Keeping the Message First

Last week I shared with you my glee that some retail businesses and places of worship were set to reopen with some safety protocols in place. Then it was announced that in the City of Glendale, in-person dining in restaurants would be opening. Not surprising, the decision came with restrictions that would need to be observed including physical distancing, the prioritization of outdoor seating and curbside pickup, continued closure of bar areas and occupancy capacity would be limited to 60% for the next two-three weeks. But even with the restrictions, the community started perking up, seeing what was hoped was the light at the end of this long tunnel.

But this powder keg was nowhere near safe; in fact, it was about to be ignited.

The very visual and needless death of black man George Floyd on May 25 took center stage across the nation after a white Minneapolis policeman kneeled on the man’s neck for several minutes, killing him.

For many the incident was just one more example of “white supremacy [that] permeates every corner of this county” (according to blacklivesmatter.com). Whether or not people subscribe to this perception of America, Floyd’s death did inspire citizens across the nation to show solidarity with those who feel “less than” while raising awareness that this type of violence shown by police and others in power is unacceptable and must stop.

The message is solid but, like too many other times in our history, it got lost in the delivery. In addition to people joining in unity, too many others instigated violence that resulted in buildings being looted and burned, and people being injured and killed with subsequent curfews being placed in cities across the United States. The power of raising a fist to say “Enough!” has been overshadowed by those who want nothing more than to take what is not theirs, to destroy what someone else has worked for. Their destructive actions are the ones that steal the spotlight, that make the headlines. To see some businesses destroyed that had only recently reopened after being shuttered for months due to the pandemic is especially disheartening.

I am aware that there are some people who think that violence is necessary to show the seriousness of a situation (just go on social media for a broad spectrum of opinion) but I wholeheartedly disagree. Violence – against person or property – is unacceptable. The death of one person does not make it acceptable to hurt or kill another. And as far as thinking a message is not strong enough unless it is shrouded in violence, take a moment to consider that neither Martin Luther King Jr. nor Gandhi exhibited hatred when working toward creating a better world. To quote Maya Angelou, “Hate: it has caused a lot of problems in this world, but it has not solved one yet.”

So what course of action should one take? I like what George’s brother Terrence suggests: vote.

“Let’s stop thinking that our voice don’t matter and vote,” he said then urged people to “educate yourself” before calling for “peaceful protests.”

Protesting is important. It does have an effect. The timing of the effect, though, is not always in line with when some people want things to happen.

As a Crescenta Valley resident, I am proud by local protests that didn’t disintegrate into violence and destruction and that additional protests in the metropolitan parts of Los Angeles on Tuesday night also didn’t erupt in violence.

For a man who lost someone dear to him, Terrence Floyd rises above the mayhem to remind people that violence is not the answer: “That’s not going to bring my brother back.”

  robin goldsworthy