Since the 25th of May, the world have focused on something else other than the Corona virus. It was the day George Floyd, a black American, was killed by police. A police officer, Derek Chauvin, kneeled on Floyd’s neck for almost 9 minutes, strangling him to death.
8 minutes and 46 seconds to be exact.
His death have sparked massive riots, not seen for decades. People are fed up with the massive inequality and police brutality against people of colour. A culture, where police can act with impunity and get away with it. And they (the police) know it. Countless examples where the police have abused their power and gotten away with it. As a Dane, it’s crazy to see how the American police acts, compared to our own police force.
Of course there are good cops and I’m not going to vilify every American cop out there. But they have a massive culture problem and don’t really seem willing to acknowledge it. And until they do, these protests will continue.
The death of George Floyd was the cinder that sparked the massive firestorm. 40 million jobless Americans, fed up with being holed up at home due to the Corona virus, summer is just around the corner and their future is looking bleak. No wonder they have reacted the way they’ve done.
Not that I condone all the looting or violent riots. But I understand them. They’re frustrated. Angry. Met with injustice at every step. Something had to give.
As I’m writing this, the protests have been going on for over a week now. They have spread to several cities in the US and also to other cities across the globe. Trump haven’t really done anything to stop it, other than stoke the flames.
As I see it, this won’t end until justice is met and the police have been reformed.
Don’t let George Floyd have died in vain.
No justice, no peace.
This is part of a series of posts I’ve written about the Corona virus and how it have impacted our society. Equal parts news, observations and thoughts. See the rest of the posts here.