A story reflected in every community

Views from around the world. These opinions are not necessarily shared by Stuff newspapers.

The alleged killing of George Floyd is a single point in a larger narrative. It is personalising a seemingly forever struggle, and testing anew this nation’s commitment to justice on the individual level and across a land that always promises a brighter tomorrow even as basic hopes too often seem just out of reach.

Our country is facing challenges that touch fundamental precepts of our society, and need to be met head-on with courage and commitment to the only values that can truly unite us – values of respect for each individual person that foster a culture of inclusion and opportunity for every person.

If this nation feels like it is pulling itself apart, it is because Floyd’s death is a Minneapolis story with a corollary in every community. It’s also because some would take us down the wrong path. While the underlying frustration is something everyone with an ounce of humanity should feel in response to this injustice, those responding with riots, violence and looting are making change harder to enact.

It’s also true that, when the president reacts to events with tweets using loaded words like ‘‘thugs’’, and seeming to endorse callous use of lethal force, he is stoking fires rather than offering constructive leadership. And leadership that can unite this country is sorely needed right now.