Officer Ella French’s funeral was Thursday in Chicago. French was gunned down during a traffic stop earlier this month. A sea of police officers attended her funeral outside St. Rita of Cascia Shrine Chapel. Chicago’s Mayor Lori Lightfoot was in attendance. No celebrities or members of Congress were there. Other than her fellow police officers, Officer French was buried with significantly less fanfare than George Floyd.
The difference? French actually saved at least one black life and probably many more. Floyd, a career criminal, harmed people. He pleaded guilty to a 2007 armed robbery in which he threatened a woman with a gun that he pointed at her abdomen. Based on the police report, it appears he did so in the presence of a toddler.
On July 1, French helped save the life of one-month-old Terriana Smith, who was shot in a mass shooting in the Englewood neighborhood of Chicago in July. French aided Smith after she was shot. She escorted her on a gurney and rushed her to the emergency room.
“Everything’s going to be OK. We got this together. Don’t panic,” French was quoted as saying by Charles McKenzie, Smith’s uncle. “‘Hey, everything’s going to be OK, I got you. We’re here together. I’m not going to leave you guys.'”
This is just one example of the undoubtedly many times Officer French came to the aid or helped save black lives. Yet, there was no fanfare by any of the cadre who routinely talk about how those lives matter. No celebrities financed the funeral. No entertainers spoke out on her behalf. No politicians from Congress attended her funeral. French did more to save black lives than any of them. Yet, French’s funeral was not nationally televised. French only had one funeral. There was not a gold coffin for her.
Incidents such as these should reinforce the scam of the Black Lives Matter movement. At a time when the heads of the organization crusade for the plight of African Americans in the country one minute while purchasing million-dollar homes the next, the real champions and protectors of black lives go unnoticed and get vilified. Officer French helped save more innocent black lives in her community than any of the frauds parading around the country now, pretending to care. Yet, French was buried today without fanfare — a sharp contrast to Floyd.
The time has come to start championing the heroes of our society. We must stop martyring those who spent years harming their communities over those who tried to protect them. Officer French deserved a hero’s funeral. Instead, she will most likely be forgotten about in a week, if not sooner.
