The government neglects the duty of providing protection for cities in time of distress. In 2013, the “Black Lives Matter” movement was started by Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors and Opal Tometi as an organization for black people to stand up for themselves against police brutality, racial profiling, campaigns against violence and systemic racism toward black people. Trayvon Martin was one of the first shootings to kick off the movement. Trayvon Martin was a 17-year-old African-American male who was shot and killed after being profiled by a neighborhood watchman, George Zimmerman. Trayvon was walking home from going to a local corner store when he was was spotted by Zimmerman, who said that Martin “looked suspicious”. After following 17 year old Martin, Zimmerman shot Trayvon multiple times which resulted in his death.
In another event, Michael Brown was shot and killed. Michael Brown was an unarmed black man who was shot and killed at the age of 18 due to racial profiling in Ferguson, Louisiana. Brown was killed by shots fired by a white police officer, Darren Wilson, on 9 August 2014. This caused the BLM (Black Lives Matter) Movement to skyrocket. After those to deaths, many other unarmed black men were killed by the hands of police officers. The deaths of Trayvon Martin and Mike Brown caused many protests, riots and other events to occur. The police force were targeting black women/men. Sandra Bland, and Eric Garner, John Crawford, Tamir Rice, Walter Scott, and Freddie Gray were the few that were targeted and killed.
“By year’s end, there were 36 unarmed black men (and two black women) and 31 unarmed white men (and one white woman) among the total 987 victims. The rate at which unarmed black men were more likely than unarmed white men to die by police gunfire had dropped, but was still six-to-one.” (H. Mac Donald)
The rate of unarmed black citizens being attacked juxtaposed to the rate of unarmed white citizens, has gotten lower compared to years before, but the rate is still believed to be high.
In retaliation to police brutality and the government’s hesitation to aid its citizens who are being targeted by police, riots broke out in cities like Baton Rouge LA, Chicago IL, Atlanta GA, to express the distress that the black community was going through due to being targeted by the police force. The government failed to send reinforcement to cities in order to get the police in order even after more than 150 lives were lost due to black people being targeted for the pigment of their skin. Inequality from policemen and city officials grew. Protests that were often peaceful tuned brutal and violent.
Protests against police brutality began as a peaceful process, but resulted in violence because of retaliation from policemen in order to stay in control. Soon cities began to feel like a warzone. Protesters and citizens retaliated against the harsh treatments that the black community was receiving from the police. The government does not protect those fighting for equality of the unarmed black citizens that have been targeted.
This should go without saying, but STOP killing our people. Stop targeting the black community. This is genocide against Black America!
Source: https://www.themarshallproject.org/2016/02/08/black-and-unarmed-behind-t…