George Floyd’s Murder Sparks a Movement
Since the birth of this nation, people of color have been treated unfairly. You would think that, after over 240 years that we, as a nation, we wouldn’t be dealing with racism anymore. The sad truth is that we will probably never see a time in the United States that is genuinely free of racism and hate. While that is a hard pill to swallow, one place we absolutely cannot allow racism to prevail is in our police force.
In recent history, the American people have become more vocal about police brutality, specifically towards people of color. The recent surge in demonstrations and marches demanding equality began in Aug 2014 after 18-year-old Michael Brown Jr. was shot and killed by a police officer in Ferguson, MO. This shooting was not without its controversy as the officer who shot Brown claimed that he was being attacked by the 18-year-old. On the other hand, Brown’s friend, Dorian Johnson, claimed that brown was shot in the back while his hands were up.
This led to unrest and demonstrations across the country. Since then, we have seen numerous instances of bad cops acting on their prejudices and killing unarmed people of color. Such killings include the murders of Trayvon Martin, Tamir Rice, Michael Brown, Eric Garner, and Breonna Taylor to name a few. Each of these killings sparked demonstrations and discussions about the systematic racism in the United States. Unfortunately, we have yet to see much change on this front.
The movement was sparked again on May 25 in Minneapolis, MN. George Floyd was killed by Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin, who placed his knee on Floyd’s neck for over nine minutes while he was face down and handcuffed. Floyd was arrested after being accused of using a counterfeit $20 bill at a local supermarket. Two separate autopsies deemed Floyd’s death a homicide. Chauvin and three other officers face charges related to the incident.
Rather than acknowledging the problem at hand, the Trump White House blamed Antifa for the violence at some of the demonstrations. In actuality, the violence was carried out by individuals who were simply looking for an opportunity to cause chaos and loot businesses. Despite reports of exactly that, President Trump announced via Twitter that he plans to classify Antifa as a domestic terrorist organization.
There is no excuse for this blatant disregard of human rights. In 2020, we take a stand.