In May, the news of the death of an African-American man George Floyd incited many conversations that challenged racism and social injustices perpetrated by the police. In the wake of his death from the assault and brutality he received from the hands of four racist police officers, global attention has been geared towards anti-racism, police brutality and other vices targeted at minorities in the U.S. and across the globe.
Floyd’s death automatically reignited #BlackLivesMatter on social media which resulted to physical protest in the US, Europe, Asia, and parts of Africa. Black people were simply demanding one thing: ‘Stop killing us, we matter!’ While it appeared that their demands were simple, it provoked some white supremacists who tried to antagonize the movement.
For the most part, they expressed that Black People are only rehashing events from the past which goes on to threaten the progress of the world and the idea of globalization. But the truth still remains, Black people are being killed, assaulted, abused, discriminated and marginalized in the hands of white people across the world.
Wow. This Black man was shot several times in the back by @KenoshaPolice today. He was getting into his car after apparently breaking up a fight between two women. He’s in critical condition now. We demand JUSTICE! #BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/I1reDEp4nw
— Ben Crump (@AttorneyCrump) August 24, 2020
In a fresh report, police officers from Kenosha, a city in Wisconsin Michigan, were spotted on video as they shot a black man, Jacob Blake, seven times in his car. The shooting followed a domestic incident, according to a press release by the Kenosha County Sheriff’s Department. The video showed several officers trying to arrest Jacob, who walked away from them. With guns drawn, the man was getting into the vehicle when the man was shot multiple times. After the shooting, officers rendered aid to him as he was later rushed to Froedtert Hospital in Milwaukee.
If your response to seeing a Black man shot over and over in the back is to say “he should’ve followed instructions,” you are the problem. "Not complying" with an officer is NOT punishable by death under any circumstances, let alone an extra-judicial execution. #BlackLivesMatter
— Eliza Orlins (@elizaorlins) August 24, 2020
Like Floyd, the stories are very similar, a black defenceless man was assaulted after seen as a threat by the white police officers. The hyper-assault also incited similar reactions from Americans and started a global trend on social media, with many calling that the police officers be reprimanded for their actions and sadly, there are those who still think that, like Floyd, Jacob is to be partly blamed for his demise for ‘resisting arrest.’
One would think that after the death of Floyd and the radicalized movement it reignited, a certain consciousness would arise in the handling of black people in the US. If there are laws that are in place in accosting suspected criminals, then they should be followed duly to prevent hyper-assault or the ‘accidental’ discharge of firearms to suspect.
Michael is a dynamic writer who is still exploring the nuances of life and being human. When I’m not writing, I’m out with friends or spending nice time alone watching movies or TV Shows.
Michael is available on Twitter and Instagram @TheMichaelFaya
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