Many of you have contacted me about George Floyd. I interacted with him for two years when I was volunteering at the Salvation Army Harbor Lights Homeless Shelter in Downtown Minneapolis. Being white, scrawny and from a small town, I was scared when I first went to volunteer. I wanted to change the world and Floyd was one of the first people I encountered at the shelter. He had the speak softly but carry a big stick demeanor that TeddyRosevelt talked about. After seeing him a couple times a week for an extended time he seemed more quiet than threatening. There was a calmness about him, even when breaking up fights or working with the police to subdue unruly clients. He was a constant mediator, deescalating arguments and sometimes violence. He was a brave man and for the brief time that I knew him I knew he was doing God's work, protecting the helpless, the poor, the desperate who had no one else to turn to. This man did not deserve to die. He deserved to be honored and rewarded for performing this service. I am not saying he was a saint but he made his difference in the world. He made his impact. How many of us can say that we did the same? George Floyd protected me when I was in an environment that to me sometimes felt unsafe and for that I will always be grateful to him. He was a good man. May he rest in peace.
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