BLM: A Modern History of Police Brutality
By Nikita Guelmer and Leon Savage, 6/15/2020
A Legacy of Brutality
The murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis has sent shock waves throughout the nation. In the midst of a pandemic, thousands took to the streets to protest police brutality against African Americans. All over social media, activists have been raising support for the Black Lives Matter movement, calling for justice and equality for all African Americans. Black Lives Matter, a movement that runs far deeper than protests, understanding the history of this movement is paramount to identifying the state of racial inequality in today’s America.
Police brutality towards African American communities has persisted since the establishment of the first police department in Boston, in 1838. Initially targeting recent European immigrants with violent tactics, the creation of Jim Crow law soon led to a massive migration of southerners seeking refuge in northern states, who quickly became targets for extreme brutality from police. Looking back on U.S. history, it is evident that African Americans are perhaps the most marginalized community in the country. One of the most prominent African American leaders of all time is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who gained international acclaim as he strove for peaceful protesting and change during the civil rights movement. The similarities between the Black Lives Matter and the Civil Rights movements are astounding. Looking at photos from the 1960’s, one could easily assume the photos of riot police and squadrons came from Ferguson, Missouri in 2014, following the murder of Michael Brown. Institutionalized racism has been rampant since the formation of the United States, but so has the will to combat inequality and to make a change. The birth of the Black Lives Matter movement came out of the fatal shooting and later, acquittal, of Trayvon Martin’s murderer. It is not the first movement to challenge police brutality, and it likely will not be the last.
One of the most influential organizations of the civil rights movement was the Black Panther Party, or BPP. The BPP was founded in California in 1966 by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale, who wanted to create a means to combat police brutality. Using legally obtained law books and arms, they sought to defend the African American community and ensure fair treatment from the police. The group advocated for self defense and protection, and sent out patrols to protect neighborhoods from unprovoked violence. Although the group lost momentum and disbanded in the 1980s, it was perhaps the most prolific and far reaching African American rights group of the twentieth century. Although many aspects of the Black Lives Matter movement and the BPP remain different, the Black Lives Matter movement is perhaps the biggest organized effort to combat brutality to come about since the BPP. Since the disbanding of the BPP, many local communities across the country have begun to fight back, but it seems that the murder of George Floyd is the catalyst required to unite activists all over the country into one collective movement.
The same issues that were challenged by the Civil Rights movement are today challenged by Black Lives Matter, and the journey to end police brutality against African Americans is far from over.
In the 1960’s, the Civil Rights marchers and protesters were called extremists and socialists, branded as radicals and deemed dangerous. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., with all his preaching of peace and love, was called a terrorist by many conservatives, and Rosa Parks was a charged criminal. Today, many people consider the Black Lives Matter movement to be an extremist militant group, unbeknownst to the fact that it only seeks basic human rights and equality to the men and women most marginalized by our country. If you ask almost anyone today, they will call Rosa Parks a hero. In 50 years, George Floyd will also be a hero, because if history has taught us one thing, it’s that change is inevitable, and there will be justice for the victims of a flawed system.
The murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis has sent shock waves throughout the nation. In the midst of a pandemic, thousands took to the streets to protest police brutality against African Americans. All over social media, activists have been raising support for the Black Lives Matter movement, calling for justice and equality for all African Americans. Black Lives Matter, a movement that runs far deeper than protests, understanding the history of this movement is paramount to identifying the state of racial inequality in today’s America.
Police brutality towards African American communities has persisted since the establishment of the first police department in Boston, in 1838. Initially targeting recent European immigrants with violent tactics, the creation of Jim Crow law soon led to a massive migration of southerners seeking refuge in northern states, who quickly became targets for extreme brutality from police. Looking back on U.S. history, it is evident that African Americans are perhaps the most marginalized community in the country. One of the most prominent African American leaders of all time is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who gained international acclaim as he strove for peaceful protesting and change during the civil rights movement. The similarities between the Black Lives Matter and the Civil Rights movements are astounding. Looking at photos from the 1960’s, one could easily assume the photos of riot police and squadrons came from Ferguson, Missouri in 2014, following the murder of Michael Brown. Institutionalized racism has been rampant since the formation of the United States, but so has the will to combat inequality and to make a change. The birth of the Black Lives Matter movement came out of the fatal shooting and later, acquittal, of Trayvon Martin’s murderer. It is not the first movement to challenge police brutality, and it likely will not be the last.
