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Positive Push Backs


George Floyd ought to be on every American's mind, don't you agree? I don't know anything about the man other than he died by the hands of four police officers. Brutes, really. Thugs.  As the cops knelt on his body for more than eight minutes, Floyd showed no resistance and repeatedly told them that he couldn't breathe.

The death scene was disgusting. It was horrifying, and it was sad. It didn't have to be!

I am glad that since Floyd's death, on May 25, 2020, systematic racism and its perpetrators have been put on notice. 

1. The Minnesota Department of Human Rights (June 2, 2020) filed a civil rights charge against the Minneapolis Police Department, along with investigating the department for systemic discriminatory practices and abuse of force.

2. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison upgraded the murder charge against Chauvin from third to second degree. In addition,  Attorney General Ellison charged the three other police officers (Thao, Kueng, and Lane) with being accessories to and aiding in the murder of George Floyd.


3. Clergy throughout the country denounced Trump for pushing aside peaceful protestors with violence so that he could take pictures of himself holding a Bible in front of St. John's Episcopal Church, across from the White House.

4. Twitter closed a fake account opened by a white supremacist group pretending to be the voice of the Antifa movement.

5. Defense Secretary Esper publicly disagreed with Trump about the use of the Insurrection Act to quell protestors, which Trump threatened to invoke if governors didn't control their states. (Time will tell whether Esper stands strong or kowtows to Trump.)


6. Police officers and National Guards at demonstrations across the country kneel with protestors in solidarity.

7. Communities come out the morning after the riots to help clean up the mess. Check out Ched Curtain's post, Walking on Broken Glass.

8. The former presidents, unlike Trump, offered unifying words of grief, kindness, and hope, along with speaking out against the killing of George Floyd and systemic racism. The Intelligencer posted their full statements here.

8. Former President Jimmy Carter wrote in his June 3, 2020 statement: 

. . .Dehumanizing people debases us all; humanity is beautifully and almost infinitely diverse. The bonds of our common humanity must overcome the divisiveness of our fears and prejudices.

Since leaving the White House in 1981, Rosalynn and I have strived to advance human rights in countries around the world. In this quest, we have seen that silence can be as deadly as violence. People of power, privilege, and moral conscience must stand up and say “no more” to a racially discriminatory police and justice system, immoral economic disparities between whites and blacks, and government actions that undermine our unified democracy. We are responsible for creating a world of peace and equality for ourselves and future generations.

We need a government as good as its people, and we are better than this.


9. Former President Bill Clinton expressed  on June 1, 2020:

If George Floyd had been white, handcuffed, and lying on the ground, would he be alive today?

Why does this keep happening?

What can we do to ensure that every community has the police department it needs and deserves?

What can I do?

We can’t honestly answer these questions in the divide and conquer, us vs. them, shift the blame and shirk the responsibility world we’re living in. People with power should go first — answer the questions, expand who’s “us” and shrink who’s “them,” accept some blame, and assume more responsibility. But the rest of us have to answer these questions too.

10. Former President George W. Bush stated on June 2, 2020:

. . .Many doubt the justice of our country, and with good reason. Black people see the repeated violation of their rights without an urgent and adequate response from American institutions. We know that lasting justice will only come by peaceful means. Looting is not liberation, and destruction is not progress. But we also know that lasting peace in our communities requires truly equal justice. The rule of law ultimately depends on the fairness and legitimacy of the legal system. And achieving justice for all is the duty of all.



11. Former President Obama said in a virtual town hall address on June 3:

There is a change in mindset that’s taking place, a greater recognition that we can do better and that is not as a consequence of speeches by politicians, that’s not the result of spotlights in news articles, that’s a direct result of the activities and organizing and mobilization and engagement of so many young people across the country, who put themselves out on the line to make a difference. So I just have to say thank you to them for helping to bring about this moment and just make sure that we now follow through because at some point, attention moves away.

At some point, protests start to dwindle in size. And it’s very important for us to take the momentum that has been created as a society, as a country, and say, “Let’s use this to finally have an impact.”

12. General Mattis, the former Defense Secretary for Trump (oh my gosh, the brave man), criticized Trump for dividing our country and for pitting the military against civilians who are practicing their Constitutional rights. Additionally, General Mattis, like the former presidents, gave words of hope and encouragement to move forward.

Donald Trump is the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people—does not even pretend to try. Instead he tries to divide us. We are witnessing the consequences of three years of this deliberate effort. We are witnessing the consequences of three years without mature leadership. We can unite without him, drawing on the strengths inherent in our civil society. This will not be easy, as the past few days have shown, but we owe it to our fellow citizens; to past generations that bled to defend our promise; and to our children.

To read General Mattis' complete statement check out this NPR.org page.


13. Every day more and more men, women, and children are courageously speaking their minds and hearts against the hate and violence of systematic racism and, yes, authoritarian leadership. Hallelujah!

The COVID-19 is still with us, so please continue the safety drill. You know it. :-)

Check out more bloggers at Thursday 13 and I Like Thursday



Comments

  1. OMG! Standing up and applauding! This is so important to see I hope everyone everywhere reads it. All our past presidents are doing a better job that the one squatting in the White house. Thank you for always being kind and respectful Susie, I appreciate your words.
    LeeAnna

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  2. They've ended the curfew here (at least for tonight). It seems like the curfew was an excuse to let the police attack the peaceful protesters. I've seen so many videos of the police attacking without provocation. Have you seen 8 Can't Wait (https://8cantwait.org/)?

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  3. Thank you for an insightful, thoughtful post, Susie. Obama is right: keep the momentum; don't let up.

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  4. I love to come and visit. Thank you for an awesome post.

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  5. I believe we will move forward, it outrage how our president behaves

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  6. All we need is love, respect and peace for all. Thank you for sharing this great post. Voting in November, both the president and senate have to go. They are bad for our country. Enjoy your day, have a happy weekend!

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  7. Thank you for such a wonderful post and for highlighting and listing out these things. I hope we can leverage this moment into legitimate change.

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  8. Cops should be really worried about what they do. They've had too many decades of getting away with way too much.

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  9. Ooh. I love your collage art and seeing all those comments of past presidents etc in one place. I'm not sure there's any going back on this one for Trump, but I've said that before. I thought the earlier TT sounded familiar. I had already commented, last week! I hope I didn't say the same thing twice.

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  10. What a wonderful post. I followed all the resulting fall out from that horrific event. I loved how the former presidents all chimed in to denounce what happened and is happening and encourage the nation. They sounded very much like what I would expect for America. Here's hoping that a lesson has been learned and it will be the very last time such a tragedy happens.

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  11. What a great post! I really do think that George Floyd changed the world with his untimely death. Let's hope everything improves starting with ourselves and what's in our hearts.

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  12. Well done! I miss our former presidents so much!

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  13. I only see these George Floyd news on socmed. Here's hoping you and your loved ones stay safe from any harm..

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  14. I pray that his death was not in vain and would change the arc of the future of the world.

    We are all God's people -- we bleed red and pee yellow.

    Beautiful post, Su-sieee! Mac.

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Thanks for the good cheer. :-)

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