We have ignored our pledge.
Reason: He was Black.
We have forgotten our pledge.
"I Can't Breathe." F**k! again![1]
We have not honored our pledge.
The Minneapolis Police dishonored our pledge. It initially reported: “He [George Floyd] was ordered to step from his car. After he got out, he physically resisted officers. Officers were able to get the suspect into handcuffs and noted he appeared to be suffering medical distress [my emphasis].”
Translation: A cop knelt on the man's neck, ignored him when he complained he couldn't breathe, all captured by a bystander on video.[2] The cop kneeling on Floyd and others disregarded bystanders who shouted statements such as the following:
- Check his pulse.
- What's his heart rate?
- He's not responsive.
- He's not fucking moving.
- He's [the cop kneeling on Floyd's neck] is enjoying it.
- You going to let him [the cop kneeling on Floyd's neck] kill him [Floyd].
- You just killed that man.
Each comment perfectly annotated the images in the video.
Today, the four cops involved were fired. The FBI is investigating.
The incident, one in a long line and a line that gets longer, ignited old fears and anger at the police and American society in general.
- How many more African American men must die at the hands of those who said they wanted to serve and protect?
- Ten, 20, 100, or 1000?
- What slaughter is required before Americans will take notice?
- When another 10, 20, 100, or 1000 die?
- Most important: When will American society demand a change?
- When their relatives, like my grandsons, might be the next to die?
The questions, as they have for decades, go unanswered. So, anger and fear flare.
"As the video spread on social media on Monday night, the arrest quickly drew comparisons to the case of Eric Garner, a black man who died in New York police custody in 2014, after an officer held him in a chokehold," reported the New York Times. "Mr. Garner’s repeated plea of 'I can’t breathe' — also recorded by a cellphone — became a rallying cry at demonstrations against police misconduct around the country." Hundreds of people demonstrated Tuesday night near where Floyd was killed.
People don't forget. Monday's erasure of life will be woven into a long, painful, and time-worn narrative. It will fuel fear and distrust of those who should help. In the end, the fear and distrust will cripple efforts by those officers who do serve and protect.
Everyone suffers. Not just the officers or the African American community, but us all. Without trust, there cannot be one nation indivisible.
The solution, therefore, cannot come from the African American community alone. Nor from police departments. It must arise from one nation, the nation of all Americans. They must call for equitable policing of all communities. They must demand liberty and justice for all, as Americans have pledged for decades.
"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." [3]
[1] Do some police officers need lessons in basic human survival?
[2] It’s an evil video, no, it’s disgusting. My stomach still turns.
[3] I prefer the pre-1954 version of the Pledge of Allegiance.
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