George Floyd's Death -The Internet - Defunding Police
The beauty of the internet is it's ability to be helpful, supportive,and informative. It brings people together in a social way. It also has the ability to be on every side of every argument at the same time without the human opposites never knowing. It is a friend and foe of every issue. The internet collects and connects points of view like a grocery store collects food for it's very diverse clientele. There is something for every budget. The internet creates beautiful stalemates for those looking for guidance. It never forgets tragic history and never loses hope in the aspirations for the future.
We are on the perpetual fence ,the “on the other hand,”undecided.
We see these growing number of issues without answers,like what to do about Climate Change , Covid 19 issues regarding face masks, economies that cannot stay closed and cannot stay open and the stalemate by political parties and police over First Nations rail stand off several months ago across Canada.
The internet is the collection of all the worlds knowledge but it is not a bible. When people go looking for something to have faith in, the volume of information is muddling. It is a collection of human wisdom, drama and stupidity all at the same time while moving vast herds and small groups of people in one direction or the other through group think. It is also presents a perfect debate where one day a person can stand on the pro side, then argue the other in the next round.
For all intensive purposes truth seekers have replaced the interpretation of written history,words, oratory, speech and the logic of letters on screens with naked visual evidence, body cameras, camera phone video and store/street surveillance cameras.
There is always 8 more seconds of video, no one has seen. The knowledge that there is always 8 more seconds should be a default in the minds of investigators of truth, lovers of truth. Jumping to conclusions, respecting the process is the journey. Or is it all just a trap door of privilege? Opposite and equal argument were not valid twenty five years ago. Camera images have always been evidence and there are just so many more cameras today than ever before. The camera image has moved past words on a screen.
Notwithstanding, Canadians argue the meaning of systemic racism.
After fifty years of multi multiculturalism,is Canada ready? I think so. Sixty years ago a mixed marriage between a Protestant and a Catholic was a scandal. Large numbers now move for change. They have also been let down before.
In the background noise of the George Floyd's death, the lawyers are already warning about the words, privilege and intent of constitutional violations on both sides, the process and conviction is going to be very difficult, and what then? The many sided internet sounds alarms.
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The world, has been transfixed by the video capturing the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis Minnesota police using what some called a choke hold technique on May 25 2020.
For the past two weeks peaceful demonstrations and violent rioting became a flash point that spread through the United States as well as sympathy demonstrations for historic injustices to minorities across Canada ,Europe and the world.
There was also a second narrative running with the Covid 19 Pandemic being declared on March 11. This triggered a first in modern history, restrictions on travel, a global economic shutdown, a three month quarantine for the general public. The mental and social stress fallowed soon after, resulting in stay at home orders for fear gripped general populations across the world who also faced financial, rent and mortgage disasters.
There is no distraction nor emotional venting of sports and championships to unite diverse fan bases in hockey soccer and basketball. No sports at all. People we trapped inside their home, with each other. No visitation for the dying. No funerals. If there is closure, there was none.
Internet apps would effectively track contacts with the flu to control it's spread. The internet would also guide people to purchase food online,or make PPE, hand santitizer,and keep track of the latest information for every state, province and country.
There over arching narratives that never sleep nor take holidays of poverty, guns,crime, drugs as well as is the inequity and declining wealth through de-industrialization across the world but in particular developed countries. The rich are getting richer and poorest are getting slightly less poor with the middle slipping noticeably. And there are just so many excuses.
The death of Mr. Floyd in a human sense is a single incident, but in the political climate we find ourselves embraced through the visual technology and amplified by social and news media struck a cord with large segments of people with many grievances, across the world. The Arab Spring and the Syrian civil war come to mind.( also note, over time, the dictators are very resilient and came back ever stronger.)
Armed protesters in the US marched on state legislatures against the public distancing and shutdown orders.
Not since the Civil Right movements of the 1960's has the United States come so close to a chain of events that could lead to social and political collapse. Then as now policing would be at the center of controversy. Maybe it is in the 12 hour shifts or the tour length or the heat.
Those who saw the inhumanity of George Floyd's death reacted with mass public and peaceful protest seeking positive change. Others saw the incident to exploit for political purposes and still others to instigate violence, chaos and looting.
In the end there is much empathy, just as there is in mass shootings, terror acts and a whole host of newsworthy events. Empathy building is what news reporting is good at. This is also now changing that part of the discussion. Will anything change? Both news people and politicians know all too well the fatigue that sets in after two weeks of coverage of a single event.
I am not sure defunding police is the answer for the very reason that the level of danger for any 911 call is merely and estimate, a judgment call an unknown. In other areas paramedics will not attend many calls without police and the meth crisis is a dangerous issue that may seem like any number of less serious emergencies.
