George Floyd

I’m naturally an optimist.  I search for the positive things in life.  The silver linings.  The lessons and gold nuggets out of any situation.  But sometimes, there is nothing but sorrow to move through.  That’s where I am now.  I am sad.  I am so terribly sad and upset and angry about what happened.  But mostly, it’s an overwhelming feeling of helplessness.  The feeling that there is nothing I can do to change those type of people who killed George Floyd.

I don’t watch too much television, or I haven’t since the past election, (because everything on the news just upsets me).  Racism has been going on for so long and when I saw the video last week, it brought the great injustice and inequity so clearly to the surface.  We all witnessed a murder.  Another officer standing close-by doing nothing.  Two other officers kneeling on the back of him, clearly feeling no resistance, as his body went limp.  People on the side stating precisely what what happening: “he can’t breath,” “you are killing him.”  George pleading with the cops saying, “please, I can’t breath.”  And his light went out.  He was not armed.  He was not harming anybody.  A clear murder.  I am grateful for the people there beside him witnessing this atrocity and speaking up for George by telling the officers:  “How long do you have to hold him down?  He isn’t resisting!  He is not moving.  Get off of him!  What are you doing?  He isn’t even moving.  Get off of his neck.  Are you going to let him kill that guy in front of you?”  I am glad that those advocates were there so that George did not die alone.

And sometimes, sadly that is all we can do.  Speak up.  Video tape.  Bear witness.  It breaks my heart.

I am not a stranger to police misconduct.  Back in the day, during my civil rights practice of animal law, many of my past animal activist clients had been victims of excessive force by the police (and dogs have been the unfortunate innocent murdered subjects of dog shootings by police).  The activists often say that their bad experience with the police was nothing compared to the brutality towards animals in a laboratory, or live animal market, or (____enter animal exploitation activity here__).  They all lived to talk about it.  And also, in my activist cases, it was a voluntary choice to attend a peaceful protest.  They all knew of the possibility of arrest by simply exercising their free speech.  This is a case, where a man was murdered because of the color of his skin.  George did not choose to be born a black man in racist America.  Every body enters this world deserving of kindness.  I wish the world would remember this and live this.  I’m trying to make this world a more compassionate place, starting with more compassionate people - since they seem to be the only ones who aren't understanding how to do it.  

One of my favorite quotes is “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.”  This has been a tough week for me since we were already compounded seeing the cruel wet markets which began our current pandemic and factory farms each day, and then this.  There is a continuum of oppression. And as long as you are allowing that oppression to stay alive for certain individuals (animals), it will be alive for others (people too).  I invite you to read Aph and Syl Kho’s book which clearly illustrates how racism is a continuation of speciesism or vice versa. And if you buy with through this link, I think Amazon donates a tiny bit to Possums Welcome, but if it doesn’t pop up you might have to find the book from here.

Today, I am hard pressed to see the silver lining.  I did see a heart warming photo of three black men shielding an officer who was separated from his battalion and I do love this talk by Trevor Noah.  Right now, the only silver lining is that there are others who feel the same as me and want to see the end of oppression and discrimination for all.