BLAME: Face real issues

Coming from a family of police officers, it is difficult but necessary to address the issues plaguing our nation. The horrifying footage of George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis rightfully added fuel to a fire that’s been burning for decades. However, members of the media and countless leaders continue to discredit the legitimate issues we face by participating in victim-blaming.

Victim-blaming occurs when the victim of a wrongful act is held at fault for the harm that befell them. The media has put too much focus on the small minority of protests that escalated to looting and still are not fully focused on the problems. The violent behavior of people who hijack peaceful protests to loot is abhorrent; but victim-blaming has not solely occurred with violent protests. In 2016, NFL players were met with public outcry for peacefully protesting the same issue. Instead of focusing on what players were protesting, the media chose to change the focus and blame protesters for disrespecting the flag.

This shifts the narrative from the issues at hand and ultimately undermines the true problem. A survey from YouGov found that 63% of Black Americans are worried about the police using deadly force on them or a family member. The rate at which Black Americans are killed by police is more than double the rate of White Americans. Clearly, there is a problem.

We must condemn victim-blaming and focus our attention on the underlying causes of this movement: systemic racism and police brutality toward Black Americans.

JOSH WEISTANER

Post Falls