Trump never saw a Christian protester coming
Shocking videos of police misconduct at protests over the death of George Floyd are a dime a dozen, but the graphic clip of 75-year-old Martin Gugino being shoved to the ground by cops in Buffalo, New York, drew unusual attention. In a sickening fall, Gugino's head is seen striking the concrete and blood pools from his ear. The Buffalo Police Department's initial handling of the case layered injustice on injustice, and dozens of officers objected to even meager accountability measures for the officers who assaulted the elderly man who posed them no threat.
Then President Trump tweeted. Gugino could be "an Antifa provocateur," he erroneously suggested. "Could be a set up?"
As baseless conspiracy theories often do, this one reveals more about its wielder than about reality. The assumption undergirding Trump's post is that Gugino could not possibly be protesting at such great cost to himself, and, if he were, he must be under the sway of some strange radicalism. The truth is Gugino was protesting despite the risks. And he isn't Antifa, but he is a different sort of radical — albeit a kind we may have to forgive Trump for failing to recognize, as he likely has not personally encountered many examples, if any at all.
Gugino is a Christian who takes seriously Jesus' command to peacemaking. Specifically, he is a devout Catholic peace activist, Religion News Service reports. For Gugino, this has meant spending his retirement years protesting police brutality, torture, and drone warfare. He prepares and serves meals for the poor and supports organizations working on health care and affordable housing. Asked why he donates to a community health clinic, Gugino said he is merely following the direction Jesus gave "to clothe the naked, shelter the homeless, feed the hungry, and give drink to the thirsty."
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/opinion/trump-never-saw-a-christian-protester-coming/ar-BB15jiWr?ocid=msedgntp
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