i can't breathe

Minneapolis, Minnesota. 25th May 2020. 3 police officers, one handcuffed black man. You will have heard the story countless times by now. George Floyd, the 'gentle giant' of America, was killed in the now-infamous merciless show of police brutality and the racism that plagues our society. Unfortunately, this is not the only incident of something of this sort - just in 2020 alone, there have been 21 killings by the police force in the US alone. These disgusting events have been festered by years of systemic racism that has been allowed to flourish and develop into what is now a worldwide issue.

Racism is something that needs to be tackled now. If we leave it now then we may never be able to get rid of it from the world - what kind of a world do you want your children or grandchildren growing up in? One full of love and respect, or infested with discrimination and hatred? Black lives have always mattered and will always matter, but in addition to black lives, we cannot forget that these crimes are also being committed against other minority groups. We cannot lose sight of our humanity, we cannot forget that the people who some are treating with bigotry and prejudice are also people. People like George Floyd, Eric Garner, Sandra Bland - these people are who we should be fighting for, not against.

We need to work together, all as one, to rid the planet of this epidemic of intolerance. While we are dealing with a physical pandemic, we need to remember everyone who has been a victim of racism. The protests that are happening all across the globe in light of George Floyd's death are a perfect example of how the people of the world can come together to fight for a common cause: the fight against racism. These protests, in most cases, have been peaceful, but in some places have broken out into riots and violence. This violence has been met with more police brutality, with tear gas and rubber bullets being utilised to keep the protesters under control, but despite the obvious use of these methods, the US Park Police denies the use of tear gas but acknowledges the use of 'smoke canisters and pepper balls' which contain a chemical that irritates the eyes - exactly what tear gas does. In addition to this, the police's use of so-called 'non-lethal' bullets (rubber bullets) has been another cause for concern. In LA, the police used them against an unarmed homeless man who was not protesting. This man may have died, like many others who have been killed, maimed or in some way hurt by the police's actions.

The fight to rid the world of systemic racism, the kind that killed George Floyd and all those others, is a long one and we must be willing to set aside any differences that different people may have and fight for the greater good. Look at America, all kinds of people working together collectively to protest against the injustice and the terrible crimes that have occurred against people there by the police and law enforcement. Look at Birmingham, here in the UK - thousands of people from all sorts of backgrounds, collaborating towards a better world. Between 2013 and 2019, over 1000 people were killed in police custody in the US. In 2019 alone, 54% of this type of killing was against people of colour, a 4% increase from 2014. These statistics clearly show the issue in law enforcement - prejudice rules and justice is left in the dust. This disproportionality needs to change. If not now, then it will never change. It is up to people like you and me, normal people, to raise awareness and promote changes. The people of the world are doing this right now with the protests and riots. John Boyega's speech at Hyde Park was perfect - our fight against racism is a representation of the victims, of the fallen, of the suffocated. And we should not give up until racism is eradicated completely and utterly.

Thanks for reading, if you enjoyed it please drop a comment and a like.

See you next week.

If you want to watch John Boyega's stirring speech, here it is. I would highly encourage you to watch it - it is a flawless embodiment of the fight that needs to happen.