As we sit back and helplessly watch major cities around the United States go up in flames, it’s easy to find yourself wondering “how did we get here?”
We pretty much all saw the George Floyd video. Of all the high-profile police brutality cases over the last few years, nearly everyone agreed that the cops responsible for Floyd’s death deserve jail time. When we all agree on this, that means we’re bridging the divide, right?
In many cases, we are. Most people take the radical anti-rioting and anti-burning shit down stance, regardless of political affiliation, race, or religion.
Unfortunately, in addition to the rioters, there are some people who seem to be fine with rioting as a form of protest. Not coincidentally, these people are over represented in the media and on Twitter and have a disproportionate impact on the national discussion.
When influential people use this type of rhetoric, how do they expect things to improve? How does this not fire people up? If you really think things are hopeless, violence seems like a reasonable idea.
Incidents like Floyd’s death obviously happen, but are they evidence of systemic racism? It has to be, right? That’s what we’re constantly told. America is irredeemably racist. If you’re black, you should fear the police.
The data suggests otherwise.
If the media was whipped into a frenzy every time a bee, wasp, or hornet killed someone, some people might not go outside.
Regardless of race, you’re more likely to be killed by the sting of a flying insect than be unarmed and killed by the police. If you’re looking for the media to tell you that, good luck.
Those numbers certainly add perspective, but that doesn’t answer the question of racial bias.
Floyd wasn’t shot, but this is pretty revealing data nonetheless. As you can see, white people are killed by cops more often than black people. Sure, black Americans are only about 13% of the overall population, but they also commit more than half the violent crimes.
This isn’t meant to be some kind of victim blaming. It does suggest that cops are more likely to find themselves in tense situations in predominantly minority areas. Again, this does not excuse incidents like the one in Minneapolis, but needs to be more widely known. The idea that the police are the enemy of black Americans is absurd and not based on reality.
This unrest is the product of fear and hatred. While most of the people involved are peacefully protesting in favor of a legitimate cause, others are using this as an opportunity to loot, burn, and destroy. Antifa and similar left-wing militant groups have used this opportunity to cause chaos.
Whereas the vast majority of Americans are against rioting, the media and some politicians and activists have been justifying it, and in some cases encouraging it.
They OWN this.
Next time these people tell you how to feel about something, to vote for them, or to even take them seriously, remember how they handled this situation. Were they calling for unity, law and order, and actual justice for George Floyd? Or, were they willfully providing cover for these violent, destructive thugs?
If you’re causing or excusing violence and destruction, we’re not on the same side.