By Gregory Moore

DFW Lockdown – We’re in some harrowing times right now and there are a lot of questions being thrown out there from all parts of society.

However there is one segment of our community that have been trying to get America’s attention for decades if not centuries; the Black community.

Day after day…year after year..decade after decade, this community has seen countless members of their community be hanged/lynched, burned, shot, mutilated, raped and set up for being the perpetrator of the afore mentioned crimes I just mentioned.

And before I go any further on this silique, let me correct something. That’s MY COMMUNITY that is going through this and I need to make sure that this in the first person because it affects me on an every day basis. Some days, these events are just body blows and no matter how strong you may be, you have to take a mental stress day. Since the death of George Floyd, I’ve taken my share.

But this isn’t just about how I’m dealing with this…it’s about why America now thinks it is ready to tackle this problem.

The actor George Clooney said something profound today. In a post, I saw where he stated the following: “This is our pandemic. It infects all of us, and in 400 years we’ve yet to find a vaccine.”. For more on what George wrote, you can read his piece here: https://www.thedailybeast.com/george-clooney-on-the-murder-of-george-floyd-americas-greatest-pandemic-is-anti-black-racism

What’s troubling is that America has known about this ‘pandemic’ and instead of finding a way to resolve it, it has been shoved under various rugs (presidential administrations and congress sessions et al) and has been ignored by a vast majority of this country as ‘no big deal’.

Don’t believe me? Let’s go back not even 20 years for proof. Let’s go back just in the span of TEN years.

In the ten years prior to Floyd’s murder, the following members of my Black community have died and this list is just off the top of my head:

Philandro Castile

Freddie Gray

Eric Garner

Sam Dubose

Jamar Clark

Alton Sterling

Walter Scott

Tamir Rice

Botham Jean

Atatiana Jefferson

Breonna Taylor

Like I said, off the top of my head but if you want a complete database, go to the Wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lists_of_killings_by_law_enforcement_officers_in_the_United_States#Lists_of_killings

As you will see in that list from Wikipedia, that’s a lot of citizens who died and many of them didn’t deserve to die in police custody.

But why is Floyd’s murder the lynch pin here for America to “wake up”? Why this one?

THE BLACK COMMUNITY BEEN YELLING THIS WARNING FOR YEARS…..

I ask the question why this murder because this isn’t the first time we’ve read a story of a Black man dying at the hands of police.

It’s not the first time we have had a ‘national’ conversation about how there is a discriminate disparity between how many officers handle Black citizens.

And this isn’t the first time the Black community has been yelling at the top of its ‘lungs’ saying, “Hey!!! The back porch is on fire!!!”

Current and former athletes of the ‘modern’ era have been trying to get this country’s attention and it has fallen on deaf ears and blind eyes.

Again, just coming off the top of my head, here are the athletes I can think off that have been jumping up and down:

Colin Kaepernick

Eric Davis

LeBron James

DeWayne Wade

Malcolm Jenkins

Martellius Bennett

Michael Bennett

Marshawn Lynch

I’m sure I’m missing all kinds of people BUT like I said, off the top of my head listings here so not trying to slight anyone out there.

Those players listed and many more have been trying to get the attention of the leagues they play for, fans, congress, hell whoever would listen to what they are seeing and what needs to stop before the house goes up in flames.

I mean the most NOTABLE on the list, Kaepernick, has been shunned by this country because of what he wore and everyone who has shunned him are now saying, “well how did we get here?”

You know damn well how we got here…don’t play stupid and coy on social media. Own up to the eff up and say, “I shot a messenger.”

Civil rights leaders have been screaming for years about police brutality in many cases and what has that gotten the black community?

A few bread crumbs scattered here and there but NO REAL policy changes.

So I ask again, WHY is this death the catalyst for a new change in our country?

WHY is George Floyd now the face of a systemic problem that has been going on for so long that many just think of it as a ‘normal’ occurrence in their lives?

The only answer I can come up with is HOW he was murdered.

A brave teenager by the name of Darnelle Frazier shot that video footage of Floyd’s death.

From all reports, she’s needing therapy and she deserves every bit of help she can get because no teen should be witnessing this type of butchery.

But that’s the reality of the situation here.

In order for America to get ‘upset’ there has to be footage of wrongdoing and that is usually shot by every day citizens.

But even with footage of previous killings, THIS ONE moved people so much that everyone is talking about it and it appears that everyone in this country, or at least everyone that actually cares about others, is ticked off.

Look, that’s all well and good. It really is.

But understand something here, Black America has been going through this shit since the day our ancestors’ dusty feet touched the Massachusetts’ soil back in the 1600s. The sordid history of we as a people were treated is well documented and debated on a regular basis. As a matter of fact, a lot of the gains other minorities may have gotten in this country came from Black America.

But that’s not to digress and access blame here…that’s already been done in other circles.

What needs to be answered is that simple question: Why is this death the Clarion Call for this country in 2020 when there have been other Clarion Calls for almost some 400 years.

Why are you willing to listen now, America?

Can somebody answer that for me?

About the author: Gregory Moore is a former Black journalist that has written for several sports and culture websites. He has also appeared on numerous tv and radio programs discussing Black sports and the Black community in relation to society issues.