Today marks the closing arguments of the George Floyd trial prior to the jurors' deliberation.
While I remain hopeful that we will see some glimmer of justice, I am also bracing for the worst.
As many of us, myself included, marched on the streets last year, we felt as if maybe we were heard. Maybe this was different. Maybe conversations about race could begin to come to the surface, and maybe people would begin to experience consequences for racist actions. We have seen what feels like actions being taken place in the public realm.
But racism does not just come down to correcting people. That is where we are wrong. Some white people may feel empowered that more white people are "woke" and fighting against racism.. However, how does that even matter? Racism continues through laws, systems and institutions. Black mothers have a higher mortality rate than any other ethnicity -- this has not ended. Black people continue to be disproportionately killed by police. Our prisons are comprised of people of color imprisoned non-violent crimes, or crimes they did not even commit. Again, how can white mobs storm Washington and enter a protected building without being harmed, while this Black man was just sitting in his car not defying anyone but had to die?
Being white, I'm blessed with other white people letting me know their opinions, as we must be on the same page. I've heard that "cancel culture" is a joke, and it is overkill. That people are taking racist actions or comments "too seriously," or people are being "too sensitive." That we are promoting censorship by calling out people. That maybe if people just listened to the police, they wouldn't die.
I'm sorry..But have you watched the nine minutes and twenty nine seconds of George Floyd's death?
Tell me again that this is all being taken too seriously.
Tell me again that racism doesn't exist.
Tell me again that white privilege does not exist.
Tell me again that we need the police.
What does it take for more change? It takes a change in power that will be uncomfortable. It takes a loss of privilege for white folks. I would imagine that as that starts to happen -- in which predominately white schools start to integrate with more neighborhoods of color - white parents would be angry. It means that affirmative action should be in place, and not argued against by white folk because it's "just reaching a quota."
It means that white people need to stop being the face of speaking out, and that the conversation should be led by people of color. Yes, it is great that you are an ally. Yes, it is great that you are passionate about being anti-racist. But it is not your role to be a leader in this. Remember that. You are an ally, and being an ally means that we stand beside our brothers and sisters and support them - not silence them.
It means that defunding the police should happen. Must I be a biased liberal to be making this statement? I grew up in a household with my dad as a police officer. I remember being little and thinking it was so cool - until I grew older and realized it wasn't. In fact, I feel I hold a more well-rounded position and can better argue that yes, we should defund the police. We should have more mental health professionals to dispatch to crisis situations.
I will tell you this blatantly. As a mental health professional, I am over 1000% more competent than a police officer to de-escalate a situation. If you were to pit me and a police officer together in an equal situation to de-escalate, I guarantee you that with words, I could calm a person down. I could calm a violent person down. I could calm a person with a weapon down. I could calm someone down with intentions to kill someone. I have done this, and I never had the option of having a weapon.
I have spent about 12 years in college learning about human behavior, mental health, society, poverty and medicine. We learn that restraints are the LAST option in de-escalation, and should really not be done at all because they are harmful. Many police officers may not even hold a degree. Sure, maybe some military experience, police academy, maybe a criminal justice degree..but I have spent years practicing de-escalation of people who are psychotic, violent, on drugs, homicidal, violent or suicidal. How long do police spend learning these things? How competent are they to do this without inflicting pain or fear?
I know that I have heard people in the past who have been excited to restrain or detain other humans because of their behavior irritating them. This includes people within hospital systems (not mental health professionals) and police officers. In mental health, we learn about concepts of transference, and how if we have some bias or a person reminds us of someone, we need to be aware of that prior to acting or speaking.
I do not doubt more incidents will continue to happen without systemic change.
My heart is hurting for the Black community. My heart hurts for my friends and their families. My heart especially hurts for all the children who have to have this conversation earlier than anyone should. Many non-Black families can prolong the racism conversations years -- even over a decade -- because these children will never directly fear for their lives at the hands of an oppressor.
These children will not grow up to be murdered and then have others question what they did to deserve it. As if being Black indicates some underlying evil intentions or actions.
The kids who witnessed this murder will live with that trauma forever.
If Chauvin walks, our children will grow up to think it is okay. That justice does not exist.
I have grown up in that world, and I do not want to birth a daughter into that.
If you are white and new to learning about racism, and would like to learn more about the systems that impact people of color, this link would be a great start.
