MNA and Nurses Respond to the Killing of George Floyd by Police

[tnbutterfly - Mary]

We have all seen on the news the terrible scene that played out in the streets in Minnesota when George Floyd, an unarmed 46-year-old black male, was arrested by the Minnesota Police for attempted forgery at a convenience store. The action was caught on video as George Floyd, handcuffed and pinned to the ground face down by an officer who pressed with his full weight with his knee on Mr. Floyd's neck for more than 8 minutes. We watched and heard George Floyd crying out that he couldn't breathe. We heard him calling for "Mama". We watched as his body went limp with the officer still holding him down. This will be a scene I shall never forget.

The following are quotes from the Minnesota Nurses Association's response to this heinous crime.

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As nurses, we see the horrific effects of racism in our hospitals and community every day. We cannot remain silent as yet another black man has died at the hands of police...

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George Floyd's last words were "I can't breathe.” George Floyd died shortly after arriving at the hospital."

Nurses jump into action when they hear someone say "I can't breathe", instead of standing there watching them die. Their goal is to save lives, not kill people

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In the case of George Floyd, Minneapolis Police took no care or life-saving measures. Instead, they left him pinned down to the ground until paramedics arrived. Police ignored the pleas of George Floyd and he died.

Nurses care for all patients, regardless of their gender, race, religion or other status. We expect the same from the police. Unfortunately, nurses continue to see the devastating effects of systematic racism and oppression targeting people of color in our communities. We demand justice for George Floyd and a stop to the unnecessary death of black men at the hands of those who should protect them.

As a nurse, or as a compassionate human, how has this horrific event affected you? We have seen protests (some peaceful and some that have erupted into riots), vandalism, looting, and more. What is going on in your community? What actions can nurses take?

Let us stand together and let our voices be heard. Post your comments below.

[toomuchbaloney]

1 hour ago, nursemarion said:

I hear you, but my ancestors were subject to religious persecution. I do not hate other religions because of it. Countless Jews have been persecuted through history. They do not hate every German because of it. None of us alive today is responsible for the past. Being angry at people today for the sins of the past does no good. You cannot change the past.

Education is good, awareness is good, hanging onto anger is not. I do get it. I do. I am sorry that the British brought slavery to this country and it perpetuated until it was stopped. I am sorry that the Nazis murdered millions for no other reason then they got it in their heads that some people were inferior. I am sorry that they once burned those they thought were heretics because of religious differences. I am sorry the world is full of bad things and evil people. But I cannot fix the past.

I treat all my patients the same, I treat all my interactions the same. I do not care what race, religion, or anything else differs about my patients, only that they are my patients and they need me in that moment. I will not accept blame for racism and it is unfair to blame the innocent. Do not assume all whites are racist. It is wrong.

If people use their heads we can make a better future, but if people keep being angry and blaming a generation that had nothing to do with the past, then this can never heal. A wound needs pulled together to heal, not pulled further and further apart and picked at until it forms a scar that will be forever angry and visible.

Are you saying that all black people hate all white people because white people kept them as slaves and then legislated for decade upon decade to keep them oppressed? Or is it just the blacks that speak up or protest when racism makes itself obvious in our police or other public institutions? Brushing blacks with a broad stroke and adorning hate to their behavior while insisting that it's unfair to paint whites with broad strokes seems like a comfortable stance for white people in the USA...it's an "old as the hills" sentiment anyway.

[heron, ASN, RN]

50 minutes ago, nursemarion said:

I hear you, but my ancestors were subject to religious persecution. I do not hate other religions because of it. Countless Jews have been persecuted through history. They do not hate every German because of it. None of us alive today is responsible for the past. Being angry at people today for the sins of the past does no good. You cannot change the past.

Education is good, awareness is good, hanging onto anger is not. I do get it. I do. I am sorry that the British brought slavery to this country and it perpetuated until it was stopped. I am sorry that the Nazis murdered millions for no other reason then they got it in their heads that some people were inferior. I am sorry that they once burned those they thought were heretics because of religious differences. I am sorry the world is full of bad things and evil people. But I cannot fix the past.

I treat all my patients the same, I treat all my interactions the same. I do not care what race, religion, or anything else differs about my patients, only that they are my patients and they need me in that moment. I will not accept blame for racism and it is unfair to blame the innocent. Do not assume all whites are racist. It is wrong.

If people use their heads we can make a better future, but if people keep being angry and blaming a generation that had nothing to do with the past, then this can never heal. A wound needs pulled together to heal, not pulled further and further apart and picked at until it forms a scar that will be forever angry and visible.

What you’re not getting is that it isn’t just about history ... it’s about present day attitudes, assumptions and behaviors.

For example, lynching is historical fact (pretty recent history, too). By your reasoning, if white folks have stopped lynching Black folks, then they should no longer hold us responsible for it.

BUT ... did you read about the white woman who called the police because a Black man asked her to leash her dog? Not only did she not curb her dog, she told him she would call the police and tell them that an African-American wan was threatening her. She proceeded to do so, claiming that the man (who was standing still, filming her behavior on his phone) was advancing on her and that they should hurry. Given the known experience of Black men with police, what was this incident if not an attempted lynching?

