The Murder of George Floyd Reveals A System Evil To Its Core

We are living in completely unprecedented times.  Never have we witnessed worldwide protests to a single event as we have seen with the George Floyd murder.  

I am old enough to remember the civil rights struggles and race riots of the 1960s along with the anti-war protests.   

I remember 1968 when it seemed riots were happening somewhere in America for almost the entire summer.  

I remember the beating of Rodney King, the subsequent trial and acquittal of the officers involved in that beating and the tension felt around the nation while we watched Los Angeles burn.  We have all seen the horrific videos in recent years of unarmed black men and women dying at the hands of police.  And there have been protests against many of these killings.  

But never, never, never have I seen such a widespread and unified response not only in the United States but around the world as we have witnessed in reaction to the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis.  As I write this, we have seen almost two straight weeks of protest in the United States, even in the face of a pandemic, with no signs of stopping.  

What is different?

I need to say upfront that I have not watched the entire video of George Floyd's murder.  I have watched clips which have reduced me to uncontrolled tears.  I cannot handle even the thought of watching the entire 9 minutes of this snuff video, for that is what it truly is.

I have watched entire videos of other police killings, and while I have always been deeply disturbed by them, they did not produce the absolute revulsion I experienced with the George Floyd killing, and it seems that is true for everyone else as well.  

The difference in the Floyd video is the calm, deliberate nature of the killing.  In other videos, most were by gun, over in a matter of a minute or less.  I do not agree with the acquittals of these cops, but I understand that when something happens this quickly, it could be more a matter of reaction than deliberate thought.  The reason I disagree with cops using this defense is they are trained to handle these situations and should be able to control themselves better than untrained civilians.  Cops need to be held to a higher standard.

The cops in the George Floyd killing were not in any danger at any time whatsoever from Mr. Floyd.  Videos show he was compliant when they first approached him, took him out of his car and sat him on the ground.  Witnesses, including the store clerk who called 911, said Mr. Floyd never resisted the cops.  Police reports, contrary to all the available video evidence, say Mr. Floyd resisted when they attempted to put him in the car after handcuffing him.  

Mr. Floyd did not have any weapon on him and never showed any violent tendencies whatsoever during the arrest.

Yet three cops pinned him to the ground, completely immobilizing him.  One cop held Mr. Floyd's legs, another pressed on his back, and the killer cop, Derek Chauvin, unrelentingly pressed his knee into Mr. Floyd's neck.  Mr. Floyd started begging for his life, saying he couldn't breathe multiple times.  One bystander said Mr. Floyd started bleeding through his nose, and still the cops continued to hold him down.  At one point Mr. Floyd said they were going to kill him.  He actually called out for his dead mother shortly before he completely stopped breathing. 

Twice one of the other officers suggested rolling Mr. Floyd over to allow him to breathe, and Chauvin refused.  At a certain point, one of the cops reported he could not find a pulse from Mr. Floyd, which was ignored by Chauvin. Chauvin continued to press his knee into his victim's neck for almost 3 minutes after he died, and even kept his knee there for one minute after the paramedics arrived.  

This was not a matter of a gun shot where a bullet killed someone before anyone barely had time to react.  Chauvin and the other cops were physically holding their victim.  There can be almost no question that they felt his body go limp and lifeless as he pleaded for his life, and still they did not let him go.  

These cops cannot claim self defense.  They cannot claim they were trying to restrain a violent offender.  The video shows without any question that these Minneapolis cops coldly and deliberately murdered a completely immobilized and defenseless man.  

On the side of Minneapolis police cars are words proclaiming, "To Protect With Courage, To Serve With Compassion."   If I had any authority, I would demand that these slogans immediately be removed from all of their police cars.  We did not see any courage or compassion with George Floyd, only a cowardly, merciless murder.

These men were so emboldened and unafraid of the consequences of their actions that they felt they could literally get away with murder in broad daylight with bystanders watching.  One can only wonder what they do when there are no witnesses.  

We all know that if there had been no video, no one would have ever known how George Floyd really died.  Any statements from bystanders would have been ignored.  George Floyd's previous arrest record would have been shown as proof that he was a violent man who had to be restrained (as some have tried to do even with the video).  The police would have filed their report saying a known violent criminal resisted arrest, that he had drugs in his system, and that the "necessary actions" of the police played at most a small and unavoidable part in his death. 

In fact, the first autopsy report filed by the Medical Examiner said just that according to the original Complaint filed against Chauvin, telling us we should not believe what we saw with our own eyes:

The autopsy revealed no physical findings that support a diagnosis of traumatic asphyxia or strangulation. Mr. Floyd had underlying health conditions including coronary artery disease and hypertensive heart disease. The combined effects of Mr. Floyd being restrained by the police, his underlying health conditions and any potential intoxicants in his system likely contributed to his death.

It was only after the Floyd family did an independent autopsy which stated that the cause of death was homicide that the Medical Examiner changed their findings to also reflect homicide as the cause of death.

The world watched George Floyd mercilessly murdered by those charged with protecting him, and it tore the rose colored glasses off our faces and forced us to face the reality that we live in an evil system.  We have to come to terms with the fact that we cannot trust the authorities empowered with protecting us.  

George Floyd's killing told us that all of their nice words not withstanding, the life of the common man means nothing to the elite.  They truly do not care whether we live or die.  They say nice things like "To Protect With Courage, To Serve With Compassion", but their actions tell us that in their eyes, we are as expendable as a cockroach.  

