must disavow his, “When the looting starts, the shooting starts,” statement. There is no place for the President of the United States to be using language that is not only steeped in racism but also places more value on inanimate objects than human beings. Objects can always be replaced. Human lives, however, cannot. It is about time that we value each and every life above that of a television.