Government

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2305 WRITING ASSIGNMENT

THE BLACK LIVES MATTER PROTESTS—“I CAN’T BREATHE!”

A Personal Essay

INTRODUCTION

“I can’t breathe!—George Floyd’s final words, uttered on May 25, 2020. A 46-year

old black man, who grew up in Houston, and was later buried this month in Houston,

was killed in Minneapolis, Minnesota, by a white police office, Derek Chauvin.

Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck for eight minutes while Floyd was handcuffed and

lying face down on the street after Chauvin accused him of receiving a counterfeit

$20 bill. Floyd begged Chauvin to get of his neck, repeating “I can’t breathe” until he

passed out, stopped breathing, and died moments later with Chauvin’s knee still on

his neck.

Videos made by onlookers—who pleaded with the officer to remove his knee as

Floyd begged and suffered—were released to the public. The four officers involved

were fired. Chauvin was eventually charged with second-degree murder. The other

three were charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder.

Unless you’ve just returned from a two-month stay atop Mount Everest without a

radio or from a retreat in a secluded ashram in India, you know of this event and what

it precipitated: Weeks of mass protests across America and sometimes violent and

destructive behavior, occasional destruction of property and looting, massive police

presence with paramilitary-style equipment and tactics, take-over by protestors of

streets and highways and buildings.

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From all this came a resurgence of the “Black Lives Matter” movement, protesting

against police brutality against minorities, black citizens in particular. Other

minorities echoed he complaints against police. This led to counter-demonstrations

and criticism from conservative groups and politicians.

Also spawning from this was a movement across the country, particularly in the

South, for the removal of monuments and statues of prominent Civil War figures such

as Robert E. Lee. Princeton University in New Jersey, a northern state, has removed

all reference to the 28th President of the United States, Woodrow Wilson—a graduate

and president of Princeton—because of his segregationist policies as president. Some

calls have been made to “defund” municipal police department and give the funds to

social service agencies in those cities instead to aid the poor in the cities. Some

protestors have called for the elimination in states which offer it the “qualified

immunity” which protects police and other government officials from lawsuits for

harm to citizens due to legal actions while on duty.

On June 12, Rayshard Brooks, a 27-year old black man, was asleep in his car,

blocking an Atlanta Wendy’s drive-thru lane. Two Atlanta P.D. patrol cars

responded. A breathalyzer test determined that Brook’s blood-alcohol content barely

exceeded the legal driving limit. The two police officers talked with Brooks who was

cooperative and responsive. Whey they handcuffed him, Brooks panicked, struggled,

saying he was terrified because he was claustrophobic. In the ensuing struggle,

Brooks took a laser—a non-lethal weapon according to police—and ran. Officer

Garrett Rolfe pursued on foot. At a substantial distance from the office, Brooks, still

running, stuck the taser over his shoulder and fired blindly at the officer, missing him

by a country mile. Rolfe then fired several shots from his police handgun at Brooks

striking him twice in the back. One bullet pierced his heart. Brooks lived several

minutes after being shot. After Brooks was shot, he was given no medical attention

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for over two minutes, despite Atlanta police policy that says officers must offer

timely help. As the wounded Brooks struggled on the ground for his life, the other

officer, Devin Brosnan, stood on Brooks shoulder. Brooks soon died of his wounds.

Officer Brosnan has been charged with felony murder. Officer Rolfe was charged

with aggravated assault and violating his police officer’s oath.

Soon after George Floyd’s killing and exacerbated by the killing of Rayshard Brooks,

a series of massive protests began in Minneapolis, Washington and cities across the

United States. Live coverage of the protests, marches, and occasional riots were

broadcast constantly on cable news networks and the national network broadcasts.

Protests were conducted in hundreds of cities. The estimates range up to a couple of

thousand protest marches across the country.

Protests in Minneapolis, where George Floyd, a black man was killed, resulted as a

result of his death in the custody by the actions of white police officers in front of

witnesses and video cameras. The protests expanded as a result of the death of

Rayshard Brooks, black man, as a result of the actions of two white police officer just

a few days after the death of Mr. Floyd.

Soon protests began across the United States in virtually every major American city

as well a scores of small cities. Local news in Houston offered extensive local

coverage of memorials for former Houston resident George Floyd and his funeral

service was broadcast live on all major local TV stations. Local TV stations across

Texas covered their local protests and. (Having lived there for a number of years, I

was amazed at how demonstrators blocked Interstate 35 in Austin for hours, closing

that major thoroughfare through what is now the heart of the city.) All the major

television networks devoted extensive time for the coverage of protests. The biggest,

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and the one more visible protests and demonstrations occurred in the seat of the

federal government which has more TV reporters and cameras covering the events in

that city than any other city in the country, made these protests prime-time

broadcasts. Hence, it received extensive coverage.

Protests and demonstrations in Washington, D.C. began soon after George Floyd’s

death and intensified in the following days. These marches and demonstrations

virtually shut down the city. Lafayette Park, across from the White House, was

ground zero for the protests and demonstration although they extended throughout

D.C. The protests called for a halt to police brutality, expressing anger and

frustration over the death of George Floyd and Rayshard Brooks and countless others.

The demonstrations expanded to include support for a rejuvenation of the “Black

Lives Matter” movement, and a call for reforms in police procedures, training,

behavior, and funding. Protests moved up to the fence line of the White House

grounds which prompted a request for support from military troops. Techniques at

times turned violent. A shoulder-to-shoulder clearing of Lafayette Park by

paramilitary armed and armored U.S. Park Police using chemical gases, pepper balls,

and sprays, all without an announcement by the police to protestors ordering them to

disperse, a warning required by law, led to injuries among the legally gathered,

peaceful demonstrators.

The White House at one point erected additional fencing to protect against

demonstrators. And, President Trump was taken and to the White House bunker

buried deep under the main structure. Trump stayed in the bunker for an hour. Later

he told reporters he just went to the bunker to “inspect it” and spent just a few

minutes there. Trump also warned that if protestors move onto the ground they’d be

met with “the most vicious dogs and most ominous weapons.” Journalists covering

the protests in Washington and around the White House were accosted by police.

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President Trump later wanted to do a “photo-op” (photo opportunity to be covered by

all networks) outside the White House. A special team of paramilitary outfitted

police were lined up to push all protesters from Lafayette Park. Using tear gas,

rubber bullets, and pepper balls, the protesters—who had a legal permit to protest

there at the time—were forced out of the park by violent means by the order of

President Trump. Trump, several generals, his Attorney General, and other staff

people, walked through the park and Lafayette Square to St. John’s Episcopal

Church, which many presidents have attended over decades of our history. (President

Trump attended one service there in his time in office…after his inauguration at a

traditional service held for a newly sworn in president.) He spent several minutes

holding up a Bible while standing in front of the church, saying nothing. One

reporter asked, “Is that your Bible?” Trump responded, “It’s a Bible.” After a few

minutes he stood with officials from his administration for pictures in front of the

church then returned to the White House. He did not go inside.

In was in June that the federal government sent in some 7,600 troops and riot control

police and from in and around Washington to control and subdue demonstrations.

They did not stop the demonstrators from making their message heard in Washington

and across the nation. “Black Lives Matter” murals appeared on city streets in spite

of the police and military presence. The D.C. city government temporarily named a

street behind the White House as “Black Lives Matter Plaza” as an honorary gesture.

While raucous and vigorous, the protestors were vocal, not violent. The protests sent

a message to the nation. Large protest died down in the latter part of June but

continue in smaller numbers in D.C. today.