My thoughts on the murder of George Floyd and the unrest that’s followed
For days, I have pondered how to acknowledge the events that has unfolded in America in the past week. Social media users have rallied to demand equality and justice for the African American community. Some have never asked for this prior, and only do so when it becomes an online sensation.
The brutality surrounding the death of innocent African American, George Floyd, only highlights the institutionalised racism that has wreaked havoc across America for centuries. It has sparked global protests and statements of indignation from media figures and celebrities. In such dystopian times of a public health pandemic, an act of cold-blooded murder by a city police department has exposed the grotesque underbelly of America’s supposed civility.
Throughout history, numerous violent protests have erupted across the US with little to no improvement on racial justice. In 1992, riots rocked Los Angeles after Rodney King was savagely beaten by four LAPD police officers who were then acquitted. In 2015, riots occurred in Ferguson, Missouri when 18-year-old Michael Brown was shot dead by a police officer. What happened to George Floyd last week was another egregious act of police brutality that undermines the arduous battle to end racism in the most powerful country in the world.
It is hard to comprehend, how, after decades of police-involved torture and killings against the black community, the style of the protests becomes headline-grabbing news. The looting and trashing of communities that subsequently takes place after a senseless death is only a desperate plea for change and accountability. Although not the safest and most peaceful way to protest, what do those expect from the African American community that is continuously marginalised and racially profiled.
Since nationwide clashes began after Lloyd’s torturous death, the Atlanta mayor appealed for calm in a violent maelstrom. Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said “the solution is not to destroy our cities”. In her public address to the city she was flanked by high-profile rapper, Killer Mike, who enabled her response by urging protesters “not to burn your own house down”.
These statements may be right and are certainly justifiable to implore civilians to protest peacefully. However, focusing on the style of the protest seems futile when no evidence of radical reform in American law enforcement has been sanctioned by senior leaders. Day after day, thousands of black Americans are killed, beaten and disproportionately targeted with frisking and stop-and-search tactics. Therefore, the sheer outrage amongst the disenfranchised permits. How can one ask for such harmonious humility when a street war is perpetrated by a police force that is meant to ensure everybody is equally safe and out of harm’s way?
It remains to be seen whether the rioting inspires structural overhaul in America’s ongoing race conflict. If former protests suggest otherwise, only the loudest can help elected officials take a long look in the mirror. The most dangerous president in US history does little to quell societal unrest and only exacerbates tensions. Meanwhile, his presumptive Democratic opponent has allegedly shortlisted senator Amy Klobuchar as his vice-president choice. Her prosecutorial record on police brutality is certainly questionable, especially when it took place in the state of Minnesota, one now under a glaring spotlight.
With protests comes mobilisation, willpower and grassroots activism. The murder of George Floyd has been overlooked by the media’s intention to portray the rioters as thugs with no intention but to cause mayhem. When racism is still a widespread and blatant issue, to quote Martin Luther King Jr: “Rioting is the language of the unheard”.
