How the riots are enforcing the very stereotypes that they were meant to destroy

THE BACKGROUND

The brutal murder of an African American man, George Floyd, by the Minneapolis policemen for a crime he didn’t commit ignited a fire that sparked rioting and protests. For the unversed, George Floyd was accused of paying for an item with a counterfeit $20 bill. The cashier called up the police, who arrived in the spot and immediately handcuffed George. Clearly confused by the turn of events, George resisted slightly, which is expected of someone when they are given no explanation as to why they are being taken into custody.

A mural dedicated in the memory of George Floyd, a 46 year old man was who brutally killed by policeman Derek Chauvin for a crime Floyd didn't commit.

The policemen immediately pinned George to the ground. As three other policemen looked on, one of them, Derek Chauvin, placed his knee on Floyd’s neck for around nine minutes deliberately, despite knowing it would suffocate him. George Floyd’s death is a prime example of the racism that continues to form the rigid society that the United States has become again. It has been 155 years since slavery was abolished, yet racism (which is baked into white supremacy) continues to be a thing, with discrimination and unfair treatment of African Americans and immigrants continuing to make headlines today. It was definitely not the first time that America has seen such blatant segregation against blacks; with Emmett Till, Eric Garner, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor being some prime examples of African American that are bearing the brunt of the evils of racism.

The anti-racist population of America took it out on the streets where masses congregated together to protest the unjust deaths of these African Americans. They questioned the stem of racism, and why people of darker skins were constantly being targeted. White privilege was brought into the discussion, where it was concluded that the idea of white supremacy, them being superior to every other race in the world, still exists. Despite having an African American president for two terms, stereotypes around people of other ethnicities and color continues to cost many lives. People brought in many examples wherein African Americans were the perpetrator, and in those cases, they were subjected to crueler punishments, despite the intensity of the crime. Whereas when white people committed a crime, they were let off the hook quite easily. Thus, this comparison compared the discrepancy in the punishments based on color.

This is the motto many are using while protesting. 2020 has seen a spike against hate crimes against blacks, especially.

THE PROBLEM WITH THE PROTESTS

However, though the intent of the protest was all about change in society, the way it was executed completely debunks the motivation. The first few days of protesting were quite calm, but the government’s failure to act fast and arrest and charge the perpetrators resulted in things escalating quickly. Hundreds took to the streets to express their anger, although quite physically.

A key point to understand here is that not all of the protesters are African Americans; a major part of them include a section of white people who want to establish anarchy. They are essentially using the protest as a pretext in order to get their point across. Many think that looting and breaking into shops is acceptable in violent protests, as some stores form a multi-million dollar company that won't face a dearth of losses if their stores do get looted from.

The logic is flawed, though, because many daily wage workers that work in these stores will have to face the brunt of the protests. It is already hard enough for them to manage during the pandemic, and the fact that their jobs are not secure because their workplaces are damaged can lead to more anxiety.

Additionally, many shops were home-made businesses. Many of the people who were owners of these places were MINORITIES themselves, which is baffling to us because the intent of the protests were essentially to uplift minorities in the USA. The windows of police cars were smashed, while others were torched. Buildings were vandalized. A whopping total of 170 storefronts were broken. While people who own these stores are already facing losses upon losses due to the pandemic, their entire business would collapse if they are not able to recover their shop. What some extremist protesters claim is that the violent protests are effective to get the desired results.

Cars were smashed in various cities where protesting turned violent. Many police cars were torched as well.

However, that theory is totally flawed because these riots are costing the lives of many. The violence of the riots has caught on in Boston, Pennsylvania and is slowly spreading to Dallas. Just in Boston, the police had to arrest 40 protesters that were seriously damaging shops. Despite realizing the Boston police’s helplessness in these situations, violence in these pockets of the nation are increasing day by day. Protests are increasing day by day. One thing the protesters need to realize is that not all police are as cruel as Derek Chauvin and the three others that stood silent and complicit the night Floyd was killed. Many were forced to follow protocol to ensure safety of all. That being said, the president’s infamous tweets are seeming to just aggravate things further, as he called the protesters “Thugs.” To establish decorum in the society, he should have understood the sentiments of the violent protests. I guess karma hit him back again, and he was hidden in the bunker after fires were ignited near the White House. Essentially that tweet caused the protests to get far more violent. It could even be detrimental to his election. What we find extremely perplexing is the fact that the leaders of this country couldn’t handle the unrest, and could only comment behind Twitter.

A picture of Trump's infamous tweet that sparked controversial due to his use of the word, "Thugs" and inciting violence.

Another point I would like to make is that while the police can arrest some of the protestors that are causing extreme violence, shooting them down will just incur more violence. It is important for President Trump, the police, and others to remain tolerant of the protests for a time being, as their gentle nudges may essentially decrease the unrest.

ANOTHER THING

Racism against African Americans is, sadly, nothing new. It is important to preach that NOT ALL AFRICAN AMERICANS ARE THUGS. These prejudices against people of different ethnicities continue to salvage many other immigrants’ opportunities in the USA. For example, many white supremacists think of all Mexicans as illegal immigrants. It is important to end these thoughts at the stem itself. However, as the minorities participating comply with the violence, many racists can use this to reinforce the stereotype. More than eliminating the racists themselves, it is important to end the thought of generalizing a population under an assumed idea. In order to change our mindset as a nation, rising up peacefully and accepting our differences can bring us together under the vision of a brighter future. Rather than supporting these regressive tendencies that are the base of such aggressive protests, peaceful approaches, like voting or raising awareness can provide the REAL change for a better America.

A picture of the violence outside of the White House that inevitably forced Trump to enter his bunker. Perhaps if he had not propagated violence in his tweets...

WHY NONVIOLENCE IS THE BEST OPTION

Our forefathers and prestigious role models have set up a pathway toward nonviolence. To name a few, Martin Luther King, Gandhi, and others as such have conducted the REAL change with an austere approach. If we can all unite peacefully without obnoxious riots, there will be more of a chance that officials will listen with an open mindset. Let us adopt the peaceful approach our sisters and brothers are doing in Berlin and London to get their voice across. Using YOUR VOICE is a powerful tool that can change the perceptions of many, not physical harm. Instead, physical harm and destruction in society will make matters worse. Using the voice is another way of giving respect and regards to our liberal ancestors who utilized this tool. That is why peace is the rightful approach in the situation. With the power of voice and literature in our hands, our future is within our reach.

Images of the first peaceful protests that we need to go back to. It escalated way too fast.

DISCLAIMER

This article is purely the opinion of the writers of this post. No one is racist by birth, the society's unjust morals and prejudices can turn a person into being one. It is important that going forward, we as a society learn to recognize and appreciate people of various ethnicities. And about the African American population; they paved the way for millions of immigrants to travel to America through the civil rights movement. America was once called the land of the free. Clearly it is not, as a fellow African American brother once said in desperation, “I cannot breathe!” Let these lines remind us of the struggle they have had to establish themselves in this country. Maybe things are easy for some of us now, but let us secure the future for our descendants and theirs. Let us work together to stop racism once and for all.

Written by Shriya Venkataraman, Medha SundarRajan, and Meenakshi SundarRajan (The Eureka Journal)

Thank you for reading!