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Fight against racism can’t stop

Based on what we saw Sunday in downtown Estevan, it seems like there are plenty of people willing to take up the fight for equality, and to battle racism and police brutality. A Black Lives Matter peaceful protest was held in the city.

Based on what we saw Sunday in downtown Estevan, it seems like there are plenty of people willing to take up the fight for equality, and to battle racism and police brutality.

A Black Lives Matter peaceful protest was held in the city. It would be hard to estimate just how many people were part of the event, since they were spread out down Fourth Street, but a couple of hundred people would be a reasonable estimate.

A particularly poignant moment came during an eight minute, 46-second moment of silence, when people knelt down to symbolize the length of time George Floyd, who was black, was pinned down by white Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. Chauvin didn’t stop until Floyd stopped breathing.

The speeches were also moving, particularly those by Estevan economic development co-ordinator Dwight Bramble, who hails from St. Vincent, and Estevan Police Chief Paul Ladouceur, who didn’t mince words about racism in policing.

About the only downside came late in the protest, when a couple of people who weren’t part of the protest started a verbal battle with some who were there.

The death of Floyd has, of course, set off both talk and action when it comes to systemic racism, police behaviour and injustice. The video itself is disturbing, and the officers involved are facing some stiff charges, especially Chauvin, who is facing a count of second-degree murder. 

Most police officers you encounter are good, honest and dedicated people who do great things and care a lot about their communities. Yes, you’re going to have the troublesome ones, like Chauvin, who had been reprimanded twice and had about 20 complaints filed against him before the Floyd incident.

The number of good, honourable men and women in policing is part of the reason why suggestions of defunding the police should be met with ridicule.

At the same time, it would be a mistake to say that there isn’t racism in policing in Canada, or that systemic racism in Canada isn’t an issue.

We have to hope that George Floyd’s death represents a flashpoint when it comes to racism, not just in policing, but in society. We’ve seen it before where a black person will die at the hands of a white officer, and then cries for change will occur. But nothing happens, and the incident is shuffled away until the next incident occurs.

Right now, we’re seeing a lot of stories emerge, but that’s in part because this is a hot-button topic.

We can’t allow this issue to fade away as has happened in the past.

We’ve seen rallies and protests around the world since Floyd’s death. That’s good. Most of them have been like the one we had in Estevan on Sunday: peaceful, with good people looking to see meaningful change. Only a fraction of those involved in protests around the world have resorted to criminal behaviour and looting.

Keep the discussion going. You don’t need to have a rally each week, but there needs to be discussion.

We can’t forget about Floyd in a couple of weeks, get a reminder about the incident when Chauvin and the other officers go on trial, and then forget about him once there are verdicts.

As for the wisdom to have these rallies and protests in the midst of a pandemic, we’ll see in a couple of weeks whether the timing was beneficial or not. If we get a sudden spike in cases in Saskatchewan related to public gatherings, then it will give critics of these protests plenty of ammunition.

It will also serve as a not-so-gentle reminder that we’re a long ways away from being able to have larger events.

The timing is particularly tough for some, because this is graduation season, and the pandemic is preventing grad celebrations from taking place. That seemed to be the biggest source of frustration for many: not that there was a protest, or the message it carried, but the double-standard that existed between the Black Lives Matter protests, and other activities that can’t occur because of social distancing laws and crowd size restrictions.

And if we don’t get a spike in cases, then perhaps it’s time to take a look at some of the restrictions for crowd sizes that are in place. There wouldn’t be a better cause to be a catalyst for larger crowds than the fight for eradicate racism.