The killing of George Floyd looks, on the surface, like a gaping wound on the belly of our culture. I, however, propose it is not.
The average wealth of a white person in America is $171,000. The average wealth of a black person is $17,000. What this reveals is the killing is but a symptom of a larger inequality.
It is well known that people of color are over incarcerated. I propose that this is not simply because of police policies or tactics, but a simple probability of policing our culture. So long as our culture is one that suppresses the poor in search of wealth these problems will persist.
Also, if there are 900,000 police officers in our country, what is the probability that there will always be a handful of bad cops?
Are the people ready to ask the tough questions?
Is it possible that, yes, reforms are in order, but on the whole law enforcement are doing a good job?
What have I done in my life to promote equality?
If the divisions are reflected in our culture does this mean the divisions lie inside myself first?
If color was erased how could our culture erase the wealth gap?
Killings will persist so long as our culture of disproportionate wealth persists.
Chi Ken
Eugene
A Note From the Publisher
Dear Readers,
The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.
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Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.
We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.
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Thank you for standing with us!
Publisher
Eugene Weekly
P.S. If you’d like to talk about supporting EW, I’d love to hear from you!
jody@eugeneweekly.com
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