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The protests following the death of George Floyd have brought attention to the methods used by law enforcement officers in the restraint of suspects.

It has been implied (by some) that the way Mr. Floyd lived his life justifies the way his life ended and that he should not be viewed as a hero.

Mr. Floyd may not have been a saint, but he was a human.

People around the world protested the cold and callous way the officer ended Mr. Floyd’s life.

If Mr. Floyd was resisting arrest (which the video did not show), then the officers had to control his actions, but after he stopped moving and the officer indicated that he had no pulse, then what was those last two minutes of restraint for?

The protest were not only for Mr. Floyd, he was just a martyr.

The marchers were using the only method they had to protest the mistreatment of minorities (Black, Brown and Asian) not only by law enforcement, but also by hate groups who have been encouraged by this president.

When we cannot even get a anti-lynching law passed, then what are we supposed to do?

As a retired law enforcement officer, I vehemently disagree with some of the tactics used by a few of the protestors.

However, when they say “no justice no peace” then this is what they mean.

We see minorities being incarcerated for five years for selling a $5 piece of crack cocaine while the president’s friends are not prosecuted or he gives them a pardon.

We see Wesley Snipes go to prison for not correctly reporting his taxes while the president won’t even produce his tax records.

We see all the president’s men being released from prison because of the coronavirus but Bill Cosby remains in prison.

When we this, it makes us angry.

When we face the possibility of four more years of President Trump and six more years of voter suppression because of a Senate that manufactures methods to suppress minorities’ ability to vote, and with Sen. Mitch McConnell stacking the courts with judges that will do anything the president wants, then what are we to do?

President Trump described the protestors as thugs and animals.

If you want a real life description of thugs and animals, go to the internet and look up the lynching of Mary Turner on May 19, 1918, in Lowndes County, Georgia.

I won’t describe what happened to her or the 8-month-old unborn fetus she was carrying because I was also unable to read the whole article because of my anger.

The vast majority of Americans are good, God-fearing people who don’t condone the actions of this president or the senators.

When the Ppesident attempts to use a video of two small children running toward

each other to hug, and tries to make you think one was chasing the other, then the president thinks you are a fool. Let’s show him different.

Reed Hampton

Winchester