Violence

Understanding the George Floyd Uprisings

George Floyd Protests

Photo Credit: Al Jazeera

Too many whites and, unfortunately, too many blacks are communicating that they don’t understand why many protests emerging after the lynching of George Floyd by corrupt white police officer Derek Chauvin—with lethal assistance from three other evil police officers, Thomas Lane, J.A. Kueng, and Tou Thao—in Minneapolis, Minnesota, feature some rioting, looting, violence, and significant property damage. These whites and blacks assert that they don’t see the purpose of such licentiousness, especially since, from their collective perspective, this will not resurrect George Floyd. In this piece, I offer clarity about some of the reasoning that informs illicit elements of the George Floyd uprisings.

This will, therefore, disabuse folks of the argument that the uprisings lack purpose. Although one may disagree with unlawful elements of these uprisings, once a rationale is divulged, one cannot genuinely say that the criminal acts are meaningless; one can oppose the meaning offered, but future attempts to claim these uprisings are bereft of purpose will be intellectually disingenuous.

The George Floyd uprisings signal a national and global flowering of resistance to the vicious and enduring legacies of racism, white supremacy, Jim and Jane Crow, poverty, and militarism that the Black Lives Matter Movement (BLM), an organic and revolutionary citizens’, including global citizens, movement for racial, social, economic, and educational justice, has initiated. To be clear, these uprisings are part of the BLM.

Is Peaceful Protesting Possible?

Although most in the BLM are peaceful, non-violent people, they are fighting for peace. They are protesting the absence of peace in America. This dearth of peace does not make “peaceful protesting,” as traditionally conceived, possible. When so many racists, especially those who can employ state power against blacks, are unwilling to recognize black humanity, blacks and their allies cannot “peacefully protest”—if by “peacefully protest” one means asking for equity, freedom, and justice.

If you’re black, it’s futile to ask racists, especially those capable of using state power, for anything. They don’t see and hear you. What most of us in the BLM are doing isn’t asking anyone for anything; we’re demanding equity, freedom, and justice. For blacks and other ethnic minorities, we can never have peace in America until we force America to see and hear us.

America can never be a nation of peace until she’s compelled.

See and Hear Black People

While rioting, looting, and violence develop sometimes during demonstrations by those in the BLM, although these prohibited acts are primarily done by opportunists, individuals and organizations unconnected to the BLM, blacks are now being seen and heard. Racists and whites who are not allies of those in the BLM are feeling unsafe and experiencing significant financial wounds due to property damage and loss.

Whites see and hear blacks when they feel unsafe and have their money seriously affected.

The George Floyd uprisings are forcing the nation and world to see and hear black people.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Explained Rioting

In “The Other America,” a speech delivered at Stanford University, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., contended:

“I think America must see that riots do not develop out of thin air. Certain conditions continue to exist in our society which must be condemned as vigorously as we condemn riots. But in the final analysis, a riot is the language of the unheard. And what is it that America has failed to hear? It has failed to hear that the plight of the Negro poor has worsened over the last few years. It has failed to hear that the promises of freedom and justice have not been met. And it has failed to hear that large segments of white society are more concerned about tranquility and the status quo than about justice, equality, and humanity. And so in a real sense our nation’s summers of riots are caused by our nation’s winters of delay. And as long as America postpones justice, we stand in the position of having these recurrences of violence and riots over and over again. Social justice and progress are the absolute guarantors of riot prevention.”

If you don’t like “riots,” then radically change the “certain conditions” that “continue to exist in our society which must be condemned as vigorously as we condemn riots.” For whites and blacks who don’t understand why some are resorting to rioting, looting, violence, and general lawlessness, remember Dr. King’s powerful words: “…a riot is the language of the unheard.” King let us know what America has not heard from the unheard: its poverty and denied freedom and justice.

Also, I want to accentuate, as it is critical to those lacking comprehension about why some are engaging in rioting, looting, violence, and general lawlessness, Dr. King’s point about how many whites have failed to recognize that they are more concerned about peace and the status quo than justice, equality and humanity: “And it [America] has failed to hear that large segments of white society are more concerned about tranquility and the status quo than about justice, equality, and humanity.”

Dr. King ultimately indicted America, white America, as responsible for the “certain conditions that continue to exist” that promote rioting: “And so in a real sense our nation’s summers of riots are caused by our nation’s winters of delay. And as long as America postpones justice, we stand in the position of having these recurrences of violence and riots over and over again.”

If you want the rioting to end, then implement Dr. King’s solution: “Social justice and progress are the absolute guarantors of riot prevention.”

While Dr. King joined white America’s advocacy for peace (“tranquility”), he desired for white America to be just as committed to justice, equality, and humanity. Too many whites, however, have failed to heed this message.

Black People Have Had Enough 

George Floyd is the latest example of how it has always been “open season” on blacks in America. An increasing number of white police officers are heinously and senselessly killing blacks in public and private space. And black people and their allies have had enough.

Again, we’ve had enough.

We’re showing you we’ve had enough.

We’ve been tired of white folks killing us, including at the hands of white police officers, but you, white America, are beginning to feel just how tired we are.

Too many black bodies have been murdered by white police officers and white people in general. No one has been held accountable for most of the black blood on their white blood-stained hands.

If you don’t like what you’re witnessing, then become a part of the change, radical transformation America needs.

The Dawning of a New America

A beautiful multi-ethnic national and global coalition demanding equity and justice for all is rising; you see it in your streets and on your televisions.

