Just as it was heartbreaking to see George Floyd die in the custody of police in Minneapolis, it also was heartbreaking to see protests around the country over the weekend turn violent.
As a nation, we are better than this. We are better than killing black people by suffocating them from behind a badge, and we are better than burning buildings and police cars. We are better than firing rubber bullets at peaceful protesters and news crews.
And yes, we are better than a president who incites this kind of hate and fear with an unthinking and inane taunting tweet because he doesn't know how to defuse violence and call for peaceful protests and police reforms. Instead, he throws gasoline on the already burning fires.
It's a sad day when Twitter is smarter than our president and flags his tweet as "glorifying violence." Twitter put a gray box over it to hide the tweet from public view unless a user determinedly clicks through to see it. But the box does prevent other users from liking the president's tweet or sharing it without appending comment. Twitter also flagged a later tweet posted by the official White House Twitter account which simply copied the words from Trump's earlier post. And that was all just Friday. Yikes.
But in Chattanooga, for the most part, we have been better - at least last week and over the weekend.
Last week, we wrote of our pride in Chattanooga Police Chief David Roddy and Hamilton County Sheriff's Department Chief Deputy Austin Garrett for speaking out against the death in custody of Floyd, a handcuffed black man suffocated by a white Minneapolis police officer who had thrust his knee onto Floyd's neck for an unforgivable eight or nine minutes. In doing so, our local police leaders did not form the blue line of silence that we've seen in years past when the newest example of injustice and unnecessary death at the hands of officers was thrust into the news.
Roddy's tweet - with a still photo taken from the witness's video - reads: "There is no need to see more video. There no need to wait to see how 'it plays out'. There is no need to put a knee on someone's neck for NINE minutes. There IS a need to DO something. If you wear a badge and you don't have an issues with this ... turn it in."
Garrett, a former Chattanooga officer, wrote: "As leaders our communities must know where we stand. This act of violence is black & white. Make no mistake, there's no explanation or gray in it. For 8 min George Floyd lay suffocating and dying. If you wear a badge stand up for what's right & stand up & speak out against wrong."
And over the weekend, Mayor Andy Berke stood tall.
Knowing that the community is incensed - and should be - he opted to offer as much understanding as possible. He encouraged everyone in Chattanooga "to exercise their First Amendment rights and express themselves in a safe way." Protesters did that. More than 50 protesters assembled at Berke's house, drawing chalk body outlines in the street and writing the words "I can't breathe" in the driveway, according to Chattanooga Police and news reports. Officers monitored the scene and property, and when the demonstrators had made their point, they left to joins hundreds protesting at the Hamilton County Jail and courthouse.
Later, when a banner at the courthouse was ripped down and a light post toppled, Hamilton County Sheriff's deputies came out of the building with non-lethal weapons drawn and tackled two people, and arrested three. Someone also vandalized the courthouse fountain and spray painted the statue of General A.P. Stewart.
Sheriff Jim Hammond said the protesters also ignored deputies commands and continued to verbally assault officers and "advance in a threatening posture."
"I implore those who wish to protest to do so in a respectful, peaceful manner. I assure you your Sheriff's Office will support your right to protest, but not if you endanger members of our community, threaten or assault members of law enforcement, or vandalize our buildings or personal property," Hammond said.
Despite at least one report of tear gas tossed by deputies, several firecracker pops and more than enough crude mouthing, there was no real violence, as seen on endless minutes - time and again - from Times Free Press reporters' live video.
Even when police and national guard officers stood toe-to-toe on the Frazier Avenue end of the Market Street Bridge until after well after midnight, with protesters - black and white - yelling at officers, the officers just stared back.
Now it's time for the next card to be played. Police and the mayor have demonstrated they want peace and unity. And the protesters stuck for the most part just to demonstrating.
It was noisy, stressful and painfully frightening.
But now the real work begins.
The ball is in the whole community's court, and it will take every single one of us to make good on this new day.