#blm proudboys georgefloyd

[jacobflrs]

Riot vs. Protest

Between the novel coronavirus and the election removing Donald Trump from office, the year 2020 has had many defining moments. It seems, however, that none was more important than the uprising of protests against police brutality and the subsequent counter-protests as if to say, “no you’re wrong.”

George Floyd was murdered by police on May 25, 2020, in Minneapolis, MN. While being restrained at the neck, Floyd repeatedly exclaimed, “I can’t breathe.” He died from mechanical asphyxia. Undeniably this led to civil unrest, and protests continued throughout the country for months. Initially, protests in Minnesota, and other places, were violent. It was a reaction of frustration and animosity that people felt of being attacked by the same people who were sworn to protect them. It was the kind of reaction you only hear in history courses talking about civil rights movements and the LA Riots. 

Overtime, as the coverage of Floyd’s death gained national recognition, protests across the country significantly increased. The violence in these protests weened quite a bit, and most Black Lives Matters protests remained peaceful. And these protests displayed a massive amount of people, which only increased with growing interest in other cases like Breonna Taylors. 

Black Lives Matters protests were quickly tainted by retaliation of both law enforcement and counter protestors claiming to be purely protecting businesses from being vandalized. With lines clearly divided, tension between them has only worsened.

The aspect of these protests that gets very complicated is the blatant favortism by police and crowd control officers of the counter protestors. BLM protestors have been labeled terrorists and anti-American. They are generalized, based on the earlier riots, to be criminals and vandals. Meanwhile, the opposition is seen becoming aggressors and instigators while law enforcement officials stand by. The BLM protestors are not clearly armed, and yet they are blasted with tear gas and beaten out of the streets. So called Proud Boys are seen holding assault rifles and never once are they seen tear gassed by police. In multiple case these armed militias lead to multiple shootings and deaths. 

Is this an indicator of white privilege? Or just blatant racism and a visual representation of a country so deeply divided that we do not share the same liberties? In the article by Joshua Inwood, titled ‘White Supremacy, White Counter-Revolutionary Politics, and the Rise of Donald Trump’ Inwood describes the direction the country has been headed under Donald Trumps reign as President. He explains that the face of white supremacy is vastly different than the historical explanation. It is deeply rooted into our political system and economy. With the rise to power of Trump, the Proud Boys and other pro-white organizations are becoming increasingly normative behavior. 

References

Inwood, J. (2019). White Supremacy, White Counter-Revolutionary Politics, and the Rise of Donald Trump [Editorial]. Retrieved 2019.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/08/22/portland-police-far-right-protest/