Portside

The George Floyd murder is turning society inside out

Racism in America is like dust in the air. It seems invisible — even if you’re choking on it — until you let the sun in. Then you see it’s everywhere.

What happened to Floyd happens every day in this country, in education, in health services, and in every area of American life, it's time for us to stand up in George's name and say get your knee off our necks.

Policymakers in the 1960s had the answers - give political and economic power to the people - but walked away. Instead, policymakers blamed black people for the instability, ignoring the buildup of centuries of racial oppression.

Two-hundred thirty-six current and former staffers for Mayor de Blasio signed an open letter calling on him to live up to the promises of reform that initially drew them to work for him. One demand is to cut the $6 billion police budget by 1/6.

Reader Comments: George Floyd's final words; Protests for George; against police brutality, against massive militarized police, against systemic racism and white supremacy; against Trump; nature of police unions; mail-in voting; labor solidarity;

Amy Cooper knew exactly what she was doing. We all do. And that's the problem.

Our fellow citizens are not the enemy, and must never become so, says former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

There are more communities living in poverty across U.S. metropolitan areas than there were four decades ago — and the neighborhoods that were already poor have even less now.