After the Protest, What’s Next?
by Judy Bokao
On May 25, 2020 — George Floyd, a 46 year-old man was murdered in broad daylight by cops who violated the policies of Minneapolis Police Department. The world was shocked after watching the heartbreaking video and seeing Mr. Floyd laying on the ground, handcuffed, saying he can’t breathe as the cop (Mr. Chauvin) kept his knee on his neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds. It was beyond flabbergasting how Mr. Chauvin showed no sign of concern or made no effort to remove his leg, even after Mr. Floyd lost consciousness, even as onlookers repeatedly called out for help. Unfortunately, no help came because the people who are meant to offer it were onsite, committing the injustice itself. Mr. Floyd is not the first Black man to be callously murdered by police officers, but for how long will Black people in America suffer such injustices? How many fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters, uncles and grandparents have to lose their lives because they are Black? How many graves will be dug until we realize enough is enough?
This is simply just one of the cases which was caught on camera, but it makes me wonder about all the Black people who have been shot and killed by police officers without being recorded — do they even get justice? There are so many cases of African American men and women being killed by police officers that are swept under the rug. This clearly shows that the law enforcement bias against the African minority is continuously being propagated by those in power because they refuse to take legal actions against these rogue cops. It is inhumane in every sense of the word that a cop killed a man and gets away with it. Since when is firing someone from their job considered the ultimate justice for murder? It is sad that it took a protest for Mr. Chauvin to be charged with second degree murder, and that is still not enough.
It is deeply concerning that according to a Washington Post Database, African Americans are 2.5 times more likely to be killed by a police officer. It is time that we all come together and raise our voices for true change. Yes, people are angry and tired but protests are not enough.
The Black Lives Matter movement has been functional since 2013 after the unfortunate death of Trayvon Martin, who was shot and killed by George Zimmerman. The Black Lives Matter movement is a social and online campaign that is intent on advocating for racial justice in response to the racism and violence suffered by black people especially at the hands of the authorities. It is doing a great job in raising awareness but change is still a long way. We can protest for days but that won’t bring change, it will spotlight the issues but we need to do more to make sure that no other African Americans are brutally killed by police officers. The blood spilled is more than enough, and Mr. Floyd should be the last to suffer such fate.
People need to channel their efforts on seeking political solutions to address these grievances about criminal justice. In his essay in regard to the death of George Floyd, Former President Obama said, “If we want our criminal justice system, and American society at large, to operate on a higher ethical code, then we have to model that code ourselves.” Mr. Obama is right; it has been said many times that the system was not initially made for Black people and that is why most Black Americans feel secluded by the system. There is need to come up with a new system that will be inclusive and work for everyone. At the moment, most Black Americans feel like they are living in two different Americas because it seems justice works differently when they are involved.
It is important to elect the right officials at all levels of government to translate these grievances into specific laws and institutional practices. Mr. Obama also noted that we need to fight until the government, including the President, Congress, US Justice Department and Federal judiciary recognize the corrosive role that racism plays in our society and want to do something about it. Mr. Obama was clear that civil disobedience and protesting are only one of the ways to bring about real change, the other way is making political changes starting from local levels. This is clear, given Trump’s response to the ongoing protests in the country. We need better leadership, leaders who understand our plight and are willing to sit at a table and formulate laws that would put this to an end.
It is great that people are angered by the reality of racial bias, but we need to get angry enough to demand change from our leaders. We need to get angry enough to make the right decision when we vote for our leaders. We need to get angry enough to educate ourselves regardless of our race or station. We need to get angry enough to demand better from our judiciary system. We need to get angry enough to realize we need to work together to create a “better America.” We need to get angry enough to demand better from our institutions and calling out the bad apples amongst us. It is only then that bigotry and bias will no longer have a place in our hearts and we will have one America.
About the Author:
Judy Bokao is 20 years old and was born in Ethiopia but relocated to Nairobi two years ago. She is passionate about everyone having equal rights and is also big on conservation and speaking up for our planet. Judy loves reading and photography and is just a free-spirited young lady trying to grow into a woman her mom can be proud of.
