The SpaceX Rocket launch is on television at this very moment. The 2 astronauts aboard are now headed into space. This is an exciting time. The president is in Cape Canaveral to see launch. This is a historic day.
The news station has been flipping back and forth between coverage of the rocket launch and rioting that is happening across the nation. A man named George Floyd died in the hands of Minneapolis police officers after substantial excessive force during the arrest. The video footage of Floyd’s death is disturbing to say the least. Protests escalated into rioting in Minneapolis and then further escalated across the United States.
In downtown Houston last night we had nearly 200 arrests as violence erupted here. The city of Houston is known for united during times of crisis. Seeing video footage of people running the streets with crowbars smashing windows and setting a police car on fire, breaks my heart. The local news reported this morning that many of those involved are not citizens of Houston, rather from other areas. The news reported that most of the individuals inciting violence are part of an extremist group attracted to Houston because Floyd grew up here. I think that us Houstonians want to believe this as we take a great deal of pride in the unity of our city.
It feels like there is so much going on in the world all at once with the virus and tensions with China increasing. This is a time when our nation needs to come together. It is frustrating that these police officer’s horrible actions have torn our nation further apart. The launch of the SpaceX rocket is a nice distraction, but it is temporary.
Our nation has a long road to recovery ahead. The only way to get through this is together.