Dear White Person, Make A Racist Uncomfortable
The death of George Floyd and the many other black men and women who have been victims of police brutality will continue to be ignored by those who don’t want to see it.
That’s how the world we live in is designed — expose yourself to what you’d like to see, ignore the things you don’t, and dig those heels in deep to stay comfortable right where you are. I’m not pointing the finger here. I’m just as guilty as anyone else.
We choose to “block” opposing ideas from people who bother us on our social media newsfeeds. We “take a break” from social media when all the opinions get to be too much. We only subscribe to news that aligns with our belief systems. We live near the people who look like us. And put our kids in the best (cough cough, whitest) school systems. But worst of all, when a racist says something racist, we let them make us uncomfortable rather than addressing the issue with them head-on.
The way many U.S. citizens operate in their day to day lives is the exact definition of ignorance. Webster’s Dictionary puts it like this: destitute of knowledge or education; lacking knowledge or comprehension of the thing specified; resulting from or showing lack of knowledge or intelligence.
The thing specified. That’s racism.
The thing about racism is, it looks different in different people, and it can be subtle. Some people are savvy enough to know what to say and what not to say — they play to their audience. And behind closed doors or at family gatherings, the racism that lives in those people’s hearts comes out.
Sometimes they use the n-word. They make snide racially-charged comments about their coworkers. They share pointed stories about black people and other minorities they’ve interacted with or observed at the grocery store. These are the people who used words like “they” to describe minorities. And they get nervous when there’s a black man or woman walking nearby in a parking lot. They prop up leaders who propagate hate.
Racists speak freely when they think they’re in a safe place with people that look like them. But they should not feel safe. They should feel ashamed.
We, white people, are all responsible for the behavior of these racists when we say nothing. Silence can be just as impactful as words.
People who feel comfortable being racist should not. There should be no place where racism is heard and accepted or heard and ignored. It cannot be ignored anymore. It’s time to address it head-on.
The Derek Chauvins of the world need to be held accountable for their words and their actions. Racists need to feel uncomfortable.
Say Something
In the U.S., the 1st Amendment of the Constitution protects our freedom of speech. It’s why I can write this article. On the flip side, it’s also why racists can spew abhorrent hurtful babble behind the protection of an avatar on Twitter. Regardless, the beauty of having the freedom of speech is, anyone can rebut that nonsense. It’s time to start speaking up. But not just on social media.
Many white people, including myself, can think back and recall a smattering of racist comments, insinuations, and jokes made at work dinners, family gatherings, and parties. But can you recall any of those comments being addressed? I’d venture to guess, that’s a big fat “no.”
Why are racists being allowed to say ignorant, hateful, spiteful things without hitting a wall of shame and disgrace? Why is everyone else in the room uncomfortable to stand up to it? Racism should be shamed. THESE are the people who should be made to feel uncomfortable.
Yes, it will be awkward to confront a family member or a “friend” or even a coworker who is saying something that crosses the line. But the level of discomfort you will feel by confronting them can never compare to the fear, oppression, and inequality black and minority communities have been feeling for centuries. Not saying something empowers ignorance.
If you’re white, like me, you don’t have to wake up every day knowing there’s a chance you could say the wrong thing and be killed when a police officer pulls up behind you and turns his lights on. You don’t have to worry that your son or daughter might be gunned down by a lunatic while they’re out for a run. So, it shouldn’t be too much to ask to speak up for people who do have to worry about these kinds of unbelievable realities.
You or I may not be able to stop racism at its root as individuals. But we can say something to stop it in the moment. You can do the right thing and make a racist feel uncomfortable about being a racist. If every person who’s ever heard a racist remark spoke up to point out the ignorance of that person’s comments, wouldn’t racists begin to feel like maybe they aren’t welcome? Or at the very least, less protected by society?
What Happens When There Are No Consequences?
When no one speaks up, black people die. On May 25, 2020, George Floyd was murdered in public.
Four long days later, Derek Chauvin was arrested and charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. The other three officers involved, J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane, and Tou Thao, have been charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder. But a lot happened BEFORE that day that led up to George Floyd losing his life. A lot of people did not speak up.
Derek Chauvin had 18 prior complaints with internal affairs.
In response to two of those complaints, he received a letter of “reprimand.”
According to a report by ABC 11:
“…The lone reprimand in his file involved a 2007 incident when he was accused of pulling a woman out of her car after stopping her for going 10 mph (16 kph) over the speed limit. Investigators found it was not necessary for Chauvin to remove the woman from the car and noted that his squad car video was turned off during the stop.”
Sound familiar? It sounds a lot like the beginning of Sandra Bland’s story to me.
In the same report from ABC11, a former club owner, Maya Santamaria, who employed Chauvin as a security guard said that he was unnecessarily aggressive on nights when the club had a black clientele, using pepper spray and calling in several police squad cars as backup, which she referred to as “overkill.”
Former officer Tou Thao had been on the police force for 11 years and had six complaints filed against him, one of which was still open at the time of Floyd’s death. The other five complaints had been closed without discipline. In 2017, there was a pending excessive force lawsuit against Thao. Lamar Ferguson claimed that in 2014, Thao and his partner stopped him and beat him up while he was on his way to his girlfriend’s house. The lawsuit was settled for $25,000.
The other two officers involved, J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane, were relatively new to the police force and did not have any complaints filed against them. While Derek Chauvin pinned Floyd down, former officer Lane can be heard asking twice if they should roll Floyd over.
According to the filed complaint against Chauvin at the time of his arrest, “Police are trained that this type of restraint with a subject in a prone position is inherently dangerous.”
But what was stopping him? Derek Chauvin had all the power. Years of no repercussions for his actions led him to believe there would be no accountability for his actions. Even though the public WAS speaking up, reporting incidents to his superiors, those superiors did nothing in response to the 18 filed complaints.
The police force empowered him. That’s the look on his face in the video while his knee is digging into Floyd’s neck for 8 minutes, ending his life.
The police force must systematically change in order for black people to be safe. Period.
As the general public whose taxes pay their salaries, we must do our part to demand that. We absolutely have to.
But on a daily basis, there is one thing we can do to incite change — and I’m talking to you, white people. We can stand up to racists. Be loud. Be clear. Make a racist uncomfortable.
Passively allowing people to act and speak in a racist way without any repercussions is not acceptable. Passively allowing Derek Chauvin to go on working as a police officer after 18 complaints were filed led him to believe he answered to no one. And that his actions were right.
Racists need to know they are not going to be protected anymore.
