Sunday, May 31, 2020

The anger doesn't go away; nor do the outraged

Solidarity or prudence? Hard to know. Valencia Street was already fully boarded up by the coronavirus, but the slogan is new as of this morning, May 31.

I like to think that my neighbors by and large understand the righteous anger of protest against police impunity. But I also remember that five years ago, our own police department carried out a public execution of a cowering black man by firing squad. No officer suffered any consequences.

It feels strange not to be out among the people in the streets. This is the first occasion since 1965 when I haven't at least cautiously run in the fringes of what is called "civil unrest." But I'm too old, too slow, and too scared of COVID-19 this time. I don't like this, but it's okay. There are plenty of young people striving to be heard. We don't listen as a society until forced to -- and there are almost always too many casualties when demanding the attention of people whose power can make a difference. Some of what we do is dumb, but that too is part of the long struggle.

Stay safe out there.

1 comment:

Mary said...

I like your last paragraph.
Yes there is rioting and looting, which doesn’t do their cause good, but...I can surely understand generations of frustration and anger at how blacks have been treated always.
It’s obvious the examples parents set is one major thing, education another and the media shows too much of the bad and not enough of the good and Fox News is a hate producing, fear mongering State run propaganda machine.