This revelation is no surprise to true followers of Jesus Christ.  Way back in the time of ancient Israel, Our Lord warned them that a human king would only lead to oppression (I Sam 8:11-15):

11 “This is what the king who will reign over you will claim as his rights: He will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots. 12 Some he will assign to be commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and others to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and still others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14 He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his attendants. 15 He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants. 16 Your male and female servants and the best of your cattle and donkeys he will take for his own use. 17 He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. 18 When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, but the Lord will not answer you in that day.”

Jesus told His followers in Matthew 20:25:

You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them

Our world has rejected God and His Law of Love, and that most especially applies to those who run the world.  The world is run by those who are motivated almost solely by greed and power.  That is because this world of man belongs to Satan.  Our Lord confirmed that fact when Satan took him to a high mountain and offered Jesus the whole world if Our Lord would bow down to him.

Luke 4:5:

5 The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6 And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. 7 If you worship me, it will all be yours.”

Jesus did not dispute the veracity of Satan's statement that the kingdoms of this world belong to him.  Our Lord's only reply was:

“It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’”

As Christians, we must recognize the evil system in which we reside but at the same time, live as peaceably as possible.  It is not our job to overthrow governments, as Our Lord told Pontius Pilate as He was sentenced to death.

John 18:36:

"My kingdom is not of this world," said Jesus. "If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I wouldn't be handed over to the Jews. As it is, My kingdom does not have its origin here."

Our world was set on its present course when our first parents, Adam and Eve, disobeyed God and followed Satan's direction.   As they were warned by God at the time, "In the day you eat thereof, you shall surely die." And the world has been in the stages of dying ever since.

Now, in the 21st Century, it all seems to be coming together at once.  I am no doomsday prophet.  But I can only repeat what secular scientists, historians and others tell us.

Our world is in a dire ecological emergency. Climate change is upsetting conditions all over the world.  The Arctic permafrost is melting,  which releases more greenhouse gases causing more melting, etc. etc.:

The frozen layer of soil that has underlain the Arctic tundra for millennia is now starting to thaw. This thawing, which could release vast amounts of greenhouse gases, is already changing the Arctic landscape by causing landslides, draining lakes, and altering vegetation.

Melting permafrost means a rise in the oceans which could destroy coastal cities around the world:

When permafrost thaws, the ice frozen in the soil becomes liquid water. Some water remains and forms ponds. However, some flows to rivers and oceans. If all the permafrost in the world thawed, it could release enough water to raise global sea levels by 3 to 10 centimeters (1 to 4 inches). This might not seem like very much water. But it is enough water that cities along coastlines might have to build walls to keep the sea out, or people might have to move to higher ground.

We are destroying natural forests and habitats around the globe, most notably the Amazon rainforests, which will affect all parts of the world:

The loss of trees and other vegetation can cause climate change, desertification, soil erosion, fewer crops, flooding, increased greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, and a host of problems for indigenous people. 

Our world and oceans in particular are drowning in plastics, which is killing everything:

The amount of plastic humans dump in the oceans is staggering. One study predicts that by 2050, there will be, by weight, more plastic in the oceans than fish.

Of course, now that we are dealing with COVID 19, we have become keenly aware of the dangers of pandemics, which the experts say will be happening on a regular basis as we destroy habitats and come in contact animals that spread these diseases.

These are just some of the ecological disasters affecting the world, all at the same time.  We can also talk about the wars in the world.  As of 2017, there were more than 40 different conflicts in the world.  The US is involved, to one extent or another, with many of them.

It is never talked about anymore, but there is still the potential of nuclear war.

From Business Insider:

The report found that 13,865 warheads in existence at the start of 2019 were owned by nine nations: the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, China, India, Pakistan, Israel and North Korea.

We also have a problem with disposing of nuclear waste from the 400 nuclear power plants in the world, and the potential of more Chernobyls and Fukushimas.

Corporate farming is destroying land and giving us food with no nutrition.

Our people are being destroyed spiritually and mentally with such evils as pornography and violent video games.  Evils such as child abuse and human trafficking are direct results of pornography.

The list of evils in our world goes on and on.  And now it can no longer be denied by anyone that we cannot trust those in authority.  As Lord told us, we must be wise as serpents even while we are harmless as doves.

Our world is doomed to failure.  I admire those who are rising up and trying to stop it.  But protests, no matter how well-intentioned, will not stop the destruction of our world.  There is only one answer:  repentance of our evil and acceptance of God's Mercy, as St. Faustina told us in her diary:  Mankind will not have peace until it turns with trust to my mercy. (Diary 300)

Even as we must admit that the world is falling off the cliff and there doesn't seem to be anything that will stop it, that does not entitle us as followers of Christ to just sit back and do nothing.  The saints throughout the ages have shown us that whenever an opportunity shows itself, we must be there for others.

We must always allow Jesus Christ to work within us, spreading his Gospel of love and forgiveness as much as we are able through our actions and words.  Our Lord made it clear that He never intended for us to just hide away.  As Jesus prayed to his Father, we must be in the world, doing His Will, but still not be part of the world:

I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. (John 17:14-18)

I think the reason the terrible murder of George Floyd resonated with the world is because we all see ourselves in him.  We all  feel as helpless as he was, pinned down by evil, unable to move while our life is being choked out of us.

Even as we cannot deny the evils in the world and our more and more perilous existence, at the same time we as followers of Christ can rejoice because we know He has already won.  He has defeated sin and death.  Yes, we are seeing a dying world play out, and we mourn deeply for the pain and suffering that is being endured by so many.

But we must remember that the war has already been won.   As Revelation 21:4 tells us, the day will soon come when "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away."