This evening, a jury convicted Derek Chauvin of murdering George Floyd. Black communities are triumphant even as they weep uncontrollably. Democrats from President Biden on down are talking about the event and the consequences. But where are the Republicans? I checked the GOP website, Kevin McCarthy’s site, Mitch McConnell, and they make no mention of Floyd. I’m not just talking about today’s verdict. Search on “Floyd,” and you get nothing.
WE CANNOT LET THAT STAND! Sorry to shout but fuck that noise! No, Republicans don’t get to take a pass because they feel uncomfortable making a statement. No goddamn GOP Senator and Congressperson has the right to turn away. Nobody can pretend they haven’t thought about this, but it’s more than that. Republicans are involved. But where are the Republicans? Why aren’t they making statements? The bastards dodge and weave. They’re all lying to us. They pretend that the death of another Black man doesn’t touch them. “Nothing important to see here.” What a miserable lie.
We cannot let that stand. GOP silence isn’t politics or discretion; it’s a vicious, corrupting lie. Where are the Republicans? They drove us to this tragedy. Chauvin was comfortable murdering George Floyd on video because he was sure other police, the FOP, and his GOP buddies would protect him.
And our police did their best to cover it all up, lying to us, over and over. We all saw what happened; there’re no secrets about what the police did. We’ve all watched a White police officer lynch a man, choking the life from him as he pled for his life. Even after Floyd stopped breathing, Officer Chauvin refused to stop.
And then, long Officer Chauvin had killed George Floyd, he lied about what he’d done, despite knowing there were many videos of what he’d really done. His ‘fellow officers’ followed his lie, giving false testimony despite knowing the entire act was recorded. They were sure their allies would protect them. The Minnesota Police Department stated that Floyd had died from a “medical incident” because they, too, were confident they were invulnerable from the truth.
We need our news media to act like adults. If they’re really our vaunted fourth branch of government, they need to step up. If someone lies about this, the correct answer is, “No, that’s not enough.” Don’t just accept another empty lie. That’s not reporting, and the difference matters. Our lives depend on getting this right. If a reporter asks an important question and the subject dodges, don’t just accept that crap. “No, sir, that’s not an answer.” I pray that our protected and pampered reporters can show half the courage those random civilians who kept recording a police officer lynch a Black man.
Where are the Republicans? What do they think? Will they answer for their role in this murder? Blue lives matter, or so I’ve heard. Police are all good people, I’m told. The GOP will never “Defund the Police” because police are on our side. That’s what the Trump party lectures us about so mendaciously. They grin as they feed us endless bad-faith horseshit.
Where are the Republicans? Why aren’t we asking them better questions?
