Sure every life matters no matter what colour or caste or the boxes that humans seek to put them into. However, that’s very good on paper. Reality is different. And tiring (“Protests over Floyd’s killing spread across US,” May 31, Gulf Today).

Mindsets will not change because of the death of George Floyd. For all you know, the news about the black man being killed will be replaced with another. And this has been going on for centuries.

Ever since the blacks were brought as slaves. They were given the rank of animals. A different species that wasn’t human. They were naked, bound and chained. The tactics are different today, but undignifying nonetheless. As it has been all those centuries ago, that black lives don’t matter, it has just been reinforced that the mindset of then hasn’t changed now.

It took protests for the police officer to be charged with the killing. And what about the other three who were complicit in their involvement? They aren’t charged yet. So we can be sure that we can cry and burn all we want but we cannot change the collective mindset of an entire nation.

Joyce D — By email