Dominant reality overlooked

I was stunned by the headline in the latest issue: “Floyd protests break out into widespread rioting” (Villager, June 10). I do not believe that is the dominant reality of what occurred. Rather widespread peaceful protests have dominated. Your editorial choices further shocked me when comparing the page 1 photo of a young black man voicing his emotions at a protest in front of the governor’s mansion to the photo on page 4: Under the headline, “Volunteers rally to help secure and restore neighborhoods,” is a photo of a young white man carrying a broom. Can you explain the choices you made?

Anne B. Parker
Lexington-Hamline

White-washing the Floyd story

I pulled my latest issue of the Villager out of its plastic sleeve and instantly I’m hit with the connection of the words “protests” and “widespread rioting” in the front page headline and the words “vandalized and looted” in the sub-headline before any mention of “black man’s death.” What a glaring example of cultural bias in our news media.

Whoever it was who wrote the headline is guilty of bad editorial judgment. Millions of people around the globe have left their homes in the midst of a pandemic to scream and chant and protest and plead for change following the murder of another black man at the hands, or in this case the knee, of police. In the Highland area, a couple of windows were broken and a number of white-owned businesses hastily boarded up their shops. In Midway, where a number of businesses were damaged and destroyed, there will be more of a long-lasting impact on the community. But the story is not rioting and looting. That is a byproduct of the continued systemic racism too many people experience at the hands of law enforcement and the pent-up anger sparked by the video that has now impacted the world.

The words you choose to use in a headline shape the narrative. As for the story itself, I understand why reporter Jane McClure described in the first paragraph “George Floyd’s death” and not “the murder of George Floyd,” as the police officer has not been found guilty in a court of law. But the headline says so much, and in this case the Villager white-washed the story. By focusing on the words “widespread rioting” when that is not really the long-term story, the Villager is catering to a culture that needs to grow up.

I agree that rioting and looting are part of the story, especially at the local level, but by making it the headline you are downplaying the significance of what has been sparked by yet another terrible example of police brutality and the negative consequences of racism in our society. 

D.J. Johnston
Lexington-Hamline

Racist subtext to your reporting

I was disgusted by the front page of the June 10 Villager. It was bad enough that you thought the most important story of the past few weeks was not about the murder of George Floyd or the repeated instances of racist police violence that continue to plague both St. Paul and Minneapolis over many decades. You barely mention the dominant response to the killing, which was peaceful protest, and then slander those protests by suggesting they turned to violence. In fact, nearly all violence broke out after protests had ended and involved only a small portion of participants in a small number of the protests. Nor do you mention the movement that has emerged to shift our resources toward more effective means of addressing crime and violence. 

Instead, you write a headline that screamed ,“George Floyd protests break out into widespread vandalism and looting,” and claimed without evidence that the violence in our community had spread “from South Minneapolis.” In case anyone doubted the racist subtext of your reporting, you illustrated the story with a photo of an African-American man who was screaming and flexing his muscles while marching in one of those protests. He was clearly one of the thousands of citizens who channeled their outrage into peaceful protests and marches. He walked alongside white neighbors who share his anger and frustration with the patterns of racist policing that are hardly limited to Minneapolis. By centering him below your misleading headline, you clearly intended to associate him and other black citizens with the violence that you falsely believe had “spread from Minneapolis” and become the most important aspect of this story.

I hope that you find a way to report more accurately on the real problems facing our diverse and deeply troubled community and stop spreading the racist fearmongering that lies at the root of the crisis we face today. In the meantime, you owe us all an apology.

Will Jones
Macalester-Groveland

Racial stereotypes perpetuated

As a white woman in a multiracial family, I was troubled by some of the racially insensitive coverage of the protest and its aftermath in the June 10 issue of the Villager. The front page headline reads “Floyd protests break out into widespread rioting” with a large photo of a peaceful protest featuring a black man who appears to be passionately shouting. Note the man was not rioting, vandalizing or looting. But rather, as the smaller caption under the photo describes, he is part of a peaceful protest parading past the governor’s mansion on Summit Avenue. But the large headline connecting the photo of the black man to “widespread rioting” was mischaracterized.

