What did George Floyd do that would cause his death? Well, he allegedly used a fake $20 bill at a local Cup Foods in Minneapolis. When police found him, he was reportedly intoxicated. They were able to apprehend him, slapped the handcuffs on him, and the case was closed, right? No. Officer Derek Chauvin decided to keep his knee on the back of Floyd's neck for nearly ten minutes. Floyd died as a result. An unarmed black man arrested for a nonviolent crime was killed at the hands of Minneapolis Police. The use of force was absurd. Chauvin now faces third-degree murder and manslaughter charges. He was obviously fired, as were the three other officers who were involved in the arrest.
I'm pro-law enforcement. I'm a law and order conservative, folks. Period. I usually side with the police in these instances of officer-involved fatalities. Michael Brown reached for the officer's gun in Ferguson; hands up, don't shoot, was one of the biggest media myths peddled until the Trump-Russia collusion circus came to town. As for Freddie Gray in Baltimore, we still don't know what really happened regarding how he suffered that fatal spinal injury. What we do know is that in the aftermath, the city attorney jumped the gun in charging the officers involved and a discussion about the Baltimore Police and the Gray case morphed into a debate about whether the city was overreaching and why. Alan Dershowitz said the legal cases brought forward by city attorney Marilyn Mosby was done to quell further unrest. In the end, none of the officers involved were convicted, as they all had their charges dropped. But not after most went through the legal gambit. One officer's trial resulted in a mistrial, while the other three who went to court were acquitted.
Yet, being pro-law and order also means calling out bad cops. Minneapolis and its surrounding regions have issues with their law enforcement apparatus. Philando Castile was a law-abiding black citizen with a carry permit. During a traffic stop, he was shot five times by Falcon Height Officer Jeronimo Yanez, who was charged and acquitted of second-degree manslaughter. Castile was not a threat, he was cooperative and still died at the hands of police. In 2017, Justine Damond called 911 to report a possible assault in her vicinity. When police arrived, former Officer Mohamed Noor shot and killed her. He's serving a 12.5 sentence for third-degree murder and manslaughter. The point is that Floyd isn't the first controversial officer-involved fatality.
There should have been outrage. There should have been protests. It could have been a moment for reviewing the Minneapolis Police Department and possibly instituting some changes. Chauvin had 17 past citations for misconduct. Maybe it's time to look into how police unions appear to protect some bad apples who wear the badge. And that will be very entertaining since public-sector unions are a sizable part of the Democratic base. Do you know what other union has a penchant for protecting bad members within their ranks? That would be teachers' unions.
If anything, there could have been a dialogue, but that all ends with me when you start looting, setting buildings on fire, and running over cops with cars. Yes, in Buffalo, some nutjob ran over a bunch of cops in his SUV. Floyd's death, which was all captured on video, leaves very little doubt as to what happened here. It's why the outrage has been universal. This was, for lack of a better term, a bipartisan moment of anger and horror. And then someone tossed a Molotov cocktail and burned this opportunity to the ground.
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Small businesses were already pinched due to the COVID lockdowns, and now some are totally gone due to the arson and looting. How does that bring about social change if that's your goal? No one likes chaos. No one likes the wanton destruction of property. No one likes anarchy, which is exactly what has occurred in cities across the country as Democratic leaders cede portions of their cities for destruction. It's a mess. We've gone from protests for Floyd to outright mob violence. Also, as many have noted, funny how the liberal media were flipping out about COVID lockdowns ending from GOP states are now acting as if they never said such things in the first place. Stay inside has devolved into quasi-endorsement of the rioting, especially on CNN. What else is new?
unbelievable how quickly Instagram virtue signaling went from “stay home, save lives” to “if you’re not out showing solidarity, you’re part of the problem”
— Alexandra DeSanctis (@xan_desanctis) June 2, 2020
For me, support for any protest for Floyd ended the night a police headquarters in the third precinct of Minneapolis was overrun by rioters and torched. This was a horrible incident that united the nation in grief, shock, and anger, and then lefty radicals did what they do best—they destroyed it.
As of now, we need to put this mob down, and President Trump has announced that he will do everything he can to re-establish law and order. Civilian and military resources have been mobilized in this effort. If it fails, he said he would deploy the military, but only if things can't be reined in prior. It's a big threat, one that I don't think will be invoked, but that hasn't stopped CNN or MSNBC from freaking out thinking we're on the precipice of civil war or a dictatorship. Another layer of noise to the cacophony that is 2020.
Put the mob down, Mr. President. Put. It. Down.
My fellow Americans - My first and highest duty as President is to defend our great Country and the American People. I swore an oath to uphold the laws of our Nation -- and that is exactly what I will do… pic.twitter.com/pvFxxi9BTR
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 2, 2020
