Editorial Roundup: Kentucky

Recent editorials from Kentucky newspapers:

___

June 1

The State Journal on various protests that have taken place in Kentucky recently:

Following a week in which racial tensions and violence boiled over in many cities across the country, triggered by the deaths of African Americans at the hands of police officers, we’re reminded of - and grateful for - this community’s tradition of peaceful protests.

Around the country, many protested peacefully, but some violently, in support of George Floyd, a black man who died while he was pinned at the neck by a white Minneapolis police officer. Closer to home, the same was true in Louisville as thousands took to the streets in support of Breonna Taylor, the 26-year-old Louisville EMT who was shot and killed two months ago by narcotics detectives who knocked down her front door while executing a no-knock search warrant.

The week got off to an ugly start when protesters hanged an effigy of Gov. Andy Beshear on the Capitol grounds during an armed rally.

On a more hopeful note, some local folks were planning to silently cruise around the Capitol in support of the governor and his family.

Cruisin’ for Andy, a car caravan, was to set off from Capitol View Park at 2 p.m. on May 30, circle the Capitol and drive by the Governor’s Mansion. Participants were asked to decorate their vehicles with green - the symbol of renewal - and blue - the symbol of peace and security - and to be respectful. Balloons and horn-honking were discouraged.

“This will be a 100% positive event in which we will show our appreciation for our great governor and his family,” the Facebook event page said.

Social distancing rules were asked to be followed. Folks were to remain in their vehicles at all times, urged to wear face masks and exhibit a “we can’t be doin’ that” attitude.

Kentuckians, we are better than the images that have come out of our state over the past 10 days. Amid all of the noise and hate on display, it is refreshing to see that there are still people who want to lift up, love and support others instead of letting the few drag everyone down.

As South African anti-apartheid revolutionary, political leader and philanthropist Nelson Mandela once said, “No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin or his background or his religion. People learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love. For love comes more naturally to the human heart than the opposite.”

Online: https://www.state-journal.com

___

May 30

The Commonwealth Journal on demonstrations against police brutality that are unfolding across the nation:

On May 30 in Somerset, a group of people planned to peacefully hold a candlelight vigil in Downtown Somerset.

Our friends and neighbors planned to gather to show support for George Floyd, who was killed by a police officer last week in Minneapolis. And for Breonna Taylor, who was senselessly shot and killed by police in her own Louisville apartment. And for Ahmaud Arbery, who was killed while jogging in Georgia by a father and son hunting for an alleged burglar.

These three people who lost their lives needlessly were black.

The graphic video showing Floyd’s demise - with a Minneapolis police officer kneeling on his neck for eight minutes, slowly choking off his air - has sparked unrest throughout the nation.

Demonstrators marched, stopped traffic and in some cases lashed out violently at police as protests erupted on May 29 in dozens of U.S. cities.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear called out the National Guard in Louisville on May 30 after a second night of protests led to widespread damage.

On May 28, gunfire injured several people in Louisville and the police department issued an apology after “pepper bullets” were fired at a news crew.

In Cincinnati, protesters blocked I-75. In Bowling Green, Ky., a protester was hit by a car - allegedly she was struck on purpose - after blocking a roadway.

In Brooklyn on May 29, a woman was arrested for the attempted murder of several police officers after she threw a molotov cocktail into a cruiser.

Georgia’s governor declared a state of emergency in one county to activate up to 500 members of the state National Guard “to protect people and property in Atlanta.”

In Minneapolis, where a police precinct was burned the night before, peaceful protests picked up steam as darkness fell, with thousands of people ignoring an 8 p.m. curfew to walk streets in the southern part of the city. Some cars were set on fire in scattered neighborhoods, business break-ins began and eventually there were larger fires. As a pair of restaurants and a Wells Fargo branch were set ablaze, a heavy contingent of National Guard, state troopers and police moved in, some on foot and some in vehicles.

These scenes were being played out all over the nation - from New York City to Washington, D.C., to Los Angeles.

Make no mistake about it, the main issue at play here is the senseless deaths of three black Americans. It happens too often and it’s time we worked to rectify the situation.

