“Police have killed 826 people in 2020,” stated Mapping Police Violence. “Black people have been 28% of those killed by police in 2020 despite being only 13% of the population.”

Police brutality is mainly towards skin-colored citizens. Due to these events, people started protesting and rioting against government officials because they are killing unarmed innocent people. The protest and rioting started becoming incredibly violent when the officers who committed these acts didn’t get charged and were free to go. 

On May 25, 2020, George Floyd, a 46-year-old African-American man, was killed in Minneapolis, Minnesota, while being arrested for allegedly using a counterfeit bill. A video taken by a bystander circulating on social media shows Officer Chauvin with his knee pressed into Floyd’s neck while the man repeatedly says he can’t breathe. Floyd repeatedly pleads with Officer Chauvin, at one point crying out for his mother and saying “everything hurts.” Floyd died at a local hospital, according to the police (USA Today).

The killing of George Floyd was a case that led to people rioting around our nation against the police departments and the government’s force officials. Protests had a big effect on the communities across the country over the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and Jacob Blake. These names are all young unarmed African American people who were killed for no explainable reason. 

“I don’t know what the police and government could do at this point. We are fighting hatred with hatred. Them fighting back is a terrible thing but that is just how the brain works, they want to be held higher than others,” said sophomore Damitrius Jeffries. “If the protests had a clear motive then it would make more sense to me but when everyone screams what they want at once it comes out as a blob of words. If the people had a clear thing they wanted like arresting all cops that have shown a clear hatred for a person because they were a certain skin color then I think the government would be happier to help us out.” 

Government officials and the citizens aren’t in an understanding state right now because nobody is letting each other experience their feelings about the situation. If people respected others for what they have to say then the community wouldn’t be at war with each other, but if people don’t respect each other’s opinions then this mess is going to get bigger and explode. Then it’ll be another civil war if things don’t get solved to where both sides get what they want without the other side being disrespectful. 

“No, I don’t feel safe. Not because of the protest but because of President Trump not being able to shift focus on the reason behind protesting and rioting. He needs to step up and take leadership into his own hands and follow up extensively with these states that are seeing high numbers of police-involved with civilian deaths,” said Carlos Moreno. 

President Trump not taking action for these events shows people in general that racism is okay. It’s not! The people in our communities shouldn’t be judged or judge someone due to their skin color. “Why is it that just because their skin color is different they get judged with one look. what makes them so different from anyone else?” said Jy’aire Ramirez. “We are all human and we all deserve the same treatment no matter what.”  

People shouldn’t be ashamed of who they are. A person can change their name, their body but no one can change their facial features nor their skin color. As Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality… I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word.”