Florida, June 26, 2020. Our Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, who jumped the gun in a partial opening of Florida’s non-essential businesses, had to eat crow by resending that earlier order (locked or not, red combination lock). Florida’s Covid-19 numbers are skyrocketing with no end in sight. Now the youth of our nation, who mostly thought they were immune to getting the virus because of their age, need to come to terms with catching it, especially since they weren’t social distancing nor mask wearing.

Trump is responsible for pushing the governors of our states to open prematurely. Wouldn’t want his re-election efforts to go south because of our damaged economy now would we? Notice that the ventilator conduits aren’t reaching the white patient at the right. That’s because we didn’t have enough of them initially and now are almost back to square one with hospitals almost filled to capacity. These patients (mostly Latinos and African Americans) are crying out, if they have enough breath that, They can’t breathe.”

George Floyd’s half portrait comprises the left side of the painting. This huge, 6’7”African American couldn’t breathe either, but it wasn’t due to his falling victim to Covid-19. It was due to an overzealous police officer administering a knee chock hold on George’s neck for almost nine minutes. Meanwhile, poor George was pleading (ten times) for air to breath before he went unconscious. Regardless, that officer continued pressure after Floyd’s body went limp. I mean what threat did George project–he was handcuffed, not moving, and pinned up against the tire of an automobile for God’s sake–with three officers half surrounding him. This all transpired apparently after they had partially gotten him into the police cruiser–only to have Derek Chauvin pull him out again!

Yes, it’s said earlier by the store manager to the police dispatch that George attempted to pass a counterfeit twenty dollar bill. And yes, George had a rap sheet containing nine arrests for non-violent crimes (i.e., drug possession/sale and thefts), but it isn’t certain the cops at the scene knew about that information. Still, a man’s life, regardless of his skin color or any time paid to society for past crimes committed, has got to be exponentially worth more than a mere twenty dollar amount, or mankind is no better off than the people who perished in the Flood.

You’ll notice the open handcuffs dangling from his ear. They’re open to represent the disproportioned incarceration of blacks in our penal system that are doing way too much time for their crime. Bill Clinton has since apologized for his unreasonableness in getting tough on crime. Cases are being reviewed and blacks (especially) are receiving some long over due releases. Amen?

And lastly, but most importantly, you’ll notice a somewhat smoky industrial scene floating upwards and to the left of George’s head. This represents our global pollution that our present administration doesn’t even acknowledge; and therefore, uses as an excuse to do nothing about. We think we can’t breathe now because of COVID–19 and excessive police enforcement, but I’m here to tell you we ain’t seen nothing yet that is going to compare to being able to breathe, but not having enough clear oxygen in our environment with which to do so.

I pray that all the peoples of the world would get just as upset with doing something significant about global warming, as did the African Americans (and an equally share of whites too) who protested George Floyd’s murder. Amen?

That may be a yellow-colored toilet paper, police line roll, but given its placement as a choker, significantly sends the message that BLACK LIVES MATTER– according to our Constitution and, moreover, to God Almighty, Himself.