George Floyd

[Dan Z]

This situation can be looked at in two ways - individual and societal.

At the individual level, a tough-guy cop with a checkered record of violence in the line of duty, along with three weak-kneed colleagues, used excessive force on an imposing black man with his own troubled past who was trying to illegally pass a counterfeit $20 bill, and may not have reacted as passively to his arrest as the cops would have wanted. In response to the graphic video of this event, unruly and opportunistic hooligans used the ensuing mayhem to act out, looting and robbing businesses, and carrying out handfuls of "free" goods for their own benefit, at the expense of local businesses and their community. "When the looting starts, the shooting starts" - D. J. Trump

At the societal level, the police use of unwarranted violence on that Minneapolis street is deeply symbolic to the black community of the ongoing unequal exercise of power and privilege in a white-run society that continues to devalue and disadvantage people of color. The fact that it happened within the backdrop of a wealthy American city with one of the starkest opportunity and wealth gaps in the nation simply adds deeper context to the event. The officer's life-taking knee on the neck of George Floyd is emblematic of the crushing weight of historic and ongoing racism in America upon the throat of communities of color who just want to breathe deeply the air of opportunity, but instead who are suffocating in a land where driving while black, or jogging while black, or bird-watching while black are all risky activities. The angry mobs are an outpouring of pent up rage and frustration from a failed and oppressive system led by people who are actively working to retain their control by limiting the voice and advancement of people of color. "A riot is the language of the unheard." - M.L. King

Failing to understand this situation from both the individual and societal perspective is like looking at a scene with one eye closed - you need two eyes to perceive depth and motion.

[Bootstrap]

Rallies can be successful but the credibility of the effort is undermined by those who use it as an excuse to steal from and destroy local businesses, a particularly loathsome form of domestic terrorism.

And in the same way, the credibility of police and the justice system is undermined when police kill people and are not brought to justice.

[MaxPC]

This situation can be looked at in two ways - individual and societal.

At the individual level, a tough-guy cop with a checkered record of violence in the line of duty, along with three weak-kneed colleagues, used excessive force on an imposing black man with his own troubled past who was trying to illegally pass a counterfeit $20 bill, and may not have reacted as passively to his arrest as the cops would have wanted. In response to the graphic video of this event, unruly and opportunistic hooligans used the ensuing mayhem to act out, looting and robbing businesses, and carrying out handfuls of "free" goods for their own benefit, at the expense of local businesses and their community. "When the looting starts, the shooting starts" - D. J. Trump

At the societal level, the police use of unwarranted violence on that Minneapolis street is deeply symbolic to the black community of the ongoing unequal exercise of power and privilege in a white-run society that continues to devalue and disadvantage people of color. The fact that it happened within the backdrop of a wealthy American city with one of the starkest opportunity and wealth gaps in the nation simply adds deeper context to the event. The officer's life-taking knee on the neck of George Floyd is emblematic of the crushing weight of historic and ongoing racism in America upon the throat of communities of color who just want to breathe deeply the air of opportunity, but instead who are suffocating in a land where driving while black, or jogging while black, or bird-watching while black are all risky activities. The angry mobs are an outpouring of pent up rage and frustration from a failed and oppressive system, led by people who are actively working to retain their control by limiting the voice and advancement of people of color. "A riot is the language of the unheard." - M.L. King

Failing to understand this situation from both the individual and societal perspective is like looking at a scene with one eye closed - you need two eyes to perceive depth and motion.

Both of these are political approaches. As Christians who follow Christ, what are we called to do in fidelity to Christ’s kingdom? Are we called to side with those who destroy? I think not.

[Pelerin]

None of this is terrorism. Not rioting. Not killing George Floyd.

English is a rich language that has lots of words to denote all the many kinds of bad things that people can do, and it has those words because they’re different things with nuanced and complicated definitions because they describe nuanced and complicated things. Flattening everything into “terrorism” adds no meaning and illuminates nothing.

[Szdfan]

Because what matters most is capitalism.

I am confused. What does capitalism have to do with horrible police brutality and then the backlash from those who burn their own communities down?

I was being sarcastic. I am frustrated that it seems like property is just as important or more important than the lives that were lost. Max is sayings the protestors don’t have credibility because of the rioting and looting, yet the police, who are supposed to protect them, have no credibility either.

Martin Luther King, March 14, 1968 —

Now I wanted to say something about the fact that we have lived over these last two or three summers with agony and we have seen our cities going up in flames. And I would be the first to say that I am still committed to militant, powerful, massive, non­-violence as the most potent weapon in grappling with the problem from a direct action point of view. I'm absolutely convinced that a riot merely intensifies the fears of the white community while relieving the guilt.And I feel that we must always work with an effective, powerful weapon and method that brings about tangible results. But it is not enough for me to stand before you tonight and condemn riots. It would be morally irresponsible for me to do that without, at the same time, condemning the contingent, intolerable conditions that exist in our society. These conditions are the things that cause individuals to feel that they have no other alternative than to engage in violent rebellions to get attention. And I must say tonight that a riot is the language of the unheard. And what is it America has failed to hear? It has failed to hear that the plight of the negro poor has worsened over the last twelve or fifteen years. It has failed to hear that the promises of freedom and justice have not been met. And it has failed to hear that large segments of white society are more concerned about tranquility and the status quo than about justice and humanity.”

