On Friday, May 29, four days after the killing of George Floyd, I emailed a few friends:
As I sat watching the riots in Minneapolis and around the country, it occurred to me that, in a sense, May 30, 2020 may be the saddest day of American history in my lifetime. The sight of rioters wearing COVID-19 masks brought home the frightening intersection of two powerfully destructive forces: the pandemic, with its devastating toll on human lives (directly, through sickness and deaths, and indirectly from a decimated economy) now interrupted by the violent reactions from and against continuing racial injustice.
We have had, and survived, terrible events before–riots, military attacks, and assassinations–and endured costly wars and a deep recession. None, however, posed challenges for which the solutions seem so elusive. Maybe COVID-19 will be solved by creation of a therapy and a vaccine, but maybe not. And if it is, will the economy return to something approaching its former self–the stock market seems to think so–but maybe, maybe not. And how many tens of thousands of lives will be lost along the way, not only the lives of us geezers but those of wonderful younger men and women? And the problems of racial conflict—fear, hostility, anger and injustice–seem even more intractable, with no kind of vaccine or therapy in sight.
The icing on this toxic cake is a polarized government headed by an ignorant and mean-spirited president who cares for little if anything beyond his own reelection (and the opportunity that would bring to punish his enemies), but who may, God help us, be reelected.
Please tell me that I am seeing things too darkly.
* * * *
After that, things got worse and then, perhaps, a bit better.
In the next few days, protests continued and, in many cities, violence grew as well, not only from looters and vandals but sometimes from police. And the toll from COVID-19 continued to rise, certain to be increased by protesters packed together, many wearing masks, but many not.
In that grim situation, the actions of the President were more frightening than reassuring, as he berated Governors for being “weak,” demanded that they “dominate” the streets, and threatened to mobilize federal troops to assist or supplant local law enforcement forces. While he briefly expressed sympathy for Floyd and the Floyd family, he gave no sign of recognizing, let alone understanding, or seeking to address, the conditions that led to Flynn’s death and generated the mass protests. Then, on Monday, June 1, Trump’s desperation to appear strong led him to one of his most serious blunders: an ill-considered march for a photo-op at St. John’s Church across Lafayette Square from the White House.
In order to accommodate Trump’s visit to St. John’s, it was deemed necessary to disperse the crowd of protesters gathered peacefully just outside the White House grounds. The dispersal was made at the direction of Attorney General Bill Barr (who seems to have become fond of the second word in his title). It was accomplished by a variety of federal law enforcement personnel, in riot gear but wearing uniforms with no identifiable markings (reminiscent of the Russian troops in unidentifiable uniforms who carried out Russia’s annexation of Crimea). The unidentifiable officers employed tear gas and batons, scattering not only protesters, but clergy on the church’s patio.
Trump was accompanied by a dutiful entourage of cabinet officers and other aides, who seemed, not surprisingly, to have little idea of what they were doing or why. At the conclusion of their brief journey, Trump did not seek out the church’s Rector (who had previously been forced to flee the patio), did not pause to say a prayer and, indeed, did not speak at all, but merely held aloft a bible for the picture-taking and departed. Inevitably, a number of observers noted that he would have been better advised to have actually opened the bible and discovered some of its content.
While Trump is no student of history, he reportedly has some familiarity with the writings of Hitler. (According to a 1971 article in Vanity Fair, Ivana Trump told her lawyer that Trump kept a book of Hitler’s speeches in a cabinet near his bed.) So he may be familiar with the Reichstag fire in 1933, when burning of the German parliament building sparked a wave of arrests and intimidation that led to Hitler gaining the powers of a dictator. Under current conditions, Trump’s threat to deploy military forces against American citizens evoked memories of that event. On the other hand, if Trump was looking to the Floyd riots as being his Reichstag fire, he was disappointed: he was promptly confronted by considerably sturdier opposition than Hitler had in 1933.
On Wednesday, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper put himself at odds with Trump by stating that he would not support invoking the Insurrection Act of 1870 to authorize the deployment of military forces in civilian law enforcement. Such a deployment, he said would be a “last resort” to be taken only under “dire” situations not now present. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Mark A. Milley, issued a memo to all branches of the U.S. military reminding them to honor their oaths to the Constitution, “founded on the essential principle that all men and women are born free and equal, and should be treated with respect and dignity. It also gives Americans the right to freedom of speech and peaceful assembly.”
Trump’s conduct also provoked strong resistance from outside the government. In an unprecedented development, the four living former presidents, Obama, Bush, Clinton and Carter, each issued a statement emphasizing the urgent need to address issues of racial injustice. While none of their statements referred to President Trump by name, the contrast with the incumbent was glaringly obvious. As historian Michael Beschloss said
They’re all saying, essentially, that Donald Trump is not doing a very big part of his job, and we have to stage an intervention, even if that intervention is not coordinated. Foremost in the president’s job is to try to unite the country, especially in crisis. . . . These statements and gestures are saying, ‘Donald Trump is not carrying out these essential functions of the presidency, so we have to step in.’
