Tears are not enough...

An early member of the Antifa movement was my Uncle
Don, the handsome chap on the left. He was a navigator
for the Royal Canadian Air Force during WWII. You
see, he also fought fascism and Nazis and as such, was an
anti-fascist. He didn't survive the war but I'm glad to see
the Antifa movement carried on in his name. Well done!!
So when exactly did anti-fascism become bad in the US?

I wasn't certain I wanted to write about this. Actually, to be clear, I didn't. Honestly, it's not the first time I've been in that quandary, either.

The subject matter is, of course, the explosive protests in America at the moment that followed the death of African-American George Floyd at the hands - or rather, knee - of a white Minnesota cop (who I'm not going to name because it's not worth uttering.) It was all caught on video right down to Floyd's physical distress, saying he couldn't breathe. The cop didn't care that he was being filmed. Neither did his partner nor two more cops not on the video. For nine minutes that cop kneeled on Floyd's neck in front of us all until he was unconscious and quite likely, not breathing. He was also handcuffed, by the way.

It was one of the most disgusting and heart-wrenching displays of sickening smug white privilege I have ever witnessed in my 62 years. In essence, "I can kill a black man in broad daylight, while being filmed. No one and nothing can stop me." Except, that's not privilege. That's murder, which is 10, if not 20 gigantic steps beyond privilege.

There were a couple of incidents against the black community prior to this that I will get into, as well. But first, why was I avoiding writing about this? There's a couple of reasons.

I suggested on both Facebook and Twitter that if anyone
found the kneeling on the left more offensive, they were
welcome to unfriend or unfollow me. This is precisely why
Colin Kaepernick took a knee during the playing of the
National Anthem. Protesting police brutality against black
Americans. He lost his job because of it but this is fine?

Number one, I didn't wanna be THAT white guy. The hippie dude who says, "Hey, man, just know that I love and support the black community." (Actually, I love and support all communities but let's just concentrate on one at a time. I'm as ADD as shit.) To me, it just seemed more self-indulgent than, you know, actually helpful in this situation.

Number two, who the hell cares what I think? I'm old, white and male. I bring nothing of value or relevance in this particular situation to the table. I have no idea what it's like to grow up black in North America. I mean, I can guess but that's all it is - guessing. That said, I understand with pin-point precision the advantages I have been afforded because I'm white. I'm not rich. Quite the opposite, in fact. I have no real influence. If I did, I'd lock every old, white politician in a metal box. Those asshats bug me.

Not sure which protest this is but if you cannot see
the pain in this man's eyes, please consult your local
optometrist. I wish ALL law enforcement agencies
in America were this empathetic right now. Many
are, don't get me wrong. But in a time like this, it
would be much nice if they ALL were. Could use it.

So anyway, here's what changed my mind on this whole thing. A few days after Floyd's murder (as a former journalist, I should feel obliged to preface murder with "alleged" but you know what? Nope) my buddy, Steve, in a very meaningful way, snapped on Facebook. As a black man, he had had enough.

I am condensing this to the most salient points but Steve said: "Today is a struggle for me... I have spent so far a large part of my day teary-eyed, trying to comprehend WTF is going on. (Showing a photo of two protests) Protestors in Minnesota last night (the George Floyd protests) and protestors in Michigan a few weeks back (the white assholes who stormed the Legislative Assembly loaded with assault weapons because their right to roam the street like rabid dogs had been taken away), there was a huge difference in the way the police dealt with it." (The Floyd protestors are being met with tear gas and worse. The Michigan protesters, despite being heavily-armed, marched in, screamed and yelled because they couldn't go to the barber or nail salon. And eventually just walked out. Like nothing had happened.)

Back to Steve's point - the current riots. "The predominantly black protesters aggressively protesting on the street. Now I've read and seen the comments. 'Why can't black people just protest peacefully?'"

Camden County (New Jersey) Police Chief
Joseph Wysocki marched with protesters this
past week. This is an excellent example of the
police doing the right thing. That said, there
are many more examples of them doing the
opposite. I am simply posting these pictures
for one reason. To show it truly can be done.

"My perspective? I don't condone looting and stealing. It's wrong and it plays right into the white privileged mentality that says, 'See? Look how they are!' But I understand it. When you are subjected to systemic injustice constantly, it wears you down until you want to act out! That's from first-hand experience." 

