Something to think about on this George Floyd Day. In life, he was convicted of multiple minor offenses, which culminated in a home invasion armed robbery, where he held a gun to a woman’s stomach. This is worthy of life imprisonment without parole, and in a civilized nation, he would still be alive, separated from the rest of society for the rest of his life in a prison colony. Instead, he served four years, and, well, we know what happened. What other fate would even be possible for someone like Floyd? An early violent death on the streets was inevitable. By failing to properly punish the habitually violent, we condemn unknown innocents to their violence. Only a total reevaluation of how we approach crime will solve this, along with a level of resolve that is all too rare.
