{"id":46419,"date":"2021-05-25T02:42:49","date_gmt":"2021-05-25T06:42:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/?p=46419"},"modified":"2021-05-25T09:05:40","modified_gmt":"2021-05-25T13:05:40","slug":"remembering-george-floyd-part-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/2021\/05\/remembering-george-floyd-part-1\/","title":{"rendered":"Remembering George Floyd, Part 1"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Today, May 25, marks a year since George Floyd was murdered in Minneapolis by then-cop <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2021\/04\/20\/us\/derek-chauvin-trial-george-floyd-deliberations\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Derek Chauvin<\/a> &#8212; a death that triggered <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/interactive\/2020\/07\/03\/us\/george-floyd-protests-crowd-size.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">one of the largest protest movements in U.S. history<\/a> under the rallying cry of &#8220;Black Lives Matter.&#8221; Memorial marches, rallies, and vigils are planned in many locations. If you&#8217;re in New York City, here are some options. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>3 PM: 1 Police Plaza, Manhattan<\/strong>.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/events\/872213423362192\/?acontext=%7B%22event_action_history%22%3A[%7B%22extra_data%22%3A%22%7B%5C%22invite_link_id%5C%22%3A148236370547568%7D%22%2C%22mechanism%22%3A%22share_link%22%2C%22surface%22%3A%22share_link%22%7D%2C%7B%22extra_data%22%3A%22%7B%5C%22invite_link_id%5C%22%3A148236370547568%7D%22%2C%22mechanism%22%3A%22your_upcoming_events_unit%22%2C%22surface%22%3A%22bookmark%22%7D]%2C%22ref%22%3A%2252%22%2C%22ref_notif_type%22%3Anull%7D\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Families of victims of police violence, and survivors of police violence, will demand the prosecution of guilty cops<\/a>.<\/li><li><strong>5 PM: Rally and march starting at Cadman Plaza, Brooklyn<\/strong>.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CPLnRkWD_8X\/?utm_medium=share_sheet\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Masks and white attire are encouraged<\/a>.<\/li><li><strong>5 PM: Black-women-led march and vigil, starting at Foley Square in Manhattan.<\/strong>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CPOqKftlooK\/?utm_medium=share_sheet\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The vigil will take place at 8 PM at the Brooklyn Museum.<\/a><\/li><li><strong>5 PM: Rally and march for justice\/defend the NYPD<\/strong>, starting at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, organized by the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.changethenypd.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Communities United for Police Reform coalition<\/a>.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/events\/516807056029214\/?acontext=%7B%22ref%22%3A%2252%22%2C%22action_history%22%3A%22[%7B%5C%22surface%5C%22%3A%5C%22share_link%5C%22%2C%5C%22mechanism%5C%22%3A%5C%22share_link%5C%22%2C%5C%22extra_data%5C%22%3A%7B%5C%22invite_link_id%5C%22%3A148236370547568%7D%7D]%22%7D\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">RSVP on Facebook<\/a>.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>(I wouldn&#8217;t be surprised if two or more of the 5 p.m. marches merge. Keep an eye on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/justiceforgeorgenyc\/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Justice for George Instagram feed<\/a> for live updates from the ground.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CA0f25RlylN\/?utm_medium=share_sheet\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"498\" height=\"323\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/artists4george.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-46425\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/artists4george.jpg 498w, https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/artists4george-300x195.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 498px) 100vw, 498px\" \/><\/a><figcaption>Photo by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aperturedelta.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">George De Castro Day<\/a> from May 2020. Sign by <a href=\"https:\/\/instagram.com\/artistsforgeorge?utm_medium=copy_link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Artists for George Floyd<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Outside New York, you can search social media for local actions &#8212; for activism, social media is better than <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/2010\/05\/search-engine-self-censorship\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Poodle<\/a>. You can also be an organizer yourself by recruiting friends to participate in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CPOVuiWnF47\/?utm_medium=share_sheet\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">a national walkout from school or work that has been called for 3 p.m. ET<\/a>. If you can&#8217;t leave for the day, you can observe <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CPOVuiWnF47\/?utm_medium=share_sheet\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">9 minutes and 29 seconds of silence<\/a> during your walkout. You&#8217;re encouraged to share photos and videos of your action on social media using the hashtags #oneyearlater #georgefloyd. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At 2 p.m. ET, before the walkout, you can learn about what it means to &#8220;defund the police&#8221; &#8212; a consistent activist demand in the wake of Floyd&#8217;s murder. <a href=\"https:\/\/colorofchange.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Color of Change<\/a> is hosting a panel about reimagining public safety, which includes &#8220;shifting resources away from an over-reliance on police and prisons and instead investing in social issues, public schools, health systems, public services, and alternative safety models.