Delaware Online, June 30, 2020: Opinion | Why removing the whipping post is important for Delaware
In one month, the Black Lives Matter protests that followed the killing of George Floyd in Minnesota transformed our national debate. The protests moved beyond a call for an end to White police officers killing unarmed Black men to calls for sweeping criminal justice system reform.
As our new national debate informs officials to remove Confederate statues and flags from public squares and NASCAR races, contemporary symbols of police brutality are falling as well. In Philadelphia, the statue of Mayor Frank Rizzo — known for his indulgence of police brutality toward minorities — was removed out of concern for public safety. In Georgetown, Delaware, a monument to the state’s own peculiar institution — the whipping post — is finally being seen for the savagery it represents and removed.
