By Hank Silverberg
Millions of Americans were on on the streets of our nation's cities and towns protesting over the last week.
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| (from Mayor Bowser's twitter feed) |
Despite the continuing threat of Covid-19, the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis has become the catalyst for the new protests over the long running epidemic of institutional racism.
There were some scattered incidents of vandalism and violence, but despite what the right wing is pushing, millions of people were peacefully executing their Constitutional right to petition the government with their grievances.
The week opened up wounds that have existed since the founding of our country, and highlighted what has come to be categorized as "white privilege." It's as old as the Republic, but not often recognized by the privileged. There is some debate over the meaning of that term, but my understanding is this: A person of color is simply not treated equally in this country no matter what he or she has accomplished or who he is, while a white person is treated evenly from the start. Of note, the definition of "white" varies in the minds of many racists. As a Jew, I am not considered "white" by many of the extremists. (See below.)
That doesn't mean that life is not hard for some white people, nor does it mean that everything that happens to a person of color happens simply because of the color of their skin. It simply means the playing field is not even.
From time to time this inequality becomes so obvious that it sparks outrage. Very few people can look at a police officer placing his knee on George Floyd's neck for almost nine minutes and not understand what's happening.
It has occurred many times before. Actor Will Smith may have said it best: "Racism is not getting worse, it's getting filmed."
If you take a closer look at the past two weeks of protests you can see many messages, including some positive ones.
First and foremost, the rainbow color of the protests. These were not demonstrations by black people. Yes, the "Black Lives Matter" movement played a major role, but if you look at who showed up you will see white, black, brown and every other shade on the faces of those on the street.
Second, the reaction among many law enforcement agencies to quickly reject the use of force by those Minneapolis cops was a change. The Blue Line is not immovable.
But the continued danger to our country was also evident. I'm not talking about the vandals and looters who took advantage of the situation to destroy. (See below.) I suspect many of them will eventually be found and arrested. I'm looking at the over- reaction in many places to peaceful dissent.
Premiere among those was how the Trump administration responded. His attack on the nation's governors who were trying to balance the freedom to protest with the danger of looters was astounding. In a conference call, Trump accused them of being "weak" and "ineffective" and threatened to assert the Insurrection Act and put active duty military on the nation's streets.
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| (There were protests in small cities and towns as well. This one is in Stafford, VA on June 7th.) |
Mayor Bowser struck back by naming the part of 16th Street that leads to the White House, "Black Lives Matter Plaza," and had the city's Public Works Department use yellow striping paint to spell "Black Lives Matter" in huge letters on the same stretch of roadway where protesters had been gathering. (See above photo.) It was a small gesture as things go, but the message to the President was clear.
For the rest of the country, in places like Philadelphia, New York City, L.A., Atlanta, Houston and San Francisco, where there were massive protests, there were ominous signals. It was reported that Trump wanted as many as ten thousand troops put out on the streets. Several thousand were actually deployed to bases around D.C. where they could come in on quick notice. Apparently, Trump's advisors pushed back and it went no further.
(Note here that this sort of response was never suggested when ARMED protesters, most of them right wing, showed up at state capitals demanding an end to "stay at home" orders issued because of the Corona virus pandemic.)
Thankfully, the National Guard was sent home on Sunday after a peaceful weekend of very large protests.
The White House is now surrounded by a larger perimeter with a new eight foot high fence. Protesters, taking a hint from the protesters in Hong Kong, have draped it with signs.
All this has stressed out many Americans.
Many asked what can they do?
They can join the protests-- many did.
They can fire up their computers and express outrage on social media--many did.
They can send an angry email to their Congressman--some did.
They can express concern to their black friends--many did.
But in the end, for many of us who find racism disgusting and the Government's response deplorable, there is a hopeless feeling that we have been here before and no overall solutions have been tried. That is particularly true among Baby Boomers who grew up in the turbulent 1960's. We remember Bull Conner's vicious dogs, the Pettis Bridge, and the Anti-war movement. They had impact, but did they really change racism and the misuse of power, or just kick them down the road?
