Quote:
Originally Posted by blueash
Perhaps you could just use the language you use with your friends to describe this victim of police brutality. We all know what you mean when you say thug.
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I don't think that is fair. What George Floyd was, was a person who had chosen at some time in his life to start taking intoxicants . He was arrested and convicted and incarcerated for several years, actually four different times. He then died as a result of police brutality.
I am interested in hearing how we as a community of people could have changed what happened to him early on? Could we have seen to a better education? Could we somehow influenced his family life? Could we have given over more money in taxes for a nicer neighborhood? Could we have gotten to know him better? Could we have voted to see that he got higher wages? Could we have built community centers so that their was a good place for him to hang out? Could we have paid more money for social services to be sure that he was always kindly and fairly treated? Could we have marched? Could we have taken courses to truly understand what bigotry is? Could we have shared our earnings with him directly so that he would not have any reason to join a group that forced entry into a pregnant woman's home and took money? Could we see that all guns are confiscated? Could we pass gun control laws so that people have a very, very, difficult time buying a gun?
How exactly could we, more particularly I have changed this outcome for him. In my long lifetime, I have not heard anyone including my grandfather who was a police officer for 35 years use that word that we are not saying. My mother died when I was eight days old, and my grandparents raised me, my father remarried when I was two and my stepmother didn't want me so I was not raised in their fine house. My grandmother died when I was twelve. In fact it was only when I was eighteen after my grandfather died that I stayed there for awhile until I got my first apartment. . But fortunately I was white and a good student, I guess. I don't know. I have only been this person.
There are so many of us who grew up with bigotry and racism in a world long ago who are trying to not deserve that label. I really do hate labels. They are often used unfairly. They are often used unfairly.