Photo courtesy of Sarah Quiara
I confess that I've struggled with what to say this past week. I have been writing and editing and thinking and feeling. I've been listening and learning and donating. I've been silent so other voices can be heard, but now I think it's time to speak. I originally planned to post an article I wrote about my own failings as an ally, but I put that on hold. It's not time for me to speak about myself.
Instead I would like to address something I have seen some of my friends and family talk about on social media. I have heard people blame George Floyd's death on one bad cop. All this happening for one bad cop. I have a response to that.
It isn't just one bad cop. It's one bad cop who kept his knee on George Floyd's neck while he tried to plead for his life. It's three bad cops who stood around and watched. These same cops lied about Floyd resisting arrest. It's not just bad cops but a system that protects them. This goes up the chain of command - from those who did nothing in the first few days after the murder to the first autopsy that tried to blame cause of death on "underlying health issues." It even goes to the highest power - the president of the United States, President Trump, who in 2017 spoke to a group of law enforcement officers and told them not to be "too nice" to people in custody. He even encouraged them to stop protecting people's heads when putting them in squad cars.
Photo courtesy of Sarah Quiara
Think about that for a second. We believe in this country that you are innocent until proven guilty, which means that cops should treat everyone as innocent. If an innocent person is being beaten, that's called assault. I know what you are going to say - sometimes we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are guilty. Well, keep in mind the arrest of Dylann Roof. Roof is a white supremacist who walked into a church and killed nine people. When Roof was arrested, it was peaceful. He wasn't thrown to the ground, he never had a knee on his neck. The cops even took him to Burger King because he was hungry. A white mass murderer was treated better than an innocent black man.
This is not one bad cop. It is an entire corrupt system. It's a system that silences the good cops and rewards the bad. There have been protests in every single state in this nation (and in many other countries) because they all know that this happens everywhere.
It's not just one cop, or one precinct, or one city, or one state. It's nationwide. It's everywhere. The list of names gets longer and the cries for justice get louder.
Photo courtesy of Sarah Quiara
The police have a difficult job. I don't envy them in the least. A few years ago I sat on a jury for a murder trial. One of the witnesses was a police officer who broke down in tears because he couldn't prevent what happened. My heart went out to him for the amount of responsibility he carried on his shoulders. There are so many stories of wonderful, heroic officers. We need these good cops! Which is why we need to scrutinize the system. Police officers must be held to a higher standard. That's what it comes down to - a higher standard. If the many good cops stay silent about the bad, then they become complicit.
We have police officers who are upholding that higher standard during this time- treating protesters with civility, talking, walking, kneeling with them. On the other side we have cops who are clearly abusing their power. It's not enough that the good officers uphold that higher standard if they don't also insist that other officers do as well. We need the good police officers to be the voice of justice. We need an uprooting of a system that protects and rewards the bad cops.
Photo courtesy of Sarah Quiara
Luckily we don't have to start from scratch. There are already organizations out there that have been working on this for years. So many that I can't list them all, but you can read about The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights statement and suggestions here.
We are not going to end racism with this movement. It's an ongoing fight that has existed since the birth of our nation, but we can make changes that work toward that end. It will take work, dedication, and the support of all of us.
To find civil rights organizations to donate to click here.
For other places to donate including a go fund me for the family of George Floyd click here.
*Thank you Sarah Quiara for the use of your powerful photos.
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