If George Floyd was Latino
In recent days, Americans in particular and the rest of humanity in general witnessed several more cases of police brutality in our country.
The death of George Floyd and incidents like it once again reveal the shortcomings of the criminal justice system and the ill preparation of the forces responsible for ensuring order.
These deaths have resulted in a peaceful reaction in some cases and in others ( the most notorious) have ended in street violence. Riots and looting are far from the practices embraced by the Rev. Martín Luther King Jr. The peaceful protest was intended to be a powerful weapon to counterattack persecution, harassment and even killing. The idea of peaceful protest was not new. It had already been practiced in India with Mahatma Gandhi at the helm and with excellent results.
On this occasion, the violence in several U. S. cities has left a very bad taste in the mouth, even for those mourn the deaths Floyd and others. I believe that the riots and looting -- which have been deemed domestic terrorism by Attorney General William Barr -- have been due to the combination of courage and anguish to see the images of the victims online and the frustration caused by the confinement in the homes due to COVID-19. This breeding ground has led to actions like those that occurred two decades ago in the Rodney King case. But beyond violence, what stands out is the taking to the streets to denounce and condemn the regrettable and despicable events.
From the beginning, I have wondered what would have happened if the names of the victims had been of Latin origin. Let’s imagine that instead of George Floyd the deceased was Juan Pérez or José García.
I have serious doubts about the type of reaction that would have occurred in almost every corner of the United States. I think the revolts we have witnessed on television would not have happened. And not because of our good behavior as Latinos, but simply because our people would not have gone out to demand justice and change in the treatment that police give to our Spanish-speaking communities, despite the many cases that we have seen in decades.
The protests that have taken place at the downtown port of entry after the deaths of immigrants have simply attracted a tiny group of people to demand justice. The incident in which the young Imperial resident Bubba Gutiérrez lost his life 10 years ago also comes to mind, which in the end left the status quo basically intact.
The difference between the African American community and us Hispanics ( I have to include myself, of course) is the organization and the desire to demand justice. African Americans have powerful organizations like NAACP and Black Lives Matter that allow them to build community and mobilize.
Among us Hispanics there are several organizations that, in theory, have defended our rights for a long time. The problem is that each one carries out its activities independently. We lack the unity to generate a single voice. The problem is that we differentiate ourselves: Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, Salvadorans, etc. There are even differences between the cities or states in which we live.
On the other hand, since before this Republic was founded, African Americans have been prey to oppressors on many occasions. This forces them to always seek justice.
I insist I very much doubt that, if the victim of Minneapolis had been a Hispanic, today we would be seeing the outcry registered in the last days.