by Matthew Elisha
Humanism and Its Aspirations holds that humanists “are committed to treating each person as having inherent worth and dignity, and to making informed choices in a context of freedom consonant with responsibility.” George Floyd, who was killed in a senseless act of brutality by a Minneapolis police officer, deserved to be recognized for his inherent worth and treated with dignity. His assailant should have made the responsible choice and not restrained Floyd with a knee to the back of his neck, an action that police and law enforcement experts agree is not warranted in any circumstance. He should have recognized George Floyd’s distress as a fellow human and acted accordingly. He did not, and should be accountable for his actions, just as we would hold accountable any person who might stand on 5th avenue and shoot another.
The death of George Floyd, a black man, by law enforcement, has become an all too common problem. Eric Garner, Michael Brown, Freddie Gray, and Tamir Rice are just a few of the too many other black men that have lost their lives after police encounters. Every time an incident happens, we see outrage and protests, followed by political promises to change the system and still it happens again.
Confucius says, “Repay injury with justice.” George Floyd deserves justice for his murder and his memory needs to be honored by stopping these unnecessary deaths in the future. Peaceful protest has a necessary place in bringing a united voice to the grievances of individuals and groups who have been wronged. Our independent voices can play an added part by letting our elected officials know that we cannot allow this state of matters to continue. Only if enough people raise their voices demanding change, will we see a difference.
As we grieve the loss of 100,000 American lives to Covid-19 and many more throughout the world, let us also remember those like George Floyd, who died not from a mindless virus, but from the thoughtless actions of another human being. And let us work to bring justice to him so other black men can live with dignity and be secure in their status as human beings.