In other words, history is the story of how we got here: a white woman using false accusations and the power of state-sanctioned violence to put a Black man in his place. Racism in action.

If the people who persecuted your ancestors for their religion were still doing so, to you and your family, you might see things a bit differently.

You’re right, you can’t fix the past ... but you (we) can - and must - fix the present - or else the future gets pretty grim.

[Guest1144461]

On 6/27/2020 at 3:13 AM, SafetyNurse1968 said:

Numenor, you state that black people commit more crimes than white people. What do you suggest is the reason for this difference?

I ask because I’m doing a lot of reading in this topic and it looks like when you normalize the data for socioeconomic status, race is not a factor. In other words, black people are more likely to be poor and more crime is committed by those who are poor. What I just wrote is an extreme oversimplification of an extremely complex issue. I read about it in a well supported article from the Southern Poverty Law Center (https://www.splcenter.org/20180614/biggest-lie-white-supremacist-propaganda-playbook-unraveling-truth-about-‘black-white-crime).

The use of black crime stats is a commonly used argument by white supremacists to justify white violence as “retaliation” for what they claim are black people’s inherently violent tendencies.

I am also concerned that folks seem to be struggling on this thread with being kind. It’s okay to disagree. Civil discourse is what this country was founded upon. Please stop being sarcastic and snide, it detracts from your ability to make an effective argument. Let’s talk about the issues.

Lots of reasons for crimes. I am sure socioeconomic reasons drive some, but I am also pretty sure socioeconomic reasons do not drive purely someone to rape and murder.

I take a SPLC opinion article with secondary sources with a grain of salt.

I didn't know pointing obvious glaring holes in arguments and calling out obvious logical fallacies was considered snide. Good to know.

[NurseBlaq]

9 hours ago, nursemarion said:

I hear you, but my ancestors were subject to religious persecution. I do not hate other religions because of it. Countless Jews have been persecuted through history. They do not hate every German because of it. None of us alive today is responsible for the past. Being angry at people today for the sins of the past does no good. You cannot change the past.

Education is good, awareness is good, hanging onto anger is not. I do get it. I do. I am sorry that the British brought slavery to this country and it perpetuated until it was stopped. I am sorry that the Nazis murdered millions for no other reason then they got it in their heads that some people were inferior. I am sorry that they once burned those they thought were heretics because of religious differences. I am sorry the world is full of bad things and evil people. But I cannot fix the past.

I treat all my patients the same, I treat all my interactions the same. I do not care what race, religion, or anything else differs about my patients, only that they are my patients and they need me in that moment. I will not accept blame for racism and it is unfair to blame the innocent. Do not assume all whites are racist. It is wrong.

If people use their heads we can make a better future, but if people keep being angry and blaming a generation that had nothing to do with the past, then this can never heal. A wound needs pulled together to heal, not pulled further and further apart and picked at until it forms a scar that will be forever angry and visible.

Nope. You're not about to sit here and insinuate all black people think all white people are racist. You're not about to sit here and act like Jews didn't get reparations for the holocaust and are still benefitting from them today. You're not about to sit here and act like one plight was horrible while trying to diminish the plight of another, who are still going through it. You don't get to decide how black people think, should feel, interact, etc. That's the same line of thinking as white supremacist and it's nonproductive! Black people still suffer the effects of slavery, Jim Crow, etc and it's STILL happening by the way. Several men were lynched within a week, this month. Many more have been unjustifiably murdered simply for not having white skin: men, women, and children. There's an uproar when swastikas are painted on things or people say anything considered anti-Jewish, but the minute there's INFINITE injustices happening to black/brown/native people, that's been nonstop since the inception of this country, we're told forget about the past. The absolute nerve!

[Wishinonastar, BSN]

No I am not insinuating anything. But you are attacking me and obviously you have serious anger issues so I am backing off. I knew I should not try to discuss this and have learned my lesson. Never again. So sorry. You are making racist comments against me and if you cannot discuss calmly then we cannot discuss. I have work to do.

[NurseBlaq]

3 hours ago, nursemarion said:

No I am not insinuating anything. But you are attacking me and obviously you have serious anger issues so I am backing off. I knew I should not try to discuss this and have learned my lesson. Never again. So sorry. You are making racist comments against me and if you cannot discuss calmly then we cannot discuss. I have work to do.

Typical. You got called out on your BS so now I'm so-called attacking you, you're a victim, and I'm the angry black woman. CONGRATS, you hit the trifecta of Karen behavior. Say something stupid, get called out on it, then you're the victim, the person is the angry black, and it's reverse racism. Girl bye! ?

Thanks for proving me right about you. I pegged you from the get go and here we are. Not to mention, I'm not the only one who called it but because I'm black you went all out on the Karenism. How cute! You're offended because I called out YOUR offensive behavior. Yep, I've played this game before. We have a whole thread on posts like yours right here on AN. YOU are the epitome of many posts from black people describing their interactions here on this forum. Thanks for personifying it for all to see!

Let me edit to add, literally everything I said was fact! You can't dispute them and made no rebuttal, just instant victim mode. Got it!

