Following the tragic death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, we’ve seen protesting and rioting throughout America. I believe the majority of these protestors simply want justice for the Floyd family. They want the officers responsible for his death to face the full force of the law. This is what we should all want.
However, there are other protestors who took advantage of this tragedy to further their twisted ideology and burn and destroy private property in many major cities. Taking advantage of a tragedy to further a political agenda is shameful, to say the least.
What is largely missing from the discussion are the facts directly relevant to the situation. According to the Washington Post police shooting database, a total of 1,003 individuals were shot by police in 2019. Of those shot, 55 were unarmed. Of those 55, 25 were white, 14 were black, 11 were Hispanic, and 5 were classified as “other.” If you watch CNN or listen to pop stars and Democratic politicians, you’d think that thousands of young black men are being unjustly killed by police each year – as if America hasn’t made any progress since the civil rights era. That’s just not reality.
America has made great strides toward creating a society and system where people of all backgrounds have a chance to better their lives.
What our culture has a hard time doing is responding with facts and reason. For example, I believe that George Floyd’s death is an injustice and never should have occurred. I believe that the officer or officers responsible should face the full force of the law. This is justice. If there are reasonable reforms that prevent this type of tragedy in the future, then let’s have that conversation.
What we must also understand is that the Floyd tragedy is an extreme outlier, and we shouldn’t let it drive our country into the abyss of left-wing insanity. The same folks who want to “defund the police,” as if that’s going to solve our problems, are the same people who have been running our big cities for decades. They’ve even been running the police departments in these cities.
Democrats have largely been in control of big cities like Chicago and New York for decades, yet they’ve done little to help minority communities escape poverty and distress. Instead, Democrats and other influential people have pushed divisive rhetoric on our communities; such rhetoric only serves to set us back.
America must wake up to the reality that Democratic politicians and policies have done absolutely nothing to help the exact people that they claim to be a champion for.
I suggest it is time to try something different for a change. Historically-run Democratic cities should try fresh leadership instead of electing the same old politicians who promise the world and deliver nothing. As President Trump said in 2016, “What do you have to lose?”
(Editor's Note: This article was first published HERE)
