Former President George W. Bush on Tuesday issued a statement on the recent killing of George Floyd, saying he and former first lady Laura Bush are “anguished” by Floyd’s “brutal suffocation” and disturbed by “the injustice and fear that suffocate our country.”
“It remains a shocking failure that many African Americans, especially young African American men, are harassed and threatened in their own country,” Mr. Bush said. “It is a strength when protesters, protected by responsible law enforcement, march for a better future.”
Mr. Bush said he and the former first lady have resisted the urge to speak out about Floyd because “this is not the time for us to lecture. It is time for us to listen.”
He said the “doctrine and habits of racial superiority, which once nearly split our country, still threaten our Union.”
“We know that lasting justice will only come by peaceful means,” he said. “Looting is not liberation, and destruction is not progress. But we also know that lasting peace in our communities requires truly equal justice. The rule of law ultimately depends on the fairness and legitimacy of the legal system. And achieving justice for all is the duty of all.”
He said that there is a “better way:” “the way of empathy, and shared commitment, and bold action, and a peace rooted in justice.”
“I am confident that together, Americans will choose the better way,” he said.
With the country on edge after Floyd’s death while in Minneapolis police custody on Memorial Day, former President Barack Obama also weighed in earlier this week, saying a small minority of protesters were detracting from a larger cause.
Despite pockets of problems in some spots across the country, the rampant looting and unrest that had been seen some nights in the past week appear to have eased somewhat on Tuesday with various cities under curfew.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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