“The violence of recent nights is self-destructive and self-defeating,” Archbishop José H. Gomez said May 31, as a wave of violent protests swept Los Angeles and other American cities for several straight nights, following the killing of an unarmed black man by a white police officer in Minneapolis.
“The killing of George Floyd was senseless and brutal, a sin that cries out to heaven for justice,” said Gomez, who is president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).
“How is it possible that in America, a black man’s life can be taken from him while calls for help are not answered and his killing is recorded as it happens?”
The May 25 killing of Floyd, 46, came after he was arrested by Minneapolis police on suspicion of forgery. Once he was handcuffed, a white officer pinned him down on the street, putting his knee on Floyd's neck for eight minutes, in the presence of several other officers. A widely circulated video shows him repeatedly saying "I can't breathe." He appears to lose consciousness or die and was later declared dead at the hospital.
The officer seen putting his knee on Floyd’s neck, Derek Chauvin, was arrested and charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter. But since Monday protests of Floyd’s murder have spiraled out of control in major U.S. cities including New York, Chicago, Oakland, and Denver.
In Los Angeles, three nights of protests, looting of businesses, and violence against police officers prompted Mayor Eric Garcetti to order a citywide curfew Saturday night. It also led Gov. Gavin Newsom to declare a state of emergency, resulting in the deployment of the California National Guard onto the city’s streets overnight.
In his statement, Gomez said the protests reflected “the justified frustration and anger of millions of our brothers and sisters who even today experience humiliation, indignity, and unequal opportunity only because of their race or the color of their skin.
“It is true what Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, that riots are the language of the unheard,” Gomez continued. “We should be doing a lot of listening right now. This time, we should not fail to hear what people are saying through their pain. We need to finally root out the racial injustice that still infects too many areas of American society.”
While saying he shared their “outrage,” Gomez urged protesters to remain peaceful, and not allow their cause to be “exploited by persons who have different values and agendas.”
"Burning and looting communities, ruining the livelihoods of our neighbors, does not advance the cause of racial equality and human dignity."
In an apparent reference to the violence in many cities directed at police, Gomez said the actions of the white police officers in Minneapolis “does not reflect on the majority of good men and women in law enforcement, who carry out their duties with honor.”
Gomez asked protesters to “keep our eyes on the prize of true and lasting change.”
“We should not let it be said that George Floyd died for no reason,” he said. “We should honor the sacrifice of his life by removing racism and hate from our hearts and renewing our commitment to fulfill our nation’s sacred promise — to be a beloved community of life, liberty, and equality for all.”
Archbishop Gomez’s full statement, issued by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops follows:
The killing of George Floyd was senseless and brutal, a sin that cries out to heaven for justice. How is it possible that in America, a black man’s life can be taken from him while calls for help are not answered and his killing is recorded as it happens?
I am praying for George Floyd and his loved ones, and on behalf of my brother bishops, I share the outrage of the black community and those who stand with them in Minneapolis, Los Angeles, and across the country. The cruelty and violence he suffered does not reflect on the majority of good men and women in law enforcement, who carry out their duties with honor. We know that. And we trust that civil authorities will investigate his killing carefully and make sure those responsible are held accountable.
We should all understand that the protests we are seeing in our cities reflect the justified frustration and anger of millions of our brothers and sisters who even today experience humiliation, indignity, and unequal opportunity only because of their race or the color of their skin. It should not be this way in America. Racism has been tolerated for far too long in our way of life.
It is true what Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, that riots are the language of the unheard. We should be doing a lot of listening right now. This time, we should not fail to hear what people are saying through their pain. We need to finally root out the racial injustice that still infects too many areas of American society.
But the violence of recent nights is self-destructive and self-defeating. Nothing is gained by violence and so much is lost. Let us keep our eyes on the prize of true and lasting change.
Legitimate protests should not be exploited by persons who have different values and agendas. Burning and looting communities, ruining the livelihoods of our neighbors, does not advance the cause of racial equality and human dignity.
We should not let it be said that George Floyd died for no reason. We should honor the sacrifice of his life by removing racism and hate from our hearts and renewing our commitment to fulfill our nation’s sacred promise — to be a beloved community of life, liberty, and equality for all.
The translation of the Archbishop's statement can be found in Spanish here.
