(Written By Ronald Guest)
The thoughts expressed in this text are that of my own and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts, nor the feelings of the entire Whattodoent staff, nor it’s partners or owner. I am grateful for the opportunity to express my feelings.
In the wake of the viral murder of George Floyd; and the nationwide protest surrounding his death; for this article, I must speak freely and I must be brutally honest. What is taking place in America right now is disgusting. Purely and utterly disgraceful. What I am referring to is the racial injustices. And, the majority of responses to these injustices as a whole. Let’s speak for real, enough is enough! George Floyd was murdered in cold blood by an overly aggressive group of police officers; plain and simple. A man laying face down in handcuffs is no longer a threat. There is no longer a need to be physical. The suspect is captured, apprehended, subdued, or whatever term you want to use for the scenario. In no way could he cause harm from this position. No way he could get up and escape from four men from this position on an open street. To kneel on this man; (neck at that) as he lay there was completely unnecessary and an abuse of authority, power, and force. Anyone who sees different; you are a part of the problem.
The protesting began; this was inevitable. Black people; (excuse my language) are tired of this shit! “Accident” after “accident”; acquittal after acquittal. Let’s call a spade a spade; the game is fixed. Under no circumstances would white Americans allow black officers (or anyone for that matter) to kill unarmed white men, women, and children so frequently; and at such a disproportionate and alarming rate without raising hell. Just this past May; a heavily armed group of white protesters stormed Michigan’s state capital demanding an end to the “Covid-19 lockdown”. Now let’s imagine the lengths this group would go to in order to ensure the safety of their loved ones. Also, never forget the “colonial revolts” which later became known as the American Revolution where American militiamen; with the help of France; gained independence from Great Britain and established the United States of America. I remind you of this to say, I understand the rebellion. And, quite frankly, I agree with them.
Colin Kaepernick, along with others; made an attempt at a silent and peaceful protest to shed light on police brutality of blacks in America. It was taken out of context and viewed as insulting and disrespectful. They were met with harsh backlash from patriots, veterans, and even the president. With threats of losing their jobs; most relinquished. I see it this way, you’re either comfortable with Kaepernick’s kneel or officer Chauvin’s kneel. There is no more straddling the fence. So yes, I am okay with this more aggressive approach to be heard and respected. Breaking and burning things isn’t right, but it has gotten the nation's attention.
Adding to that; from what I have seen, and from people I have spoken to; blacks were protesting and the majority of rioters and looters were white. Furthermore, I have heard whispers that several business owners who were losing money due to the pandemic are using this insurrection to destroy or paying others to destroy their businesses; in order to cash in on
insurance policies.
Black people! hear me and hear me clear; I am all for tearing s#%t up for a moment. There is a place for that during insurgence. However, that alone will not bring the type of change we need. What is next? We need an organized plan of action that we follow and stick to, step by step; to ensure that our demands are met on a consistent basis. Not a promise that will be breached the minute we let up because of a new pair of J’s or the next hot song drop. With that said, the next step has to be an economic one. America only respects blood and money. And, let's be honest; we are not strapping up to shoot it out with the military. So we have to leverage our financial worth. There is power in our money!
We are the number one consumer in this country and have been for years, this is a fact; there is no question about it. FIRSTLY, right now and right away, we need to draw back significantly on our frivolous spending. This is to give the United States government the notion that we mean business. They may not listen to us, but they will listen to Amazon, Hennessy, Sephora, and Nike when our money is not flowing as loosely. SECONDLY, we then need to pick ONE DAY, EACH MONTH, to not spend AT ALL. NOT A CENT, NOTHING! This one day sacrifice that we all make will cost the economy millions, if not billions. This is our constant reminder to them that we mean business and these so-called “accidents” and misconducts” can not happen! THIRDLY, our millionaire and billionaire entertainers, athletes, entrepreneurs, and activists, need to band together, appoint the best attorneys possible and attack the insurers of the police departments that are found to be involved in these types of “misconducts”. I promise you, we will see an immediate change in our treatment overnight. LASTLY, buy black-owned products, support local black businesses. Go out your way to do it. This will ensure that our entrepreneurs are successful, that our dollars are circulating throughout our communities, and providing jobs and opportunities for others.