One powerful statement that did refer to Trump by name was issued by former Defense Secretary James Mattis. While I assume that most readers saw Mattis’s statement, it bears repeating at least excerpts:
I have watched this week’s unfolding events, angry and appalled. The words “Equal Justice Under Law” are carved in the pediment of the United States Supreme Court. This is precisely what protesters are rightly demanding. It is a wholesome and unifying demand — one that all of us should be able to get behind. We must not be distracted by a small number of lawbreakers. The protests are defined by tens of thousands of people of conscience who are insisting that we live up to our values — our values as people and our values as a nation.
* * * *
Donald Trump is the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people — does not even pretend to try. Instead he tries to divide us. We are witnessing the consequences of three years of this deliberate effort. We are witnessing the consequences of three years without mature leadership. We can unite without him, drawing on the strengths inherent in our civil society. This will not be easy, as the past few days have shown, but we owe it to our fellow citizens; to past generations that bled to defend our promise; and to our children.
Several other military leaders, retired but respected and influential, also felt compelled speak out. They included, among others:
- Retired Admiral Mike Mullen, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, “It sickened me yesterday to see security personnel—including members of the National Guard—forcibly and violently clear a path through Lafayette Square to accommodate the president’s visit outside St. John’s Church.”
- General Martin Dempsey, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, “ the idea that the military would be called in to dominate and to suppress what, for the most part, were peaceful protests — admittedly, where some had opportunistically turned them violent — and that the military would somehow come in and calm that situation was very dangerous to me.”
- Retired General John Allen, former commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, “the last thing the country needs—and, frankly, the U.S. military needs—is the appearance of U.S. soldiers carrying out the president’s intent by descending on American citizens.”
Perhaps the most telling comment from a retired General came from John Kelly who also served as Trump’s Chief of Staff for 17 turbulent months. Kelly said in a CNN interview that he agreed with Mattis’s assessment, and added the trenchant comment, “I think we need to look harder at who we elect. I think we should look at people that are running for office and put them through the filter: What is their character like? What are their ethics?”
While the response from military leaders was reassuring, there were also some encouraging signs amid the chaos in the streets. The great majority of the protesters were peaceful and there were heartwarming vignettes of protesters interacting with sympathetic police or intervening to discourage or prevent looting. On the law enforcement side, there were too many instances of police reacting with unnecessary violence, yet often the police performed with remarkable restraint and courage under difficult and dangerous circumstances. And in some notable instances, for example in Houston, Texas, Flint, Michigan and Camden, New Jersey, police were even able to hug protesters or march in solidarity with them. By Saturday, June 6, the protesting crowds in many cities seemed larger than ever and more peaceful than ever.
Still, the way forward remains uncertain at best. There is widespread support for reforms in policing, but they will not come easily. Cultural traditions die hard and police unions can present formidable obstacles to reform. After the Ferguson uprising in 2015, President Obama appointed a Task Force on Policing in the 21st Century that held hearings and filed a 99 page Final Report. The report set forth numerous specific Recommendations and Action Items, but it received only limited follow-through in the Obama administration and virtually none in the Trump administration. While the report has received little or no mention in recent days, it should be dusted off and used as a starting place for current deliberations. I believe, however, that today’s calls for defunding, or even abolishing, police departments are reckless and irresponsible and a distraction from the serious work that needs to be done.
Beyond policing, the fundamental task of addressing the underlying conditions of social injustice–disparities in education, housing, healthcare and employment–are even more daunting. A good friend has suggested that the size and diversity in the massive protests will provide a momentum resulting in real change. Perhaps that is so, but the problems are so complex and deeply entrenched that I continue to find it difficult to be overly optimistic.
In the meantime, the COVID-19 pandemic marches on and we have not yet seen the consequences, in infections and mortality rates, of the re-openings and of crowded gatherings of protesters. On the economic front, there was encouraging news on Friday of a lower unemployment rate, but we will have wait longer to find out if we are truly on the upside of a recovery, either V shaped or U shaped.
In short, there are reasons for hope, but not necessarily confidence. And the November election seems more important than ever.
Doug,
Eloquent as always…but mournful…we CAN do something about this! So let’s DO it!
Your friend/blog correspondent “Van” emailed me to quote someone who said “if you vote stupid, you get stupid.” Also, if you DON’T vote (or if you cop-out to 3rd party), you get stupid. And we have a President who is WAY worse than stupid.
I don’t believe that Joe Biden can cure all that ails us, but I don’t care; his election would cure the biggest thing that ails us. Trump is the proverbial “blight upon the commonweal,” and if we don’t turn-out in masses to vote for Biden, we will be way worse than stupid…the word “suicidal” comes to mind.
