Three thousand years ago King David’s son spoke these words in Jerusalem: “There is a time to be silent and a time to speak” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8). The recent murder of George Floyd in the U.S. catalyzed sobering results. It is time to speak out about how America got to this point.
Murder in the Twin Cities
The horrific video of George Floyd’s recent murder by a White Minneapolis police officer triggered significant non-violent protests as well as intensely violent looting and arson in major American cities. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz declared that the protests quickly morphed from a focus on the death of Floyd to “attacking civil society, instilling fear and disrupting our great cities.” Attorney General William Barr said that “three different sets of actors” were involved in the demonstrations— peaceful protesters, looters and “extremist agitators that hijack protests.”
