As the protests over the death of George Floyd continues in the US and spreads to nations all around the globe, one of the top officials at the Department of Homeland Security argued that Floyd would have still met the same fate even if he were white.
In a TV interview with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, Ken Cuccinelli said that the death of Floyd was not related to Floyd’s race as he believes Floyd would still have been killed by Derek Chauvin and the other police officers who were accused for murder and manslaughter.
This seems to be in direct opposition to the message of many protestors who argued that systemic racism and police brutality towards non-Whites in America are the core reasons of this incident.
Moreover, it is in line with other government officials who have officially denied and expressed their disbeliefs that a systemic racism currently exists in America. It is no surprise that the main messenger behind this argument is the head of the executive branch, President Donald Trump himself.
Cuccinelli said that what he saw in the gruesome 8 and a half minute video was not the evidence of racism but rather that of a bully who is abusing the authority and power he has been given because he is in charge of the situation.
He continued by saying that although he didn’t take the time to review Chauvin’s record in law enforcement, it seems likely that he was never respected by his fellow officers for his leadership or characteristics. In fact, more than 15 complaints had been issued against Chauvin before this incident.
Contrary to the voices out in the streets, Cuccinelli said that there are only a small number of racists in America. Moreover, he expressed confidence that a stricter filter and training will be sufficient to ensure that those racists do not rise to positions of power and authority.
Cuccinelli’s words echo that of many top government officials, including Attorney General William Barr. Barr said that while he agreed there are racists in America, he does not believe the entire system of enforcement to be racist.
Acting head of DHS repeated the arguments that were prevalent in past cases of police violence by arguing that it is not the system, but the shortcomings of individual officers that lead to conflicts like this one.
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Replaced!