The reporting continues on page 4 with three photos of white people with a bolded headline: “Volunteers rally to help secure and restore neighborhoods.” There are no photos of black people on this page even though they widely participated in cleanup efforts.

We have all heard the saying, “a picture is worth 1,000 words.” What message do the photos communicate? While I doubt that the editor’s choices were malicious, such reporting perpetuates stereotypes and fuels systemic racism in our community. We can do better. We must do better.

Kristine McKinney
Highland Park

Villager missed an opportunity

I am disappointed by your article “Floyd protests break out into widespread rioting.” You are a voice in our community, and you missed a prime opportunity to report on the real issues our city and country are grappling with. You chose to make your front-page headline about rioting instead of racism. You spent half a page listing businesses that were vandalized instead of reporting on police brutality and racial inequalities. You presented us with quotes from people of power—the police chief, politicians, business owners—but left out the voices of activists, community organizers and protesters.

Language is important. By focusing on property over people and leading with damage to businesses over a black man’s life, you are missing an opportunity to contribute to a meaningful dialogue that is desperately needed in the neighborhoods you serve.

Phil Wacker
Macalester-Groveland

Black voices oppressed

After the Minneapolis police murdered George Floyd, thousands of Minnesotans took to the streets to call for justice in an expression of grief and anguish. A chorus of George Floyd’s last words, “I can’t breathe,” rang through the air as protesters urged people everywhere to “say his name.” Protest signs called for the officers involved in the murder of George Floyd to be arrested. Protesters called for recognition that black lives matter and for the dismantling of racist policies that oppress black, indigenous and other people of color.

The Minneapolis protests sparked a global movement spanning all 50 states and 18 countries. People called for justice, not just for George Floyd, but for the countless other black men, women, and children needlessly killed by police. This uprising brought heightened awareness of the work of local organizations such as MPD150, Reclaim the Block, and Black Visions Collective among others who have long been fighting to defund police and invest in local communities.

Yet, the front-page headline in the June 10 Villager would suggest a different story. The words highlight not the demands of the movement, but the actions of a few rioters and looters. The image captures not the violence of the police against masses of peaceful protesters, but the stereotypical depiction of an angry black man. The article mourns not the loss of lives, but the destruction of capitalist enterprises.

This coverage oppresses black voices and allows violence against people of color to continue unchecked. I urge the Villager to rethink their coverage of this movement. You have the opportunity and the responsibility to pull the curtain back and look beyond the surface level narrative. Include the demands of protesters and the accomplishments of the movement. Include the displays of art and community in the wake of George Floyd’s death. Uplift the voices of local black leadership. Let them tell their story.  

Rachel Adley 
Highland Park

No more than a business flyer

I was distressed to see the racist front cover of the June 10 Villager. This protest was about the death of George Floyd and the rage it and the hundreds of other deaths at the hands of police have inspired. The violence and looting appeared to be from groups who were taking advantage of the chaos and had nothing to do with the demands for justice for Floyd and all the others who have killed by police. You are not a newspaper, just a business flyer.

Virginia Martin
Summit-University

Better hang on to that plywood

St. Paul business owners may want to hang on to the plywood that was covering their windows for a while. Just think what may happen if the president gets re-elected or the jury in the George Floyd case comes back with the wrong verdict.

Gary Fischbach
Mendota Heights

Grateful for the mayor we have

Thank goodness St. Paul has somebody so sane, balanced, thoughtful, ethical and intelligent as its mayor during these challenging times. As the crisis has played out through multiple news conferences, he was a welcome voice of compassion, empathy and reason, speaking eloquently and showing leadership throughout.

If you are unfamiliar with what Mayor Carter is about, I recommend watching his interview with Conan O’Brien on YouTube. Mayor Carter has inherited a complex societal problem that has been festering for centuries, dating back to the original sin of slave owning. We need leaders who will help us, to quote Al Sharpton, “make America good for the first time.” Finally! It is long overdue.

Heidi Burris
Macalester-Groveland