America will become a more just, more equitable, more peaceful nation, and the revolution that will engender this radical transformation will, in part, be televised, tweeted, and shared on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

Dr. Antonio Maurice Daniels

University of Wisconsin-Madison

The Most Dangerous Communities for African Americans

Black Community Violence

While crime and violence have generally hit a downward slope over the last couple of decades, African Americans are still disproportionately affected by dangerous living spaces. Places still exist in America where African Americans deal with an irregular amount of drug trafficking, and this drug trafficking leads to significant violent crime and police overreach. Discrimination often results from perceptions about criminality in certain neighborhoods, neighborhoods that are disproportionately black and brown. Below is a list of five of the most dangerous areas for African Americans to live.

East Eh Crump & South 4th St, Memphis, TN

This unnamed neighborhood near Washington Heights in Memphis is reportedly the most dangerous neighborhood in the entire country. The neighborhood suffers from immense poverty, with 78% of its children living in poverty. Ultimately, the predominately black residents there suffer a 1 in 9 chance of being a victim of a crime.

Altgeld Gardens, Chicago, IL

One only has to look at the Chicago Sun Times‘ article listings for Altgeld Gardens to see the sheer wave of shootings and violence in the area. Altgeld is the epicenter of legendary Windy City gangs: the Black Disciples, the Black P. Stone Nation, and the Gangster Disciples.

Sandtown-Winchester, Baltimore, MD

This neighborhood is home to jazz greats Cab Calloway and Billie Holiday. It’s also home to Melvin Williams, whose crew served as the inspiration for the Barksdale Organization for the legendary HBO crime series The Wire. According to The Baltimore Sun, the community has been ravaged by violence, especially homicides and gun-related crimes.

West Chicago & Livernois Ave, Detroit, MI

This neighborhood was once ranked as the worst in the country and, despite losing that odious title, it has nonetheless still managed to be crime-ridden and destitute. Vacant houses litter the area, which drives property values down and brings in both vagrants and criminals. At one point, the residents had a 1 in 7 chance of being victimized.

Any neighborhood in Flint, MI

The former automotive epicenter already had a reputation for high crime levels, political corruption, and abject poverty. Then, the city underwent a major health crisis when mismanagement of the city’s water treatment system left scores of people poisoned by their own water. Much of the city’s political infrastructure now faces scrutiny and legal trouble over the crisis. Even though crime remains an important issue for the people of Flint, they have to be more concerned with a safe water supply. 

Dr. Antonio Maurice Daniels

University of Wisconsin-Madison

Resources Consulted:

ADT Home Defenders | Crime Rates

The Baltimore Sun | Baltimore’s most lethal neighborhoods

News Channel 3 | Study: Memphis neighborhood named most violent in the nation

Neighborhoodscout | NeighborhoodScout Most Dangerous Neighborhoods-2013

Domestic Violence Ends Where Good Parenting Begins

One of my Facebook friends and loyal readers, Ginnie Ann Daniels, inspired me to pen this present piece about how good parenting can eliminate domestic violence. Ginnie taught her children at an early age about how not to abuse others and those values have persisted throughout their lives. Children are very impressionable. What you do and say to a child can stay with him or her a lifetime. We all know that the horrible things that you say to your child can be very damaging, but we need to know that the positive things that we say to children can last them a lifetime. If we educate our female and male children that it is an abominable thing to engage in abusing others, then we can make significant progress toward ending domestic violence. You have to educate your children about not engaging in any type of violence if we are to end domestic violence. We have to teach children that violence is not simply physical, but it can be mental and emotional. You don’t have to lay your hands on a person to abuse him or her. It is important for us to communicate this to children. When they have an early understanding about abuse and the harm that it does, then the anti-violence values we place in them will be much more likely to persist throughout their adulthood.

I contend that good parenting must include education about how to be a civil person. When you abuse someone, you are not being civil. Parents have a responsibility to teach their children about how to be civil members of society.

Don’t think that just because you have girls that this excludes you from teaching them about not abusing others. Females engage in abusing males too. Don’t get it twisted! It is much less talked about and underreported. Teach your girls about how to respect other females and males.

I strongly oppose parents who rear their boys to become thugs. When you rear your boys to become thugs or to develop overly aggressive behavior, you are making them ripe candidates to be abusive to women. The overly aggressive and thuggish behavior that they develop as little children will most likely continue on into their adult lives. You have a great opportunity to train them as little boys to develop healthier behavior that is going to promote civility.

Schools need to play a stronger role in helping children to learn about and understand the different forms of violence. Our children need to have a more sophisticated understanding about what abuse and violence is. I would like to see schools that use “character education” place more emphasis on educating students about different forms of violence and abuse. I think that even History courses serve as valuable opportunities to teach students about how to avoid abuse and violence and to educate them about the consequences of abuse and violence. For instance, when discussing issues about war, this gives teachers an opportunity to tell students about how abuse and violence played an instrumental role in the causes and consequences of the war(s) being discussed.

Although I want schools to increase their efforts to educate students about abuse and violence, I want parents to place an even greater emphasis on education about abuse and violence. Don’t always look for schools to be the answer to the social, cognitive, and emotional development needs of your children.

I am not saying that you should not teach your children about self-defense, but what I am saying is that you should teach them to avoid unnecessary abuse and violence.

Antonio Maurice Daniels

University of Wisconsin-Madison