To the editor:
Many viewpoints have come forth after the brutal killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis by an extremely sick and corrupt police officer and assisted by four other officers who stood idly by and did nothing to stop it.
What happened to George Floyd was undeniably terrifying and as wrong as it gets. But even in this raw moment, there are several things that shouldn’t be lost in the fall-out from such a terrible thing.
The first is that most police officers in this nation — whether in small towns or large cities — are generally good decent people dedicated to serving the public as best they can and often under difficult and dangerous conditions. They try to get it right and we should recognize and appreciate their efforts.
The second thing, however, is how horrifyingly unconcerned the officer who killed George Floyd was as he extinguished another human being’s life. Protests were inevitable against what we witnessed. Also inevitable was that looters and political instigators would attach themselves to the peaceful protests. Violence begets violence. And a violent murder by an officer of the law guarantees a violent response.
The third thing is, despite how disruptive the protests are, we should be grateful as well for people outraged enough to stand up, protest and demand change. Without outrage against such lethal brutality and dismissal of human life by those charged with our protection, who would truly be safe in this country?
It would be ideal if all people were raised in perfect environments by perfect parents and behaved perfectly, but that’s hardly reality. And it would also be ideal if some police agencies didn’t have a dark subculture that covers up for and protects one of their own with a history of corrupt behavior that allows an officer to feel perfectly at ease in killing someone in their custody. But in many places, that is also clearly not reality.
It’s unfair that good officers are tainted by corrupt officers, but the cries for defunding police agencies aren’t directed at every single police agency in this nation. And most agencies likely will remain unchanged. But given the number of times we have witnessed the deaths of African American citizens from unrestrained police brutality in those places with completely toxic relationships between the community and the police, how can anyone honestly deny that true meaningful change is desperately needed?
Lisa Voiles
Whiteland
