I made myself watch the entire video clip of the murder of George Floyd. It was difficult. It was upsetting. The bystanders begged for George’s life repeatedly. After he lost consciousness, they were more adamant. It made me feel sick. We should be protesting and demanding justice. There is no doubt. We should demand that all people be seen as equal under the law. Phrases like “driving while black” or “walking while black” should not exist because black people should feel safe while going about their daily activities. So, protest in large numbers, peacefully. Keep in mind that the actions of those officers don’t represent all the police. A friend said to me recently, “there is nobody that hates a bad cop worse than a good cop.” That makes sense to me. 

I was downtown Valpraiso Saturday evening. From where I stood, I could hear the protesters to the north, cars were honking in support. I could hear taps coming from the police station to the south, memorializing Sgt. Steve Kobitz, a Valpraiso police officer that died from cardiac complications while on duty. We had a protest march and a funeral procession for an officer on the same day, and there was no violence. That’s how it’s supposed to work. It felt good. 

The protesters I know are peaceful. The rioters and looters are opportunists that are not there to demand justice and change for George Floyd. They are just looking for an excuse to steal and destroy property. And there is safety in numbers because the good cops that are out there trying to protect our neighborhoods are overwhelmed. Business owners who invested in our neighborhoods should not have to worry about this band of hooligans destroying their lifes’ work. Solid citizens are afraid to show up for protests for fear that things may get violent. The state of our country is unacceptable. 

“An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.” – Martin Luther King, Jr. 

We can demand change. Change for the treatment of black people in America. Change in how we allow people to protest. Change for the better. We need to pull ourselves out of the depths of our self destruction and change as a society. We can do better.