The recent death of George Floyd triggered a chain of Black Lives Matter protests throughout the US and the world. People are marching, donating, and sharing on social media to raise awareness and support the fight against police brutality. 

The Black Lives Matter protest in LA is estimated to have an attendance of over 100,000

Police brutality has historically been a persistent problem in the US. During the 1963 March on Washington, protesters held signs calling for an end to police brutality, which was deeply rooted in the inherent racism prevalent throughout the nation in that era. Almost 60 years have passed, yet police brutality based on racial prejudices still threatens many American lives. 

In 2016, 233 African Americans were shot and killed by police officers. Considering that African Americans only compose about 13% of the US population but account for about a quarter of the total fatalities by police, it is evident that Blacks are much more likely to face danger in the hands of the police force. Indeed, according to The Washington Post, African Americans are 2.5 times more likely to be shot by officers. 

After George Floyd’s cause of death was officially announced as “cardiopulmonary arrest complicating law enforcement subdual, restraint, and neck compression”, the BLM protests gained even more traction. There are now protests going on in at least 50 nations across several continents and all 50 US states have had BLM protests. In many cases, the police were involved in controlling and managing the large crowd, especially if signs of violence were shown. But the police themselves have been using excessive violence — with the excuse that it is merely “crowd control”. 

An NYPD SUV was recorded physically running over a group of protestors. There have been reports of an officer forcibly removing the mask of a black protestor, who had his hands up, and pepper-spraying his face. A female protestor was shoved so hard by a police officer that she fell and hurt her head, resulting in a seizure and hospitalization. Some officers were seen covering up their badge numbers, presumably to avoid accountability for their actions. Two SWAT officers pushed an old man walking with a cane to the ground. A 9-year-old girl in Seattle was pepper-sprayed in the face by the police. A Houston PD officer trampled a peaceful protestor with his horse. A reporter in Denver was thrown into a fire for attempting to take a photo. A group of Memphis Police officers targeted an individual protester for no apparent reason. This list, which already seems like a series of events in a dystopian novel, continues to extend as protesters and police officers clash every day. 

Considering that these protestors are fighting against police brutality, the irony of the police force using even more brutality and violence unveils the problem at its core. The long history of police officers getting away with inhumane actions and receiving only minor legal punishments has exacerbated their lack of accountability and disregard for the consequences of their actions. In most cases where protests have turned violent, this violence was first instigated by the police, not the protestors. When the police are attacking protestors, reporters, and innocent civilians, who do they really serve and protect?

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