Jahkiya Jack English Prof. Avila 6 August 2016 Final Paper An unarmed black teenager was shot and killed by a white police officer. The shooting prompted protests around the nation as people rallied for change. Pick a time period, pick a place, and pick a black person from the archive of African Americans who have fallen victim to this social injustice, and I guarantee that the scenario above will remain the same. Police brutality against African Americans is not a new topic, but the recent shootings of young black men by cops in cities around the Nation has reignited this oh so familiar fight for justice. Within the last few years there have been an abundance of protests and riots due to cops not being indicted for murdering unarmed black …show more content…
In 2012, a 17 year-old unarmed black boy was gunned down in Florida while walking home from a gas station after getting snacks. The murder of Trayvon Martin in Sanford, FL by George Zimmerman received attention around the nation. Zimmerman was eventually put on trial for Martin’s death, but was acquitted of second-degree murder and manslaughter, which began the hashtag BlackLivesMatter. The official website, blacklivesmatter.com, describes it as “an ideological and political intervention in a world where black lives are systematically and intentionally targeted for demise. It is an affirmation of Black folk’s contributions to this society, our humanity and our resilience in the face of deadly oppression” (Black Lives Matter, n.d.). The hashtag quickly transformed into a movement in 2014 after the deaths of Michael Brown, John Crawford III and Eric Garner. All three were unarmed black men killed by police who were eventually acquitted for their murders. The Black Lives Matter movement is a call-to-action to encourage people to fight against the racial inequalities endured by black people and stand against the expectations of normality defined by white supremacy. Many have tried to debase this movement by saying that all lives mater and all lives are important. Though the Black Lives Matter Movement may be “pro-black”, it does not mean it is being anti-white or …show more content…
These three things all contribute to the change we want to see in society. Currently, The Black Lives Matter movement is at the point of causing civil disobedience, which is used to gain the attention of the media, politicians and the nation as a whole. The movement works at different levels with the hopes of making changes in society which in turn would promote equality within the criminal justice system. Leaders of Black Lives Matter understand how the general population’s beliefs about crime and racism acts as an antagonist to any sort of reform to lower racial discrepancies, due to this they are trying to emphasize how race does matter in both the criminal justice system and society through the means of protests. The 23 active Black Lives Matter chapters across the United States are staging demonstrations in order to get society to acknowledge that there is a problem, and once people begin to listen, there can be legal challenges and new laws that work to influence a societal change. On August 28th, 2014 during Labor Day weekend supporters of the Black Lives Matter movement from around the nation set out to participate in a Black Lives Matter Freedom Ride. This protest, based off of the 1960s Freedom Riders, brought people to Ferguson, MO, the city where Michael Brown was shot and killed by police officer Darren Wilson. Naturally this
Black Lives Matter (BLM) is a loosely‐coordinated, nationwide movement dedicated to ending police brutality that rose to prominence in late 2014. It takes its name from a hashtag started by three Black feminist activists Patrisse Cullors, Alicia Garza, and Opal Tometi but the movement and the hashtag are not identical (Freelon, McIlwain, & Clark, 2016). BLM has achieved national reputation through their online and offline organizing, obtaining extensive news media coverage and glowing references in music and entertainment television. Based on a horrendous incident that sparked a concern for a lot of Black people across the world, the sudden need for a social movement was born called BLM. Black Lives Matter is a national organization working for the validity of Black life and also working to rebuild the Black liberation movement. Black Lives Matter broadens the conversation and highlight the incidents around state violence to include the ways in which Black people are intentionally left powerless at the hands of the state. This referring to the ways in which Black lives are deprived of basic human rights and dignity. According to the article The Murder of Walter Scott, which talks about race and class, “African Americans are less than 13% of the U.S. population yet they are nearly 50% of those killed by the police. North Charleston has a population of 104,000, 47% Black and the police force is 80% white (Miah, 2015)”.
Over the past few decades, there have been a series of African Americans killed by law enforcement officers. Trayvon Martin, Mike Brown, John Crawford III, Eric Garner and countless others. The aftermath: the officers who murdered the unarmed men have either been acquitted or there was no indictment. What happened in Ferguson is years, if not decades in the making. African Americans are simply tired of having to bury friends and family and discovering the officers, meant to protect the law and serve the people, are killing black lives and are almost always found not guilty.