Monica
Our very foundations as a society were founded on a corrupt economic concept. We built great wealth on the backs of enslaved people and we have never recovered from nor reconciled from our sin and until we come to terms with this we will. continue repeat this awful cycle
Character is the core requirement for a President
I live here in a small but fairly sophisticated town in southern California, populated mostly by white people, but with a significant Hispanic population (both citizens and non-citizens), and a smattering of other ethnic minorities. I am 65 years old, a well-educated professional, and a white man, and I am grateful to be those things, and where I am. It is hard to be much luckier than that. I worked and continue to work hard to succeed in my profession, to provide services of benefit to my clients, and to contribute back to my community. I love living in my beautiful and interesting bubble. On the whole, I like to think that I make it a better place, even if only for a few people, and only a tiny bit. At the very least, I hope that I do no harm, either intentionally or accidentally.
I am not a fan of chaos, or even of disorder. I have not had to, and do want to, personally experience either. I believe that by far most police officers do their jobs with the best intentions and in a professional manner most of the time, and sometimes with remarkable heroism and kindness. I believe that we need police, to avoid chaos. Sometimes, however, disorder is required. That is some of what we are seeing in our streets now.
Police officers are entrusted with the legitimate use of force in our communities. It is an awesome responsibility. It is a life and death responsibility. I believe that being a law enforcement officer is one of the most difficult jobs there is, and that police cannot do it alone. Police deserve and should have our support and assistance. That is one of our responsibilities as citizens and residents. Sometimes that support and assistance must come in ways that may not be entirely welcomed by police themselves, at least initially, or by all. Sometimes our support must come in the form of insisting that law enforcement perform their jobs in a manner that conforms to law, and more importantly, in a manner that lives up to our higher ideals as a nation. That includes treating the members of the public they serve with equal fairness and restraint. As we know, that equal fairness and restraint is missing too often, with fearful and sometimes deadly consequences. Does anyone really think that George Floyd would have been killed if he looked like me? He is just the most recent known victim in a long line of victims.
For those of us who are fortunate enough to live in the beautiful bubble I inhabit, it is at the least very unusual, and probably unheard of, to encounter police misconduct and abuse. We do not receive harsher treatment from any police officer because of the color of our skin. That makes it easy to believe that it doesn’t happen. It does. That makes it easy to know that it happens, but to ignore it. We do. That makes it easy to think that it is not our problem. It is. That makes it easy to say that pointing out the failures of law enforcement and holding them to their higher standards and duties is a betrayal of law enforcement. It is not. It is in fact a crucial way to support law enforcement, because the best way to win community support is for law enforcement to always strive to meet those higher standards and duties. When law enforcement and justice systems fail to do so, we must point it out, impose consequences, and figure out how to improve. It is a never-ending task.
Although I always try to be informed and I always vote, I have not been politically active. I respect those who are, including those who are on the streets following the murder of George Floyd, causing needed disorder. They are doing us all a service. Specifically, they are doing law enforcement a service, because they are reminding law enforcement of the need to constantly monitor and improve itself, to welcome outside monitoring and criticism, to strive to attain the higher standards and duties required of them. The closer law enforcement comes to that goal, the more community support they will have. The more community support they have, the easier it will be for them to do their essential work.
How do we make this possible? I honestly do not know. What I do know is that we live in a representative democracy. We elect our representatives at all levels of government, from President all the way down to Board of Supervisors and City Council. At all levels of government our elected representatives should be held to account for what our laws are, and how we enforce them. That is what they signed up for. At the very least, we can ask them what they are doing and what they propose to do on our behalf to address these issues. Their responses should be one of the important factors we consider at election time.
If their position is that there is nothing wrong, or that police misconduct is attributable only to a few “bad apples” in law enforcement, but otherwise there is no systemic problem, at least do the minimum required of us as citizens, vote them out of office, and vote for someone who will do the hard work required to change things. Demonstrators are using their rights to free speech, assembly, and to petition their government for redress of wrongs, as guaranteed by the United States Constitution. If one of our representative’s position is that the appropriate response to demonstrators by the law enforcement and justice systems is to dominate those who demonstrate, at least do the minimum we can do as citizens, vote them out of office, and vote for someone who will do the hard work required to change things. That is not too much to ask of every citizen.
Those whom we elect represent us, but they also are a reflection of us. Surely, we can do better than we are. Whether we like it or not, we all are in this together, and we all are responsible. Let us at least do the minimum required of us as citizens, and ask our representatives what they are doing in our names to address these matters, what they propose to do on our behalf to make things better, and vote accordingly. The rest is up to us, personally, individually, and collectively.
Ross E. Atkinson
Ojai, California
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