&#8221; <a href=\"https:\/\/weekofaction.colorofchange.org\/day-2-panel-on-reimagining-public-safety\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Watch the panel here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CDrG0gylkCj\/?utm_medium=share_sheetl\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"498\" height=\"498\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/blmsign.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-46422\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/blmsign.jpg 498w, https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/blmsign-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/blmsign-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/blmsign-320x320.jpg 320w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 498px) 100vw, 498px\" \/><\/a><figcaption>Photo by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/aperture.delta\/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">George De Castro Day<\/a> from August 2020. Click photo for my original Instagram post.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>It&#8217;s imperative to educate yourself about defunding the police, because police unions and politicians have been feeding stories to the &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.psychologytoday.com\/us\/blog\/two-takes-depression\/201106\/if-it-bleeds-it-leads-understanding-fear-based-media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">if it bleeds, it leads<\/a>&#8221; media, linking a surge in violent crime to the calls for defunding. There&#8217;s no need to get swept up in that hysteria. Most police departments haven&#8217;t <em>been<\/em> defunded, so a sudden lack of resources is not to blame. Yes, in New York City, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cityandstateny.com\/articles\/politics\/new-york-city\/did-de-blasio-actually-defund-nypd.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">there was some reduction from the previous year&#8217;s $6 billion police department budget, though not as big a cut as Mayor Bill de Blasio claimed<\/a>. (There was also a <a href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.go.com\/Politics\/york-city-moves-end-qualified-immunity-making-1st\/story?id=76752098\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">City Council vote to end qualified immunity<\/a> and the announcement of a plan <a href=\"https:\/\/pix11.com\/news\/local-news\/social-workers-ems-not-nypd-to-respond-to-non-violent-mental-health-calls-citywide\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">to send social workers instead of cops to mental-health calls<\/a>.)  But there is still <a href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.go.com\/US\/times-square-shooting-suspect-arrested-us-marshals-florida\/story?id=77647954\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">a very visible NYPD substation<\/a> and a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/2020\/03\/throwback-thursday-arresting-bitch-face\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">heavy police presence<\/a> in Times Square, which didn&#8217;t prevent a shooting a couple of blocks away from the station <a href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.go.com\/US\/times-square-shooting-suspect-arrested-us-marshals-florida\/story?id=77647954\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">earlier this month<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/B86jDwwFarD\/?utm_medium=share_sheet\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"498\" height=\"367\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/banner.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-46427\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/banner.jpg 498w, https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/banner-300x221.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 498px) 100vw, 498px\" \/><\/a><figcaption>In February 2020, there was no shortage of cops in Times Square to arrest folks holding banners (including me), and there are still plenty of cops there post-George Floyd. Photo by George De Castro Day.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>The truth is that a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/news\/investigations\/2019\/02\/13\/marshall-project-more-cops-dont-mean-less-crime-experts-say\/2818056002\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">police presence doesn&#8217;t necessarily deter violent crime.<\/a> And <a href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.go.com\/US\/26-shot-32-seconds-details-videos-released-dayton\/story?id=64953910\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">in a country where you can buy guns that can kill or injure 26 people in 32 seconds<\/a> , an undeterred gunman can cause maximum damage before cops can even figure out <a href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/world-nation\/story\/2021-04-13\/how-officer-confuse-gun-with-taser\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">which side is their Taser and which is their gun<\/a>. Fortunately, most cops don&#8217;t spend most of their working hours consumed with violence.  <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vox.com\/2020\/7\/31\/21334190\/what-police-do-defund-abolish-police-reform-training\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">As Roge Karma reported for Vox last July<\/a>, &#8220;The data overwhelmingly finds that police officers in aggregate spend the vast majority of their time responding to non-criminal calls, traffic-related incidents, and low-level crimes \u2014 and only a tiny fraction on violent crimes.&#8221; Moreover, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vox.com\/2020\/7\/31\/21334190\/what-police-do-defund-abolish-police-reform-training\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">much of the time spent on violent crime comes after the violence has taken place, as cops interview witnesses, gather evidence, advise victims, and write reports<\/a>. Sidebar: I realize that list of tasks might come as a surprise to you if you&#8217;ve ever tried to get a restraining order or a police report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DavidDTSS\/status\/1392274452176674816\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"498\" height=\"336\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/tweet-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-46429\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/tweet-1.jpg 498w, https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/tweet-1-300x202.