It’s Time to Take Off the Riot Gear
Riot gear seems like it’s meant for protection, but it often conveys fear and power instead. Do we sometimes wear subconscious riot gear of our own?
IT’S AN ALL TOO FAMILIAR IMAGE THESE DAYS. Long lines of heavily protected policemen and women, wearing armored riot gear. Shields up, batons raised. Fear activated.
The murder of George Floyd has led to weeks of protests and riots erupting across our nation. BLACK LIVES MATTER!! — scream it louder for the people in the back — shout crowds around the country from the nation’s largest cities to its small, rural towns.
In many places, protests have gone on peacefully, and the protests are working, raising awareness and elevating conversations. In Minneapolis alone, the protests have helped lead to the arrest of all four officers involved in George Floyd’s murder, the increase in charges against Derek Chauvin, and now the possible defunding and dismantling of a broken Minneapolis Police Department.
The protests have our nation’s attention. They are working.
But as the crowds grow larger, and as the message grows louder, protests have also been coupled with riots and looting.
