This has been a day of horror in dozens of cities across the country, with a few scenes of beauty to put them in stark relief.
Between last night and today, law enforcement attacked. They used gas, pellets, clubs and fists to enforce their will on the assembled crowds. Much of it had no discernment to it. People walking home with arms full of their groceries were shot in the head with pellets, requiring stitches. People were shot with pellets while sitting on their own stoops on a beautiful day with their kids. The video of this event is horrible. They are doing nothing but sitting outside. Nothing. A 13 year old girl has lost her eye after being hit in the face with a tear gas canister. Protesters have been run into with police cars and even with horses.
This has been completely unnecessary. It was a self-fulfilling outcome because of the mindset from where it came.
Five nights ago the stage was set. After seeing the people in the streets the day after George Floyd was arrogantly silenced forever, the Minneapolis police made a very bad strategic decision. They erected a fence around the 3rd Precinct about seven feet high, a clear indication that this was Fort Apache and they were going into siege mode. They had made a critical miscalculation. They had clearly announced that there was a “us” and there was a “them” and they had to defend themselves against “them”. Seeing this, protesters had been put on notice. They were right, the po-po were going to defend their own. There was now zero chance of seeing us all being in this quagmire together. There were sides.
Miami did it differently, or at least some of them did. Police took a knee and bowed their heads, a visual acknowledgement of solidarity with protesters and an implied culpability, or at the very least a heightened sense of responsibility. It was effective, and protesters joined them in mutual prayer, sharing hugs, healing. Other parts of Miami burned, but this moment should have been the model, not Minneapolis.
Unfortunately the first highly televised strategy was Minneapolis, and it quickly became the model for the law enforcement response across the land. Defend yourselves and defend property. The President revved it up some more by announcing the National Guard was ready to go, now famously repeating a threat that touched off major rioting in the late sixties. “…when the looting starts, the shooting starts!” It seemed like the President was excited about the idea of killing fields. He had already been a failure as a “wartime president” in his response to the virus. This was his chance to really be a bad ass with a real enemy, not one you can’t see. This enemy you could aim at, and the bonus plan was they were mostly people of color. He was making sure everyone knew he would do exactly that.
In Flint, MI Sheriff Chris Swanson put down his gun and went among the protesters he faced unarmed, told them he was there to make sure they were safe and heard, pointed out other officers that were potentially allies, and suggested they make this into a parade, not a protest. They invited him to walk with them and he agreed. “Where do you want to go? We’ll walk all night.” And they did.
Dozens of other places blew up. In NYC the video of the police response looks like they have gone wilding. Pushing, clubbing, trampling, gassing, making sudden rushes on crowds that were not displaying criminal behavior, but simple outrage, and moving on past the wounded, looking to most like an invading army. One woman wound up in the hospital from a concussion she received as she was thrown out of the street to the pavement with far more force than necessary as the video of the event clearly displays.
These strategies have consequences. I honestly believe that most of this (not all) could have been avoided.
Step one would have been quickly charging the offending officers. Any blue line that exists needs to be shredded and police departments need to understand that their reputations are everything. Once you have lost the faith of the public that you have their best interests in mind and not the protection of your own you are lost.
The next voice that should have been heard by the public would be the Chief of Police, not just in Minneapolis, but in districts across the country. Had it been a voice of contrition, of sorrow, of shame that these officers could operate under their umbrella, just maybe some would listen. The officers that knelt in Miami were embraced by the crowd. If they had said “You folks have many allies within the ranks, most of the officers sharing in the shame of these events, desperate to be of service in the people’s hour of need. A broad brush is always a clumsy stroke, whether it is applied to People of Color or to police officers. Too many get swept up that do not belong. We all know that is true, and those people become unfair targets of vengeance for things they have not done. Businesses are being destroyed, and many of those businesses are owned by people that may be marching with you today, or may want to. They are not your enemy. Most of us are not, either, and those that are must be held accountable. We must stand together, not as rivals, but as people that have a common purpose of blind justice. The police are dedicated to bringing justice to you. These officers attacked you, and they have attacked us. Let us come together over this, not let it drive a wedge between us. We are dedicated to bringing these officers to justice. Help us help you. When property is attacked and destroyed, we have no option but to respond and attempt to protect those that can not protect themselves, which includes business owners and you. It puts us on opposite sides. We aren’t. We all just want to be treated fairly. Don’t put us in the position of having to oppose you. We are called to stop crime, and we will. But let us start here. We are not here to silence you. You have a voice. Let the world hear it, and we will support it and you. Bad cops must go to prison. Good cops will help. Let us.”
