Mr. Sigman’s letter regarding Democrats and the rioting in response to George Floyd’s death at the hands of Minneapolis police highlights how unproductive our political discourse has become (“
He cites the initial and inaccurate autopsy that stated Floyd did not die of asphyxia to decry the rioting in Minneapolis. People saw the video of how Floyd died with their own eyes and heard “I can’t breathe” with their ears.
White people don’t allow peaceful protests. From Martin Luther King Jr. in Birmingham to Colin Kaepernick in San Francisco, white Americans have continually slandered peaceful civil rights protests as un-American, ill-timed or divisive in an attempt to avoid facing our collective national shame.
Racism should not be a politically divisive issue in 2020. In establishing the role of government, the Constitution cites establishing justice, ensuring domestic tranquility and securing the blessings of liberty for its citizens – none of which were extended to Floyd when police killed him face-down in the street.
The people protesting should not be categorized by a political affiliation, but as anti-racists opposing a racist system. Before we go shaking our heads at people rioting, let’s address the systemic racism.
Noah GorzDurango
