Dear Editor,
Almost 40 cities imposed curfew and 15 states activated the National Guard in the United States. The people are defying curfew and claim police brutality. There were protests in London and Berlin near the US embassy about the unjustified killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota, US.

I don’t get the impression that the ruling elites realize that this incident is massively eroding US soft power or moral authority. They can no longer criticize China over Hong Kong when they are treating their protesters equally or more brutally.

The US is facing an economic, social and political crisis and needs unity to have all hands on deck. This socioeconomic turmoil is playing out just before a presidential election, so it will be part of the matrix of electioneering.

I watch with astonishment that no Caribbean leader has advised the US that she is acting in an authoritarian manner. I don’t know if they are scared, or if they would handle the situation with equal brutality.

What is sure to occur is billions of US dollars in damage to property, the jailing and brutalization of many, and possibly, lives lost. This could have been avoided if the situation had been handled properly before it spread globally.

The meme and motto of the protest is “no justice, no peace”. This will be the mantra of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and Caribbean leaders should take note.

Yours truly,
Brian Ellis Plummer