The hard-to-heal wound of American society

DOUBLE CRISIS

On May 25, Floyd, an African American who had recently lost his job due to the Covid-19 pandemic, died after a police officer pressed his knee against Floyd’s neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds, after he suspected Floyd of passing counterfeit money. Derek Chauvin, the police officer, ignored Floyd’s distressed pleas, while three other police officers stood by and bystanders begged Chauvin to stop pressing his knee on Floyd’s neck.

The protests turned into riots, protesters smashed shops and offices. Photo: Reuters

A video recording of this scene was later posted online and quickly went viral. Accordingly, when Chauvin released Floyd, the black man lay motionless and was later confirmed dead at a local hospital. Chauvin and 3 police officers involved in the incident were fired on May 26, and on May 29, Chauvin was arrested and charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter.

The incident immediately sparked outrage across the United States, with thousands of protesters taking to the streets in Minneapolis and other cities. While most of the protests were peaceful, some turned violent, with protesters clashing with police, burning down homes, and looting.

The protests were the "last straw" that triggered a "double crisis" when 2020 had already brought deep pain to the black community in the United States.

Obviously, the protests focused on the police force and security work, but it was no different from the "last straw" that started a "double crisis" when 2020 had already brought much pain to the black community in the US. The Covid-19 crisis has had a much stronger impact on black and Latino Americans, as this group has a higher rate of infection and death from Covid-19 than white people. In addition to health "injustice", economic instability due to stay-at-home measures has also caused people of color to suffer a "painful blow" especially, they lose more jobs, are less likely to have financial stability...

A protester was arrested near the White House on June 1. Photo: AFP

As Americans grapple with tragic headlines about people of color who have died prematurely due to violence by white people or police in recent weeks, another video has emerged showing a white woman pretending to be threatened by a black man, when in fact he was just asking her to leash her dog! According to Vox, this shows that, in addition to concerns about violence related to the state apparatus, systemic racism in the US has created dangerous situations for Americans of color, even when they are just doing the most mundane things.

ROOT OF THE PROBLEM

The reaction from the American public following Floyd’s death was swift and inclusive. Politicians, entertainers, athletes, and many other public figures spoke out. Former President Barack Obama issued a lengthy statement calling for the country to find a “new normal” for Black Americans. Former Vice President Joe Biden called the moment a “national crisis” that required “leadership to bring people together so we can find ways to eradicate systemic racism.” President Donald Trump also sent his condolences to Floyd’s family.

The protests that have erupted in Minneapolis and other places across the United States, and even spread to other countries, began as a way for people to express their anger not only over Floyd’s death, but also over the racism and inequality that has been latent and simmering in American society for centuries. But as mentioned, unrest grew as the protests morphed into looting, vandalism, and the burning of police stations and buildings.

Looters targeted stores in many places, including luxury boutiques and electronics stores. Photo: AFP

In Minnesota, the governor had to mobilize the entire National Guard to restore stability. This trend quickly spread to other areas. Last weekend, Atlanta, Brooklyn, San Jose, California, Miami, Chicago, Dallas... witnessed unfortunate scenes, hundreds of extremist protesters were arrested. Even the White House became the "target" for the crowd to gather and surround, forcing Mr. Trump to temporarily take refuge in the basement...

The situation across America has not simply revolved around the death of George Floyd, but has escalated beyond the imagination of many.

It can be seen that the situation in Minneapolis in particular and in the United States in general is not simply about the death of black citizen George Floyd, but has escalated beyond the imagination of many people, to the point that a curfew was declared but was not very effective in preventing further protests. The situation was already tense, but the Commander-in-Chief of the United States made a speech from the White House earlier this week, while on the other side of the fence, the police were spraying tear gas on protesters, affirming that they would order the army to suppress the protests, saying that they were sending thousands of soldiers to the streets of Washington and threatening to deploy troops to states that were unable to regain control.

Of course, many opinions immediately reacted to the Oval Office owner's statement. But putting aside the debate surrounding the protests, we need to soberly look at a deeper issue that requires attention: that is, how people of color are treated in the United States. Many figures show that people of color are targeted and treated unfairly by law enforcement agencies. Black men have a 1 in 1,000 chance of being shot by the police, and are twice as likely to be targeted and chased by the police as white men. They are more likely to be sent to prison, and often face longer prison sentences.

Mr. Trump declared that he would restore "law and order" and deploy the army to suppress protests. Photo: Getty

These racial biases are not limited to criminal matters. Inequality is present in many aspects of life in America. Take the ongoing Covid-19 crisis, for example: the disease also disproportionately infects and kills people of color, and disproportionately harms areas with large minority populations. This is the reality that people of color face every day in the land of the free.

Ultimately, in the constant stream of news surrounding the wave of protests in response to Floyd’s death, perhaps more important is the possibility that people can “lose sight” of the real problem: the centuries-old racism embedded in the fabric of American society, which continues to inflict immeasurable damage, much of it borne by communities of color.