Why Didn’t Anyone Stop Him?
One thought that I haven’t been able to shake from my mind since May 25th, the day that four Minneapolis police officers murdered George Floyd in broad daylight, was what I would have done if I had been there. In multiple witness videos, you can see a number of bystanders. At least two dozen or so citizens watching from the sidewalk and surrounding area. Many of them shout to the cops. Some say to stop, others to check for a pulse. By the end, they are crying cold-blooded murder. And if I had been amongst them, what would I have done?
As a white man, I have a degree of privilege and leeway with police officers. LOL, at least at first I do. Once I open my mouth and they find out I’m a pinko commie lib their tone changes. But let me tell you how it goes in the beginning. They’re polite. They don’t draw their guns. They treat me, at best, as if I am an actual human being. Imagine that. I know it isn’t like that for everyone.
I have a fantasy where I run into the street and tackle Derek Chauvin off of Mr. Floyd. I save his life. Wouldn’t I be a hero? Well, no. I would be in serious, serious trouble. And I probably would have been at risk of murder myself. Those cops would have beaten me. I have no doubt about that. If they are able to stand by and watch a murder, they aren’t above a beating or two. And this is the point where I realize something more terrifying than state-sanctioned murder.
People were witnessing a murder but were so scared and terrorized by the police that they could do nothing to stop it. In any other circumstance, if a stranger were to walk by and see another person kneeling on a man’s neck, killing him, they would likely take some action. But in this case, no one dared even step into the street, let alone physically intervene with a police murder in broad daylight.
If that doesn’t scare you to your core, I don’t know what will.
The police in America have become so powerful, so above the law, so beyond accountability that even as they murder in public, our fellow citizens feel as though they cannot prevent it. The motherfucker put his hand in his pocket! He wasn’t scared or in danger. He was chilled out. The bystanders who had to watch this atrocity take place were more concerned about the police turning their bloodlust upon them. Give them the reason to light you up and they will.
This is the state of policing in America.
Now, if you’re white and live in a comfortable area like the suburbs or a downtown highrise, you might be thinking “jeez Matt, I dunno about this. This simply isn’t my experience.” And you’d be correct. By and large, white people of some means have very positive interactions with police. This is not an accident. It is by design.
There is this false notion that police officers and police departments are neutral crime-sucking machines. They just roam around and go where the crime is, that they aren’t deliberate in what crimes they chase after. This is false. Most police departments, especially ones in large cities, practice selective policing. Basically, it means what they consider a big deal vs. not a big deal.
Need an example? Selective policing is why you don’t get pulled over doing 63 in a 60 when you cruise past a speed trap. They are choosing not to enforce minor infractions. Jet through at 75? You’re getting a ticket. Selective policing doesn’t just apply to specific individual acts. It can set a tone throughout a police department.
In most cities, there are laws requiring all bicycles to be registered. Just like a car or truck. How many people actually do this? Very few. And those that do are motivated by selfish interests, not the adherence to the law (registered bicycles have a better chance of being recovered over non-registered bikes). The police could choose to enforce this law. But when was the last time you heard of a cop stopping someone for not registering their bike?
There are plenty of other examples. My point is this: the police are not neutral. They go out into our communities with a mandate and specific idea of what laws they intend on enforcing. This focused, selective policing can be good. It can help curb a specific crime wave or cut down on specific instances of criminality. But it also serves another purpose. It allows everyone to know where they stand.
It is very clear from the videos of George Floyd’s murder that the crowd was well trained on how to respond to police brutality. Do nothing or risk your life. In the video, a black man steps forward to do try and stop it. He is immediately blocked by officer Tou Thao and told not to interfere. Thao even takes an aggressive stance with the bystanders, making it clear that if they use any physical force against an officer they will face consequences. Enter the white woman.
White women have probably the easiest time with cops and the criminal justice system in general. They are less likely to be jailed for similar offenses as minorities. They are arrested far less. And their behavior tells us how they feel about the cops. All those Karen videos make it clear they see cops as their ally, the people who can come in and stop something bad from happening. Like a black birdwatcher telling you to leash your dog. In the Floyd video, you can see how little fear the white woman has as she approaches. She is well aware that her privilege will prevent them from treating her the way they are Mr. Floyd. Her life experience has taught her this. She ventures farther into the street than the black man dared. She gets closer to the officers and pleads her case. And of course, they listen to her.
Just kidding, they threaten her and continue killing Mr. Floyd.
It’s all there on tape. A well-trained populace who has been shown again and again what happens if you try to stop a police officer from doing anything, even murder. Hell, his own fellow officers had been trained in non-interference. They help him finish off Mr. Floyd. That’s why they’ve been charged in Mr. Floyd’s murder. The state of militarized policing in America has made everyone, even the officers, victims of its systemic racism and oppression.
There’s a world in which you never see a video of George Floyd being murdered. There’s a world where bystanders and sworn officers feel safe and empowered enough to step in and stop it. Not in this world, though. That isn’t our reality. Until we face up to the terror the police carry with them and rectify our relationship with how we consent to being policed, there will be more murders with more bystanders, too afraid to do anything.
The choice is ours. We can have whatever world we want. We need only the courage to face it.
**** I posted the video below for reference to some of the events I describe. I intentionally posted it well below the bottom of the text so you can avoid seeing it if you don’t want to. It’s hard to watch. It’s a murder and I shudder to share it. But it is vital that white people see what our fellow citizens experience on a daily basis. This is their reality. What would we do if this was ours? ****