Just like a virus, racism is a public health crisis that has plagued our state and country for centuries. And it continues to cost Minnesotans’ lives. It’s been four months since the brutal murder of George Floyd, but conservatives in St. Paul and Washington D.C. have done little more than pay lip service to the families devastated by racist police violence.
That’s why Minnesotans are sending a clear message: we’re not going to take it anymore. Thousands of our neighbors have taken to the streets to demand justice for George Floyd, Philando Castile, Breonna Taylor, and the countless others whose lives were cut short because of the color of their skin.
That’s our First Amendment right. But the Trump administration and their conservative buddies are trying to spin our calls for justice to scare and divide us.
Distractions and scaremongering
When Vice President Mike Pence and Ivanka Trump landed in Minnesota this week, they brought Trump’s message of division with them. While too many police officers continue to abuse their positions to assault and harass Minnesotans of color, the Trump administration is more concerned with firing up their radical white supremacist allies.
The Trump administration is trying to stifle the calls of Minnesotans with hateful, divisive nonsense. They’re unfairly pointing fingers at our communities while letting bad cops get off scot-free. Here in Minnesota, we’re proud of our rich diversity. We’re proud that our calls for justice have reverberated across the country. And we’re sick of watching Trump and his buddies attack our neighbors and friends.
Plus, the timing is just insulting. 200,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 with no relief in sight. Many are out of work and struggling to put food on the table. The future of the Supreme Court is at stake, which means many of our rights are at stake, too. This “tour” is a distraction to divert attention away from the Trump administration’s big, fat, failures.
Minnesotans see through it, so why can’t conservatives? Why do they continue to stand by the Trump administration’s misguided, racist agenda? Because it’s their agenda, too.
Enough is enough
After years of protests in our cities, conservatives continue to ignore our cries for true change. They continue to try to point fingers and shift the conversation. That’s because they don’t want to address the real issue: systematic racism. Until we call out the biases and prejudices that hurt our communities, we can’t begin to make it better. Minnesotans are ready, so why aren’t conservatives?
And that’s exactly why we need to hold conservatives accountable. While they go along with Trump’s cheap distractions, we’re fighting for racial justice and progressive values. Will you join us? Follow ABM on Facebook and Twitter for updates and action alerts.
