George Floyd Protests: The Struggle For Equality And Against Oppression, Racism
On May 25th, 2020, an event in Minneapolis became the trigger for a long-pending struggle for equality to explode into a worldwide phenomenon. A Black American man named George Floyd or the “Gentle Gaint” as fondly called by his friends died during a Police arrest on that sad day.
What happened during George Floyd’s arrest?
A convenience shop employee complained to the police about George allegedly using a counterfeit USD 20$ bill (which was later disproved). One among the four officers who arrived on the scene, Derek Chauvin pulled George from his car and pinned him to the ground, kneeling on his neck. A bystander recorded the entire incident, in which George can be heard saying that he is not able to breathe and asking him to lift his leg off Floyd’s neck. The recording also shows that the other three officers Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Kueng, and Tou Thao did not intervene and stop Derek during this act.
From this video footage shared by The New York Times, it is clear that George passed out during the later moments of the arrest and the officers call out for Emergency services dispatch. George was loaded to an ambulance and was later pronounced dead at a nearby hospital due to cardiac arrest. This clear, minute by minute coverage gives clarity and proof as to how Police brutality and racist mentality took as away an innocent’s Black American man’s life.
Black Lives Matter: Protests and Riots in US against Racism
Following the viral spread of Floyd’s murder on the internet, Nationwide protests erupted across the US with people taking to the streets. The protestors can be seen calling out Justice for Floyd, For equality, and against Racism. The numbers of protestors on the streets are growing day by day, despite the raise of Corona/ Covid19 cases all across the country.
In some isolated incidents, the Protestors started rioting with people breaking into stores, robbery, and arson. The police department has been charging protestors with video evidence from the security cameras in the stores. These types of incidents are turning out to be negative news in the overall coverage of “Black lives matter” protests.
US Government’s stand on the protests and Riots
During his press meets, US President Donald Trump condemned the murder of George Floyd and has promised multiple times to bring the accused to justice.
But Trump has taken a strong stance against the ongoing riots stating some of them as “terrorists” and that the Minnesota Administration is failing to contain the protests. He also mentioned that the US military would be deployed if required. This statement of his has received backlash from the public and press.
What happened to the Police officers accused in George Floyd’s incident?
All four police officers have been charged under various sections for the homicide case of George Floyd. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison is charging Derek Chauvin, 44, with second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter charges.
The other three police officers – Tou Thao, 34, J. Alexander Kueng, 26, and Thomas K. Lane, 37 are charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder while committing a felony, and with aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter with culpable negligence.
All the four accused were fired from their jobs at the Minneapolis police department on June 2nd, 2020.
Business Leaders and Celebrities Across Industries Supporting The Protest
The widespread Black Lives Matter protests supporting George Floyd and against racism are garnering support from many Business Leaders, Celebrities who are conveying their support in public.
Today on US Google & YouTube homepages we share our support for racial equality in solidarity with the Black community and in memory of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery & others who don’t have a voice. For those feeling grief, anger, sadness & fear, you are not alone. pic.twitter.com/JbPCG3wfQW
— Sundar Pichai (@sundarpichai) May 31, 2020
The list of CEOs includes but is not limited to Sundar Pichai (CEO of Google), Mark Zuckerberg (CEO of Facebook), Tim Cook (CEO of Apple) who are vocalizing their support the rights for equality of the Black community.
— Amazon News (@amazonnews) May 31, 2020
Businesses across the nation have started publishing their support for the rights of the people by posting posts across Social Media. This includes big brands like Amazon, Target, Apple, etc.
Even celebrities are showcasing their support for equality and demanding justice for George Floyd’s murder. The list includes Jamie Foxx, Ben Affleck, Maddison Beer, Anthony Anderson, who took to the streets along with the protestors fighting for the Black Lives Matter cause and asking for Blackouts within the entertainment industry.
So, What now?
First and foremost, the Police officers convicted against this case will undergo a trial and verdict. There is also an expectation that the US government would take steps to prevent such incidents from happening again in the future. The protests have started reaching the shores of other countries where similar such events are getting noticed and called upon to light.
Editor’s Note
Before God, we are all equally wise and equally foolish.
Albert Einstein
We here at TechHoot believe that everyone across the world should be treated equally irrespective of color, caste, creed, language, and religion. George Floyd’s death is not the end, Just the beginning of a long-pending change in our human society.
