The historic demonstrations across the country in protest of the murder of George Floyd by excessive use of force by four Io white policemen have turned the country into a rage-filled inferno. What began as peaceful, lawful protests demanding justice for Mr. Floyd’s murder turned into an out-of-control crime spree of looting, arson, and physical assault. Grief turned to anger, and after two days passed with no arrests of the officers involved in the murder of Mr. Floyd, Minneapolis citizens began to demand action. That city’s cry for justice spread throughout a country that is weary from the pandemic and fed up with the needless killing of black men at the hands of police.
On Wednesday, a press conference with local and federal officials was held in Minneapolis with the implication that an important announcement would be made regarding the killing of Floyd. Instead, none of the officials delivered information that indicated any action would be taken to arrest the police officers engaged in the murder of George Floyd. Especially disappointing was the plea from a Trump-appointed federal attorney to be patient and let local and national law enforcement pursue the facts. Once this Trump appointee announced she would be reporting to her boss, Attorney General William Barr, daily, a collective mistrust spread like wildfire throughout Minneapolis and the entire country. In the hands of Barr, a Trump puppet, cases of importance to the lives of millions of people disappear without resolution. From the moment the news briefing ended, Americans across the country decided this was the moment in history that protests were needed to make the needless death of George Floyd a game-changer on the issue of excessive use of police force against black men.
Unfortunately, the looting and violence have handed Trump a way to distract from the actual issue of what happened to another black man in Minneapolis last week. Now he gets to produce a reality show on his power to use the military and ignore America’s outrage and grief about an issue he has done nothing about since elected president. He has enacted no policies to address the problem that is at the core of the protests. Elected officials, as well as faith healers and President Obama, are denouncing the violence and calling for the protesters to keep the focus on the issue of police reform and the rampant racism problem in its culture.
Trump has done or said nothing to comfort the protestors and the country. Everything he has said since the protests began has incited more violence. He mentions George Floyd’s name and how tragic it is that he has died. However, he mentions nothing about being appalled by the fact he was murdered by Derek Chauvin while three other policemen watched and did nothing. He has announced no plan to enact a policy to address police brutality, nor has he called for justice to be served for Mr. Floyd and his family. He has made no plea for equal justice for all Americans. He is, however, interested in abusing his power to intimidate people and avoid addressing the issue of racism. He knows a large part of his base is made up of white supremacists, and being re-elected is more important than upholding the Constitution and defending democracy.
Trump and Barr are making the issue about Antifa, an extreme left-wing movement that uses violence to bring attention to Neo-Nazism, Fascism, and racism. The strategy is to conflate Antifa with mainstream Democrats. Everything Trump does and says is about re-election, not about protecting all Americans and the Constitution. His behavior during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the protests for racial justice and equality is putting his severe mental pathology on display for the entire world to see. The sycophants marching behind him today looked liked frightened hostages as they posed with him for a cringe-worthy photo op holding up a bible in front of the church near the White House.
Seeing policemen take the knee and national guardsmen exchange high-fives with the protesters created hopeful and heartwarming moments during these painfully sad protests. Listening to Trump attack Minneapolis, saying the world is laughing at them, is more proof he is a cruel, narcissist who is driven to cause pain and suffering to our country if it benefits him. The Republican Party is complicit in his disturbing approach to governing and to the damage to American democracy. Trump should read the foreign media, which reveals he is the only one being laughed at by the world, as America cries.
