TO PROTECT AND SERVE?

The Virus continues, Dominic Cummings is still a thing, Social distancing is becoming not so social distancing but events in the USA have taken over everyone's attention.

Those entrusted to serve and protect have murdered yet another citizen; another black citizen. This time, as opposed to multiple other times, without impunity it seems.

The response has been one of protest; the percentage of which has been peaceful. The protest has been huge and the President of the US has responded with talk of military domination, intervention and a Wild West attitude. Police Officers  are assigned to stand guard and intimidate protestors and they are heavily armed doing so.

In the US the constitution is quoted often (especially the 2nd amendment as it pertains to the massive gun industry) and the right to public assembly is there in the first amendment, yet the man at he top of The World's Greatest DemocracyTM is dead set against people having this right. His view seems to be that all protestors are criminals.

Let's make something clear. Looting is not a part of a peaceful protest. Looting is opportunistic behaviour that says something about the looter and their morality.

In a way, it all boils down to rights; human rights. The right to be treated equally, the right to seek justice, the right to leave your home in the morning and not be killed simply because of the colour of your skin, especially by those very institutions that are there to uphold your rights.

Murders, executions and assassinations of people of colour in the US by the police have been going on for ages (literally) and in this time of lockdown where news is dominated by one story the shocking film of the latest murder has struck a chord.

Bottom line is that people want justice and want lessons to be learned. People want the type of discrimination that leads to state approved murder to cease and they are taking to the streets to that end. This issue has united people, this issue has made people have the debate, this issue has prompted thought.

The response of meeting  protests with sanctioned violence is something that US politicians cite as monstrous behaviour in other countries but validate in their own. Then again the US was founded on violence, genocide and slavery so there is previous in this regard. However, the protests are showing that there are many, many, many Americans that abhor the way in which their fellow citizen's are treated and maybe that's why their president can't handle the show of support

Will this issue bring about change? who knows, but one thing that is important to remember about this issue is that the issue is a man's life. A man asphyxiated by a public servant, calmly and systematically in broad daylight and with an audience. 

If the elected leader of the country in which this happened can't understand why this has led people to take to the streets then he's dumber than he looks.