Three protesters dead, seven people shot, 10,000 arrested, hundreds of businesses looted, police stations torched, the national guard deployed, threats of military action and 14 days later, an entire nation has been plunged into chaos.
On May 25th, Minneapolis resident George Floyd was pinned face down on the ground in handcuffs, by a white police officer who pressed his knee against Floyd's neck for more than eight minutes. Floyd was unresponsive when paramedics arrived and later died in police custody. His death has triggered an explosion of anger fueled by the decades of racial injustice and the many African American lives lost to police brutality in America. To many, George Floyd is another name to add to the list of unarmed African Americans killed by police officers and others which includes names such as Trayvon Martin, Eric Garner, Freddie Gray....Just recently, Breonna Taylor, an EMT was shot inside her own home on May 14th, 2020; Ahmaud Arbery was shot on February 23rd, 2020. Just this week, Amy Cooper called in a false alarm claiming a black man wanted to shoot her when he simply asked her to leash her dog.
In fact, the rate at which black Americans are killed by police is more than twice as high as the rate for white Americans. Clearly, this is indicative of a larger, more systematic problem within the American justice system that continues to allow for the death of African American citizens at the hands of the Law. Each time we watch another videotaped killing of an African American, we grow numb to the senseless death of African Americans and begin to give up hope for change, hope for eradicating the bias that is so deeply entrenched within the justice system.
My own city of Wilmington, DE was roiled by peaceful protests that turned into riots that propagated violence, destruction, and theft. Protests that were labelled as "peaceful and passionate" descended into a night of chaos and violence. Shattered window glass, vandalized cars, burned trashcans and the faint ring of security alarms were only small signs of the devastation that was wreaked during the course of these riots. Entire livelihoods were ruined as small businesses were looted and destroyed. Families watched through CCTV as their shops were broken into and robbed.
Innocent lives were ruined and crime was committed during protests that were instead meant to seek justice for Floyd's life. For how can justice for one life be sought by harming another innocent man and...not be considered a crime? The perpetrators of the violent acts strayed from the larger purpose of the protests, which was to seek justice for George Floyd and change, for our future. Just like a Nation, yes even the most noble of protests also demand cohesive and effective leadership.
Like never before, America needs strong leadership that can unite a divided, fractured and isolated people. Americans do not need the incitement that is provided by the White House Twitter Feed under the guise of leadership or the platitudes of sympathy or the empty promises of change.
We need leaders who can provide a vision for equality that everyone can strive for. We need leaders who can communicate to the masses of American citizens who feel ignored and alleviate their pain. We need leaders who understand the pain and suffering of African Americans who are disenfranchised by law enforcement. We need leaders who are persistent in their endeavors for change and will keep their promises for change.We need leaders who will provide the necessary support to police officers who risk their lives every day.
In one county alone in Minneapolis, three protests were organized by high school students. America's youth are fighting for a better future that is not marred by the death of innocent black lives and racial injustice, a future that lives up to Dr. King's dreams of equality, equity, and peace in America. Candidates up for election cannot help but note the high levels of enthusiasm among 18 to 29 year-olds, who have historically voted in small numbers when compared to other demographics. The recent surge in voter registrations, volunteer activity and donations for political groups is indicative of the frustration with the current status quo and the motivation to establish a new and better Order; establishing leadership that is truly for all the people. The youth of the Country are taking on the reins and shall steer our future into a new era.
People are rightly enraged that another innocent life was lost at the very hands of those we entrust to protect us and
protests have rightly erupted over the death of George Floyd. Martin Luther King called for change through peaceful protest and civil disobedience stating that "We do not need allies who are more devoted to order than to justice." But at the same time, Dr. King emphasized the importance of peace stating that “The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy...Through violence you may murder the liar, but you cannot murder the lie, nor establish the truth."
The George Floyd protests are currently regarded as one of the largest movements against police violence and racial injustice in America. Since the first week of protests, peace has prevailed in cites previously roiled by violent riots. The movement has found its feet; the cumulative pain, the lullabies and anguish of black mothers came together in a singular chant that promises to leave future generations breathless. Breathless and amazed, not by the centuries of suffocating bigotry and oppression, but by the enduring cornerstone of our Nation…Yes! We still “hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
