The events of this week have presented many opportunities for reflection on a personal and societal level. I, along with the rest of the country, was absolutely horrified at the events surrounding Mr. Floyd’s death - we all observed someone actively dying at the hands of law enforcement. Everyone concurs that what happened to Mr. Floyd was inherently wrong and evil; however, the responses and actions of some have been improper and demonstrably harmful to others.
My parents attended Morgan State University, an HBCU, in the ‘50s; they attended sit-ins at local businesses that would not serve blacks. Eventually, things changed for the better - no one burned or looted to achieve this outcome, nor did they disrespect the police in the process.
As an 8-year-old, I recall the day that Dr. King was assassinated - my solidly middle class neighborhood in West Philadelphia sustained some unrest in the form of damaging property; however, the visuals of the same neighborhood this past Sunday were pathetic and drastically different from what I recall in 1968. I observed police vehicles burning, massive looting, and overall destruction of businesses along 52nd Street, an area of small businesses largely owned by minorities.
In following the news throughout the week, the display of similar behavior, albeit on a larger scale, occurred in New York, Atlanta, and other cities. At a minimum, this is criminal behavior that should have been deterred and dealt with by the mayors and governors of these states. The rights of anarchists do not outweigh the rights of law-abiding citizens and business owners - ever. I watched police officers stand stoically while being cursed at, pushed, and ducking to avoid items being thrown directly at them - this is wrong, plain and simple.
Remember, police officers also have families and people who care for them as well. In addition, the Washington mayor felt the need to exercise her authority by arranging for the painting of the words “Black Lives Matter” in the area where many protests occurred and by going one step further and changing the name of the street to “Black Lives Matter Way.”
If she truly wanted to move things forward as a society, the street could have been renamed “Peacemakers Way,” “St. John’s Way” or something else that was inclusive. This wording implies that some lives are more valuable than others - very divisive and not the case. The expense of the yellow paint used for the oversized lettering could have been used for more productive reasons - diversity training, school supplies, etc.
Yes, there need to be changes within our society to improve equality and justice for marginalized groups; however, there is a civil, orderly manner to achieve this outcome. State legislatures headed by governors have a responsibility to convene commissions and councils to closely examine data in a number of areas: employment, education, and law enforcement - this will shed light on where the emphasis needs to be placed.
Going forward, I do hope that people look inward and ask themselves what they can do to help improve the status quo in a peaceful way. We are far better than many of the events that happened this week.
Cheryl L. Martin
Rehoboth Beach
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