Racism

On a national level, many people are protesting and rioting over the death of George Floyd at the brutal hands of a police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

I haven't watched the video of his death. I know that what happened was unconscionable. It was murder.  Of course, many people are legitimately horrified and outraged at his death. Regrettably, while many people are protesting peacefully, others have turned their anger into an excuse for looting and violence.  Or maybe some people aren't really outraged, they are just thinking this is a good excuse to steal stuff.

I have been unsettled about what went down.  If I saw someone attacking someone else, I hope I'd have the courage to intervene.  But what about when it is a police officer? We are supposed to be able to trust the police. Not that I do, entirely.  There are bad people in every profession.  It's just a struggle to know what the onlookers should have done.  3 other cops were there.  A crowd of people apparently was telling the police officer to let up on Floyd and he refused. So what were the onlookers supposed to do? Try to wrestle a cop off a man?  And get pepper sprayed or arrested?  Because a policeman (or woman) has societal authority, he or she has extra responsibility to be careful.  Thankfully, I am certain most police are far better than this man. 

Really, it was flat out murder, though not first degree murder. I'm guessing the cop didn't intend to kill him, but he used brutal force.

It is horrifying and very, very sad. 

We live out in the country and away from the rioting.  We are very removed from it all in a geographic sense but it does break my heart that something like this happened.