George Floyd: the grift that keeps on giving

Let’s get the obvious out of the way first. As I wrote two years ago, the murder of George Floyd was a monstrous crime. The image of Derek Chauvin kneeling on Floyd’s neck is a repugnant sight. George was no saint, but the police have a duty of protection to all, not just the good guys.

That said, the widespread eulogising of the two-year anniversary of his death ought to raise the sceptic’s eyebrow. The renaming of the Minnesotan intersection as ‘George Perry Floyd Square’ in his ‘honour’ is an affront to decency. And the clamorous repetition of his image and name bears precious little to do with equality – here’s why:

Firstly, no one would remotely care about George Floyd had he not been black. Yes, I said it. Cast your mind back to the brutal police murders of Daniel Shaver, Brandon Stanley, or James Scott?  You never heard of them did you? No, you weren’t supposed to; they were white men, and thus far no one has identified a way to profit from their deaths.

Secondly, while police brutality may well exist, its primary target is certainly not black people. As an illustration, consider police deaths in custody. While 12% of White and Hispanic homicide victims die at the hands of the police, the comparable Black victim rate is ‘just’ four percent. If you are demanding infallibility from the police force solely where your own race is concerned, you may be seeking something other than equality.

Thirdly, black criminals are vastly over-represented in criminal activity. While constituting around 13% of the US population, black people account for 62% of robberies, 57% of murders and 45% of assaults. It is not unreasonable to highlight the fact that black criminals are therefore disproportionately coming into contact with the police.

Fourthly, black criminals do not exactly treat police officers with kid gloves. Not only are police officers 19 times more likely to be killed by a black assailant than the other way around, black police officers are also over three times more likely to shoot than their white colleagues.

The implication that Floyd’s death would have been avoided had he been white is therefore not borne out by the data. And the further insinuation that his murder would somehow have become more acceptable, had the officer been black, is frankly beneath contempt.

No, the death of Floyd has little to do with the man himself, and everything to do with the toxic narrative it has come to embody. Black victimhood is the grifters’ grift – the bread and butter of left-wing politicians, multi-millionaire athletes and the wokest multinationals. White privilege may be a dangerous lie, but it’s still a good seller.

Speaking of liars, take a look at London mayor Sadiq Khan, who takes his virtue signalling as seriously as Floyd took his crime. Here he is on the butchering of Lee Rigby, beheaded on the streets of London in broad daylight:

Today we remember Fusilier Lee Rigby, who was killed eight years ago in a horrific attack while off duty in Woolwich.

Here, on the brutal slaughter of MP David Amess (so quickly forgotten):

I am so deeply, deeply saddened by the tragic news that Sir David has passed away. He loved being an MP and was a great public servant. It is just awful.

But when it comes to the commemoration of Floyd, Khan ups his game:

Today marks two years since the brutal murder of George Floyd. My thoughts and prayers remain with his family and friends, and all those who still feel the pain of this horrific injustice.

We must never forget our commitment to rid the world of racism. #BlackLivesMatter—always.

It’s a shame that the great and the good generally perceive white victimhood as bad taste, because there’s plenty of it to go around – if only one could monetise the content. No one could be bothered to riot for instance, when a black man filmed himself beating pensioners in a care home. There was no public outcry at the derisory probation handed to Brittany Covington, who livestreamed the racially-aggravated torture of a white mentally ill teenager. No buildings were desecrated when Emmanuel Aranda threw 5-year-old Landen Hoffmann off a third-floor balcony. Perhaps if you stick a few videos up on YouTube, you might at least get some advertising revenue?

But seriously, it’s obviously the case that Black Lives Matter more, although the wheels did threaten to come off the BLM bandwagon momentarily last week, with the staggering discovery that the organisation has been on the take. Fortunately, Floyd’s two-year anniversary provided the perfect opportunity for chancers like Obama to remind us all how trivial other deaths are in comparison:

As we grieve the children of Uvalde today, we should take time to recognize that two years have passed since the murder of George Floyd under the knee of a police officer. His killing stays with us all to this day, especially those who loved him.

Yes, you read that right: ‘I don’t care how innocent your slaughtered children were, we can’t find a use for their deaths.’

What does it say about the West, that genuine victims are forced to make way for a career criminal, because he is more marketable? How about indulging some real victims for a change – possibly some of George’s? What about naming the intersection after some of those he robbed, assaulted, or simply held at gunpoint in their own home while searching for drugs and money? Don’t hold your breath.

The left are mocking us with their selection of George Floyd as their mascot – a wrong’un, unimpeachable because of his skin colour. Any conservatives playing along for fear of being called racist ought to be ashamed of themselves. Floyd was a scumbag; he’d have been a scumbag had he been white, except he’d have been forgotten. Society is cheapened by the beatification of Floyd, just as the word ‘honour’ is demeaned sharing a sentence with him.

It’s time these anniversaries were given the respect they deserve: none whatsoever.