A 700-pound bronze statue of George Floyd has been unveiled outside of the City Hall in Newark, New Jersey. Local news reports state that the timing of the statue reveal was to coincide with the “Juneteenth” holiday on Saturday, June 19th. Juneteenth is a symbolic representation of the ending of slavery. The statue was apparently given as a donation by the artist free of charge. It will remain outside of the City Hall for one year. The next destination for the statue after the year is up is not currently known.
Placing a statue of George Floyd outside of the City Hall in Newark comes off as pure political pandering. Floyd is not from New Jersey, or anywhere close, so why is there a statue of him there? It would make sense for the statue to be there in Newark if George Floyd made a positive contribution to society. But he did not. Regardless of how anyone feels about Floyd’s death, one thing that cannot be done here is to cite things that did not happen. George Floyd was not a man deserving of a statue of himself. According to many on the left, the only thing good that George Floyd did was… die.
Nancy Pelosi thanked George Floyd for dying because his death sparked a wave of violent “protests” that made way for political change favorable to the left. Unfortunately, this is George Floyd’s shining accomplishment. He was not a man like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. who preached around the country for years the principles of non-violence and racial equality. Nor was Floyd like Malcolm X, a man who reached into the gutter to grab other men out and shape them into productive members of society. Those men deserved statues. George Floyd does not.
Newark, New Jersey is a crime-ridden city and has been for a long time. Empty, symbolic gestures like a one-year loan of a George Floyd statue will not change that fact. Dumping money on top of the situation won’t help either. Mark Zuckerberg once famously donated $100 million dollars to Newark Public Schools. And of course, a follow-up on the impact of the money was requested. A quote from an insider of NPS said “everyone got paid, but Raheem still can’t read”. This just goes to show that all the “woke” gestures and messaging cannot change a poisonous culture. That task must be led by parents who care. And caring parents should not introduce their children to toxic idols like a giant statue of George Floyd.
SOURCES:
700-pound bronze statue honoring George Floyd unveiled in Newark
Mark Zuckerberg’s Newark schools cash drop: “Everybody got paid but Raheem still can’t read” | Salon.com
Juneteenth National Independence Day Act (2020; 116th Congress H.R. 7232) – GovTrack.us
Summary of H.R. 7232 (116th): Juneteenth National Independence Day Act – GovTrack.us
