Introduction
The world is facing an increasing incidence of racism as more individuals of color get oppressed and treated unfairly. The recent biggest march against discrimination happened on May 25th, 2020, with the outrage leading to a serious debate on the social classes in America and Europe (The New York Times). Currently, awareness of racism has been created with the government working with various organizations to end it and support those affected. However, the vice dates back to the pre-colonial era in many states, with activists such as Martin Luther Jr and Malcolm X standing and opposing the oppression of their races (The New York Times). Although racism has led to many more significant campaigns involving many races, the recent Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement attracted concern and awareness against racism. In the Figure 1 below, one can see the protests occurring before the death of George Floyd in 2016, which indicates the fight for equality began much earlier.
The Black Live Matter
The full-blown BLM movement protests began after the death of George Floyd Mayweather, an African Americans citizen who died at the hands of police officers. Before his death, an employee from the convenience store called 911 reporting that Floyd had bought a cigarette from their store using a counterfeit $20 bill (Bogel-Burroughs). The police responded with officers Mr. Derick Chauvin, Thomas Lane, Alexander Kueng, and Tou Thao attempting detaining the suspect. However, they unprofessionally handled the suspect and treated him with excessive force. The suspect was cooperating with the officers who instead treated him harshly and pinned him to the ground against the police conduct. Officer Derick Chauvin placed his knee above the head of the suspect, who lied helpless on the ground. The officer kept his knee on his neck for 9 minutes and 29 seconds, leading to the suspect’s death (Bogel-Burroughs). The death of Floyd is considered the inciting incident that led to the march against African Americans.
Historically, discrimination against race, especially by the police, has been a significant concern. It is determined that other police departments are known to racially profile their suspects, especially those in the African Americans dominated neighborhood. It is reported that many African Americans were being arrested compared to other races, increasing incidents of deaths at the hands of the police and wrongful sentencing (Bogel-Burroughs). Regardless of the magnitude of the crime, African Americans were more likely to be treated harshly by the police (Sullivan and Zeleny). In Figure 2, one can see a protestor with a Black Lives Matter flag to pass the message of systemic injustice.
Thus, the death of Floyd was not the only wrong by the police against the people of African decency but a repeat of a similar incident. This action justifies the outrage and criticism the police department received after the incident. In Figure 3, one can see protestors raising their fist and taking a knee to show solidarity with George Floyd Mayweather. The riot against the death of Floyd began a day after his death in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The protest was after the clip on his murder circulated over the media overnight after his death leading to civil unrest from the public, who were enraged by the negligence of the police. However, the protest cannot be attributed to a leader who initiated it because it was supported by many people and organizations.
The violent incident triggered the march against the unfair treatment of African Americans, especially by the police officers worldwide. In Figure 4, one can see that BLM riots captured England, with protests happening in the UK to show support for the movement after the USA government took long to address the demonstrations in the country. The protest did not attract the people of color only but rather everyone who thought that Lloyd was mistreated because of his race. Their sentiments could be justified because previous incidences had proved that the police unfairly treated African Americans. Other protestors rioted to seek justice for Floyd, arguing that regardless of his race, no person was to be subjected to treatment leading to untimely death (Sullivan and Zeleny). The movement was began spreading gradually to include more locations.
Despite the protest beginning in the Minneapolis – Saint Paul metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Minnesota, it spread to all states in the USA. By June 6th, there were over half a million protesters in the streets of the United States, forcing authorities to apologize to the masses and promising reform (Sullivan and Zeleny). BLM was supported by many organizations outside the USA that were meant to force the US government to take action against the murders of Floyd and make better policies that could end racial discrimination. The sporting industries in the UK were among the champions of the movement, with sportsmen taking a knee to condemn the action and little efforts by authorities to end racism (Capital FM). In addition, many clubs used BLM jerseys during their training and game time to raise awareness.
The protest began peacefully, with many people condemning the actions of the police and carrying banners to pass their message to the authorities. However, the slow response from the leaders and police aggravated the movement. Many people marched toward the police posts, and the confrontation between the police and the public led to more causalities. In Figure 5, it is shown that the police had issues controlling the protestors. It is reported that civilians and police officers died from casualties; in Minneapolis alone, over 1300 properties were damaged with an approximate $350 million cost of properties destroyed, as seen in Figure 5 showing angry protestors destroyed property (Miedaner and Winter). Other protestors looted stores to prompt authorities to react fast to end the marches.
As the goal of the uprising was to encourage police reform and justice for Floyd, and the protestors were granted their wishes. The police officers involved in the death of Floyd were dismissed from the force, with officer Mr. Derick Chauvin prosecuted immediately, with his accomplices later charged for aiding in committing a felony. The state ensured that the suspect was given a proper send off with the masses honoring his death. The police were later retrained, and more bills were passed to improve the interaction between the public and the law enforcement (Johnson). Specifically, the Congress passed the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2020 intended to hold the police accountable for misconduct and reformation of the police training policies (Johnson). Police officers, especially those from Minneapolis, were further retrained on how to handle suspects to avoid the repeating of such incidents.
