Hopefully, everyone at least acknowledges that the death of George Floyd was an unfortunate incident. There should be no doubt about that.
We may have different ideas as to why he died and whether or not it was justified, but the death of any human being should be perceived as a tragic event.
What I mean is that even the death of someone well-deserving of it such as a mass murderer (not calling George Floyd a mass murderer) may be good in that they can no longer harm anyone ever again, but at the same time we know that not even God takes pleasure in the death of the wicked and nor should we.
But back to George Floyd…
As I said, it’s sad that he died. But people are elevating this man to sainthood. Just recently, someone created a 700-pound statue and erected it in front of the city hall building in Newark, NJ.
Today Mayor @rasjbaraka unveiled a donated statue honoring George Floyd in front of City Hall, alongside Filmmaker Leon Pickney, Artist Stanley Watts, Activist Larry Hamm and more pic.twitter.com/nefig7fruE
— City of Newark (@CityofNewarkNJ) June 16, 2021
NBC News reported,
A new statue of George Floyd was unveiled at Newark’s City Hall on Wednesday afternoon.
Mayor Ras Baraka along with actor and filmmaker Leon Pickney, who commissioned the statue, and artist Stanley Watts unveiled the 700-pound bronze statue that was donated this week to the City of Newark.
Hopefully when people walk by and they see it, and they participate, hopefully it inspires them to become active in the struggles that are happening right here in Newark and right here in New Jersey,” Baraka said.
Floyd’s murder at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer last year fueled a global movement for racial justice.
The statue will remain outside City Hall for at least one year.
If you’ve ever been to Newark…this probably makes sense that they would do this.
Baraka said Floyd’s death has the same impact as Emmett Till’s in 1955. “When [the statue] came to me, there was no contemplation, no trepidation. I said, ‘Why not, let’s have it here. Let’s have it in Newark,” he said, adding that he hopes the statue inspires people “to become active in the struggles that are happening right here in Newark and right here in New Jersey.”
He’s wrong and anyone who believes that is delusional. Emmett Till’s death was a lynching after being accused of offending a white woman at a grocery store. He was 14-years-old. George Floyd’s death was accidental and was a result of his uncooperative behavior as a result of being high on drugs. They do not compare.