OPINION: ON THE CONDEMNABLE KILLING OF GEORGE FLOYD AND ISSUE OF HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSE OF ARFICAN-AMERICANS IN US

By Zik Gbemre

We consider it necessary to lend our voices with the rest of the world to strongly condemn in all ramification the unfortunate killing of an African-American, George Floyd, by a Minneapolis Police Officer recently. I was left speechless with videos of the said incident being circulated online, and I cannot help but wonder how can a Police officer be so mindless and heartless in making an ordinary arrest, to have snuffed out the life of the said black African American? The avoidable incident has already sparked a wide range of protests, and of course every other crime that usually goes with such protests, across different States in America, even in the midst of relaxed lockdown situation in the US over Covid-19 pandemic.

It was on May 25,2020 that Minneapolis police officers arrested George Floyd, a 46-year-old African-American, after a deli employee called 911, accusing him of buying cigarettes with a counterfeit $20 bill. Seventeen minutes after the first squad car arrived at the scene, Mr. Floyd was unconscious and pinned beneath three police officers, showing no signs of life. By combining videos from bystanders and security cameras, reviewing official documents and consulting experts, The New York Times reconstructed in detail the minutes leading to Mr. Floyd’s death. According to reports, the video shows officers taking a series of actions that violated the policies of the Minneapolis Police Department and turned fatal, leaving Mr. Floyd unable to breathe, even as he and onlookers called out for help.

The day after Mr. Floyd’s death, the Police Department fired all four of the officers involved in the episode, and the Hennepin County attorney, Mike Freeman, also announced murder and manslaughter charges against Derek Chauvin, the officer who was seen most clearly in witness videos pinning Mr. Floyd to the ground. What troubled me most was the fact that Mr. Chauvin, who is white, kept his knee on Mr. Floyd’s neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds, which ultimately led to his death. The said video shows that Mr. Chauvin did not remove his knee even after Mr. Floyd lost consciousness, and for a full minute after paramedics arrived at the scene.

While some are arguing that the observed protests over this incident are frustrations of some Americans targeted at President Donald Trump’s administration, I strongly do not think so because this situation of a White Police Officer killing a Black African-American, has been happening across the US for decades now. Even during Barack Obama’s reign in office, the situation was even worse, as the world witnessed the unnecessary killings of Black African-Americans men by White Police Officers. The cases of Philando Castile, 32; Alton Sterling, 37; Freddie Carlos Grey Jr.; Eric Garner; Michael Brown, readily comes to mind.

The Governor of New York, Andrew M. Cuomo, nailed the points on this issue in a recently circulated video online, when he noted his stance with the protests and the whole situation. In his words: “I stand with the protesters. And I think all well-meaning Americans stand with the protesters. It is not an isolated incident. It is continuum of cases and situations that have been going on for decades and decades. These are just chapters in a book. And the title of the book is Continuing Injustice and Inequality in America. And these are just chapter. The chapter started, modern day, Rodney King, Los Angeles, 1991; Abner lowima, New York, 1996; Abnadudi Dealo, New York, 1999; Shown Bell in New York, 2006; Ascer Grant, Oakland California in 2009; Eric Garner in New York 2016; Michael Brown, Missouri in 2014; Lekwan McDonald in Chicago 2014; Freddie Gray, Baltimore in 2015; Antwon Rose, Pittsburgh in 2018; Amar Algrin in Georgia 2020; Briyona Taylor in Kentucky, 2020; and George Floyd in Minneapolis, 2020 – that’s why the protests. That’s why the outrage. That’s why the frustrations and the anger. It is not about the one situation. It is about the same situation happening again and again. And seeing the same thing and not learning the lesson. And it is that happening in a broader contest, and a broader circumstance, which is what is going on with the Coronavirus. Which affects and kills more minorities than anyone else.

“You look around this country and look at the people who are dying of the Coronavirus, it is this proportionate African-American people. And it is just a continuing Injustice, and that is the frustration and that is the protests. Nobody is sanctioning the arson and the burglaries and criminality. But the protesters, the anger and the fear and the frustrations – yes! And the demand is for justice. And when the prosecutor came out and said there is other evidence, but I can tell you anything more than that, that only further incited the frustrations. Injustice in the Justice System. How repugnant to the concept of America… Enough is enough. How many times do you have to see the same lesson replayed before you do something? It can be better than this. It has been better than this. And it shouldn’t take this long to win the basic indiscrimination and basic injustice.”

I find it appalling that the United States of America (USA) that is known to champion Democracy, The Rule of Law and Human Rights observance across the globe, is now seen as one of the worst places where Human Rights abuse, especially of its African-American population is quite evident. Irrespective of what anyone thinks, the use of excessive force and manhandling of African-Americans especially, by the US law enforcement agencies is a gross abuse of human rights that should be condemned in all ramifications. The situation where the US police are seen to tie the hands of people and buckle them up, or pin them down at the slightest provocation and ultimately shoot them dead as if they are ordinary animals, is unacceptable and highly condemnable.

Is it not sad that the U.S. Government prefers to spend so much to equip its law enforcement agencies who in turn treat its African-American citizenry like slaves, whereas, the same areas where the African-Americans are living are neglected and discriminately treated to lavish in poverty, lack and economic deprivation? These are serious issues that the current U.S. Government and those ahead, urgently needs to address. The U.S Government really needs to improve on its Human Rights record and justify its status as the supposed World Defender of Social Justice.

The crux of the matter is that the issue of racism has become no doubt, one of the most cancerous problems that have continued to defile all solutions in developed societies of Europe and The Unites States of America (US). In fact, the situation is far worst and evident in America than Europe and UK. Despite the abolition of slavery in the nineteenth century; the advent of modern civilization under democratic governments that allows for equality, the rule of law, justice, human rights devoid of segregation and so on; developed societies like Europe and America are still painted in bad light over the issue of racism. It is even more surprising that this issue of racism has continued to rear its ugly head in the twenty-first century of modern society.

The American Government must address the Human Rights abuse/violation of its African-American citizenry as well as the Black race and other races, by all of its law enforcement agencies in America which include those in the Police, Immigration and Customs. US law enforcement officers should stop treating other races, especially the Black race, as animals and third-class people that deserve no respect, especially from its white officers.

The US Justice System has not helped issues either with its obvious segregatory and biased dispensation of justice amongst the US citizenry of whites and coloured. It is therefore expedient for the present and future US Governments to do whatever that needs to be done to address this issue justly and possibly ameliorate the racial tension and unequal justice system in different parts of America. America cannot be talking about Human Rights abuse to other nations if they cannot respect the Human Rights of its African-American citizenry and other citizens of the world that come visiting America.

Zik Gbemre.

*We Mobilize Others to Fight for Individual Causes As If Those Were Our Causes*