One side is afraid of losing control. Not necessarily afraid of the embodied threat, or the justice demanded. These things have always been and will always be. But today the understanding of goodness is more widespread and continues to grow, and acumen is more pronounced.
The other side is afraid of the spreading lightlessness. Not necessarily afraid of the darkness, or the shadows within. These things have always been and will always be. But today the darkness is more widespread and continues to encroach, and the shadows are more pronounced.
Once upon a time, the division was fuzzy; there was a large neutral area of herd mentality; a great many individuals simply working to take care of their self and help those closest to them. Today the encroaching darkness and the unavoidable wisdom have swallowed constituencies, forcing individuals to choose.
One side is afraid of uncontrolled violence. So much so that they show up early for planned peaceful demonstrations; and they establish perimeters in their riot gear, with their tactical weapons that are banned in international warfare. They agitate and enflame and goad and incite and boast about “vicious dogs” and “ominous weapons” and hide behind hypocrisy and powerful words that claim they respect peaceful protest when faced with violence, and then claim that they respect diversity when faced with peaceful protest, and then claim that they respect everyone’s rights when faced with diversity, and then claim that they respect law and order when faced with individual rights, and then claim that they respect the second amendment when faced with the logic of the Constitution as a whole, and then claim that they respect their god when faced with their own inability to reason; all in an attempt to disarm and de-escalate and maintain the status quo. And how can one argue with their god.
The other side is afraid of continued uncontrolled violence. So much so that they show up unarmed for planned peaceful demonstrations, with their placards and slogans and chants and symbolism. They protest police brutality and divisive rhetoric and unnecessary American suffering and unnecessary American deaths and bureaucratic snafus, and they stand on the front lines to reason, and failing that to seek justice according to law, and failing that to exercise Constitutional rights, and failing that to argue basic Human Rights, and failing that to celebrate and understand difference, and failing that to come together as one, and failing that to plead for mercy, and failing that to fight; all in an attempt to learn and grow and build a new and better status quo for tomorrow, and another for the day after, and another for the day after that. And how can one argue with their efforts to do good.
This week there was a picture of our president standing in front of a church, holding a bible. I look at this picture and I see peaceful protesters being gassed nearly 30 minutes before a curfew was to be imposed, so the presidential entourage could make their way to this photo op. I look at this picture and I hear someone in our White House giving an order to federal law enforcement officers to fire upon legally-gathered American citizens. I look at this picture and I understand that we are an inconvenience to our leadership.
One side has hijacked God.
The other side still prays.
On Monday, our president said to state governors, “if people are running amok, you have to dominate. …you have to arrest people and you have to try people. And they have to go to jail for long periods of time.” He went on to say, “it's a movement, if you don't put it down it will get worse and worse,” [and], “if a city or state refuses to take the actions that are necessary to defend the life and property of their residents, then I will deploy the United States military and quickly solve the problem for them.” This is incendiary. This is very much a threat. To see opinions and rights as a danger, to label protesters as non-citizens, to fight this perceived fire with the very real promise and execution of fire, to divert attention from real issues and real opportunity, is power and ego run amok; it is a movement, an assertion, of privilege; it is the American way.
One side claims order in law.
The other side braves the shock and awe.
On Tuesday, the White House justified actions with childish excuses, and the political party with limited power condemned actions with imperious righteousness, and the media took sides. And as these blocs jockeyed for position, some lucky individuals from the other side went to work and fumed over injustice and cried over George Floyd, and others not so lucky, sat in living rooms and kitchens and worried over the eviction notice and worried over their next meal and fumed over injustice and cried over George Floyd, and still others even less lucky wandered streets uncertain how they came to be here and uncertain where or if they would sleep tonight and they worried over their next meal and fumed over injustice and cried over George Floyd.
One side pushes with pretentious indignation.
The other side falls back with uncertain trepidation.
On Wednesday, additional and more serious criminal charges were brought against the officers involved in the death of George Floyd. Progress? Maybe. Yes. It is progress, but I remain skeptical of some motives. Working to read between the lines, in my limited and faulty (human) judgement, I believe there are more peaceful protests than there is senseless destruction and I believe there is more thoughtful resistance than there is violent reaction and I believe there are more good cops than there are bad cops; but I also believe that the issues at hand are significantly more systemic than they are extrinsic and I believe the fundamental, essential factor perpetuating the ignorance is a failure in leadership to recognize that there are multiple realities. Until leadership, (i.e. those with power), develop a more humane and widespread sense of empathy and compassion, justice will remain anecdotal.
One side sees rioters.
The other side sees protesters.
On Thursday, police in Vallejo, California continued to refuse to identify the officer who shot five times through his windshield, killing a kneeling Latino man who was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and had a hammer in his pocket. The killing took place just after midnight on Tuesday. The police did not disclose the shooting death until Wednesday. On Thursday I was disheartened and distressed on so many different levels to see multiple pictures of white men and women allowed to openly carry very frightening weapons. Is this the ultimate example of white privilege? White men in Hawaiian shirts applauded for their guns? And a minority Latino man in his hoodie shot and killed for his hammer?
One side sees a hammer as a gun, and a gun as a statement.
The other side feels the bullet.
On Friday, our president began quibbling again with the NFL, expending effort, (as many of our politicians are wont to do), on divisiveness. This is an indicator of de-escalation; a transition from denouncing violence and unrest to denouncing peaceful protest. This is an effort to move us back to a semblance of normalcy; a status quo reflecting the hoped-for weariness and resignation of the other side; every individual neatly layered in their place. This is a distraction; an attempted sleight-of-hand; an avoidance. This is our leadership.
One side takes a knee on the neck of the oppressed.
The other side takes a knee on the flag to protest.
On Saturday, I read the following:
“…while the crowd stood silently, lawmen fired off many canisters of tear gas and waded into the marchers swinging their billy clubs. As one journalist noted, they 'came stomping in behind the gas, gun-butting and kicking the men, women, and children. They were not arresting, they were punishing.’”(https://snccdigital.org/events/meredith-march/)
These are words that could have been ripped from this week's news; words describing The March Against Fear; a march begun in Memphis, Tennessee and ultimately ending in Jackson, Mississippi; a march that was meant to encourage blacks to register to vote. It was the idea of James Meredith, who was shot by a white racist on the second day of the march, 54 years ago today, June 6, 1966. Mr. Meredith survived, rejoined, and finished the march alongside Martin Luther King Jr., Stokely Carmichael and 15,000 other like-minded citizens of the United States.
One side blames and proudly proclaims.
The other side recovers and marches on.
This week we, as a nation of individuals, suffered; but the fact remains:
One side lives longer and suffers less;
The other side can’t breathe.