OPINIONS/EDITORIALS
EDITORIAL
Turning the Tide Against the Toxic State
These are trying times to say the least and the intensity of the challenges Americans are facing is creating a toxic state. Day in and day out, news of violence, injustice, sickness and death is having a very real impact on the mental health of adults and children, alike. As difficult as it’s been to watch the trial of Derek Chauvin, the Minneapolis police officer facing first, second and third degree murder charges for the killing of George Floyd, many Americans are glued to their screens watching the daily recount of evidence and testimonies, including the horrific video, showing the heinous act that led to Mr. Floyd’s death. The hope for justice in this case is restrained by pessimism resulting from not guilty verdicts most in law enforcement receive, particularly for acts against Black people. But we sit, and watch, and cry, and relive the pain, while our children watch, too. Then, there’s cause to celebrate the arrival of three vaccines — Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson — that will make Americans safer against COVID-19. But, the promise of reopening, traveling and gatherings is tempered by the threat of a fourth surge and reluctance by many to take the vaccine. Life as we knew it has not returned, and when it will is unpredictable. Upcoming holiday celebrations and much anticipated graduations will be put on hold or delayed once again. Instead of tossing tasseled caps with excitement in the air, graduates will sadly lower their computer screens to mark the momentous occasion in 2021. The U.S. is among the leading countries with the highest prevalence of mental disorders. In the 2021 report on the State of Mental Health in America, mental health among adults is increasing and youth mental health is worsening. The stresses of life do not discriminate, and the response including drug abuse, alcoholism and suicide, don’t discriminate either. The government’s response is stimulus payment. And while it addresses a financial crisis, it is not a cure for anxiety of depression. People need help and access to mental health care without stigma or shame. Let’s talk about it, and ensure affordability and accessibility for everyone who needs today. WI
With George Floyd’s Murder Televised for All, How Will Children Be Effected?
As the Derek Chauvin trial enters its second week, viewers have seen witnesses for the prosecution testify that the former police offer’s restraint of the victim, George Floyd, did not follow standard police tactics or training. In Chauvin’s defense, lead attorney Eric J. Nelson has attempted to bolster his argument that his client may have found it difficult to provide medical assistance or to remove his knee which he held on Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes because of the crowd around him. Still, with Floyd being heard saying that he could not breathe and even crying out to his deceased mother, and with several onlookers pleading that Chauvin remove his knee, it’s hard to imagine that a more humane solution could not have been employed by him and his fellow officers. Legal experts believe that the trial will continue for at least another several weeks. In the meantime, the grim scene of Floyd’s slow death, allegedly due to asphyxiation, has been rebroadcast – in part and in its totality – numerous times. And unfortunately, it’s not just grown folks who are watching the murder scene. With most schools still providing instruction virtually and with YouTube and other social media platforms making the trial easily accessible, perhaps the real question remains not how many people will see what Chauvin did but how few? Viewer interest in television coverage of the trial has been high based on ratings data from Nielsen with one cable channel, HLN, broadcasting its entirety since the proceedings started on March 29. In fact, HLN, which averaged 470,000 viewers for the one-hour slot beginning at 3 p.m. on Monday, reported its highest daytime ratings since 2013 when viewers watched the trial of George Zimmerman – the neighborhood watch volunteer who fatally shot Trayvon Martin, an unarmed Black teenager. “The numbers show that there is a high level of interest,” said Ken Jautz, an executive vice president of CNN, who oversees HLN, in an interview. “This trial raises so many prominent and searing societal issues – issues of policing practices and how law enforce-
TO THE EDITOR
Taking My Best Shot D.C. From Our View I'm looking forward to getting vaccinated. I thought long and hard about it and I realized I have nothing to lose. People worry about what's in it, but I'm beyond that. I choose to have faith in the scientist and medical experts. I hope everyone considers getting vaccinated for their safety. Gretta Childers Oxon Hill, Md.
ment treats people of color.” MSNBC reports that on March 29, 929,000 viewers watched the trial as it began just after 10:30 a.m. By Friday, the fifth day, MSNBC viewership figures for the morning portion had risen to 1.2 million viewers. Still, the figures are nothing close to interest to the 1995 O.J. Simpson trial during which around 50 million people watched the trial’s conclusion from their homes – a number that may have been three times that size if the number of people watching it at work, at school or in airports or restaurants had been factored in.
WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM / THE WASHINGTON INFORMER
I'm kindly requesting The Washington Informer release a fun living in Washington, D.C., supplement. I love your health, finance and housing supplements, and I sure could use one on exploring the city from a Black perspective. I'm sure many others would agree. Anywho, keep doing what you're doing. Tina Flowers Washington, D.C. But when the Chauvin trial is over and the jury has rendered its verdict, how will children interpret what they have seen? Will they fear or will they admire the police – men and women who are sworn to “protect and serve” all citizens, regardless of race or ethnicity? Of course, there’s at least one other possibility. Children, having seen so many examples of “man’s inhumanity to man” committed by the police, may fall victim to complete apathy. In other words, they may no longer find a reason to care at all. And that is what we fear most of all. WI
APRIL 8 - 14, 2021 25
