I regret to admit that I was not versed enough in the oeuvre of Janelle Monae to have recognized this cover of her song when I experienced David Byrne & Company perform it as part of “American Utopia” when I saw it back in February (seems like a lifetime ago), but I found the blunt simplicity of the message profoundly powerful.
“Say His Name!”
Affirming that those victimized by systemic racism and police brutality are individuals with names, lives, personal histories, emotions, identities, families, children, loved ones. They are HUMAN BEINGS, not statistics. And not “thugs."
If you’re confused why there are riots going on, just get down on one knee. Feel the bulk of your full weight resting on that joint. If it’s anything like mine, that’s quite a lot. Now imagine a comparable amount of ponderous weight being applied to YOUR NECK. Now imagine that wind-pipe-collapsing, spine-worrying weight on your neck belonging to an armed figure of authority (one conceivably versed enough in the basics of conventional measures of constraint to know that kneeling on someone's neck might very well result in death). George Floyd endured that for almost eight minutes. EIGHT MINUTES. That cop knelt on George Floyd’s neck for a time spell practically equivalent to the length of “American Pie” by Don McLean. George Floyd — quite unsurprisingly — died as a result of this. The cop, meanwhile, has only paid with his job. No charges have been filed.
Beyond the brazen cruelty of the act, also consider the power of the image of a police officer blithely kneeling on the neck of a black man struggling to breathe and pleading for his life. It’s an abhorrent sight that perfectly encapsulates how far we haven’t come.
That’s why there are riots.
George Floyd. Say His Name!
ADDENDUM: About a half-hour after I posted this, the police officer in question was taken into custody.
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