Black lives matter. All lives matter. The murder of George Floyd was a tragic event that happened. Everyone now knows his name after his death was caused by the brutality of a police officer with others apparently supporting the officer despite bystanders pleading for mercy for the clearly distraught victim.
So many lives have been ruined by a fake $20 bill. A Minneapolis grocery store owner called police to report that two black men had been in his store and that George Floyd had used a counterfeit $20 bill. The owner later said that George Floyd may not even have known the bill was counterfeit. Perhaps George Floyd’s passenger could shed some light on that story, but it’s unlikely they knowingly tried to pass counterfeit money while driving a Mercedes and then lingered in the area after the store purchase.
So many lives have been ruined by a fake $20 bill. George Floyd lost his life that day because of his mistreatment. His family has lost his beloved brother or father. His friends have lost someone close to them. The policeman who committed the act and the other three who supported his colleague face a serious prison sentence, since they have been accused of murder and complicity.
A couple of days later, the world turned upside down. Just beginning to recover from the Covid-19 virus pandemic, people let their emotions run wild, causing America to suffer a lot of pain and hardship. Many more lives were ruined by demonstrations by protesters who wanted to show their support for George Floyd and the other unarmed black people who have lost their lives because of racism and disrespect.
All the people who were arrested during what began as peaceful protests may now have criminal records. People who lost their businesses due to looting and vandalism have lost a lot. Their places of business were ruined and they lost their livelihood, which was already suffering due to the pandemic. People who have resorted to criminal acts and looted businesses will likely face jail time if caught. If they weren’t caught, they likely have started a life of crime that will cause trouble later on. People were injured or killed in the riots. So many lives have been ruined by that fake $20 bill.
We cannot know for sure if the police officers were racist against African Americans. One of the officers was Asian-American, and the officer accused of killing George Floyd has been married to an Asian-American woman for ten years.
Many people from ethnic minorities have experienced racism to some degree. Asian Americans face discrimination today because some unfairly blame them for the arrival of the coronavirus in the United States.
However, we all know that it is worse for African Americans. If people like Magic Johnson confront racism and have to warn their children about the treatment they may receive simply because of the color of their skin, we know that change is long overdue. People should be treated with respect and consideration regardless of the color of their skin. There has been too much racism that has been allowed to continue in this country for too many years.
In this day and age where almost everyone carries a mobile phone with a camera, one would think that people would be more careful with their actions. Still, it hasn’t deterred much of the violence and brutality in the country, including among law enforcement. Without a doubt, most police officers are doing their job to the best of their ability, without brutality. A few bad apples ruin good people.
Racism was the primary cause of Japanese Americans being driven from their West Coast homes during World War II, when they were wrongfully imprisoned in camps despite being totally innocent. Many Latinos, Asians, Native Americans, and other ethnicities have received racist slurs. African Americans often face the worst kind of racism.
George Floyd has become a symbol for trying to improve race relations. It is hoped that his life will be remembered and that conditions will eventually change. We all must do our part to treat others with the respect that everyone deserves. Racism has no place in society. Too many lives are ruined because of racism.