Time for race camaraderie

I was prompted to write this article after having witnessed TV video footage of the May 25th recorded death of Mr. George Floyd, an African-American man, by Derek Chauvin, a white Minneapolis, Minnesota, police officer.  The latter appeared to have been aided and abetted by the inactivity of three other police officers who were at the scene.  For whatever reason they did not intervene.  The result was death by murder!

When I sat down to write this article, I searched for powerful impact words to convey the heightened emotions I felt.  I am rarely at a loss for words, but this time I found not a single word to adequately propel my emotions into an effective written format.  But, as I sat there, I was overcome with a feeling of sadness.  My earlier anger had been tamped down to a form best described as a reduced layer of glowing pieces of coal with a flickering of flames that could flare in an uncontrolled moment.  Addressing any matter in an emotionally-charged state of anger is more destructive than effective.

Nonetheless, how can one not be angry after seeing what happened to Mr. Floyd?  Anyone with a moral compass or an ounce of decency can’t help but be upset and angry with what happened.  But that same moral compass dictates a controlled and open-minded approach in determining the facts of the troubling matter at hand.

I am very pro-law enforcement, but what I saw - a handcuffed and “non-resistant” man begging for his life as he was unknowingly and slowing dying from the weight of the police officer’s knee, which was pressed firmly against his throat - was intolerable and inexcusable.  The conveyed demeanor of Officer Chauvin as Mr. Floyd slipped into an unconscious state and lost his life, was devoid of emotion.  What he did, whether intentional or not, cannot be condoned or go unpunished.

Although Officer Chauvin and the other three police officers at the scene of the incident have been fired from the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD), only Chauvin has been arrested and charged with Third Degree Murder and Second-Degree Manslaughter.  If convicted of both charges, the maximum sentence would be 35 years in prison. I do not know what awaits the other three officers.  The investigation is ongoing.  But, in my opinion, which was admittedly formed without all the pertinent facts, I do not see how these three officers can escape a felony charge of accessory to murder.  They failed to come to the aid of Mr. Floyd who was clearly in distress.  Their job is to serve and protect.  In this instance, they did neither.  I find it very difficult to believe that at least one of the three officers didn’t see what was happening and rush to stop what was happening. They failed and the result was death by murder!

If the death of George Floyd wasn’t horrific enough, what started out to be peaceful demonstrations in Minneapolis to convey the distraught feelings of Mr. Floyd’s family and friends has escalated into uncalled for and illegal riots in Minneapolis and different cities around the country.  And, yes, I said “uncalled for.”  No matter the crime committed, and the death of Mr. Floyd was and remains a very serious matter, we are a law and order country and it serves no useful purpose to riot, at any time!  Peaceful protests are allowed, and they garner more support and sympathy than riots.

Rioting is a criminal act, and the reason why is clearly evident in the multi-city riots we have seen in the past several days.  The majority of these rioters have little or no respect for Mr. Floyd, his memory, and his family and friends.  The so-called sympathy rioters throughout the country have proven they are nothing more than thieves, arsonists. seditionists, anarchists, and thugs,  They have been infiltrated by professional agitators and instigators, including the George Soros funded left-leaning terrorist group, ANTIFA.  They are using Mr. Floyd’s death and the grief of his family as a front for their own personal and political agendas.  The goal of these groups is to create anarchy by inciting and using unsuspecting individuals and groups.  These infiltrating and infecting provocateurs are trying to start a race war.  There is nothing noble about their devious intentions.

The United States is a civilized country and a role model for the rest of the world. So I am compelled to ask this question:  What is civilized about wholesale looting (criminal theft), purposely damaging and destroying both public and private property, setting buildings and vehicles on fire, throwing rocks and fire bombs at police officers, and endangering the lives of public servants (firemen, EMT personnel) and law-abiding citizens, purposefully inciting riots, and the unrighteous tarnishing of the Africa-American community, which has given so much to this country?

I am tired of racism in this country, i.e. the exploitation of skin color.  I contend there is only one real race on this earth, the human race.  The exploitation of skin color must be abolished, not by laws and decrees, but by the daily actions of each of us as human beings.

The world is not color blind and never will be.  God created people of different color.  Why did he do that?  I believe the answer is simple.  Think how boring it would be if we were all one color, one sex, same height and weight, spoke the same language, had the  same intellect, the same likes and dislikes, and the same abilities, and had the same personalities.  It is time we - all of us - forget about skin color and thank God for all the diversity that makes life worth living.

Skin color is God-given; be proud of yours.  I will leave you with a brief story about how a young white boy looked at skin color.  His name was Johnathan.  I know him and his family.  One of his parents asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up.  His responded with this statement:  “I want to be a black professional basketball player.”  But, to his disappointment, he grew up to be a white accountant. Just like white, brown, red, and yellow - black is an admired color.  I have extensive friends across the color spectrum of humanity.  I even claim friendship with some Democrats, whose identities will remain confidential.

Pray for a just and timely resolution to this awful event that has created so much uncalled for violence, animosity, destruction, theft, and loss of common sense.  We are all Americans.  Join me when I say God bless America!