George Floyd

Two weeks ago we were reminded that, even during a global health pandemic, cops are still murdering black people.

Two weeks ago we were reminded that, even during a global health pandemic, cops are still murdering black people.

George Floyd was murdered on Monday, May 25. Every part of his story reminds us that black lives still do not matter in this country. He was arrested for a crime of poverty — a crime he committed to buy food. Police chose to ignore social distancing to attack and suffocate him to death, ignoring his cries for help. People rising up to protest this injustice have been met with more police and state-sanctioned violence. Poor and working-class protestors are accused of “looting” from massive corporations, as billionaires are praised for getting $434 billion richer during this pandemic.

I am so sad. And I am so angry.

Most of our leaders are trying to placate us. They feel bad that this happened. They understand why we are angry. But they offer no changes. They tell us, it is better for us to keep the peace.

What they mean is it’s better for them if we keep the peace. It’s better for the millionaires and billionaires who fund their campaigns. It’s better for the “economy” — the one that made billionaires richer during this pandemic while the rest of us face 25% unemployment.

But we are not going to keep the peace. We can’t afford to. It will cost us our lives. We have to fight for change, and we have to fight for it now.

• We must decriminalize crimes of poverty, so people in George’s situation are not arrested.
• We must raise the minimum wage and provide government assistance, so no one lacks basic necessities.
• We must abolish policing as we know it, so that police officers are accountable to the people and not empowered to commit violence.
• We must reduce funding to the police, so that they are not a paramilitary force.
• We must tax billionaires, who have looted from the pockets of the working-class, so that they do not exist.
• We must redistribute that money, so that we can begin building an equitable society, where no one is valued less because they are poor or because they are black.

In so many communities across the country things like good schools, full employment, alternatives to decarceration, healthcare access, and stable housing are things that are taken for granted. It is poorer communities, working class communities, and communities of color that are denied these basic rights.

To win these rights, we need a massive redistribution of wealth.

This won’t be easy. But it is necessary and it cannot wait. Join us in this fight.

In solidarity,

Jabari