the first of June
No Words but I cannot be Silent
This is what I am thinking about today.
My clinic closed early today. We were sent home from downtown Seattle so our patients, staff, and providers can stay safe due to the protests against racism.
This is not about politics to me, it is about how we treat our fellow humans. Black lives matter. End of sentence. If you chafe at that statement then you need to look very closely at your own inner self. If you are so sensitive that you feel I don’t care about you or others when I say that, then look again. Think again. Of course, all lives matter. But black lives have been so devalued in this country. Think about how many deaths it takes to get us to wake up and see, really see, the difference in how blacks are treated in this country. Just in the last week, George Floyd was murdered by cops- the autopsy report today confirms it. A white woman who had broken the law about leashing her dog called the cops claiming she was being threatened by a black man who asked her to leash her dog. Those are just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. We only know about them because they were caught on camera.
And where is our national leadership? Fomenting violence.
Now we have journalists attacked by police and the national guard, one losing vision in one eye. Now we have peaceful demonstrators being tear gassed and shot at with rubber bullets and flash bangs so our president can have a photo op. If the second amendment is so important than why not the first amendment? Freedom of the press and right to peacefully assemble, and right to petition the government are in it.
Of course, there are agitators causing looting and damage, people on the far left and the far right and people taking advantage. And of course, bots and trolls are adding to the chaos. Sadly the message gets diluted. By and far, the protestors are peaceful and their message is a message of love and compassion. I stand with them. Who do you stand with?
And yes, there is still a pandemic going on. Please, wash your hands and cover your nose.
I will return with more pandemic musings. If these thoughts I have today offend you, I have no regrets. I want everyone of us to consider our own actions. I certainly have my failings in this. And I encourage you to look and think deeply about this. We can all do better, but the change will have to come from us.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/george-floyds-death-was-a-homicide-according-to-two-autopsies/2020/06/01/1d5b313a-a43b-11ea-bb20-ebf0921f3bbd_story.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/01/business/media/reporters-protests-george-floyd.html
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/washington-dc-protest-white-house-george-floyd/2020/06/01/6b193d1c-a3c9-11ea-bb20-ebf0921f3bbd_story.html
https://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/first_amendment
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/01/opinion/george-floyd-protest-police.html