I think people burn down their own neighborhoods when they have no hope that anything will change; that the system which is completely aligned against them will never change and that their home communities are part of the oppressive system that keeps them locked in poverty. This reaction isn’t based on just one incident, it’s based on decades and centuries of oppression.

[joshuabgood]

None of this is terrorism. Not rioting. Not killing George Floyd.

English is a rich language that has lots of words to denote all the many kinds of bad things that people can do, and it has those words because they’re different things with nuanced and complicated definitions because they describe nuanced and complicated things. Flattening everything into “terrorism” adds no meaning and illuminates nothing.

It's not terrorism to you. The unjustified killing of a black man, by the police, is terrorism to a segment of the population. And it falls in a legacy of state sponsored terrorism and apartheid for hundreds of years.

[joshuabgood]

At the individual level, a tough-guy cop with a checkered record of violence in the line of duty, along with three weak-kneed colleagues, used excessive force on an imposing black man with his own troubled past who was trying to illegally pass a counterfeit $20 bill, and may not have reacted as passively to his arrest as the cops would have wanted.

Two things Dan...preliminary video, preceding "the video," does not seem to indicate that he resisted arrest in any meaningful way. Secondly, the truth is we don't know if he for sure was the guy that tried to "pass off the bill." At least I haven't seen that proved. And even if true, we don't know for sure that he knew it was counterfeit. Perhaps he was given a counterfeit bill. According to an article in Christianity Today, George, to some extent at least, was active in a faith community.

[Szdfan]

At the individual level, a tough-guy cop with a checkered record of violence in the line of duty, along with three weak-kneed colleagues, used excessive force on an imposing black man with his own troubled past who was trying to illegally pass a counterfeit $20 bill, and may not have reacted as passively to his arrest as the cops would have wanted.

Two things Dan...preliminary video, preceding "the video," does not seem to indicate that he resisted arrest in any meaningful way. Secondly, the truth is we don't know if he for sure was the guy that tried to "pass off the bill." At least I haven't seen that proved. And even if true, we don't know for sure that he knew it was counterfeit. Perhaps he was given a counterfeit bill. According to an article in Christianity Today, George, to some extent at least, was active in a faith community.

And even if it was true, none of this justifies killing Floyd.

[Dan Z]

At the individual level, a tough-guy cop with a checkered record of violence in the line of duty, along with three weak-kneed colleagues, used excessive force on an imposing black man with his own troubled past who was trying to illegally pass a counterfeit $20 bill, and may not have reacted as passively to his arrest as the cops would have wanted.

Two things Dan...preliminary video, preceding "the video," does not seem to indicate that he resisted arrest in any meaningful way. Secondly, the truth is we don't know if he for sure was the guy that tried to "pass off the bill." At least I haven't seen that proved. And even if true, we don't know for sure that he knew it was counterfeit. Perhaps he was given a counterfeit bill. According to an article in Christianity Today, George, to some extent at least, was active in a faith community.

Good points Josh - innocent until proven guilty - the $20 bill indecent was only an accusation at this point. Also, regarding what led to Floyd being cuffed and pinned to the ground, we don't yet know whether there was some level of noncooperation or not. That's why I used the term "may have" and "would have wanted" from the cops' perspective - but you are right in pointing out that this is unsubstantiated speculation at this point.

[Grace]

And when you think about it...it isn't different, in its essence, from bombing the tarnation out of Dresden, Tokyo, Nagasaki, Hiroshima, or Baghdad. Burn it to the ground is what "the power" did.

Not that I defend the overwhelming loss of life and destruction during wartime, in none of the instances listed, were people burning down their own community and destroying businesses where their own community members are employed. So it is different.

I think people burn down their own neighborhoods when they have no hope that anything will change; that the system which is completely aligned against them will never change and that their home communities are part of the oppressive system that keeps them locked in poverty. This reaction isn’t based on just one incident, it’s based on decades and centuries of oppression.

In the future, who wants to build a business in a predominately minority community, if whenever a small faction gets angry, the businesses get destroyed, looted or burned down. This might create missed job opportunities for minority communities. And that then might be touted as oppression in missed opportunities. Even though oppression of minorities is real and mostly unjustified, some of that oppression is brought on by the actions by some of the minorities, themselves.

https://www.faithwire.com/2020/05/29/sm ... his-dream/

Candace Owens addresses the mindset of many in the black community.