Minneapolis is burning

As a white American who was born and raised in Minnesota, I come from a place of privilege. Tens of thousands of others are not as lucky as I am. Earlier this week, George Floyd – black resident of Minneapolis – died after being restrained by a Minneapolis police officer. The officer in question held his knee on Mr. Floyd's neck for approximately ten minutes while three fellow officers watched and a crowd of onlookers gathered with phones in hand to record the incident.

The Hennepin County attorney – Mike Freeman – has essentially said that the officers who have been fired won't be charged. The issue I have with this is that the officer in question – Derek Chauvin – is being held to a different standard than anyone else would be. If the actions in question had taken place between a shop owner and George Floyd and the shop owner had held his or her knee against the neck of George Floyd and resulted in the death of George Floyd, the shop owner would be in jail or at least facing charges of some sort.

I take little comfort in the fact that a police officer with a history of violence is free. Yes, he has lost his job which is a small step in the right direction but where is the justice? Citizens of America shouldn't fear cops. We shouldn't have to worry about being victimized by those who are employed to serve and protect. The question is "protect who"? Are they employed to protect each other? Are they employed to protect their bosses? Are they employed to protect one race from another race?

Can those divides be overcome? Is the racial divide in cities like Minneapolis, St. Cloud, Rochester, Austin, Worthington and countless others too ingrained to be overcome?

The answer is a resounding NO. By making sure that police officers are diverse is a tremendous first step. Weed out the violent and sometimes unstable officers. Have clear procedures which are adhered to. Hold offending officers accountable for their actions. Yes, that means actually charging, arresting, and sentencing those who make poor decisions while on duty. Think twice about actions. In an era where virtually everything is captured on video, there is evidence from multiple angles.

All of the strife and destruction in both Minneapolis and St. Paul could have been avoided. The murder of a man who committed a petty crime was unjustified. It's sad that the actions of one police officer have resulted in millions of dollars of damage and destruction. It has hopefully opened the eyes of the nation to the racism and profiling which exists in clear view of so many. It won't end, either, without true change.

Where does this all go, though? Where are we headed both as a state and a country? What ends this? Where is the true leadership? It isn't coming from the top, i.e. the president. It must and will happen from a community level. The effected neighborhoods will rise up and overcome. It's how change happens. It happens on a local basis. We are better than this.