Understanding Systemic Racism and Police Brutality

On May 25, 2020, a 46-year-old Black man named George Floyd was killed by a White police officer in broad daylight.

The murder took place in Minnesota, Minneapolis after Floyd allegedly used a counterfeit $20 bill at a convenience store. This is not the first time a Black man has been killed by a White officer, nor was it the last. However, it was caught on video and was shared while the whole world was watching. 

Following Floyd’s death, protests erupted in over 2 000 cities across the country. And the protests did not end there. They reached cities all over the world - with people of all races crying “Black Lives Matter,” and standing together to demand justice. They demand justice for George Floyd, Armand Aubery and Breonna Taylor. And they demand the dismantling of structures that have allowed Black lives to come to an end by police brutality, racial injustice and systemic oppression - for centuries.

Police Brutality: A long History of Racism

Police brutality is nowhere near a novel problem. Racial injustice and systemic oppression are actually at the foundation of U.S. policing. During Colonial America, the Southern police force was dedicated to the preservation of slavery. Slave patrols enforced segregation. They were tasked to capture runaway slaves and ensure that black lives did not revolt. 

These discriminatory structures were reinvented through Black Codes and Jim Crow laws in the 19th and 20th centuries - despite the dissolution of slave patrols. African Americans continued to be segregated and disenfranchised by restricting their access to voting, work and proper compensation. When Black people were allegedly caught out of line, they were subject to prosecution and penalization by law enforcement. Many African Americans were lynched by so-called vigilantes for just being Black.

In recounting our dark history with police brutality, we are able to better understand the significance of the protests that we are seeing today and have seen over the last century. We are exhausted from seeing our brothers and sisters being killed by the very people who are supposed to be protecting and serving us. We have been drained by the institutions that have purposely and systematically marginalized us order to empower those that do not look like us. 

That is why we are working towards dismantling these oppressive structures and representing the people fighting for Black and Brown lives. We are committed to defending the rights of protesters as we march towards racial equity and social justice for all.