Another thing that I'd like to address. George Floyd was detained by police for allegedly passing a fake $20 bill during a trip to the corner store. That's why police responded to the scene in the first place.
1. We don't know that it was a counterfeit bill.
2. We don't know that George Floyd knew that it was a counterfeit bill.
It is impossible to establish that he had the mens rea (intent) to have committed a crime. But that's not my point here.
2. We don't know that George Floyd knew that it was a counterfeit bill.
It is impossible to establish that he had the mens rea (intent) to have committed a crime. But that's not my point here.
My point is that if you run a corner store, you are an important member of a community. As a member of that community, you've likely seen George Floyd before that day. And you'll see him again after than day.
What I'm saying is that I don't know that I would have called the police on George Floyd for passing me a fake $20, even if I thought he knew it was fake.
I'd likely say "hey man, this is fake and you know it is. Get the hell out of my store with this fake bill, and don't try this kind of bull-$#!t in here no more."
A guy like "Big Floyd" would likely have respected that. I think he would have.
A guy like "Big Floyd" would likely have respected that. I think he would have.
That's how the corner store workers dealt with me and my friends back in the day if they thought we were stealing sodas or candy. Or maybe, God forbid, they'd notify our parents.
But they understood that we all existed in the same community.
But they understood that we all existed in the same community.
People who run corner stores, or people who simply exist in communities with other people - which should just about cover every human - need to understand what they are doing and what the real outcomes are, when they call the police into a situation. Especially on black folk.
Not to mention what outcomes could have been if the responding officers believed in community policing. Or - wait for it - actually lived in the communities they policed every day.
I'm not saying that the store worker didn't have the right to call the authorities. I just wish they had thought about it for a moment. Maybe consider dealing with conflicts within the community.
Maybe the next time someone in that position will approach it differently.
Maybe the next time someone in that position will approach it differently.
Looking at people like you, Amy Cooper. With your unemployed self.
Fin.
Fin.