The reason for choosing to address the BLM protests after the death of Floyd is that racism is still affecting society. In the USA alone, African Americans get disproportionately more often arrested compared to whites, with some detentions later proved to be police-falsified (DeSilver et al.). Officers have the tendency to racially profile suspects in many incidences, which leads to arrests using excessive force. The police are reported to have associated African Americans with substance abuse and distribution, which enables arrests (DeSilver et al.). Racial profiling affects people of color because it diminishes their status in society, such as employment opportunities, self-esteem, and social lives overall.
While assessing the incident, it was important for the narrative not to be biased since it could affect credibility. Thus, before writing, it was crucial to verify the information and gather data to give objective commentary on the issue. Proper research helped to point out the protest’s authenticity and purpose. Since not all protests have positive underpinnings, getting background information regarding the incident is conducive to pinpointing the motives of the riots. Additionally, one can establish how they individually have been affected by the movement and other parties involved.
Secondly, assessing the impact of BLM helps to understand the magnitude of the protest on a larger scale. With the movement impacting the police forces and the public, it is essential to have accurate facts to avoid conflict. Further, criticism should never be overlooked because it is instrumental for pointing out the truth, thus improving one’s understanding of the issue at hand. Notably, while BLM was welcomed by large groups of the population worldwide, there were people who condemned the destructive actions of protestors. Finally, the fullness of information helped the narrator assess whether the problem was resolved before the protest ended or whether better policies were implemented to improve future outcomes.
While writing the narrative, it is vital to have a stand. Personally, I am pro-BLM because racial discrimination is a vice that needs to be stopped. Racism affects the quality of our society’s development. However, while presenting the narrative, it was crucial to consider varied perspectives on the topic to present a credible argument. A large population welcomes the fight against racism, and the movement received no criticism from reputable sources. Therefore, there was a generally favorable view of BLM by larger society, as evidenced by the reforms it had caused.
Few challenges were encountered when completing the assignment because most of the information was readily available online. However, obtaining other information, such as the pictures taken by photographers at protests, was more complicated that seemed. The problem was solved by downloading the picture from the host sites but giving credit to their work through proper MLA citation and references. Referencing original authors will help in avoiding any legal issues for breaking copyright policies, especially since thr information was used in a study project and not for monetization purposes
Conclusion
To conclude, the Black Live Matter protest after the death of Floyd can be considered one of the most popular movements in modern US history. The protest was justified by attracting support from the majority, with the government forced to react to protestors’ demands and implement policies that would ensure that the incident would not occur again. One can note that protests tend to be triggered by occasions that enable people to express their disappointment with authorities and call for immediate change that can be sustained long-term.
Works Cited
Banks, Clay. “A Fist Raised in Solidarity for George Floyd.” Unsplash, Web.
“BLM Protestor with a Flag.”Arkrepublic, 2020, Web.
Baster, Nicole. “Black Lives Matter Demonstration, July 2016, New York City.” Unsplash, Web.
Capital FM. “What Does ‘Take the Knee’ Mean & Why Are Premier League Players Doing It?”Capital, 2020, Web .
DeSilver, D., et al. “10 Things We Know About Race and Policing in the U.S.”Pew Research Center, 2020, Web.
Eades, James. “Black Lives Matter London Protest, 6th June 2020.” Unsplash, Web.
Johnson, C. “Text – H.R.1280 – 117th Congress (2021-2022): George Floyd justice in policing Act of 2021.”Congress.gov | Library of Congress, 2021, Web.
Kaupanger, Kayle. “BLM Protestors Destroying Property.” Unsplash, 2020, Web.
Kunii, Koshu. “Black Lives Matter Protest in DC, 6/1/2020.” Unsplash, 2020, Web.
Miedaner, D., and D. Winter. “From Building Damage to Police Payouts, the Costs of Floyd’s Killing are Piling Up.”Minnesota Reformer, 2020, Web.
Sullivan, Kate, and Jeff Zeleny. “Obama on Death of George Floyd: ‘This Shouldn’t Be ‘Normal’ in 2020 America’.”CNN, 2020, Web.
The New York Times. “In Photos: Protesters March in Cities Across America.” The New York Times, Web.
Bogel-Burroughs, Nicolas. “Prosecutors Say Derek Chauvin Knelt on George Floyd for 9 Minutes 29 Seconds, Longer Than Initially Reported.” The New York Times – Breaking News, US News, World News and Videos, Web.
Unsplash. “Black Lives Matter Pictures | Download Free Images on Unsplash.” Beautiful Free Images & Pictures | Unsplash, 2022, Web.