The last days of the month of May 2020 may not have been what many had envisioned it to be. With the Coronavirus still raging on in various parts of the world, with various steps being taken to curtail it, the last thing anyone expected was a massive protest in various locations across the world, for one cause: #BlackLivesMatter, a movement which of course has mixed receptions. This may be a trend that many have come across for some time now, however, these series of protests have further brought it to our own very doorsteps; the fact that the life of any and every black person matters.
With recent protests starting in Minneapolis, these protests started off as a result of police brutality that led to the death of George Floyd, a black man who was arrested for using a counterfeit $20 bill while shopping. Despite the fact that autopsy reveals that George Floyd had underlying health conditions that could have led to his death, either way, the fact that the officer who made the arrest knelt on George Floyd’s neck for about 8 minutes while he (George Floyd) kept screaming continuously “I can’t breathe”, was enough indication that the officer was responsible for the death of George Floyd.
Just like this event, and other cases that have arisen on issues of police brutality against black people; issues of racism; and, hate crimes, black people took to the streets to protest these senseless killings and segregation they have faced in recent times. And so it began, from Minneapolis to New York, to Washington D.C. All the while, we have to blame the authorities for not just letting these issues have gone on up to this level. Officers who have committed similar offenses in the past have had nothing short of a slap on the wrist for these crimes. In that same vein, Officer Derek Chauvin was placed on administrative leave while his offense was still being investigated by the FBI.
See – Hate Crime – The Version of Racism Against Black People that Never Goes Away
Now, we all understand the need to follow due process and how it can go a long way to unravel certain issues that may have not been foreseen initially. However, in this case, which appears to be sensitive, the least that should have been done was to place Derek Chauvin under arrest and detain him until such investigations are over. This singular action would have nipped this whole issue that has turned into, not just a national affair but an international one, at the bud. But Derek was placed on leave. He was home, while the body of George Floyd laid in the morgue dead. Who would not be moved to speak up? And so it went on, black people, as well as sympathizers across the world, have taken to the streets to protest not just the death of George Floyd but cases of racism and hate crimes meted against black people.
In a show of rage and anger, some protesters have been overtaken by their ‘feelings’ and used this medium which is supposed to bring the attention of the world to the plight of black people everywhere, to commit crimes ranging from arson, looting and destruction of both public and private property. Some parts of the cities where the protests are held looks like the aftermath of a scene from “Zombie Apocalypse”, while some protesters have taken advantage of the chaotic situation to engage in the looting of various stores and businesses.
Activist Tamika Mallory, while supporting these acts of violence, stated that black people learned violence from the American people; that the American people were looting the Native Indians first. In other words, this is an opportunity to get even. Despite how logically this statement is, it has no bearing on the issue at hand. These protests are to show that black people deserve a place in our society on an equal basis with other races, not for us to exhibit the same type of stereotypical behaviors associated with black people (violent).
Like we stated earlier, this #BlackLivesMatter protest movement has some mixed reception is has picked up. The Igbos in Nigeria have a saying, “you do not burn down your house to chase rats”. In that same vein, burning down public and private buildings, and looting businesses which we pay taxes for in the name of “Black Lives Matter” is a step in the wrong direction. Some of our brothers and sisters work in these establishments or utilize their services for various needs, so what good does it do us or the memory of George Floyd or any of our dead brethren who we are marching for, to destroy them? Two wrongs can never make a right. We do not fight the enemy by becoming like the enemy or utilizing the skills of the enemy.
It is a hard truth that violence or action speaks louder than voice, but it creates more problems than solving any. We can have our protests; we can maintain class action against people who commit crimes of racism hate crimes against black people; we can persuade our various representatives in the government to help in making laws on these issues more strict for offenders; we can continue to speak up and organize rallies once in a while, which ought to be peaceful, that canvasses fro the eradication of racism.
What we will not do is to rely on violence as the way forward. The government on its own would have to understand that issues like these are quite sensitive and should be handled accordingly. Let our government try to be proactive in resolving issues like this before they get out of hand.
