Equal application of the law, justice, is what we all need to calm the country.
“The greatness of our nation comes from our commitment to the rule of law,” said Attorney General William Barr, and he is correct. Without justice, everyone in our country is at risk.
Everyone I spoke with, on all sides of the political spectrum, was sickened, disgusted, saddened, frightened and mad about the apparent excessive force by a Minneapolis police officer evidently carrying out his own justice on George Floyd, who was handcuffed and pinned to the ground for nearly nine minutes. He died. It should not have happened.
Unfortunately, there are a small number of people who seek chaos in the United States. They take advantage of tragedy and try to compound it with violence, fear and rioting. Barr said, “Groups of outside radicals and agitators are exploiting the situation to pursue their own separate and violent agenda.”
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Barr added, “In many places, it appears the violence is planned, organized and driven by anarchistic and far-left extremists, using Antifa-like tactics, many of whom travel from out of state to promote the violence.”
While there must be swift justice for the death of George Floyd, there can be no acceptance of lawlessness.
After four nights of violence and rioting in his city, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey boldly stated, “This is no longer about protesting….This is about violence, and it has to stop.”
Perceptive, but unfortunately four nights too late.
We should not tolerate rogue cops nor should we tolerate “protesters” who go too far by stoking violence and breaking the law.
The mayor and the governor, both Democrats, have been far too slow to address the problem before it erupted, and once it was spiraling out of control, law enforcement was nonexistent. Friday night they issued a curfew but refused to enforce it, adding to the chaos and ceding deference to looters and rioters. That should not be acceptable in America.
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We should not tolerate rogue cops nor should we tolerate “protesters” who go too far by stoking violence and breaking the law.
Ultimately the long-term solutions for peace, prosperity and united communities will be found in families, neighborhoods, churches, safe schools, good jobs and a justice system that is fair. They will be found in communities where Lady Justice wears a blindfold and equally administers the law, no matter who you are, where you came from or who you know.
Until that confidence is restored, no community deserves to be overrun with looting and fear. Order must be restored as the wheels of justice turn.
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Barr said, “We must have law and order on our streets and in our communities, and it is the responsibility of the local and state leadership, in the first instance, to halt this violence. The Department of Justice (including the FBI, Marshals, ATF, and DEA), and all of our 93 U.S. Attorneys across the country, will support these local efforts and take all action necessary to enforce federal law."
The good news is solutions will best be found in our local communities, where an individual’s voice can have the most impact. If we wait for Congress to solve these issues, it most likely will never happen. These problems can be expeditiously addressed by prioritizing justice and rejecting fear and violence.
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