He added in America, white men can walk down the street, heavily armed and nothing happens. "If I loaded myself up and walked down any street, I would not get very far!" (My guess? Maybe 10 feet - 20 if he runs.)

As for why "blacks can't protest peacefully?" Steve has a response. "A few years ago, Colin Kaepernick took to his knee to peacefully protest what he felt was systemic violence towards black men in America." Beside it, Steve posted the picture of White Murder Cop kneeling on George Floyd's head. "My perspective? Even if the black guy broke the law, he should still be alive today! The cop looks pretty comfortable in his actions. When Colin K peacefully protested, he was labelled anti-American. Black-balled from working. Have those white guys fully-loaded in Michigan been labelled anti-American? His peaceful protest was not taken seriously. (Why?) 'Because he did it wrong!' (So) another black man dies. Message: Sure, black people, we want you to protest peacefully... but not like that! And if you protest in aggression, you see, that's how you people are. Dangerous!"

This photo, taken by Gary Coronado of the Los Angeles Times, speaks
louder than words. George Floyd's last words were "I can't breathe."
And then he stopped doing precisely that. Because some damn white cop
decided he had the power over life and death that day. It's so sickening.

As for Canada, well, Steve's not gonna dress America as the lecherous uncle and put Canada in a pretty party dress. We are no better. We are simply one-ninth the US population so you only see it one-ninth as much. But to be certain, if you're black, you do see it. Back to Steve's words now.

"I get this question enough and it concerns me. 'Have you experienced racism in Canada?' So that's a resounding yes! It's (as) systemic as it is in the USA. Having lived in three countries where the systems are run and governed by the white population mostly, (I think) white privilege is rampant!"

I know that I'm livid. I like to think I am listening. But
it's gonna take a lot more. We need - and more likely -
our black brothers and sisters need us to not only be
listening but to be speaking out loudly. When the white
community joins the black community in solidarity,
well, then that voice gets pretty damn loud. Trying to
do my part here. Maybe I'm succeeding. Maybe I'm
not. But I want my son to know that I tried very hard.

"And it's a concept that a large majority, one, don't understand and two, would never admits it exists. How many white people whined to me when Affirmative Action was seriously prevalent and jobs were going to visible minorities. Yeah, that must have been a tough go for you!"

As for support from his white friends (which, of course, includes me), "It's mildly comforting to hear from white people, 'Oh, that's just disgusting and how awful.' My perspective (is) you will never understand and at this point, we don't expect you to. After all, it's 'just playing the race card'."

Okay, lemme say something here. Steve is not my only black friend. But he was the first. Growing up in white-bread Oakville, I was not afforded much face-to-face with the black community. I met Steve in Grade 9. He became a friend then. He has become an even better, closer friend since. Sometimes, old friendships grow. Sometimes, they disappear. It's organic. Nothing you can control. This one, for whatever reason, grew. And frankly, I feel like I am a better man for it.

Because now, I am invited to see the world through another man's eyes. What he has seen is vastly different than what I have seen. And I'm way older than Steve. By seven months.

So, anyway, here's the man whose words you just
read with his baby girl, Hannah. Hannah is now
in her 20s and can no longer sleep on her daddy,
Steve, like this. It's pretty much my favourite
picture of them and like David and me, there
have been hundred of photos. But I love this one.

But he has seen the world for what it truly is. The worst it can be. I have not simply by virtue of my pale skin. (Seriously, I am so white. I'm Oakville white which is the whitest of all whites.)

But my friend, Renee Navarro, (who I've never actually met) is best known for her efforts with diversity in craft beer. It's seen as kind of a fully-bearded white dudes' territory. (I only have an ugly stache so I'm kinda half-assing it.) She's trying to change that. Working damn hard at it, too. She'll succeed. Gonna take a while but she will. Anyway, like the pesky little sister she is (such a pain-in-the-ass), she challenged me to write about my favourite POC, a.k.a. person of colour. (Translating that for white Oakville people.)

You see this handsome fellow here? Steve. He's my favourite. Yeah, he's better looking than me. And yeah, he's more athletic. Won Male Athlete of the Year once when we were in high school. And yeah, he's better with the ladies than I am. And yeah, the dude's smooth as silk. And yeah, people just naturally are drawn to him whereas I...

Wait, why do I like this guy again? He's pretty much kicking my ass at everything. Oh, right. Now I remember. Sometimes, you want your friends to do better than you. Especially if they really deserve it. Steve does. Peace out, brother. I will always stand beside you.