17 year old african american boy Trayvon Martin was going into a 7 Eleven to get a snack before he flew back home. He walked out of the store and was being stalked by a strange man who turned out to be a volunteer cop. The cop had then told the station that there was suspicious juvenile. The police said not to pursue but he did anyways. He then shot Trayvon in the chest instantly killing him. This was not the only occasion that a police officer beat up an african american for no reason at all. Police brutality towards african americans in america needs to end. Excessive police brutality towards african americans is an issue/ongoing problem that needs to be addressed because it is unjust. Readers can expect to learn the cause and reason why this happens.
All across the nation, in the news the black community has been making their voice heard, in regards to white police brutality, and murder against the unarmed black community. Many of these brutal attacks and flat out murders of unarmed black people haven’t been largely prosecuted, some officers have even been acquitted of any wrong doing or murder. This has led to outrage in the African American community at large. The shooting of an unarmed black teen named Michael Brown caused the racial strain in this country to break.
The Civil Rights Movement from the mid 1950’s to late 1960’s fought for equal rights of People of color in this nation. That movement was successful in pushing for an end to racial segregation and discrimination in the country. Decades later, a new movement is beginning to gain traction in the fights against excess police brutality against People of Color. “Since the acquittal of Trayvon Martin's killer in 2013 and the killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, in 2014, the phrase "black lives matter" has become a rallying cry for a new chapter in the long black freedom struggle” ( Cooper 2017). The movement has been growing since and more and more after every new case of a person of color being killed by police enforcement. Contemporary anti-racist social movements like Black Lives Matter have had a definitive impact in changing the way people of color are treated, by creating the very important conversation of police brutality against people of color. In order to keep the movement growing, it have has to keep expanding its message of excessive police violence and push for policies that would create better training for law enforcement.
Police brutality is a major issue in today’s society. Many African Americans tend to avoid the police for that very reason. A campaign was started in 2012 against police brutality and the unfair treating of African Americans entitled, Black Lives Matter. This movement was met with controversy as well as support from the American people. This movement has followed several controversial police brutality cases in the United States including, Eric Garner, Michael Brown, and Sandra Bland. All African American and all killed in the presence of a police officer, with no convictions. These three cases have been some of the biggest cases in the Black Lives Matter campaign. This campaign is determined to make sure that Black lives are treated just as equally as white live and Hispanic lives, because black lives matter
The Black Lives Matter movement began in 2013 after George Zimmerman was found not guilty of the murder of 17 year-old Trayvon Martin. About a year after Martin’s death, an 18 year-old unarmed male, Michael Brown, was shot and killed by a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri. That sparked weeks of protests. Years later, Asians, Latinos, and some whites joined in and realized how big of a problem this was becoming. As the years go by, the BLM Movement will keep growing and will not go
The BLM movement initially emerged in 2013 via social media in the form of a #BlackLivesMatter hashtag. This hashtag was created in direct response to the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the case concerning the killing of Trayvon Martin, a black 17-year old teen. Martin was killed by Zimmerman, a member of the local neighborhood watch, who claimed he shot the teen in self-defense. After three weeks of testimony, the jury agreed that Zimmerman could have been justified in shooting Martin because he feared great bodily harm or death. The following year, the movement grew after the death of two unarmed black men– Michael Brown of Ferguson and Eric Garner of New York City.
“Black Lives Matter” —an intended progression in society without a hierarchy, merely marching forward by spur of the people. Started by three sisters who continue to keep the organization a chapter-based, left wing social justice operation, it can best be described as “Not a moment, but a movement” by those that follow it. The case that began this outcry involved a man —George Zimmerman— whom, according to Lizette Alvarez and Cara Buckley (2013), “was found not guilty [of] second-degree murder [and] was also acquitted of manslaughter, a lesser charge.” (para. 1). Since its initial start in 2013, the movement follows and protests against police brutality and civil injustice towards individuals of the Black minority; however, this is a prime example of hate breeding hate as the movement, has opened a new floodgate full of antipathy aimed towards the White-community and Law Enforcement Officials. In short, the initial idea of “Black Lives Matter” —which is to bring civil justice to the Black-community— is a good concept, but the execution by its adherents are, ironically, bigoted; the movement needs to either evolve its state of thought or disperse before it further segregates America.
