US witnessed surge in hate-crimes specifically against black people in recent. The incident of Minneapolis has brought the whole country out on streets to protest against police brutality and hatred towards the black race. The protests have evoked various reactions across the world.
Crux of the Matter
Minneapolis Mayhem On 25 May 2020, George Floyd, a 46-year-old unarmed black man was killed by police, which was called on Floyd after he was accused of using fake currency. Derek Chauvin, a white policeman, choked Floyd by placing his knee on his neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds. The incident occurred in daylight, with several bystanders recording while requesting Chauvin to spare the unarmed man. Floyd repeatedly requested mercy, even pleading “I can’t breathe” before succumbing to death.
Thousands of people marched in the streets of Minneapolis on Tuesday, calling for criminal charges to be filed against four police officers involved in the killing of George Floyd. pic.twitter.com/Z39f6LtmDF — NPR (@NPR) May 27, 2020
Georgia Grieving On 23 February 2020, a 25-year-old black man was killed in a similar hate crime. Ahmaud Arbery, the victim, was jogging when he was spotted by Gregory McMichaels and his son Travis McMichael. The father-son pair perceived him as a burglar and chased after him in their truck, and ended up shooting Arbery dead. While the incident occurred in February, the arrests were made in May after mass protests began
Hate-Crimes In US Hate crimes are attacks against people or property motivated by prejudices concerning gender, race, sexual orientation, disability, etc. In US, while the total number of hate crimes has remained steady, the number of hate crimes specifically against the black race and different ethnicities reached its 16-year high in 2018.
Timeline Of Racial Riots In US While slavery was abolished in 1865, hatred based on race and colour has continued in US. Following is the timeline of major racial riots:
1865: Slavery is abolished
1992: Los Angeles riots after 4 white policemen beat a black bike rider
1996: Florida riots after an unarmed black man shot dead by several white police officers
2001: Cincinnati riots after an unarmed black civilian killed by police
2014: Missouri riots after a black teenage boy killed by a white police officer, who fired 12 times while claiming self-defense
2020: Minneapolis riots after George Floyd’s death
“These THUGS are dishonoring the memory of George Floyd, and I won’t let that happen. Just spoke to Governor Tim Walz and told him that the Military is with him all the way. Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts. Thank you!” https://t.co/GDwAydcAOw — The White House (@WhiteHouse) May 29, 2020
Reactions Massive protests have ensued across the country, with several celebrities supporting the movement from US and the world. President Trump used the line “when the looting starts, the shooting stars” to express disapproval of violence in protests. The line was used by Walter Headley in 1967, Miami’s police chief, to show strictness against protesters demanding racial equality.
Statement from Michael Jordan: pic.twitter.com/lWkZOf1Tmr — Jordan (@Jumpman23) May 31, 2020
China has expressed solidarity with the protesters amidst continuous attacks by US for its dealings with Hong Kong and Taiwan. In a statement, China urged US to focus on internal issues before interfering in foreign affairs.
Racial Discrimination In Every-day Life
According to a 2017 report, black people constitute 12% of total US adult population.
33% of prisoners were black, signifying imbalance of arrests.
Poverty rate is the highest for African Americans, standing at 27.4% as compared to 9.9% for Whites.
Ratio of unarmed black people killed by police with that of unarmed white people is 17:12.
Number of black people killed by police per million is 6.6.
Number of white people killed by police per million is 2.5.
Hence, a black person is thrice more likely to be killed by a cop than a white person.
Curiopedia
Fruitvale Station is a 2013 American biographical drama film written and directed by Ryan Coogler. The film is based on the events leading to the death of Oscar Grant, an African-American man who was fatally shot in the early morning hours of New Year’s Day 2009 by BART Police Officer Johannes Mehserle in Oakland, California. The film received critical acclaim and Ryan Coogler later directed Black Panther, highest-grossing black cast film worldwide.
“I Have a Dream” is a public speech that was delivered by American civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom on August 28, 1963, in which he called for civil and economic rights and an end to racism in the United States. The speech was a defining moment of the civil rights movement and among the most iconic speeches in American history.
Apartheid was a system of institutionalized racial segregation that existed in South Africa and Southwest Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 until the early 1990s. Apartheid was characterized by an authoritarian political culture based on baasskap (or white supremacy), which ensured that South Africa was dominated politically, socially, and economically by the nation’s minority white population. Nelson Mandela was the country’s first black head of state and the first elected in a fully representative democratic election when the Apartheid legislation was repealed on 17 June 1991.
Curated Coverage
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