this seems different

THIS SEEMS DIFFERENT
i set my timer for 8 minutes and 45 seconds to see how long that time was
its a long time when you are watching the clock
its a long time to be held down on your belly handcuffed hands behind your back
with your neck turned to one side with an full grown man with his knee on the side of your neck

there was a point where it should have been stopped
he was subdued enough
he would have been taken to jail
none of this would have happened

i still havent watched the whole video
i cant make myself do it

it seemed to me like the policeman was like he was choking him to death
what he did was the same as if he had done that
choked him to death with his bare hands

thats how the courts should look at it

i think most of us find this video disturbing and what the policemen did desiring of his arrest and hopefully eventual conviction for murder
i am not sure how they can rule otherwise

in 1992 our family went to the state championship game of the top division football in texas
as i remember it was at the university of texas longhorn football stadium
it was overcast
misty foggy
somewhat cold fall day

on that field playing tight end was george floyd described as a gentle giant
im not sure where his life led him up until he was held down by the policemen who killed him
history and the news folks will tell his life history
it doesnt really matter
what happened happened and shouldnt have

the movement that has been started feels different this time
if you look at the peaceful protests you will see a cross section of america
coming together to keep this movement going

in 1968 i was a senior in high school and later attended college
we lost martin luther king and robert kennedy to assassins
georger wallace who was running for president was shot and paralyzed
there were race riots in the streets in every major city in the us
i was aware of what was going on but not like we do now with all the news coverage

there were afterwards changes that were made which were good but the progression of changes eventually stopped

things got better
but
in other ways they didnt get better

i as a white guy dont really completely understand
those of you who are black and hispanic you understand

this movement whatever you call it
spawned by the murder of george floyd has ignited a movement
like the antivietnam war movement and the civil rights marches did in the 60s

this movement seems different
this movement demands we do something
we have to make the changes that need to be made
we cant afford not to do this

history will demand it of us

the organicgreen doctor