The US Enters a Perilous Summer: Racial Tensions and a Divisive President

The streets of the United States have erupted in violent protests, triggered by the gruesome death of George Floyd under the knee of a white Minneapolis police officer. The officer has been charged with murder, and the other three involved in the arrest have been fired. However, the protests continue, fueled by a sense of anger, bitterness, and sadness that pervades the country. What sets this latest uprising apart is the presence of Donald Trump in the White House, a president who embodies white privilege and is viewed by many as a racist.

The US has a long and troubled history of violent clashes incited by racial hatred, dating back to the Cincinnati riots of 1829 and the Tulsa race massacre of the 1920s. The current protests are sparked by a pandemic that has thrown tens of millions of Americans out of work, disproportionately affecting African-American and young adult men. In the midst of this tinderbox, Trump sees an opportunity to politicize the fallout from Floyd's death, criticizing Democrat mayors and governors for not being tough enough on protesters. His rhetoric is reminiscent of Richard Nixon, who rode the "law and order" mantra to the White House in 1968.

Key Takeaways:

• The US has a centuries-long record of violent clashes incited by racial hatred, including the Cincinnati riots of 1829 and the Tulsa race massacre of the 1920s.
• The current protests are fueled by a sense of anger, bitterness, and sadness that pervades the country, triggered by the gruesome death of George Floyd under the knee of a white Minneapolis police officer.
• Donald Trump's presence in the White House has made this latest uprising feel different, as he embodies white privilege and is viewed by many as a racist.
• Trump sees an opportunity to politicize the fallout from Floyd's death, criticizing Democrat mayors and governors for not being tough enough on protesters.
• The pandemic has created a tinderbox of racial tensions, with tens of millions of Americans out of work, disproportionately affecting African-American and young adult men.
• Richard Nixon's "law and order" mantra is being used again, this time by Trump, to whip up support among his mostly white Republican base.
• Trump has a history of inciting violence, having used his campaign rallies to whip up crowds and tweeted that when "looting starts, the shooting starts".
• The country is entering a perilous summer, with a long, hot season still ahead and an unstable bigot in charge.

Statistics:

• Over 100,000 Americans have died from COVID-19, with a disproportionate number being African-American and young adult men.
• Tens of millions of Americans have been thrown out of work by the pandemic, with African-American and young adult men being disproportionately affected.
• The US has a centuries-long record of violent clashes incited by racial hatred, with the Cincinnati riots of 1829 and the Tulsa race massacre of the 1920s being two notable examples.
• Donald Trump has a history of inciting violence, having used his campaign rallies to whip up crowds and tweeted that when "looting starts, the shooting starts".

Sources:

• Garry Mason, Staff Lead, The Globe and Mail, June 2020