Let’s address the misconception that racism is dead. It isn’t. Yes, we have elected a black president. Yes, people of color have more opportunities than they did decades ago. We look up to black athletes, performers, politicians, doctors, lawyers and entrepreneurs.

But racism still exists. Black men and women have to deal with it on a daily basis. We see it on social media all the time. Just last week, a “panicked” women in New York’s Central Park called police to report an African-American man was threatening her and her dog. All he did was offer her dog a treat. The video was there for all of us to see.

Is racism worse now than before? Not necessarily - as actor Will Smith said recently, “Racism isn’t worse. It’s being filmed.” In other words, it’s in our faces constantly, prodding us and reminding us to be better as Americans … as human beings.

Our nation, however, is broken. The divide is as wide as it’s been in nearly a half-century. It’s hard to repair a problem hundreds of years in the making with a populace so fractured and fragmented.

There is also a misconception that if you are upset over the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery, then you can’t possibly be appalled by some of the acts being carried out in protests across the nation.

That’s just not true.

We are hurting, like most heart-sick Americans, over the senseless killings of these three people of color.

But we are saddened and disgusted at the behavior of some of the protesters looting and burning businesses and injuring fellow citizens.

Those acts do not honor Floyd, Taylor and Arbery. On the contrary, they do something quite the opposite.

“You are disgracing our city,” Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, who is black, told protesters. “You are disgracing the life of George Floyd and every other person who has been killed in this country. We are better than this. We are better than this as a city. We are better than this as a country. “

We understand wanting to gather and protest racial injustice. We understand that people are disgusted - even enraged. We are enraged as well.

But there’s a better way to channel those feelings. There are peaceful ways to demand justice - to demand new policy that could prevent what happened to George Floyd and Breonna Taylor from happening again.

The police officer who killed George Floyd has been charged with murder. That’s certainly a start.

It’s a move that has been cheered by virtually all Americans. Of course, justice will not be complete until he is prosecuted successfully.

Racism is not going to be uprooted overnight. As long as its taught from generation to generation by the ignorant, it will remain.

But we have to continue to progress. We have to continue to speak out and demand justice.

But if we commit acts of violence during our protests, then we are not much better than the criminals who took the lives of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery.

And the circle of unrest will simply continue.

Online: https://www.somerset-kentucky.com

___

May 27

The Daily Independent on calls for investigations and action following recent killings by police:

This past weekend, a sickening incident occurred in which a black man died during an encounter with police. It was another in a long line of sickening - and puzzling - incidents involving police and the black community.

Four Minneapolis police officers have been fired after a viral video showed one of them kneeling on the neck of a handcuffed George Floyd who cried that he could not breathe and later died.

For years, we have heard too many cases in which black citizens were treated with suspicion for no reason, injured and killed by police throughout the country. It must stop.

We are very familiar with our local police and law enforcement in general, and we understand each case is unique. As journalists who report the news and as individuals who read it, we realize many of the cases we read about don’t provide enough information for us to come to a fair conclusion.

But some do.

We believe the case of George Floyd does. We see no reason why he should have died or why an officer should have been kneeling on his throat. Of course, there are times police officers must use force to subdue suspects - but not excessive force.

Among all the things we are grateful for in our country, safety and law enforcement rate high. That doesn’t mean there aren’t serious issues that must be addressed.

The website mappingpoliceviolence.org reports police killed 1,009 last year. Of those, 24% were black, even though only 13% of the population is black.

It certainly seems as though many police departments in the United States have a racism problem. Is that the only cause of the tragic deaths of so many black citizens in this country by police? Are police, especially those in larger cities, working in fear as a result of widespread crime not directly related to race, therefore causing more use of excessive force?

These and other questions must be investigated, and a probe by local Internal Affairs isn’t enough. A federal investigation of such cases, as well as the systemic problems in law enforcement, is called for, followed by action based on results of the investigation.

The treatment of blacks and other minorities in this country is, at times, disgraceful and unacceptable. The George Floyd case is a terribly unfortunate example. Our government must address this case and the larger problem.

As for individuals, we also have the responsibility to let our officials and those who would do harm know racism - and anything else contributing to the unnecessary loss of life caused by police action - will not be tolerated.

Online: https://www.dailyindependent.com