Mayhem in Minneapolis

  I don't really know how to even open up a post like this. Frankly, it isn't something that should need to be written but here we are. I would say to blame all of the past couple days of crazy on severe cabin fever from Corona, but we have seen scenes like this before. A person with dark skin is killed by cops or a non dark skinned person and everyone loses their minds.

  That is not to make light of the situation. George Floyd was killed in a violent manner by a cop. He should still be alive. I hope his soul rests in peace and that his family finds healing. But the fact that it immediately became a political stunt to further the "cops are racist, and America is racist" dialogue is incredibly sickening, because it just so happens that he was black and the cop was white. I would even argue that it is disrespectful to Mr. Floyd and his family. It cheapens his death to a statistic, his life to the color of his skin. It's another headline that will go away soon, but puts his loved ones in the public eye and unable to properly grieve.

  His death is not okay. Obviously.

  However, the circumstances surrounding his death and the way he died do not affect the value of his life in any way. Whether he was killed in a drive by shooting, a traffic accident, or cancer...or if the cop was black or purple instead....or if this happened in ghetto Detroit instead of Minneapolis. All of those changes wouldn't change the equation ending the same way. Death. The people assigning a perceived value to this man because he was killed by a cop doing a terrible deed are missing the point. The media is doing him, and all of us, a disservice. If George Floyd was any other race, it would not be making national news. If he was killed by a gang member, it would not be making national news. Does that cheapen his life? Of course not. 

  The protesting and rioting to the point of calling in the National Guard? What does that accomplish? In America, we the have right to peacefully protest protected. But not looting and killing and causing the dangerous uproar that has marked so many deaths over the past few years. How does someone dying due to protestors gone crazy equate to seeking justice? Oh, wait. It doesn't. If you were to ask a member of the riots what exactly they mean by seeking justice, would they even know how to respond? Would they actually care about George Floyd and his family? Or do they just want a reason to wreck stuff. I would imagine hearts of the the owners and employees of the stores that are now so incredibly damaged go out to the Floyd family. But they certainly didn't deserve to have their workplaces destroyed.

  Unfortunately, tragedies like this get quickly turned into a political stunt. Within hours, the reasoning behind actions become muddled and nobody actually has a motive other than anger. Based on what is currently known about Mr. Floyd's death, it sure seems apparent that the cop was in the wrong. I haven't heard anyone dispute that, and it certainly appears to be the case. A man committed a terrible act that killed someone. He was also a cop who was more than likely not following proper protocol for what the altercation required. This situation reflects on the actions and the heart of the man that killed George Floyd, and those who were there and didn't stop him from doing it. It says nothing about cops in general, it says nothing about racism in America, it says nothing about white people, and it says nothing about anyone outside of that exact space in Minneapolis at that exact time. 

  Remember that when you read the next headline. And the best thing you can do for George Floyd and his family? It's not sharing every news article or getting into an argument that could tear your relationships apart. No, none of that.

  It's to pray for them.