Black Lives Matter
/Black Men= Criminal Subjects
The brutal murder of George Floyd represents the true ugliness of the lived experiences of Black men; the mass criminalization, over-policing and violence Black men endure every day has now once again become a focal point in the media. This time, the response was very different, and it is because of the people who took to the streets, the donations and the petitions online, who have made it a point to highlight just how unjust this act of violence was. What is particularly disheartening, being the fact that these issues are often forgotten about up until it happens again. We saw the intensification of the media when Travon Martin was murdered, Philando Castile, Michael Brown, Freddie Gray along with countless of other men murdered by the police. Unfortunately, what is often not discussed frequently is the amount of Black men harassed, profiled, and viciously beaten. Those Black men are unaccounted for and their stories often are not told. In the case of George Floyd, his murder was video recorded by innocent bystanders, his lifeless body was taken by an ambulance. This crime enraged most people including me, but sadly I was not shocked nor surprised by this vicious act of violence at the hands of a police officer. We have all become desensitized to this type of crimes and inhumane conduct by police when it comes to Black men. What did surprise me however, is the global outcry and response from everyone. It was really important to see people standing side by side, peacefully protesting.
The murder of George Floyd seems to be the final straw for many, the combination of months of uncertainty, mass quarantine and many deaths to the Novel Coronavirus, may have played a substantial role. Either way like many others I saw the video of George Floyd’s body on the floor and the sheer callousness of the police officers who surrounded him, and it deeply upset me. What was particularly infuriating being the fact that bystanders begged and pleaded but were unable to help stop what was unfolding before their eyes.
The criminalization of Black men has largely been ignored; it is very easy for the media write off these men as “thugs” or “criminals” and this has become the common trope used to disregard the immoral and unjust killings. What is hardly talked about is the countless of Black men who are wrongfully harassed, beaten, and carded daily; their stories rarely make it to the front pages or the 6’o-clock news. The silver lining about the wrongful, unjust death of George Floyd is the fact that people have spoken up. The streets are filled now with protestors as far reaching as South Korea. There is a mass movement globally to address anti-black racism and a recognition of Black Lives Matters.
Black Lives Matter!
XOXO
Shukri