For me, who has covered demonstrations of all kinds over 40 years as a journalist, but never was a participant, it was particularly difficult to sit back and watch what was happening all across the country. It was especially hard seeing some of my former colleagues risking injury from both protesters and the police.
I found myself drifting to a small, peaceful protest in my rural county--the first crowd I have been in since the pandemic began and the first time as a protest participant instead of a reporter. I wore a mask to protect against Covid.
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| (Small protest in Spotsylvania Courthouse, VA) |
Beyond that, I remain flabbergasted by some things. Example: Kentucky Senator Rand Paul stalling a bill that would make lynching a federal hate crime. How can anyone oppose that?
I kept thinking it's only a hundred or so days until the election. That certainly will not rid us of institutional racism, but it could be a start.
News Notes:
Also this week, the City of Fredericksburg did what it had promised to do. After a century of debate, the "slave auction block" which had stood at the corner of William and Charles Street for almost 200 years in the heart of
the city's business district, was finally removed. It's going to be displayed at the Fredericksburg Area Museum with more detail on where it came from and what it is.
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| (Photo by Hank Silverberg) |
The decision to finally remove it was made by the City Council three years ago, but it took the current climate for the relocation to happen. I still maintain it would have been better to keep it in plain sight with proper documentation, as a reminder of the past, and a lesson for the future.
On the same day, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam announced that the 21 foot bronze statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee, which has stood in the center of Richmond for 130 years, will be removed. It was a painful reminder to black residents of that city of its past as the Confederate capital. Lee was revered across the south for generations. We should not forget he was the leader of a rebellion against the United States to preserve slavery that lead to 600,000 deaths, though today he is more a reminder of the Civil War's aftermath--Jim Crow laws, racism and oppression. It has not been announced where General Lee will end up.
You may remember that it was plans to remove a similar statue in nearby Charlottesville, Virginia, that sparked violent protest in 2017 from a group called "Unite the Right" which lead to the death of one counter-protester.
Then there is this:
There was looting and vandalism during a number of the protests, mainly in the large cities. But much of it did NOT come from protesters. There is a gun- toting group called the Boogaloo movement or the "Boogaloo Boys," which has organized to create this chaos. They are an anti-government group, some with a right wing political agenda and others with nothing more than mayhem on their minds. They began on the web, but now they have started to show up at all kinds of protests just to create trouble.
Law enforcement is aware of the Boogaloos, but since they have no leaders they are hard to track down. They have been stirring up violence and looting at many of these protests, and encouraging others to join them to create more chaos. It's likey the criminal element in some communities have joined them.
The former FBI chief in Dallas, Eric Jackson, told the Dallas Morning News that this group is hoping for a large law enforcement presence and the use of tactics that will harm demonstrators to advance their agenda. Their actual agenda, other than creating chaos, is not always that clear.
One more item of note:
Racism comes in many forms. One of them is antisemitism, and these protests have sparked an increase there as well. Conspiracy theorists are all over the web blaming billionaire philanthropist George Soros, a Holocaust survivor. They claim he is somehow financing the protests to spark a race war. There are also claims, with no evidence, that he finances ANTIFA, a loosely set up group with no leaders, no bank account and no formal organization. The Trump Administration blames ANTIFA for almost everything. The Times of Israel reports negative tweets about Soros jumped from 20,000 a day on May 26th, to 500,000 a day on May 30th. https://www.timesofisrael.com/topic/george-soros/
Most Jewish organizations have expressed support for the protesters and their cause, and that too has angered the white supremacists who continue to have some influence over the White House.
Finally, if you look at all of these things together one thing is certain.
Silence about racism is complicity!
This weeks entertainment fits the mood of the country. It's Pete Seeger from 2010. The tune is called "Quite Early Morning".
(Your comments and suggestions are welcome)
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