The Black Lives Matter movement was created in 2013 after the acquittal of Trayvon Martin’s killer, and after the killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. In 2014, the phrase became a bold component for a new chapter in an age old historical fight to end social injustices. But the movement’s disruptive protests’ and passionate public speeches about racial inequality have been concerning to many American citizens who are curious about what the goal is for this generation of protesters. One of the most common misconceptions of the movement is people who are not involved in the movement thinking participants of the movement who are preaching, “Black lives matter,” means that other lives do not. But that is incorrect; I have witnessed advocates for the black lives matter movement, fight and spread awareness for injustices for other people outside of the black race.
A movement known as Black Lives Matter was created due to the injustices that minority men specifically African Ameircan. Black Lives Matter also known as BLM is an activist group that campaigns against violence and racism towards Black individuals (cite). BLM focuses on bring attention to things such as police brutaility, racial profiling and overall racial inequality that exists in society today. This movement gained exposure during the widely covered case of Trayvon Martin. On February 26, 2012, George Zimmerman shot and killed 17 year old trayvon Martin. Zimmerman was a neighborhoos watchman who called police to say that a suspicious man was walkinging around the neighborhood with a hood on. The police told Zimmerman to retreat back to
In 2013 of July, George Zimmerman was acquitted for the murder of Treyvon Martin. Soon After on July 13, 2013; the mother of Treyvon made a hashtag stating #BlackLivesMatter. At the time, it did not mean a lot, but the hashtag exploded after two killings of two African Americans teens in different areas of the U.S. Soon after two white police officers were shot in Ferguson. This began the counter movement which said All Lives Matter, trying to bring the attention off the Black Lives Matter. When they did this, they missed the point of the Black Lives Matter Movement. The Black Lives Matter movement has been misinterpreted, having people believe that the Black Lives Matter are saying the all lives don't matter. The Black Lives Matter is not saying that all lives don't matter, but because all lives matter, the racial inequality towards most African Americans is unacceptable. Therefore, all lives matter and Black Lives Matter are different because it is trying to prove that All Lives Matter
The Black Lives Matter Movement is an international activist movement, which was oriented in the African-American community in america. It campaigns against police killings of black people, along with police brutality, racial profiling, and racial inequality. The actual hashtag #blacklivesmatter is to broadening the conversation around black violence. The BLM isn’t just for justice and equality for dead black people, it's for justice and equality for black queer, trans, disabled, undocumented, and black lives along the gender spectrum. It was first just a online campaign, but in the summer of 2014 after Michael Brown was shot and killed, the BLM had their first in person protest. In was not a violent protest, almost five hundred people came
In 2012, a seventeen year old boy named Trayvon Martin was put on trial for his own murder, and the police officer who killed him, George Zimmerman, was acquitted. This movement began after the trial, with #BlackLivesMatter being used on social media to express frustration with the outcome of the trial and the racial tension in the country. Since then, the movement has grown, gaining support from celebrities and people around the world. There have been protests in the street, and it has been acknowledged many times by the media. Everyone should support Black Lives Matter because it is a movement that empowers Black people and focuses attention on the problems that they face everyday.
The goals of this movement are to “broaden[ ]the conversation concerning state violence [which state] to include all of the ways in which Black people are intentionally left powerless at the hands of the state… [This means] the ways in which Black lives are deprived of [their] basic human rights and dignity,” according to the Black Lives Matter official website. This movement has used the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter on social media platforms such as Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, and as a direct result of the popularity of this hashtag, more people are aware of the discrimination against black people than before. According to Andy Cush’s article “Here’s Proof that Black Lives Matter Protests are Working, a poll “A Pew poll from last year found that 46 percent of Americans believed that the country needed to continue making changes to ensure that blacks and whites have equal rights. After a year of demonstrations [by the Black Lives Matter movement] in the streets and on the news, a majority have taken up that stance: the Post found that 60 percent of Americans now affirm that the fight for equal rights is not over. Even white people are changing their minds: the Post poll found that 53 of whites believe changes still need to be made, versus just 39 percent in 2014.” And this poll reflects the opinion of most Americans, who support the fight for