To the editor:

Following the tragic death of George Floyd, we saw peaceful protests turn into riots in many of our major cities. The Democrat mayors of those same cities and their state governors failed to quickly and forcefully respond to the protests when they became violent with assaults on police, assaults on law-abiding citizens and the destruction and looting of businesses. In Seattle, and other cities, police officers were ordered to stand down and were then verbally abused and pelted with rocks, bottles, bricks and Molotov cocktails.

The mayors and governors were unprepared for the violent protests. They, or someone in their administration, should have had the foresight to see problems coming based on what happened in other cities over the years after the death of blacks at the hands of police. Some governors and mayors have said “stay away” to President Donald Trump while their cities burned. The lack of support for the police, the defunding of police departments and the talk of completely dismantling them has emboldened the violent protesters. Violence has increased dramatically in New York City where Mayor Bill De Blasio has reduced the police department budget by $1 billion. As I write this letter, Portland has seen over 50 straight nights of protests, mostly violent, directed primarily at law enforcement.

Think of how the actions of a single police officer in Minneapolis sparked the senseless violence and destruction and deaths across our country.

As the “peaceful protests” began to wane, the mobs turned their attention to destroying statues under the pretext of ridding the country of symbols of racism and hate. I am not opposed to removal of Confederate statues. They belong in museums. But Confederate statues, forcibly removed by mobs, were not enough. The mobs turned their attention to the destruction of anything the mob felt was offensive to them, sometimes, but not knowingly, tearing down statues of persons that actually were in support of the abolishment of slavery. It seems they are simply bent on flexing their collective muscles to destroy and deface.

The turbulent environment of today has also emboldened the cancel culture. In 2016 Republicans and Trump supporters were called misogynistic, homophobic, xenophobic, racists, fascists, and 50% were labeled “deplorables”. Today, if you are white you are a racist. If you are white, you are a white supremacist. If you are white, you are privileged. Because you are white the cancel culture may eventually come for you. There is no differentiation between Republican or Democrat, it is simply if you are white you are all the above. To my Democrat friends who are white, you are not exempt. You are guilty of whatever sins the radical left or cancel culture wants to say you are guilty of.

Look around at the burning and destruction and the rising crime and violence happening today in our cities. Tomorrow it may be happening in the suburbs and beyond. Getting on with attending to the needs of the country may likely take a back seat as long as there is violence and anarchy in the streets.

Meanwhile, Joe Biden remains in his basement. There his handlers know he is safe from unfavorable questions, gaffes and not knowing what state he is in or what office he is running for.

Chuck Peterson

Fort Dodge