I have come to realize something about racism, and specifically about how incendiary and toxic its influence really is. Purveyors of racism will latch on to a tiny sliver of truth, so that critics can’t object to the core of their argument, but then they twist and manipulate their message, ultimately weaponizing it in a monstrous way.
And Cannon Hinnant’s death is perhaps one of the saddest examples of this. No one is saying his death doesn’t matter or that it was in ANY way justified. I see people highlighting comments by trolls on social media, but that’s just what those are; trolls, saying vicious things for the purpose of being vicious. But the people currently crying out about Cannon’s death can’t possibly believe that supporters of Black Lives Matter (BLM) - or anyone else - condone this atrocity. Even suggesting that is objectionable, because it feeds into an underlying fear about the BLM movement, that it’s somehow about raising up black lives OVER the value of anyone else. That the movement is trying to reverse racism and subjugate white people. In reality, the raising up of Hinnant’s death as a rallying cry is completely saturated with racism.
Again, those weaponizing the death of a 5-year old are latching on to a true statement: his death was terrible, and a vicious crime for which justice must be served. But then the spin begins. “Compare his life to that of George Floyd’s!! He was innocent; Floyd was a criminal!” I have to wonder, why??? Who said George Floyd mattered MORE? When was that ever the sentiment? All anyone has ever demanded was justice for a man killed senselessly over a non-violent crime.
Some individuals are thus using this “cover” to level racist accusations against Floyd: “He was a lowlife anyway.” “He had a heart condition.” “He said ‘I can’t breathe’ before he was even handcuffed.” But now who is comparing the value of life?? When Floyd, or Breonna Taylor, or Ahmaud Arbery, or any of the other victims of police violence were killed, did the BLM chants EVER say “these deaths matter... and NO ONE ELSE’S DOES!!!” No! Absolutely not.
This is a systemic problem. Cannon Hinnant’s death was not part of an overarching societal atrocity, where young children (of any age, gender, race, or religion) are being targeted by criminals (or anyone else). That doesn’t mean his death doesn’t matter. But Floyd’s death - and so very many others - is part of a very, VERY long trend that is a cancer in our society. Violence against black and brown people is excused, justified, and even condoned, and has been for as long as anyone alive can remember. BLM campaigns that state “say their name” are emphasizing that EVERY murder is a person, a life with meaning. And they have to say that, because there genuinely are forces that work to delegitimize the value of their lives. As is clearly evidenced in the comparisons that some feel they need to make between the deaths of Floyd and Hinnant. BLM wasn’t making those comparisons. The equivocation is being promulgated by racists looking for a story to hold up and throw in the faces of BLM and its supporters. It is as if they are saying: “We’ve cared about black lives for days, weeks, even MONTHS now! We’re sick of it!!” But it’s not a short-term problem. This is a rot at the core of this country. The roots of the very establishment of a police force - for ANY purpose - have racist motivations. And the inequality festers and festers and festers. It has NEVER been directly dealt with, and so the cries for equality continue... and MUST continue!
There is no need to equivocate here. No sane (non-troll) individual would say Cannon Hinnant’s death doesn’t matter; that Floyd’s mattered MORE. No one has said that. That is a fundamental, and in some cases willful, misunderstanding of what BLM is about. These are lives that have systematically mattered LESS in this country for four hundred years. The racist sentiment that black lives are less important was enshrined in the Constitution, and has seeped deeply into the minds of Americans. So much so, that so-called “black on black crime” is ALSO a product of this mentality. This country has convinced people of color (POC) that their OWN lives matter less, and therefore killing another black or brown person is less of a crime than killing a white person. And again, no one is suggesting we should flip this around and encourage POC to perpetrate crimes against Caucasians! The goal of the BLM movement - and a goal that should and could be embraced by everyone - is simply that ALL lives should be as valuable. That our society should be working to make everyone’s life important, and anyone’s untimely death a tragedy. That is simply not true at the moment, so declaring “All Lives Matter” misses the point entirely. We need to lift up and put a spotlight on the lives that are being devalued.
Declaring that “Black Lives Matter” is, in some ways, like saying “Save the Rainforest!” Perhaps someone could respond back, “But what about MY plant? Don’t the trees in my yard matter too???” To which, hopefully, I would respond: “No one is systematically trying to destroy your trees or your plants. They don’t need our support or defense. There ARE, however, people destroying the rain forest!” Why would efforts to save the rainforest negate the rights or value of any other plants??? So too, the call - and insistence - that Black Lives Matter is about protecting lives that are indeed being targeted and devalued. Racism is a real and active force in this country (and around the world), and it is right now weaponizing the tragic and horrific death of a young child.
Cannon Hinnant’s death is awful. And so incredibly sad. Why would anyone need to say that it’s MORE sad than the death of George Floyd, or Philando Castile, or Eric Garner?? There is simply no need to equivocate like that. And doing so either unintentionally, or sometimes maliciously and purposefully, undermines the fight against racism. Every murder is terrible; so is a system of racism. We can condemn both at the same time, and continue fighting TOGETHER for equality for all.
