Washington: These are sad days for Minneapolis and various cities across America. Anyone with a heart who saw the video footage of George Floyd's death at the hands of police officer Derek Chauvin is outraged. Chauvin, the officer who kneeled on Floyd’s neck, was fired on May 26th Tuesday with three other officers involved in the incident. Later on, he was arrested and charged for murder.
We need a thorough investigation into the matter, we need swift justice for George Floyd and his family, and we need all the responsible people held accountable. Our criminal justice system is broken across various cities that needs to be addressed immediately as well. People should protest peacefully to demand justice, to demand action, and that is the legitimate way to act in such scenarios. However, that should not deter or demoralize the police from using its full force to defeat the antisocial element ANTIFA thugs on the streets of various American cities.
The rampant violence, looting, burning of police station and the destruction of public property are totally unacceptable. It is totally un-American. We are a country of law and order. Branding all the police officers as racists and haters is unconscionable. No one knows at this point whether the skin color of Floyd and/or Chauvin contributed in anyway in what happened. Attorney General William Barr has announced independent Civil Rights investigation and that only can tell whether this is racially motivated killing. We need to wait for the investigation to bring out all the facts. We have made racially charged assumptions in the past and we were proven wrong more often than not.
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After 3 days of violence in Minneapolis alone, now it has spread to other cities. We can only hope that better senses prevail across the nation and justice is served to Mr. Floyd and his family swiftly.
Genuine protesters who are protesting demanding justice for George Floyd are complaining about the antisocial elements taking over and tarnishing their name. Politically far left leaning ANTIFA activists are mostly these antisocial elements. I totally agree with President Trump! It is time for firm action against ANTIFA. That too is important to do justice to George Floyd and his family.
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ANTIFA has almost become the violent wing of the Democrat party. It is absolutely the right thing Attorney General William Barr did by declaring ANTIFA a terrorist organization. It allows the government to follow the money and break their back. I congratulate President Trump and Attorney General Barr for this firm action. Terrorists, domestic and/or international, should never be welcome in the United States of America.
When we hear that the Democrats are instigating rioting and violence, it may sound unbelievable first. However, there was a tweet by the Democrat party in Fairfax, a prominent county just outside the national capital, praising rioting to bring progressive reform. Such behavior from Democrat party is not helping the cause at all. They are encouraging violence which in turn make the legitimate and peaceful protesters look bad.
Apparently, most American cities have opened from the Covid-19 lockdowns in the last few days due to protests. No one really seems to pay much attention. Large gatherings, people touching each other, shouting, yelling, millions of saliva droplets all in the air, when majority of the folks are not wearing masks. Whether this is good news or bad news vis-à-vis the pandemic situation, we will know in a couple of weeks.
Countries such as Iran, Russia, China and Turkey are heard to be celebrating the violence in America as the 'collapse' of US. The goal of these countries during the current US crisis is to use it to their advantage to achieve gains. However, these countries should always understand the following facts. American is a free country unlike totalitarian regimes they have. That's why we are still the shining city on the hill for ordinary people all over the world when no one really want to go to their countries. The radical left political activists here have joined hands with these foreign adversaries, knowingly or unknowingly, but they are going to be defeated summarily, and they are going to be defeated soon at the polls. They keep dreaming while killing and/or keeping all their protesters in jails. That is NOT the American way. In America, every George Floyd count, unlike their countries. What you are witnessing in America is a proof for the sanctity of every life in America. We are Americans, we have risen from the ashes before and we will do it again.
The mainstream media is blaming President Trump about talking about firm action against the violent protesters. Their interest is to project him as the anti-black and anti-minority president. However, when it comes to the actions President Trump has taken to help the African American community, he really has a stellar record.
America elected an African American president and hoped he will usher in meaningful reforms to solve its race issues. President Obama made emotional speeches, lots of those, that further divided people based on color. Race relations in all progressive, liberal and Democrat cities have worsened under Obama's watch. Mayors, Police Chiefs, and key decision makers in all those liberal cities were Democrats. However, Obama was not able to do anything that matters to solve the issues of fellow African Americans. On the other hand, in the last 3 years, President Trump really did a lot for the African American community that truly matter. Opportunity Zones, guaranteed funding for Historically Black Colleges and Universities, School Choice, Criminal Justice Reform, lowest Black unemployment, poverty, and crime rates in the history of the nation are feathers in his cap.
In 1975, President Ronald Reagan said, "If fascism ever comes to America, it will come in the name of liberalism."
That is exactly what is going on behind the bleeding hearts and minds of Democrat Socialists. It is time for Americans to identify these fascists and their crocodile tears for minorities. If this goes unchecked, I can see the greatness of America wane during our lifetimes, which is totally unacceptable. In November, defeat them summarily at the polling booth, give 4 more years to President Trump to continue the cleanup, take back the House and increase the majority in the Senate. That is essential to save our country and we owe it to our children.
By Vinson X Palathingal, Executive Director, Indo-American Center Washington DC