[Wishinonastar, BSN]

And you, my dear have shown why this wound can never heal. You shut me down and insulted me. Racism is in all races and you are an example of that. You don't know me and you judge me because of the color of my skin. Karen is a racist comment.

I am a nurse, I am assuming you are too. This is a nursing forum, you could at least pretend to be professional.

[NurseBlaq]

7 minutes ago, nursemarion said:

And you, my dear have shown why this wound can never heal. You shut me down and insulted me. Racism is in all races and you are an example of that. You don't know me and you judge me because of the color of my skin. Karen is a racist comment.

I am a nurse, I am assuming you are too. This is a nursing forum, you could at least pretend to be professional.

Thank you for doubling down on the Karenism. Karen is not a racist comment says many Karens. Again, you can't tell me how to think, feel, interpret racism, when to get over it, etc. Keep going though. You continue to prove my point because you're not listening and immediately jumped to being defensive because you don't like what I said. Thing is, I won't play this game with you for you to keep pretending to be attacked with each response. Nope, my mind won't even allow me to sink to that level. The hilarious part is you keep pretending to be some fake victim then insult my professionalism and nursing status and being condescending with the "my dear" nonsense. The sad part is you're too far gone to see your behavior is THEE exact behavior I said it was in the original post. Carry on though, I just won't waste my time responding.

[Wishinonastar, BSN]

On 6/17/2020 at 2:37 PM, Numenor said:

Didn't read my post did you, instead you link a low tier image from occupy democrats or some other far left site. K...LOL

Those variables that are ignored....

[Wishinonastar, BSN]

21 hours ago, heron said:

What you’re not getting is that it isn’t just about history ... it’s about present day attitudes, assumptions and behaviors.

For example, lynching is historical fact (pretty recent history, too). By your reasoning, if white folks have stopped lynching Black folks, then they should no longer hold us responsible for it.

BUT ... did you read about the white woman who called the police because a Black man asked her to leash her dog? Not only did she not curb her dog, she told him she would call the police and tell them that an African-American wan was threatening her. She proceeded to do so, claiming that the man (who was standing still, filming her behavior on his phone) was advancing on her and that they should hurry. Given the known experience of Black men with police, what was this incident if not an attempted lynching?

In other words, history is the story of how we got here: a white woman using false accusations and the power of state-sanctioned violence to put a Black man in his place. Racism in action.

If the people who persecuted your ancestors for their religion were still doing so, to you and your family, you might see things a bit differently.

You’re right, you can’t fix the past ... but you (we) can - and must - fix the present - or else the future gets pretty grim.

What you say makes perfect sense. And you said it well, without stooping to insults. I appreciate that. I would like to hear about the personal experiences of those who have experienced perceived racism in life and career. I do not deny that it exists. I will say, that protesting and anger will only reinforce it. Protesting police brutality can bring change, it is a matter of policy and that can change, but you cannot change a person's inner belief system through aggression. You force them into a defensive posture then. You can only change false belief by dialog and education and letting them understand and see for themselves that their belief is wrong.

I do not see why it is OK for black persons to be prejudiced against white. It is perfectly acceptable in society and it is no different than whites being prejudiced against blacks. Sometimes people need to look in the mirror at their own behavior before they go judging others.

[toomuchbaloney]

2 hours ago, nursemarion said:

What you say makes perfect sense. And you said it well, without stooping to insults. I appreciate that. I would like to hear about the personal experiences of those who have experienced perceived racism in life and career. I do not deny that it exists. I will say, that protesting and anger will only reinforce it. Protesting police brutality can bring change, it is a matter of policy and that can change, but you cannot change a person's inner belief system through aggression. You force them into a defensive posture then. You can only change false belief by dialog and education and letting them understand and see for themselves that their belief is wrong.

I do not see why it is OK for black persons to be prejudiced against white. It is perfectly acceptable in society and it is no different than whites being prejudiced against blacks. Sometimes people need to look in the mirror at their own behavior before they go judging others.

So, in your view protesting racism and anger expressed over institutional racism in this country just reinforces the racism? The white people push back, get defensive and refuse to acknowledge the problem? The issue then is refocused upon how the oppressed object to their oppression. So no kneeling during the anthem, no raised fists on honorary platforms, no marches in the streets that inconvenience businesses or communities, etc.

Are you aware that there is a difference between individual bias or prejudice and societal racism?

[Wishinonastar, BSN]

Society is made up of individuals. There really is no difference. You must change individuals to change society.

Peaceful protest to state your concerns is one thing, Working on changing policy- again- policy. Awareness and education. You can change a company's policies through improving their awareness. I believe in fairness and equality in all things. Standing up, using your voice, I am OK with that. Finding problem areas and speaking up, that is great. It was pointed out that certain brand logos were offensive to POC- who knew this until it was brought out into the open? Bring it up, bring it out, light the darkness. We do not know what we do not know. But don't assume it is all of society. Don't assume their is some plot to keep anyone down. And don't think demanding a stop to racism will stop it.

Accusing the whole of the white race as it seems is being done, that is wrong. In QI the first thing we learn is you must define the problem accurately. Root cause analysis. Root it out and work on it.