The national outcry over George Floyd’s death and the demand for equality shines an overdue spotlight on our nation’s centuries-old bout with racism. But as protests in Salt Lake City and around the country continue, a handful of bad actors make it difficult to distinguish between the message and the anarchy.
Two men were arrested Monday night en route to the downtown protest with four firearms in their vehicle. West Valley police spokeswoman Roxeanne Vainuku said “we have every reason to believe” they intended to cause trouble. One can only imagine how their presence — and their potential actions — would have changed the outcome of an otherwise peaceful gathering.
It is unfortunate how easily the violent acts of a few can drown out the just moves of the majority. The past week’s protests — including those in Salt Lake City — aim to demand justice for Floyd and accountability for law enforcement agencies in need of reform. Their message, that black lives too often suffer at the hands of injustice, is a rallying cry for reparation. But the violence, vandalism and theft that some perpetuate easily shift the public’s eye and the nation’s narrative from reform to restraint.
That’s surely not the result Floyd’s family desires. Floyd’s younger brother, Terrence, has said as much, expressing concerns that the violent outbursts of a few are detrimental to the protests’ purpose. “I do feel like (the violence) is overshadowing what’s going on,” he said. “... The anger, damaging your hometown is not the way he’d want.”
Or, as Lex Scott, founder of Black Lives Matter Utah lamented, “When they do violence, it comes back on Black Lives Matter … I just did eight hours of damage control for the last protest when I’ve been working for six years for police reform.”
Making strides in the fight toward racial equality requires distinguishing between the message and the inflammation. Though the motives of the gun-carrying men stopped on Monday night are unknown, violence was undoubtedly not far from their minds. One of the suspects had posted on social media “multiple threats of violence against police,” according to Vainuku. More weapons were found and seized in his home.
Their aims or political persuasions are irrelevant. Cruelty, hate, rage or contempt shouldn’t be permissible in society’s attempts for understanding and respect. It’s a danger to progress.
Neither can we exclaim, as a few have, that all police forces are bad. Many, and we’d like to believe most, officers fulfill their duties nobly. The swift action of West Valley police and the FBI in apprehending these men “probably saved a lot of lives,” as Vainuku puts it.
Still, that doesn’t excuse law enforcement, like other segments of society, from uncomfortable introspection, a determination to improve and, where necessary, a commitment to reform.
As the nation continues its march toward a reckoning of racism, the task at hand is to separate a nonviolent — though at times justifiably angry — message from those who would rather see communities burn.