At the risk of appearing redundant, I want to mirror what others have said in response to the recent series of deaths involving one Black woman and two Black men in three separate incidents at the hands of police or vigilantes, as well as the hundreds of other Black men and women murdered under the color of authority.
And more recently, George Floyd was choked to death on the streets of Minnesota in the most inhumane way by a cabal of police, one of which performed the execution by placing his knee on Floyd’s neck and bearing down with his full weight for more than nine minutes, smothering the life out of him while other officers abetted or stood guard during the execution.
The nation has witnessed far too many unjustified Black deaths at the hands of police and White vigilantes.
My first demonstration against police brutality occurred long ago when I joined a march against the Signal Hill Police Department in the City of Long Beach demanding justice and accountability for the death of a 21-year-old college football player named, Ron Settles, a promising running back who played for Cal State Long Beach in 1981.
In the meantime, we must not lose focus regarding why people across the country are protesting—a Black man was viciously murdered with brutal and excessive force by police in broad daylight—Floyd had no weapon and the officers were merely investigating an alleged “nonviolent” crime related to a counterfeit $20 bill.
