Bob Schwartz

You will have seen or heard about the video that came to light today. It shows a black man handcuffed, beaten and killed by Louisiana State police officers—two years ago. At the time, the police reported to the family that he had died in a car crash. Since then, the official story has not changed, though they say there is an “investigation” ongoing. The only concern of the police today is that the video was leaked.

It is almost reflexive to blame any horrors of the past four years on the outlaw monster in the White House and his administration. In this case, though, you can see the through line. The police, not just the officers but their superiors, believed that in 2019 America, you could get away with anything, because at the highest levels, you could get away with anything, especially if you were claiming law and order. You might even be praised and honored for it. So there were no worries.

Our disgust is not just for what happened here, or the other cases, seen and still invisible. It is for the cover ups, the “what about” equivocations, the twisted visions of America that justify this. But above all, the emboldened racism and intolerance that is increasingly on display, showing what some knew, and some suspected but hoped wouldn’t be so brutally confirmed: There are millions of inhumane and hateful people in this country—yes, your neighbors, whatever your neighborhood—who are more comfortable than ever acting with impunity on that hate.