In the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd by police officer Derek Chauvin the Left has rallied behind George Floyd treating him as a martyr, and a “former high school athlete” who was just trying to buy food for his family with the counterfeit $20 bill he used at the store. While he could have been trying to buy food, and using a fake $20 bill is most certainly NOT something you should be murdered for (and make no mistake he was murdered), he was, in fact a career criminal and not a saint.
George Floyd had NOTHING in common with my African American friends and colleagues except the color of his skin. He was a criminal, and for most of his life a very bad guy. The reason he wasn’t in the back of the squad car, and was instead pinned to the ground, was not because the cops had it out for him. It was because when the police officers started walking him to the squad car after he was handcuffed he fell to the ground saying he was claustrophobic and wouldn’t get into the car. Seeing that he was just inside a car I’m thinking that his car claustrophobia claim was bogus, and the real reason he didn’t want to get into the squad car was because he was recently released from prison and was still on probation. He was for all intents and purposes resisting arrest.
Will all that said I still firmly believe that Derek Chauvin murdered him. There was absolutely NO reason for Chauvin to use his knee to press on Floyd’s neck to restrain him. NO REASON! And that’s why it’s murder.
But the vast majority of Americans, including police officers, are not racists or power hungry violent people. And the vast majority of African Americans are not criminals. So many people, especially on the far-Left, talk about people and situations in absolutes. Saying that an entire group of people who have one thing in common are all the same is just wrong no matter who you are talking about.
Another point I’d like to make is that cities in this country are being destroyed by far-Left groups like Antifa in the name of George Floyd who they say was killed because of the color of his skin by a racist cop, but here’s the thing…..In researching Chauvin I found no evidence that he was a racist. He was obviously a very bad guy who seemed to enjoy using excessive force on the job, but he didn’t seem to have a history of racially driven violence. What I did find was that he was investigated 18 times for misconduct on the job mostly consisting of “using a ‘demeaning tone,’ ’derogatory language’ and other language that merited discipline.” There was also an incident where he pulled a woman out of her car at a traffic stop. She filed a complaint that he used unwarranted force, and the investigation found in her favor stating that the traffic stop could have been conducted with her in the car. But there was no mention of the woman’s race.
It seems that because Chauvin is Caucasian and Floyd was African American people assume that Chauvin purposely killed Floyd because he was a racist. But other than the two men’s color there is no evidence of that. In fact, Chauvin’s wife (soon to be ex-wife) was of Asian-descent. She was born in Laos, and came to the US with her parents as a child. So if he’s a racist he is a selective one. Just because a Caucasian cop killed an African American suspect doesn’t mean that the suspect was a saint, and it doesn’t mean the cop is a racist.
It also doesn’t mean that all police officers are racists, or violent, or need to be gotten rid of. There is a big “abolish police” and “defund police forces” push on the left right now. But that will not solve anything. Ninety-nine percent of police officers are hard-working, good people who put their lives on the line every day to keep all Americans safe. Getting rid of these people will only create a power vacuum that will be filled probably by people who actually are violent like gangs. A civilized society needs the good guys to keep us safe from the bad guys….the police ARE the good guys, but they are also human. Some humans are not good people, but that doesn’t mean an entire group of people should be called bad because one of them did a bad thing. Chauvin is also white, so applying the same logic does that mean that all white people are racist or bad? He was also in his 40s, so does that mean that all people in their 40s are bad? Absolutely not in all cases above!
I also find it interesting that the same crowd that is calling to defund the police have also called to abolish the Second Amendment and/or take guns from law-abiding citizens. So, let me get this straight. They do not want law-abiding citizens to be able to protect themselves, and they also do not want police to protect them either? That is a recipe for disaster and anarchy.
I don’t know what the solution to all this is, but I do know that it’s not removing police officers from our country. The people who are rioting, looting, and destroying cities do not seem to want a solution they just want the destruction of our society. Even the people peacefully protesting don’t seem to be solutions oriented. Let’s come up with some tangible, logical actions. For instance, any police officer who is reprimanded more than 5 times is deemed unfit to be on the beat, and is fired or given a desk job depending on the severity of the allegations against him/her. There should also be funding supplied to campaigns for recruiting a more diverse police force. I’m sure if everyone was more interested in finding solutions rather than placing blame and reacting we as a society could come up with a better way. I wish everyone would focus on that.
Jane Republican 