In 2017, in the wake of the events in Charlottesville, Virginia, I published my syndicated column on how Trump’s racist policies implied a dangerous social regression for the U.S. Since then, the fears have increased leading up to national outcry after the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis—as if the lives of the African-American community weren’t difficult enough with the pandemic.
For the past week, fundamentally peaceful protests have erupted around the U.S. as a result of the justified outrage and demand for justice, long due to the African-American community and people of color in the United States, given the systemic racism demanding criminal justice reform and the brutal police practices long existent in the system.
Floyd died shouting desperately: “I can’t breathe,” and that’s how millions of Americans feel. The sense of oppression only grew after the police officer (whose historical record of brutality is shameful) was charged with third-degree murder. As if the whole country hadn’t seen the disturbing video that recorded George Floyd begging for his life before suffocating to death, and the voices of many witnesses demanding the officer to stop acting with treachery and hatred.
We can’t turn our eyes away from the essence of this movement to point out and demand accountability for the rioting and violence that unfortunately emerged, sometimes out of the deliberate work of agitators, other times out of opportunism, or several times as a response to disproportionate repression by the police.
As President Obama wrote in his magnificent article this week, echoed in Joe Biden’s own words during a brilliant speech in Philadelphia on Tuesday, the strength of the movement lies in avoiding the violence that could ultimately affect the very businesses of communities of color and, very importantly, the legitimacy of their fundamental right “to assembly and demand redress for their grievances,” as outlined in the First Amendment of the Constitution. The protests are essentially peaceful and legitimate, grounded in justice. That is the issue that needs to be adequately addressed, listened to, and processed to avoid the undesirable deviation to violence.
But President Trump has been far too controversial and divisive. Instead of listening to the voices driving these protests for justice, he focuses on speaking to his base. Trump is asking to escalate repression and, most dangerously, disregarding the constitutional letter, threatening to deploy the military to different states to face off his constituents, even without the governors’ requests for intervention.
Furthermore, to carry out his speech stunt in front of St. John’s Church in Washington D.C., Trump cleared his way there by brutally repressing peaceful protesters gathered in front of the White House at Lafayette Square. In addition to speaking about the militarization of the states, instead of healing by embracing civil rights and proposing justice reform, he spoke about the rights of citizens under the second amendment. This dog whistle dangerously suggests that citizens can turn their weapons against other citizens if needed or to support his agenda—a reckless nightmare use of presidential power.
Moreover, the protests for equal justice take place amid a pandemic that exposes the inequities that disproportionately affect communities of color. People of color represent a higher percentage of those affected by COVID-19, either infected or dead, who lost their jobs, or whose businesses closed. Therefore, it the most dangerous context to be practicing bigotry and demagoguery and following the authoritarian populist script.
We need healing and a conversation about reform, equal justice, opportunities, and inclusion to strengthen our democracy and revitalize our social contract. This plan demands leadership with empathy. Concrete ideas. Bipartisanship. It requires all of us to listen and come together, not to escalate repression.