Riots/Curfews
Every fiber of my being wanted to join the protests in Los Angeles. I didn’t go because I love my wife. She reasonably fears the coronavirus and there obviously is a risk of exposure in a mass protest setting. She reasonably fears violence from either the police or other protesters.
I am willing to take the risks, but marriage is about compromise and I have to respect her wishes here because her reasons are reasonable and come out of a place of love. And I love my wife and I understand her.
My compromise is that I will continue to make my voice heard digitally.
#1 – curfews are fascist and anyone arrested for peacefully protesting outside curfew have suffered a grave injustice. Jesse Archer and David Diamond have inspired me with their kindness in publicly offering to represent individuals arrested for peacefully protesting on a pro bono basis. You guys are great human beings. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I’ve also been inspired by many of my friends who have showed deep empathy for the civil rights issues and black lives matter movement right now.
#2 – I believe the riots are essentially a social version of Newton’s third law in action. Of course I do not love to see small business owners get hurt. I’m a small business owner. Of course I don’t like to see opportunists looting right now. But I understand the riots. This level of anger has been rising – we’re 28 years from the Rodney King brutality acquittals / riots and what the fuck has changed? Police are still targeting minorities. And now we have video evidence of how cold, calculated, and callous it can be. This is not just George Floyd, there’s Breonna Taylor, Eric Garner, Tamir Rice, thousands of others honestly (this post is off the top of my head and in a stream of consciousness and I regret not mentioning by name all of the other victims – although practically, the list would be so long that it couldn’t be done!)
Outside the police, people are also angry at the racism in the murder of Ahmaud Arbery. Or a woman calling the police and lying about how a man is dangerous / threatening solely and exclusively because he’s black and he peacefully asked for this woman to leash her dog. These are all catalysts for the anger we are seeing on display across the nation and here in Los Angeles.
#3 Trump is cementing his legacy as the worst president America has ever seen. He supported the white protesters who wanted a haircut during the pandemic. He’s calling black protesters THUGS, which is really just a synonym for N***** in the context he used it.
#4 I’m disappointed in the people who only comment about the riots and looting and don’t comment about the catalysts. I’m asking for those who are upset about the protests to dig deep and try to have empathy. Try to put yourselves in the shoes of those who have been oppressed. Please try to love each other regardless of our differences. We all have something in common.
PHOTO:
Instagram: @koshuphotography