Sure, maybe it’s a pipe dream, but I actually think this would have helped. Swift justice, zero tolerance for police misconduct or brutality would have been a crucial element as well. The police have to change their policy of protecting their own. It is counter-productive and they have to wake up to that. Punish the bad apples with prejudice. They are the ones that destroy the credibility of the force. Protecting them undermines the entire enterprise. You can’t serve two masters, someone once said. Perhaps you’ve heard it. The police can’t serve and protect the public if their first priority is to serve and protect themselves. The two are incompatible.
Tonight law enforcement is in self-defense mode across the country. Many departments behaved very badly yesterday, overreacting to non-violent situations. It has laid the groundwork for a very bad night. The protesters know exactly what to expect from law enforcement now, and they are coming out anyway. Few on either side are naive enough to expect a night of peaceful protest. That hope has gone. Some places are not even dark yet, and the unrest is already in full gear.
This is at Trump’s door, both figuratively and literally. Huge protests are targeting the White House, making it clear that the Administration’s calls for justice are perceived as a ruse, especially after Attorney General Barr made it clear that this was a political opportunity, not an actual crisis of confidence. He put the blame clearly on left wing elements with no evidence, not even an attempt to justify what he was selling, and Trump followed up by announcing that Antifa would be declared as a domestic terrorist group and blamed them for the unrest. It is unclear if he has the power to declare such a thing, but that has never held much importance to him. It is important to note that no actual evidence exists yet of the involvement of Antifa in the violence on the streets. But his campaign is in trouble, and any port in a storm.
As a result, my FB newsfeed has seen these sentiments regurgitated by the usual suspects. It is almost like watching a ventriloquist. He can throw his voice directly into the mouths of uneducated white people, and out it comes. There is no refinement to it, no massaging the message in any way. It is repeated verbatim and never questioned. If obvious factual errors are shared, they are repeated with just as much confidence. The Orange Oracle has spoken, and that’s that.
One woman on my newsfeed said she was perfectly ok with peaceful protest, but when it came to rioting and looting, she had no tolerance. What was wrong with these people? I responded to her that if you had peacefully protested for 400 years, and someone suggested you have a little patience it might not land the way you imagined.
A line has been crossed. This is not business as usual. These killings have been going on for years. Before this was a former “peace” officer and his son chasing down a black jogger and killing him, with a videographer in tow to memorialize the event. Remember that? The protesters do. And Breonna, and a hundred others. Sadly, each city that is burning has its own list of victims. George Floyd is a symbol because he did not die alone. He died in a barrage that took many of his fellow African-American brothers and sisters, all across the nation. Something about this has ended the patience that white privilege always expects, always demands. Suddenly, that privilege is not being respected.
There is danger in this. We have reached a point where white folks are starting to come out of their ether and recognize the real and present danger that Donald Trump represents to every one of us. These are people that are on the edge, moderate republicans or independents. The polls are showing a shift, an acknowledgement of the error of their ways. If the explosion of emotion in the black community scares them enough, they may overcome their Trump fears and see him as the only one that will protect them against the advancing hoards. Hold your nose and vote for him! In desperate situations we are prone to defaulting to our basest selves, our knee-jerk essences. What fear will win that competition? Sadly, no one really knows.
But there are fires in front of the White House tonight, and all across America. It is very hard to know when they will go out.
Or how.