Jayden Perkins was the 11-year-old Chicago boy murdered trying to protect his pregnant mother from a violent ex-boyfriend who’d been let out on parole. Jayden was an innocent boy attempting a heroic deed against a bigger, stronger, armed assailant.

And yet I doubt Jayden’s name will be remembered in a few months. I’m not even sure that all that many people outside of Chicago have heard of him at this point. I very much doubt millions of people around the world will be demonstrating on his behalf against domestic abuse or against early release of dangerous criminals. I doubt billions of dollars will be raised in his name by “trained Marxists” who practice grifter capitalism on the side. I doubt he’ll be buried in a gold-plated casket.

Those are of course references to George Floyd and in particular the reaction to his death. Floyd almost certainly died of natural causes related to serious heart disease and the ingestion of a high dose of drugs rather than the restraints the police used on him. But George Floyd, criminal (who by the way had been guilty years earlier of home invasion and threatening a pregnant woman with a gun, which made him more akin to the man who killed Jayden Perkins than to Jayden himself), has been lauded and elevated to near-sainted and a cause, and why? Because there were cops to blame, and in particular because there was a black/white angle.

Never mind that actual killings by police of black suspects who are not armed and threatening or otherwise trying to kill police (for example, with a motor vehicle) are vanishingly low. It is a cause that can be made to suit political purposes. The death of Jayden Perkins cannot. All the people involved – the victim and his family as well as the perpetrator – are black. As such, it is much more typical of violent crime, which is disproportionately black on black. That means it is of little political use.

How much money has been raised to help Jayden’s family? There’s this, although that information is from March 18. But I doubt there’s been a whole lot in comparison to the astounding amount of money donated in Floyd’s name.

Here’s a description of Jayden:

Organizers from Peirce Elementary School, the Friends of Peirce group, the Smith & Turner Family and Gus Giordano Dance School have started a fundraiser to honor Perkins’ memory and to support his family during this difficult time.

“Jayden was an exceptional young man, respected by his peers and admired by his teachers. He excelled academically, earning straight A’s and consistently making the honor roll. He was also deeply involved in extracurricular activities, participating in cross country, football, and the arts. Jayden had a passion for performing and theater, and he had the lead role in several school plays, including “Finding Nemo” at Peirce Elementary,” the fundraiser reads.

RIP.

[NOTE: A fairly irrelevant personal note is that I lived in the Chicago area for a while and took dance lessons at the Gus Giordano studio, from Gus himself. I recall him as a nice guy.]