“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about the things that matter” said by Martin Luther King proves to be true in the current scenario where the brutal death of George Floyd generated the wave of resentment among the black masses of the African-American communities and gathered thousands of people to protest against the prevalent bias and injustice done towards the black community.
It all started back in July 2013 when the phrase “black lives matter” was first used by a black community organizer Alicia Grazia in a Facebook post following the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the shooting death of black 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. This movement gained acceleration in 2014 when Michael Brown, a black teenager, was shot brutally by a policeman in Ferguson, Missouri. The movement was started by Alicia Garza, Patrice Cullors, and Opal Tometi, with a vision and mission to eradicate white supremacy and a biased white system. The movement that was germinated as a hashtag now has landed in the streets. Presently there are thousands of people from different parts of the world, including the USA, UK, Germany associated with this movement, and as of now, the movement has gained the support of 38 communities.
“All men are created equal,” says the Declaration of Independence, yet American Democracy has violently excluded certain groups. The USA constitution is enormously embedded with racial, economic, and educational disparities. The cry of the masses that the world is witnessing presently is not just the product of police brutality that the innocent people are facing rather it is a result of the rigorous enslavement of black people for more than 500 years, incarceration, murdered for being heterosexual or non-binary, biased and unjust rules and regulations. The most contemporary form of anti- black violence is police brutality. According to a regional crime survey of the late 1920s, Chicago and Cook County African Americans constituted just 5 percent of the area’s population, and they made up 30 percent of the victims of police killings. One similar incident happened on 25 May 2020 when George Floyd, a resident of Minnesota, was arrested for using a counterfeit note of $20 at a local store. Floyd tried to physically resist the arrest, then a white police officer Derek Chauven went to restrain him and kneeled on his neck for at least 8 minutes 46 seconds despite his gasping and repeatedly saying, “I can’t breathe.” His physically disabled body was taken to the hospital, and he was pronounced dead.
The incident sparked violent protests and demonstrations in more than 75 US cities, and as the day advanced, more people joined to demonstrate against George Floyd’s death. Initially, the protests were peaceful, but later there was hooliganism of stores, windows were broken. Subsequently, police used tear gas, flash grenades, smoke bombs, rubber bullets on the protestors to stop all this. Till date there are more than 400 shops vandalized and completely destroyed by the small minority who turned violent. However, they must not be confused with the protestors who are peacefully raising their voices during the day time following all the social distancing norms. These happenings exposed the hypocrite face of Indian celebrities who are on one hand are raising voice for #blacklivesmatter on social media whereas, on the other hand, promoting the fairness products that indicate a standard of beauty set by the skin complexion of the person.
The important question here is, all that is happening in the world currently is justified? The answer is police brutality and a biased system are not justified, vandalizing in the name of protest is not justified; racism is not justified.
Research conducted by the Pew Research Centre showed that black groups are treated unequally in dealing with the criminal justice system and police. They are subjected to slurs or jokes; they are treated unfairly in hiring, pay, or promotion. They are considered less intelligent as compared to whites. They often fall prey to unjustified bullies and touches of humour in schools and colleges. The unjust and unequal treatment called for a revolt, which was much needed this time, but destroying and burning stores and houses of innocent people, taking lives, destroying their hard-earned money in the name of revolt was not essential. In the words of John Lennon, “When it gets down to having to use violence, then you are playing the system’s game. The establishment will irritate you: pull your beard, flick your face to make you fight. Because once they’ve got you violent, then they know how to handle you. The only thing they don’t know how to handle is non-violence and humour.”
By- Shivangi Goel
REFERENCES
- Literary
a. https://www.ushistory.org/.
b. https://www.thehindu.com/
c. https://blacklivesmatter.com/about/
d. https://www.newyorker.com/
e. https://www.pewsocialtrends.org/
- IMAGE SOURCE
a. https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/
b. https://www.worthpoint.com/
c. https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?