Opinion: I can't breathe: An open letter to those who also seem to have lost their breath
"If you are neutral in the situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor."
- Desmond Tutu
Last week was very emotionally draining for us, but especially those of us in the African-American community, as we have been witness to several acts of blatant racism and violence on top of dealing with the already draining COVID-19 pandemic. We witnessed the Coopers in Central Park, New York, where an African-American, Harvard-educated bird watcher asked a young Caucasian woman to leash her dog, and this caused her to become infuriated and attempt to change the narrative by calling the police and stating, frantically, that she was being harassed and threatened.
Luckily the entire episode was being recorded, and as a result, this blatant example of hyper fear and stereotyping could be exposed to the world. While this may have been one of the few times it has been captured on video, this is an all-too-often experience for African-American men and women in the presence of other races. It manifests itself in the locking of doors, the clutching of purses, the crossing to the other side of the street and even the avoidance of eye contact, as a sign that there is a preconceived perception of fear and harm based on their stereotyping of African-Americans as violent, loud and threats in general.
Then almost simultaneously in Minneapolis, Minnesota, we were witnesses to the final moments of Mr. George Floyd, as he succumbed to the pressure of a knee on his neck placed by the then police officer, Derek Chauvin. This over 7-minute event was not only filmed on a cell phone, but was watched by three other officers who had planned on submitting contrary reports as a means of covering up the murder of this African-American man in the streets of Minneapolis. The hatred and racism that was demonstrated in this murderous moment speaks volumes to the value of African-American lives by many.
This blatant suffocating and taking of the life of George Floyd is a violent act of police brutality and a devaluation of life, not African-American life, but human life. The photos and videos that have surfaced have positioned Officer Derek Chauvin kneeling on the neck of Mr. George Floyd while postured with his hand in his pocket as a hunter that is showing off his 10-point buck. Part of the problem is that because there has been a detachment of humanity from African-Americans, there seems to be no public outrage when they are treated like animals. The asphyxiation, choking and positioning of knee on the neck might have physically occurred to Mr. George Floyd in Minneapolis, but it has been happening systemically to African-Americans through the practice of racism, racial profiling and discrimination for years, and it is a demonic and satanic act of oppression. The question becomes how is this act of choking until someone dies demonic?
First, breath is not something given by man but by God. We find in the creation narrative of Genesis 2:7 that after forming man from the dust, the last act of God was to breathe into man's nostrils the breath of life, making man a living soul. In other words, not only is this a major difference between animal and human, the breath, but it was a gift of God to give life. That means choking to kill is antithetical or directly opposite to God's desire to give life. Even more significant is that anyone that tries to suffocate or choke is saying to God that the life God gave is insignificant, and then they stand against God to try to undo what God has done in giving life. So, Officer Derek Chauvin was demonic in his choking, but he wasn't alone, for there were three other officers that stood by and watched as life was taken through suffocation. I would like to suggest that anyone that stands by and watches a person or people be suffocated, by a physical knee or by a systemic knee of oppression, without taking a stand is just as guilty as the assailant directly.
Second, breath is needed to cause sound, for it is breath that vibrates vocal cords for the production of sound. In other words, where there is no breath, there is no voice. Breath was given to man not only for life, but for praise, as Psalm 150:5 reminds us, "let everything that has breath praise the Lord!" Part of the demonic kneeling of Officer Chauvin was that it prevented Mr. George Floyd from screaming or yelling. He couldn't use his voice. Systemic asphyxiation attempts to prevent the oppressed from having a voice, and that is what racism, discrimination and racial profiling have done for years. But again, Officer Chauvin may have been the main aggressor, but he was not the only culprit, for there were three other officers that did not speak up to top the suffocation. I would also suggest that those that don't use their voices when the oppressor is suffocating the oppressed to the point they have no voice are just as guilty of choking and asphyxiation as the one whose knee is on the neck.
Finally, kneeling on the neck limited the mobility of Mr. George Floyd's sight. Sight is connected to hope, for if I can see a way out, then I can believe that a way out can be reached. Officer Chauvin, by kneeling on the neck of Mr. George Floyd, not only took his breath, but also took his sight and hope. The enemy, satan, knows that the more our sight is disrupted, the more hopeless we become, and when we become hopeless, we stop fighting and allow the systemic oppression to prevail. The officers could stand by and not help, because they knew that eventually Mr. George Floyd would stop fighting because he lost hope. I would like to suggest that there are people in places and positions that could speak up and step up to give support and voice to the challenges of oppression and racism, even though they are not directly impacted by that racism and oppression, but they aren't and won't because they are hoping that eventually the oppressed will lose hope and stop fighting. They are hoping that this will just pass over, as it has in the past, and that they can rewrite the narrative to provide a coverup.
This is not an African-American issue, though it is negatively affecting African-Americans directly; this is a human issue. In a season that is supposed to be drawing us together, there are still items that expose how fragile our actual relations are. Let this be a defining moment where silence is broken, stands are taken and change is made. I encourage you as you listen to the comments of your friends, your family and the statements of your pastors that you take note of how they are stewarding their breath, their voice and their presence. For if they are silent, just standing around, and not taking a stance, then they are just as guilty as the system that is kneeling directly on the neck of the oppressed.
Napoleon A. Bradford, D.Min., is the lead shepherd of The L.I.F.E. Center: A Cyber Community of CHRIST Followers.