Riots. Looting. Protesting. But to what end? It’s not enough. What would be enough is action from society itself to overturn systemic racism that continues to haunt black and brown citizens of the United States through looking within themselves to accept fault and hold others accountable. What would be enough is a wildfire that spreads to the point that it burns it down. 

People are angry. And they should be. From local to national, protests and statements have been released in a fashion that finally sparks the type of national attention we need for grand social change. Here are some questionable arrests that should be noted:

Dylann Roof: arrested and unscathed by police after murdering nine black people. 

George Floyd: choked by the knee without being arrested with a struggle. 

Breonna Taylor: shot by an officer while unarmed. 

Eric Garner: eerily similar to the death of George Floyd in 2014. 

We must remember: we are not putting all of the police departments and all the police officers in the United States at gunpoint. Not all police officers are racist. Police departments are rebuking what happened to George Floyd across the nation. Not all police officers are power hungry or abusive. There are just too many within the system that are. (Police violence has been mapped here.)

We cannot ignore the power complex that exists within some police officers and we certainly cannot ignore the systemic racism that continues to take lives. What also upsets us is the arrest of a CNN team who were reporting at the George Floyd scene. 

Black and brown citizens of the United States alongside the media are being silenced. We will continue reporting. We will continue revealing the truth, at every cost. We would risk arrest if it means revealing what happened to George Floyd. We, at the Iowa State Daily, will continue to report and continue to bring information to light if there is a problem. It’s what we do best. We are with you, CNN and every other voice being silenced during this time. 

As of this morning, former officer Derek Chauvin, who killed George Floyd, was arrested. It’s still not enough. While we will continue to rigorously report, without a breath to take, we believe incarceration and charges are deemed, at the least, sufficient for Chauvin. However, if Chauvin is prosecuted any less than the fullest extent of the law, then we are right back at square one.