Racial Tensions in America: The Reality of Black America

By TALIAH WHITSON

The ongoing battle between people of color and the police has been a problem in America for as long as many can remember. Recently, following the death of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor amidst the pandemic 2020, tensions have been loaded for more than a year. On April 20 the police officer, Derrick Chauvin recorded kneeling on Floyd’s neck for over 8 minutes was convicted and found guilty on all three murder charges.

While racial tensions have been high many have stepped up and participated in social activism fueled by this case. Though Chauvin has been convicted, many people are still waiting to see if justice will be served. It is common for an officer to indited but rare that they will be convicted. There have been at least 1,000 deaths by law enforcement within the past year. From 2005 to 2010 there have only been 42 nonfederal police officers convicted for murder. Chavin was found guilty of all three counts of murder in the George Floyd case, now adding him to the list. 

“I do feel as if the verdict will make a difference but how vast it is varied, depending on how the court moves on cases similar to Chauvin’s. If they continue to hold people accountable despite race or stature it could be the start of something great,” Tiana Jones of Ramapo College, 22.

Racial tensions are still high in America following the big social justice boom of 2020. The fight to stop racial inequality between Black people and the police have been the biggest movement many have seen in a while. People have gone to social media to document history as the largest movement in U.S. history. Though progress is being made it is doing so very slowly and many are getting impatient as the fight for equality in the justice system for Black Americans has been going on for centuries in this country.

Social media has played a large role in the new-sprung social justice movements. Many other social justice groups rose up as well. From Black Lives Matter to the Color of Change to even Stop Asian Hate. Spring of 2020 following the death of Floyd and Taylor, protests broke out across the globe. The Black Lives Matter Movement had gone global, there were protests from South Africa to Indonesia. Since the beginning of Chauvin’s trial, two more black people have been killed by law enforcement. Ma’Khia Bryant a 16-year-old girl and Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old father were both shot and killed by the police.

In 2020,  many protests erupted throughout the nation to bring awareness to how disproportionately Black people were being killed by police compared with their white counterparts. The slogan “Defund the Police” has grown popular since the beginning of the BLM movement. This slogan has scared people tremendously but is being misinterpreted by others. There have been demands from citizens to defund the police, claiming that they have way too much money in the country’s budget.

“I like the slogan but I’m curious of how that would happen. More of a chant but no action behind it. Saying defunding the police scares people, it initiates the fear that people wouldn’t have the safety from police when that is not the case at all,” Brandon Hamlett of Saint Johns University, 22.

Safety is an essential quality of life issue and people depend on the police to enforce laws to maintain it. But Black people in America now do not have that feeling but have a fear of contacting the police in an emergency.

“Feels like the police have an agenda to kill/disregard black people’s lives. It makes me feel sad black people have no one to call during an emergency, an emergency could cost you your life,” said, Brandon Hamlett, 22. 

As Chauvin’s case came to a close, a 16-year-old girl was shot and killed by the police in Columbus, Ohio. Ma’Khia Bryant was shot four times in the chest after calling them because she feared for her life. Bryant called the police because multiple girls were trying to fight her outside of her home. She was holding a knife in an attempt to defend herself from the other girls. Bryant was shot 4 times by an officer at the scene. Instead of deescalating the situation an innocent life was lost, yet again by the hands of the police.

“I was taught to never make sudden movements, to watch tone, and to be submissive when they use force. Being a black man it is scary to be around the police when I should feel safe and comfortable. I look like the type of person to be involved in illegal activities because of my skin, especially if I’m in a hoodie or wearing a durag. I do not see the police as a friend. But if I do interact with them I make sure I’m friendly because I don’t want the one cop who is having a bad day to take my life, which should sound ridiculous but it happens every day,” (Hamlett).

Instead of any actual reform, many cities have decided to rename streets after the Black Lives Matter Movement. The verdict of the Derek Chauvin trial was a step in the right direction for reform for police, but it does not mean that all is well. There are still other things that have to be taken seriously before we can see any real change. Until then the fight must continue. Many feared that the Black Lives Matter Movement was just a trend for some people and companies and that they really do not care for the movement but cared about the backlash if a statement was not made.

“I’m indifferent [about BLM street paintings]; it is a liberating feeling for some people, but I feel like it’s performative activism. Activism for some people stops at that, it’s a cop-out for people to say they care about the movement without doing anything. Justice shouldn’t be performative because it is real people’s lives we are fighting for,” Armoni Foster, 22.

Below is an example of the slogan that was painted on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Blvd in downtown Newark, New Jersey this summer.