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 498px) 100vw, 498px\" \/><\/a><figcaption>The examples given in replies to this tweet are worth reading.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Karma&#8217;s Vox story pointed out that we &#8212; civilians and cops &#8212; subscribe to the mythology of a &#8220;warrior cop&#8221; who risks it all, day in and day out, to take down violent gunmen and disgusting pedophiles. (On TV, the seething anger of police heroes like <a href=\"https:\/\/lawandorder.fandom.com\/wiki\/Elliot_Stabler\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Elliot Stabler<\/a> is justified by the lives he saves.) But then there&#8217;s reality, in which cops who are &#8220;primed for violent encounters and ill-equipped for interventions that demand mediation, deescalation, and social work&#8221; are being called to intervene with &#8220;civilians\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2015\/06\/14\/nyregion\/eric-garner-police-chokehold-staten-island.html\">selling loose cigarettes<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.vox.com\/identities\/2020\/5\/30\/21275694\/george-floyd-protests-minneapolis-atlanta-new-york-brooklyn-cnn\">attempting to use possibly counterfeit currency<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.vox.com\/2020\/6\/13\/21290334\/atlanta-police-shooting-wendys-video\">sleeping intoxicated in their cars<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cato.org\/sites\/cato.org\/files\/pubs\/pdf\/balko_whitepaper_2006.pdf\">recreationally selling or using low-level drugs<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/news\/post-nation\/wp\/2017\/06\/16\/minn-officer-acquitted-of-manslaughter-for-shooting-philando-castile-during-traffic-stop\/\">violating minor traffic laws<\/a>, or\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2019\/08\/01\/us\/tony-timpa-dallas-police-body-cam.html\">calling the police themselves because they are experiencing a mental health crisis<\/a>.&#8221; Police training that favors mythology over reality is why civilians &#8212; an excessive number of them Black people &#8212; are murdered when minor incidents are escalated by cops who read threats into any and all movements and statements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2021\/may\/23\/christopher-martin-george-floyd-minneapolis-cup-foods\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Remember, it was a call about a possible counterfeit $20 bill<\/a> that started the chain reaction culminating in George Floyd&#8217;s death under Derek Chauvin&#8217;s knee. It&#8217;s painful to know that the bill in question wasn&#8217;t even examined by police officers before they accosted Floyd in his car in the parking lot of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2021\/04\/10\/us\/minneapolis-george-floyd-cup-foods-sidner\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Cup Foods<\/a> and immediately took offense to his nervous response. As former rookie officer <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2021\/04\/26\/us\/tou-thao-thomas-lane-alexander-kueng\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Thomas Lane<\/a>, who is one of three cops charged with aiding and abetting Chauvin, told the Minneapolis Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mncourts.gov\/mncourtsgov\/media\/High-Profile-Cases\/27-CR-20-12951-TKL\/Exhibit107072020.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">page 23 of the transcript<\/a>), &#8220;We were more concerned with at least attaining that person on the suspicion of passing a counterfeit bill and then figuring out the\u00a0validity of the bill.&#8221; (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mncourts.gov\/mncourtsgov\/media\/High-Profile-Cases\/27-CR-20-12951-TKL\/Exhibit107072020.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">page 23 of the transcript<\/a>). He also acknowledged that he didn&#8217;t collect the bill or look at it after Floyd&#8217;s death. Police who &#8220;protect and serve&#8221;? That&#8217;s the myth. The reality is police who kill first and look for a crime later. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Today, May 25, marks a year since George Floyd was murdered in Minneapolis by then-cop Derek Chauvin &#8212; a death that triggered one of the largest protest movements in U.S. history under the rallying cry of &#8220;Black Lives Matter.&#8221; Memorial marches, rallies, and vigils are planned in many locations. If you&#8217;re in New York City,&#8230;<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/2021\/05\/remembering-george-floyd-part-1\/\">Read More &raquo;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":46422,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[49,558,143,1408,1409],"tags":[2457,2350,2347,2323],"class_list":{"0":"post-46419","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-in-the-news","8":"category-news","9":"category-politics","10":"category-racism","11":"category-racism-in-the-news","12":"tag-abolish-the-police","13":"tag-black-lives-matter","14":"tag-defund-the-police","15":"tag-george-floyd","16":"entry"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46419","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=46419"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46419\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":46436,"href":"https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46419\/revisions\/46436"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/46422"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46419"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=46419"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=46419"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}