Calling 46-year-old George Loyd’s May 25 murder by 44-year old white Minneapolis cop Derek Chauvin “tragic failures” of the United States, 73-year-old former President George W. Bush expressed dismay over looting and race riots. “It remains a shocking failure that many African American, especially young African American men, are harassed and threatened in their own country,” Bush said. Whether Bush knows it or no, he’s making a bad situation worse with his sweeping generalizations about “systemic racism.” Bush knows that the vast majority of law enforcement personnel in the United State are not racist, in fact come from diverse backgrounds, especially in America’s big cities. However many white racist incidents occur in the black community, there are far more violent deaths African American men face from fellow black men in their own communities, especially the inner city.
Watching Floyd’s horrific death with Chauvin kneeling on his neck for nearly nine minutes should remind all fair-minded Americans that Chauvin acted alone with complicity from three other Minneapolis police officers, Thomas Lane, J.A. Kueng and Tou Thao looking on. Not one bystander nor any of the three officers intervened as a good Samaritans to stop Chauvin’s murder. While conscious before passing out, Floyd said, “I can’t breathe,” crying out for mercy, calling for his “Momma.” What Chauvin did was an egregious display of sadism, demanding that Hennepin County Prosecutor Mike Freeman revise charges to include no less that Second-Degree murder. Some think Chauvin should be charged with First-Degree murder, reflecting pre-planning. Freeman needs to charge Lane, Kueng and Thao with accessory to murder, carrying the same charges as Chauvin.
Street protesters, including anarchists, looters and arsonists, seek justice, not the endless delay that’s prevented Freeman from a no-brainer charge for the three complicit officers of accessory to murder. Only then, will the protesters and the angry mob begin to settle down. As long as the three officers remain uncharged, the protests, rioting, looting and arson will continue. Local, state and federal law enforcement find themselves on the horns of a dilemma, fighting fire with fire. Justice requires Chauvin and his complicit gang-of-three to be charged appropriately. “It is a strength when protesters, protected by responsible law enforcement, march for a better future,” Bush wrote in a statement. Bush isn’t taking into account that one rogue Minneapolis cop gave the national law enforcement community a big black eye, engaging in a horrific act of murder for all to see.
Cries of “systemic racism” have hit the headlines since Floyd’s death but it’s time to stop oversimplifying and over-generalizing what happens daily in the law enforcement community. “How do we end systemic racism in our society?” asks Bush. “The only way to see ourselves in a true light is to listen to the voices of so many who are hurting an grieving.” Yet whether in law enforcement or military, post-traumatic stress and poor training goes with the territory. Ordinary good people watch themselves transformed in the trenches into stress cases, requiring recognition and intervention by law enforcement and military personnel Yet when violence, suicide, domestic abuse, alcoholism or drug addition strike, it often passes unnoticed until horrific incidents take place. Whatever happened to Chauvin, he cracked, without anyone noticing, perhaps years ago, waiting for the ultimate destructive act.
Bush sees things in terms of the African American community that finds itself torn between seeking justice or revenge. When rioters, looters and arsonists take to the streets, smashing storefronts and torching businesses is that seeking justice for George Floyd? “Those who set out to silence those voice do not understand the meaning of America—or how it becomes a better place,” Bush said, sounding very close to condoning lawlessness and anarchy. Are voices of silence when law enforcement prevents anarchists from destroying society as we know it? If protesters aren’t seeking justice, they what are they seeking? Black Entertainment TV’s 74-year-old founder Bob Johnson says that only $15 trillion of reparations can stop black angst from their plight living in the United States since Colonial Days. Bush seems like he’s calling out 73-year-old President Donald Trump for being insensitive.
When you look at the video of Derek Chauvin snuffing out George Floyd’s life you see a sick and broken man. Watching him perform his unthinkable act, his three Minneapolis police colleagues are equally culpable and must be charged as accessories to murder. Hennepin County Prosecutor Mike Freeman must arrest and charge Lane, Keung and Thao with accessories to murder to help promote justice. “Looting is no liberation, and destruction is not progress,” Bush said. “But we also know that lasting peace in our communities requires truly equal justice . . . “ asking the nation to take a hard look at the criminal justice system. Whether that system is stacked against blacks and other minorities is anyone’s guess. What known for sure is that rioting, looting and anarchy cannot bring Floyd back, nor can it reform a criminal justice system that favors the rich over poor—regardless of race.