People forget why police have assault style weapons in the first place. Drug crime is heavily armed, and terror incidents as well as mental health issues can be heavily armed also. There are a lot of recent violent reminders of gun violence in both Canada and the US. Professional police as second call on scene to assist security guards or social workers may not produce the best outcome. This will take a lot of consideration.
Governments have in the past just given up on things that were once illegal, like lotteries gambling casinos, weed, the sex trade and it is likely hard drugs maybe next. Governments have traded trillions of tax dollars charging at windmills in the Middle East's never ending wars, when that money should have supported crushing domestic social issues in the US, Europe and Canada.
Governments cannot legislate what's in the hearts of people, they can only change procedures, add body cameras or assign non police security to walk with demonstrations. Demonstrators could have their own security and post peace bonds or deposits on damage. Defunding police or disbanding police departments are now part of conversations. Maybe defunding is not an over reaction. Maybe police do not have to be the default to every problem.Covid19 has dedicated large amounts of public money already to the recovery. More is needed and media can play an important role. Crime is still crime,it never sleeps and is constantly active in exploiting good intentions.
News media, especially newspapers can keep coming back to these controversies every “one hundred days.” What has changed in the next one hundred days? I think much can be learned without the excuse of a yearly anniversary recap. Fast, knee jerk reactions may seem like action, but real solutions can only be created with sustained scrutiny. Assigning calls for mental illness, or crowd control to other agencies with police assistance may have merit. It is hard to picture when these calls are wrapped in unknown danger.
The speed of this spread from protest to violence in the US is notable and the potential for social breakdown should make people pause.
On May 31 2020 a fire was set at St. John's Episcopal Church near the White House.
Also on May 31 a tweet that was erroneously first thought to be from a far left group trying to take advantage and inflame the building chaos, asking rioters to “take what's ours.” It actually came from a far right group. Fires were already burning in several American cities with no end in sight.
The next day May 1st Donald Trump held his infamous address to the American public and threatening to use the army against violent protests. This may be a John Wayne, Dirty Harry or more like the eccentric and flamboyant Gen. George Patton moment in the Trump presidency. The order was given during the news hour, to clear peaceful protest just before the Washington DC curfew and just prior to his address. He then strolled to the burned and boarded up church to pose for a photo op with a bible. A surreal moment, my first thought was the makings of a campaign commercial. I also though Trump was betting all his political capital in this gamblers “all in,” “let it ride,” bet. This moment could both win or lose the up coming election. Journalists would call it a “tough guy moment,” it was also skeptically called, “a made for TV moment,” during the incident live on CNN.
Trump was roundly criticized by media and those associated with the legality of use of the military inside the US. It is hard to say if the rest of America would admit it saw it that way. It is hard to know just how many people would have been alarmed by the fake tweet.
REPEATING-The false tweet , threat, may have been the motivation for the president walk and bible show. Twitter is a force of it's own with 330 million monthly users,influencing in real time matters and gut reactions. This force is greatly under estimated when words and timing,meet volatility.
Should social media be shut down in times of acute political unrest? It is a question that needs to be asked. It has been already done by authoritarian regimes that have seen the danger of overthrow or complete social breakdown. It is a fair question, not that it was used by dictators, but by recognizing the power of the platform in times of dynamic crisis where the stakes are high.
REPEATING -This tweet attribution was deemed to be a false and fake. Reference to it's falseness, appears in internet searches.
Police in various major US cities were catching onto tactics used by those seemingly organized groups for looting and the peak for violent rioting and burning would pass. Protests did continue the next night with several police shot, one critical. The peak would still pass that day as Floyd's funeral approached.
The point I am making is, how close did collapse of social order across the US come?
When the police are at the center of a controversy and they are also called upon to keep order in close quarters with protesters the recipe for disaster just needs a single social media photo or phrase to ignite sweeping disorder on networks of communication working in real time. These single incidents that seemingly happen in the routine of daily law enforcement have predicable consequences.
Law enforcement is the last hard line in a world of actions and consequences. The law is literally written in black and white. Every other thing in life is politics and therefore relative. Defunding would bring political ambiguity to policing. A sort of catch and release idea seems to be already in play at mass demos any way.
Law and order requires procedures, actions and reactions to keep order need to be swift and decisive. Free range policing,maybe a political idea? These political and practical issues are both solvable and need to be respectful and well thought out. There are times when stakes are high and flash points need only a spark or to be more accurate, a post to become deadly.
There are opportunities in chaos when the emotions and action of the public can be exploited. Social media has demonstrated explosive impact around the world in these exact same situations.The power of this relatively new media is not fully known to government but law and order agencies have a good idea. There are dangerous groups both inside the US and outside that benefit from disorder. Those who seek opportunity are testing the full fury of turning peaceful gatherings into large scale chaos.
Peace, protection under law and respect to all citizens is the goal.
Opinion by Ken Gigliotti.
Topic: The Death of George Floyd -The Internet- Defunding Police (Read 951 times)