One of the most influential organizations of the civil rights movement was the Black Panther Party, or BPP. The BPP was founded in California in 1966 by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale, who wanted to create a means to combat police brutality. Using legally obtained law books and arms, they sought to defend the African American community and ensure fair treatment from the police. The group advocated for self defense and protection, and sent out patrols to protect neighborhoods from unprovoked violence. Although the group lost momentum and disbanded in the 1980s, it was perhaps the most prolific and far reaching African American rights group of the twentieth century. Although many aspects of the Black Lives Matter movement and the BPP remain different, the Black Lives Matter movement is perhaps the biggest organized effort to combat brutality to come about since the BPP. Since the disbanding of the BPP, many local communities across the country have begun to fight back, but it seems that the murder of George Floyd is the catalyst required to unite activists all over the country into one collective movement.
The same issues that were challenged by the Civil Rights movement are today challenged by Black Lives Matter, and the journey to end police brutality against African Americans is far from over.
In the 1960’s, the Civil Rights marchers and protesters were called extremists and socialists, branded as radicals and deemed dangerous. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., with all his preaching of peace and love, was called a terrorist by many conservatives, and Rosa Parks was a charged criminal. Today, many people consider the Black Lives Matter movement to be an extremist militant group, unbeknownst to the fact that it only seeks basic human rights and equality to the men and women most marginalized by our country. If you ask almost anyone today, they will call Rosa Parks a hero. In 50 years, George Floyd will also be a hero, because if history has taught us one thing, it’s that change is inevitable, and there will be justice for the victims of a flawed system.
Confusion in the Ranks: The State of Modern Policing
George Floyd, a 46-year-old African American father of five children was murdered by police officers on May 25th. He was suspected of using a counterfeit twenty-dollar bill in a nearby store. Derek Chauvin, one of the cops on the scene arresting him, placed his knee on Floyd’s neck for upwards of nine minutes, 3 of which Floyd had no pulse and was motionless on the ground. As emergency medical services arrived, Chauvin still had his knee on Floyd's neck. A day later, all four officers on the scene were fired, and later Chauvin was charged with 3rd-degree murder. Protests have occurred every day since.
The world has not taken kindly to Floyd’s murder. Every state in the U.S, as well as over 10 countries, have stood together against police brutality and in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. In Minneapolis, where Flyod was killed, situations quickly escalated. When night struck, riots and looting tore apart the city. However, evidence has shown that a plethora of the looting cannot be attributed to protestors, but by people linked to white nationalist groups, attempting to stir up trouble and increase tensions in regards to these protests. In doing so, a large number of protesters split off from one another. Some have argued that rioting and looting is an appropriate form of grief and protest. Meanwhile, others insist that peaceful protests are the only way real reforms can be made to the police system as a whole. Either way, the protests have had varying levels of success nationally. Four days into the protests, a CNN news crew reporting in Minneapolis was arrested after complying peacefully with the officers stationed. Nine days in, the charges were raised to 2nd-degree murder for Chauvin and the other officers were charged with aiding and abetting Chauvin.
Another controversial topic among protesters has been the “All Cops Are Bad” slogan, or ACAB for short. While recognizing that not every cop is corrupt, they claim that by staying silent in a system filled with corruption makes said cop a bad person. Others have stated that while many cops may be corrupt, taking over the system with kindness and compassion may be the only way to truly reform it. I recently interviewed a New York police officer in the context of the the Black Lives Matter protests and the ACAB slogan. He explained, “I absolutely disagree with what Derek Chauvin did. We are trained to use force as the last possible measure, and that was clearly not the last possible option. All lives matter but that isn’t the point of the BLM movement. White people are not disadvantaged, much less oppressed in America and if I could be protesting, I would in a heartbeat”. As for all cops being bad, he stated “The system is corrupt. Many people from the top down in this system are corrupt. Mayor Bloomberg’s defense of stop and frisk was a racist statement and the wrong decision. However, many of us are trying to actively change the system from the inside out and it hurts to be put down constantly by people we are trying to fight alongside.”
