Police: ‘Umbrella Man’ is a convenient figure to publicly shift blame onto for all of our abuses
Today the Star Tribune released a breaking article titled “Police: ‘Umbrella Man’ was a white supremacist trying to incite George Floyd rioting.”
I saw a few friends share it, so I clicked, read, and tapped back into the feelings I had when the video of this Umbrella Man first surfaced.
I know I immediately shared the video when it was going around Facebook. Watching a white guy in riot gear break the windows of the AutoZone, I was flooded with a strange sense of relief. I felt so grateful to have concrete video evidence to throw in the faces of racists touting the loaded question of “How could they destroy their own community?”
“How could they destroy their own community?”
It was the same thoughtless critique I had heard over and over again from fellow students in conversations surrounding the Ferguson Uprising during my time attending the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul.
“How could they destroy their own community?”
A question that is coded in racism people often don’t fully realize they’re engaging in until it is met with a challenge.
“How could they destroy their own community?”
A question that I was repeatedly seeing and hearing and fearing the dreaded impact of.
I was worried that burning buildings would reinforce the disgusting racist thinking of pairing Blackness with violence. I was wracked with anxiety that the story of the Third Precinct would be used to expand police presence in Minneapolis and cities around the nation.
But suddenly: Umbrella Man.
For a panicked person attempting to shift the racist narrative around the flames burning in Minneapolis, Umbrella Man presented as a convenient scapegoat. “Look! Look!” I could say, “This wasn’t BLM! This was a white guy in riot gear!”
Instead of asking important questions and challenging racist thinking, I had Umbrella Man to turn to. Instead of citing the unquestionable reality of racism in Minnesota, I had Tim Walz’s narrative of the out-of-state agitator. Instead of taking the time to break down the question of “How are they destroying their own community?” I had a lazy response of “Look! LOOK! Here’s this guy with an umbrella breaking shit!”
“How are they destroying their own community?”
My response was Umbrella Man when it should have been:
“Who is ‘they’? Why do you view Black people as a monolith?”
“Why does protection of property take precedence over the protection of Black lives?”
“What does it mean to care for your community?”
“I see you don’t really understand what’s going on. Are you willing to learn more about systemic racism?”
“I see you care a lot about looting. Are you willing to learn more about wealth inequality?”
“So, uh, guy from Mankato, how did you magically convince yourself that you care more about the community of Minneapolis than the community of Minneapolis cares about themselves?”
(Okay, that one is maybe more spicy than helpful. But really, how the hell did you do that?)
Don’t get me wrong. Outside agitators exist. Organized white supremacist groups exist. Umbrella Man is a real person whose actions should be acknowledged. He should be held accountable. He is a confirmed Piece of Shit Baby for whatever racist ideology he clings to. I’m not here to debate that.
Instead, I’m here to say this:
It’s much easier to blame one hateful individual or an assumed “rogue” group of people than to come to terms with the dismal reality of just how pervasive the disease of racism is within our country’s minds, culture, and institutions.
It’s more comfortable to point fingers and say “Everyone was peaceful before that mean Mr. Umbrella Man showed up!” than to dive into the complexities of how unattended anger builds, manifests, and may eventually erupt. Or to acknowledge the painful fact that many people in our country have never truly known genuine peace.
It’s far more convenient to share a link to a Star Tribune article than to encourage others to share understanding and empathy for a community of individuals who have expressed righteous anger in a variety of ways in response to being traumatized, brutalized, murdered, gaslighted, and ignored.
The story of Umbrella Man is convenient. It’s easy. It’s comfortable. It can’t be what we cling to.
Nothing about this is simple. Except for maybe the playbook.
It’s important to understand that the default setting of the police has been stuck on “Control” since the very beginning. This is the most basic function of police. Public Relations is an important component of cultivating trust, and therefore maintaining control. Today’s Star Tribune article is really just a piece of an all-too-predictable propaganda puzzle.
Police are using the age old tactic of scapegoating instead of entering into accountability for the harm they have caused and continue to cause. In today’s Star Tribune article, we read:
“This was the first fire that set off a string of fires and looting throughout the precinct and the rest of the city,” Sgt. Erika Christensen wrote in a search warrant affidavit filed in court this week. “Until the actions of the person your affiant has been calling ‘Umbrella Man,’ the protests had been relatively peaceful.”
As if living in fear of police had ever been peaceful.
“The actions of this person created an atmosphere of hostility and tension.”
As if the police weren’t responsible for the community’s feelings of hostility.
Chief Todd Axtell released a statement scolding social media users for spreading misinformation that could “jeopardize the officer’s reputation and safety and chip away at the trust this police department has worked so hard to build with its community.”
As if impunity for violence is a solid foundation for trust.
Like my personal misuse of Umbrella Man, it’s much easier for the police to take the blame away from themselves and place it on the shoulders of one outside individual, an extremist biker gang, or misinformation from social media users rather than be held accountable by the public for their continued abuse of the community and the ramifications of their actions.
Again: It’s easy. It’s convenient. It’s comfortable. But it’s not right.
Today’s article is a part of the predictable playbook of Shifting Blame. We see this pattern over and over again in our nation’s history. We see this pattern over and over again in the news we consume daily. And if we are willing to look, we certainly will find it inside of ourselves.
Remember: The abuser will always attempt to write the story of those they have abused.
Do not let them.
