Responsibility To Witness

All is not well in the world.

Does that seem like an understatement? Covid cases are climbing, protests grow in streets of cities across America and have spread through the world, economies are contracting/collapsing - take your pick at any given moment - climate change is unchecked, and I'm nowhere near my family.

Turns out it's a bad morning to be the only one awake in the house. Particularly after a choice I made earlier this morning. A choice to witness, from a series of videos posted online, despite warnings that they would be difficult to watch.

They were.

There is a reason we are called to witness things. People lie. Things are covered up. Mistakes are made. Evil is prevalent. If nobody sees, if nobody speaks out, nothing changes. Witnesses are even needed in state executions, not only as proof that somebody has died, but even more recently, that the death can be long, drawn out, cruel, even when the opposite is intended. Juries are called to witness all the presented evidence, produce by a collection of other witnesses, in order to make a decision approaching justice.

Sometimes it's as simple as informing yourself, making your own decisions rather than necessarily just what you are told to do or believe. It's part of growing up, taking a stand, making a worthwhile place for yourself in the world.

So I did that this morning. I watched a series of videos from last night's protests which showed - this time - police rioting. Two stood out, haunt me.

The first was several officers, batons out and swinging, charging into a crowd of peaceful protesters, causing as much pain and injury as possible. The second, from Buffalo, was of an elderly man (clarified later as 76) walking up to police calmly as if to ask a question, when he is shoved backwards. (Note: a second, later posted video lets you clearly hear the nauseating sound of his head hitting the pavement. Something like a watermellon from a tall office building.) It was hard enough that he landed, not on his butt, as I was expecting, but flat out, his head hitting the pavement. He was not shown to move afterwards for the minute or so the video progressed. Somebody was heard yelling that he was bleeding from his ear. Voices called for medical attention - though not by the police, just by the protesters. When one cop starts to bend down to check him out, he's hustled away by his fellows instead.

Accompanying text tells that he had a possible concussion. Later reports on TV say he is hospitalized in serious condition. Text with the first video talks about broken bones among protesters. And just in case you are wondering, all those shown injured were ... wait for it ... white.

I'm not pointing that out because I think whites should be immune from whatever gets dished out to anybody else. We're not "better." But among those who think we are, and have been singling out people of color for whatever kind of abuse they wish to hand out with impunity, they are now, in turn, attacking those who stand with people of color (or different faith or whatever) against the injustices heaped on them.

Because police are no longer immune ( in one publicized case) from the consequences of their bad actions, they are fighting out against all of us. The blue wall needs to fall. Reports are that over 50 police in Buffalo after two of their member were suspended without pay (ONLY!!!) resigned in protest. We don't need them!) No, I'm not advocating war on police. Just removal and justice meted out to the bad ones. All of them. Now. Until we can start trusting them again - if we can. Power corrupts, after all.

So keep those cell phone witnesses filming.