by Chelsea Swaby
In the summer of 2020, the Black Lives Matter movement became one of the biggest protest events in history. The world was in an uproar after numerous deaths of black Americans and the realization of recurring systemic racism and police brutality against blacks became painfully clear. George Floyd. A black man from Minneapolis, suffocated by officer Derek Chauvin, who pressed his knee against Floyd’s neck for over eight minutes. Was justice ever served for Floyd?
Breonna Taylor. A young woman who was sleeping peacefully in her home in Louisville, Kentucky, was shot five or six times while in her home. Was justice ever served for Taylor?
The world seemed to be outraged by these recurring acts of racism against blacks but now that we are no longer locked up in our homes, due to Covid 19, has everyone forgotten and slipped back into normalcy? Although many Americans are no longer fighting day after day for social justice, and taking to the streets, we are still left with the question: was justice served?
The Black Lives Matter movement peaked on June 6th when half a million people turned out in nearly 550 places across the United States. It was stated that, “Four recent polls, suggest that about 15 million to 26 million people in the United States have participated in demonstrations over the death of George Floyd and others in recent weeks” (Buchanan). The brutal murder of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and many others has had the whole world riled up the past few months. Attempts to peacefully protest often turned violent when police used methods deemed excessive to suppress the crowds, forcefully shoving, pepper spraying and sometimes even beating the protesters of BLM.
George Floyd was allegedly accused of passing a counterfeit twenty dollar bill. When the police were called to handle the situation, the alleged counterfeit twenty dollar bill was never inspected or collected before, during or after his arrest. Officer Derek Chauvin, one of four officers called to the scene, knelt on Floyd’s neck for eight minutes and forty-six seconds. According to the source, “Floyd was handcuffed face down in the street, while two other officers further restrained Floyd and a fourth prevented onlookers from intervening. During the final two minutes, Floyd was motionless and had no pulse” (Wikipedia.org). No one stopped him. Floyd, repeatedly said “I can’t breathe”. After slowly losing air, George Floyd died at the scene; no one helped him. How many times is a black man going to have to shout “I can't breathe” until an officer realizes he’s human just like everyone else? Chokeholds and kneeling on necks should never be a form of containment when the people you are dealing with aren’t even criminals.
Breonna Taylor was peacefully sleeping alongside her boyfriend in her Louisville, Kentucky apartment on March 13th, 2020 when three plain clothed officers forcefully entered their apartment as part of an investigation into drug dealing operations. Only after the fact did they learn that they had entered the wrong home. According to The New York Times, , “ roughly a dozen neighbors [were interviewed] and alleged that only one of them, who was on the exterior staircase immediately above Taylor's apartment, heard the officers shout "Police!" once and knock at least three times, while approximately 11 other neighbors heard no knock or announcement, including one who was outside smoking a cigarette” (Buchanan). Taylor’s boyfriend, thinking they were intruders, fired a warning shot in self defense. Officers responded by shooting a total of thirty two shots in return, fix or six of them hitting and killing Breonna Taylor. On three accounts of wanton endangerment the neighbors’ walls received more justice than she did.
Was justice ever served? At the start of summer we were outraged by these unjustifiable murders and here we are now just a few months later, strangely calmed from the chaos. But was justice ever served? Were the officers ever charged? Will the officers ever be charged? The killer of George Floyd was released on a million dollar bail. Floyd, was only forty-six; say his name. The killers of Breonna Taylor were never put to trial. We live in a world today where you can be wrongfully murdered and your neighbor’s walls will receive more justice than you. Let that sink in. Taylor was only twenty six; say her name. We need to to keep protesting and we need to keep marching for our rights, for justice. Otherwise, we will never receive that justice.
Works Cited
Buchanan, Larry, et al. “Black Lives Matter May Be the Largest Movement in U.S. History.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 3 July 2020, www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/07/03/us/george-floyd-protests-crowd-size.html.
“George Floyd.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 5 Feb. 2021, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Floyd.
“Shooting of Breonna Taylor.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 1 Feb. 2021, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shooting_of_Breonna_Taylor.
Photo Credit:
Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, R.I.P. by Sniggie
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