A starting point for two Americas on police brutality
Black America and White America are starting the conversation on the death of George Floyd at different points. Black America believes nothing in the video was justified. White America is having a hard time understanding, processing, and rationalizing the death of George Floyd. White America seems to forget he also suffered. Black America does not.
Over the years, White America has found numerous ways to justify the suffering and death of black people. From treating black people as chattel, slave patrols, lynching, policing, to the school to prison pipeline, White America is used to seeing, and, in some cases, celebrating the suffering and death of black people. After having turned a blind eye on their suffering, their death has become commonplace. George Floyd’s suffering and death, on camera, threw a wrench on justifying death.
This is because, even if — by some miracle, faith, alignment of stars, or intervention of God — George Floyd had merely been restrained, and did not die, White America would still have justified the actions taken by the police officer. If an ambulance had saved George Floyd’s life right in the stitch of time, even after he had lost consciousness, White America would have been fine.
White America is coming off the starting block thinking that he [just] didn’t deserve to die, but that the arrest, choke, unconsiousness, pain, and suffering are justified. Centuries of asking, expecting, and sometimes mandating black people to comply — stop resisting! — allows this justification. Centuries of requiring silence — don’t talk back, of requiring passive acquiesence — know your place!, and of intentionally placing the onus of the victim — he must have deserved it !— have caused this narrative. However, the realization that George Floyd was not resisting, talking back, or out of place, does not fit the narrative.
White America realizes that during the entire 9 minutes when he was begging for his life, George Floyd could not have done anything different to ensure his survival. That realization does not bode well with the White America narrative. This view is still couched in the fact that he died. Neither he, nor the public, nor other police officers, nor paramedics, could have influenced or changed the course of events. However, if he had lived, his suffering, would not be news.
White America realizes that assuming by some evolutionary instinct, between calling his mom and begging, he found the strength to push off the cop, just to catch his breath and inhale, America would still charge him for resisting arrest. America would still criminalize his need for air. And if the police officer had shot George Floyd in self-defense, White America would still justify his nose bleed, his unconsciousness, and his death. All of which does not negate George’s need for air. White America would still criminalize his need for air.
Simply because he died, we — both Black and White America — are already starting this conversation on a different foot. White America is willing to accept his suffering for an alleged fake $20 but is finding it harder to swallow and accept his death for the same value. Every excuse that could be given, every excuse that White America has already given, every excuse that will be given, is and will be couched in the alleged crime — the alleged fake $20 bill.
All of America — Black and White alike — now stands to play judge and jury. America gets to determine if his suffering, dignity, pain, and life are all worth an alleged $20 bill. Black America knows the verdict. They just don't know if White America will side with them. White America is struggling. The evidence presented does not match the narrative. White America’s perception of the reality of Black America is failing to register in its consciousness. Until White America accepts that the entire encounter with a police officer — suffering and death — was worth more than [either and both] an alleged and a real $20 bill, Black and White America aren’t on the same page.
Normally, you would be pressed to find White America concerned about the suffering and death of black people. Black America, on the other hand, has been sold the myth[s] of the American dream. “All men are created equal.” In truth, Black America knows that it should read “All straight white men that look like they have property are treated like they are equal.” Black America needs White America to stare at the video evidence and make up its mind. Is the suffering and death worth it? So while White America is confused, Black America is using this rare video of both suffering and death to force White America to see the suffering and death of George Floyd as both an individual and a systemic problem.
This is a problem money cannot just solve. Often times, when White America realizes that something wrong has occurred, is forced to see the suffering as individual and systemic, or realizes that an encounter was worth more than its asking (and dying) price, White America is used to simply throwing more money at the individual and not the problem. White America has justified incompetence, malice, and recklessness on the part of a police officer — and the judicial system at large — with the fact that money absolves the suffering and death of the victim. “Money compensates suffering and death, so whatever.”
This one is different.
Random tangential thought, America allows El Chapo to live in Colorado.
