Here we go again. On Monday May 25th Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin arrested George Floyd, and used a restraint hold (kneeling on his neck) that either killed him outright, or certainly contributed to his death.
On Tuesday there were protests and a march that for the most part were very calm and peaceful, until the very end when eye witnesses noted young white males involved in property damage at the police station in precinct three. The police moved in with riot gear, tear gas, mace, and rubber bullets.
By Wednesday morning the cities were in shock. Four police officers who were at the scene of the original arrest have been fired. The mayor of Minneapolis and the Chief of Police have asked both the BCA (Bureau of Criminal Apprehension) and the FBI to investigate.
Update Thursday, June 4th
Today as I update this post George Floyd’s memorial service will happen. All four officers have now been charged (with Derek Chauvin charged with various degrees of murder), the State of Minnesota has begun a civil rights investigation stretching back 10 years of the Minneapolis police department, and days and days of marches have happened and continue to go on.
We must lament, and we must act. This week some of the resources that are once again being shared include:
a spreadsheet of anti-oppression resources
a history of the Minneapolis Police Department
a list of 75 thing white people can do for racial justice
a poignant recognition of the paternalistic racism of “good white people”
a very thoughtful analysis of how de-escalation helps when police engage protests, and yet why they do not use it
all the other resources at this site!
There are also statements being made by many organizations:
the sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet
the Metropolitan Urban Indian Directors
the Archbishop of Minneapolis/St. Paul
the board of the Catholic Theological Society of America
the board of the College Theology Society