The traditional Memorial Day of May 30, 2020 was a day of historical importance. That day many demonstrations and protests broke out across the United States to denounce police brutality against black men and the unjust death of George Floyd at the hands of a police officer from the Minneapolis police department with three other police officers in close proximity. No one stopped the mistreatment of a black man although bystanders tried to intervene.
Conditions should now have improved rather than deteriorated with regards to police brutality against black men. People who were adults or young people in 1991 know the name Rodney King. Although his name became a household word for a while, young people today may not have heard the name.
Rodney King was in a high-speed chase with the Los Angeles police on March 3, 1991. He was not innocent as the police were chasing him, but what happened next caused confusion and outrage. The officers pulled King out of the car and severely beat him. An amateur cameraman captured it all on videotape that was broadcast to the nation. The four officers involved were charged with assault with a deadly weapon and excessive use of force. After a three-month trial in Simi Valley, a predominantly white Los Angeles suburb, a majority-white jury acquitted the officers. There were no African-American jurors.
This triggered the violent riots of 1992 in Los Angeles. Rodney King made a public appearance on the third day of the riots and said, “People, I just want to say, can’t we all get along? Can’t we all get along?”
The United States Department of Justice later filed federal civil rights charges against the four officers. Two were found guilty and the other two were acquitted. Rodney King received compensation.
Rodney King was an African-American man born in Sacramento, California, in 1965. He was about to turn 26 when he was beaten by police officers in Los Angeles. It became a symbol of racial tension in the United States. He later said that he forgave the officers and had been forgiven many times in his life, but his life was not easy after that encounter. He had a troubled life and was found dead in a swimming pool in 2012 at the age of 47.
The death of George Floyd caused by a Minneapolis police officer has brought racial tensions back to the fore. Although there have been other cases of police brutality against Black people, this case has sparked repressed feelings in many people.
As reporters have pointed out, the majority of people in peaceful protests across the country have been white. They feel the pain of their black friends. Even in places where there are large black populations, whites appear to outnumber those in groups proclaiming their outrage at the treatment of George Floyd.
Black Lives Matter has become a cry of the day. It’s a shame conditions weren’t noticeably improved when that slogan first came out or when Rodney King and others were brutalized in the past. The people did not want things to escalate to the state of affairs of the demonstrations across the country after they turned violent, but they want change and justice for their fellow citizens.
The name of George Floyd has also become famous. He wouldn’t have wanted it to be this way. We do not know if he was totally innocent, but surely he did not expect such treatment and losing his life in such a brutal way. However, it has become a symbol of something very wrong in this country. May he rest in peace and may his family find some comfort in knowing that his name is meant to be a catalyst for change and improvement. George Floyd’s brother stated that the family wants George Floyd’s name to be remembered, but they do not approve of the rioting, looting, vandalism and violence that is taking place.
Most racial minorities in the United States have experienced racism to some degree. There are countless cases of people being racist and prejudiced against people who are different from them. Japanese Americans faced extreme racism during World War II when they were unjustly imprisoned in camps even though they were totally innocent. Latinos, Asians, Native Americans, and other ethnicities have seen racism up close and personal, but many African Americans still face the worst kind of racism.
It will go? Will these peaceful protesters be able to get their message across to the people who will listen and do something to remedy the situation? Hopefully this time it works to improve conditions.