To his point, in many cities police officers have stood with the protesters in support. In Houston, for example, Art Acevedo, a police chief, protested alongside everyone else showing his support for the BLM movement and George Floyd. Many hours later, riots continued and tear gas was shot into crowds. The use of tear gas and rubber bullets has been a hot button issue as well. After being used in most cities, protesters have been rushed to hospitals after being shot by rubber bullets to an almost lethal degree, and tear gas, a substance banned from international warfare, has been used by thousands of cops in hundreds of cities. The riots have not stopped, and many believe that they will continue for weeks to come if change is not made.
George Floyd, a 46-year-old African American father of five children was murdered by police officers on May 25th. He was suspected of using a counterfeit twenty-dollar bill in a nearby store. Derek Chauvin, one of the cops on the scene arresting him, placed his knee on Floyd’s neck for upwards of nine minutes, 3 of which Floyd had no pulse and was motionless on the ground. As emergency medical services arrived, Chauvin still had his knee on Floyd's neck. A day later, all four officers on the scene were fired, and later Chauvin was charged with 3rd-degree murder. Protests have occurred every day since.
The world has not taken kindly to Floyd’s murder. Every state in the U.S, as well as over 10 countries, have stood together against police brutality and in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. In Minneapolis, where Flyod was killed, situations quickly escalated. When night struck, riots and looting tore apart the city. However, evidence has shown that a plethora of the looting cannot be attributed to protestors, but by people linked to white nationalist groups, attempting to stir up trouble and increase tensions in regards to these protests. In doing so, a large number of protesters split off from one another. Some have argued that rioting and looting is an appropriate form of grief and protest. Meanwhile, others insist that peaceful protests are the only way real reforms can be made to the police system as a whole. Either way, the protests have had varying levels of success nationally. Four days into the protests, a CNN news crew reporting in Minneapolis was arrested after complying peacefully with the officers stationed. Nine days in, the charges were raised to 2nd-degree murder for Chauvin and the other officers were charged with aiding and abetting Chauvin.
Another controversial topic among protesters has been the “All Cops Are Bad” slogan, or ACAB for short. While recognizing that not every cop is corrupt, they claim that by staying silent in a system filled with corruption makes said cop a bad person. Others have stated that while many cops may be corrupt, taking over the system with kindness and compassion may be the only way to truly reform it. I recently interviewed a New York police officer in the context of the the Black Lives Matter protests and the ACAB slogan. He explained, “I absolutely disagree with what Derek Chauvin did. We are trained to use force as the last possible measure, and that was clearly not the last possible option. All lives matter but that isn’t the point of the BLM movement. White people are not disadvantaged, much less oppressed in America and if I could be protesting, I would in a heartbeat”. As for all cops being bad, he stated “The system is corrupt. Many people from the top down in this system are corrupt. Mayor Bloomberg’s defense of stop and frisk was a racist statement and the wrong decision. However, many of us are trying to actively change the system from the inside out and it hurts to be put down constantly by people we are trying to fight alongside.”
To his point, in many cities police officers have stood with the protesters in support. In Houston, for example, Art Acevedo, a police chief, protested alongside everyone else showing his support for the BLM movement and George Floyd. Many hours later, riots continued and tear gas was shot into crowds. The use of tear gas and rubber bullets has been a hot button issue as well. After being used in most cities, protesters have been rushed to hospitals after being shot by rubber bullets to an almost lethal degree, and tear gas, a substance banned from international warfare, has been used by thousands of cops in hundreds of cities. The riots have not stopped, and many believe that they will continue for weeks to come if change is not made.