Written by Elly Herrick & Sophia Hysaw
On May 25, 2020, a Black man named George Floyd sparked a global outrage after Minneapolis cop Derek Chauvin placed a knee on his neck for eight minutes and 15 seconds.
Protesters flooded streets across the country demanding justice not only for Floyd, but for every person of color that has been subjected to police brutality.
From Minneapolis to downtown Kenosha, use of excessive force by police has been reported around the U.S. On Aug. 23, 2020, Kenosha resident Jacob Blake was shot seven times after he allegedly went to a car to grab a knife after he was questioned about his unserved court appearance. All of this was caught on camera.
The minute the shooting video went public, there was uproar in Kenosha. Rioters burned down buildings in Uptown and Downtown Kenosha and defaced buildings while some news
reporters blamed peaceful protesters. Many Kenosha residents were extremely upset about the series of events such as junior Meredith Kaufmann.
“I was more upset because I knew it wasn’t Black Lives Matter protesters. Uptown is primarily filled with black people and people of color, so I was disgusted that protestors were being blamed,” Kaufmann said.
But for some people this wasn’t just a story circulating on the news. Davan Smith, another Indian Trail junior explained how nervous she was.
“I was scared for my friends who live closer to there. I know a lot of people who live really close to where all the commotion was taking place, and they saw lots of cop cars speeding past. It was insane,” Smith said.
Sheridan Ewald, a Med-Sci Academy junior at Indian Trail, also expressed sadness in seeing parts of her hometown go up in flames.
“It was very disheartening to see Kenosha’s local businesses getting broken into and destroyed,” Ewald said. “I will say I did love to see the community coming together and creating beautiful street art (afterwards).”
After the protests
Through all the damage and destruction done to Kenosha, many people began to volunteer their time to paint murals, attend protests, and even hold food drives for those in need in Uptown Kenosha.
“I did protest once,” Smith said. “The one I went to was a nice experience.”
“I attended some protests and helped volunteer and organize some food-drives,” Kaufmann said.
In the wake of all the social and political unrest in Kenosha, friends, neighbors, and even family members find themselves completely separated from those with opposing viewpoints.
“You kind of see people’s true colors. It definitely shows you how a person grew up and their stand-point on it,” Smith said.
Although the conflict and explosive events seemed to divide Kenosha on issues such as racism and police use of force, some residents felt more united with others like Kaufmannn.
“I felt unified with the people I was protesting with. It’s like a family for the moment,” she said.
Kaufmann isn’t hoping for life to return to “normal.”
“I don’t think it should. If everything goes back to normal, we failed as a system and as a community. It shouldn’t go back to normal. If it does, then it was all for nothing,” she said.
Training for police officers ranges from 10 weeks to 36 weeks long, while training for barbers requires 10 months. Joey Leahey, a general studies junior, thinks that contributes to an unjust system.
“I always knew in the back of my mind that America and its systems like the courts and the police were extremely flawed,” Leahey said.
But his view isn’t the only view.
Difficult time for law enforcement
Lieutenant Joseph Nosalik has been working for the police for 22 years and provided the perspective of an officer during the BLM movement.
“It has been a challenge,” Nosalik said. “(There’s) more public distrust right now, and it’s difficult to maintain or earn public trust.”
According to a New York Times article posted in August 2020, confidence in law enforcement has dropped to its all-time low. About 48% of people reported being confident in the police. Overall, Republicans were 82% confident, while Democrats were 28%.
Nosalik warns people to not get caught up in social media and tells people — while it is difficult — we need to remove emotions.
“We need to wait for facts to come out,” Nosalik said.
While some students support and donate to the BLM movement, others believe that the movement causes more harm than good.
“BLM doesn’t care about black people,” said Joseph Panagos, a Northridge Prep junior in Niles, Ill. “Things need to change, but their solutions are all wrong.”
“Police brutality is very rare; it’s impossible to tell the motive to prove it’s racism that was the cause,” Panagos said.
But when allegations of police brutality are made, it’s difficult for police officers to be fired or punished since their unions are strong and since 16 states have enacted into state law a Bill of Rights for officers. The legislation is designed as an extra layer of protection for law enforcement from investigation and prosecution arising from conduct during official performance of their duties.
Calls for accountability
Even if a police officer is fired for misconduct, they can be rehired elsewhere.
For example, police officer Timothy Loehmann resigned from a police department after he was found allegedly unfit for the job. Shortly after another station hired him, he shot and killed 12-year-old Tamir Rice.
According to Nature, the world’s leading multidisciplinary science journal, about 1,000 civilians are killed by law enforcement per year. Black men are 2.5 times as likely than white men to be killed by police officers.
Nature also gathered data based on 1.2 million 911 calls and examined how likely a Black officer or a White officer would use force involving a gun. Their data showed that white officers are more likely to use a gun predominantly in black neighborhoods.
“Sometimes the calls are very hard to make which is why we need as many body cams as possible to know exactly what happened,” Panagos said.
A movement looking to be understood
English teacher Amanda Johnson explained the importance of understanding BLM and protests.
“I think it is important for students to understand what the Black Lives Matter movement is and what it isn’t,” Johnson said. “Black Lives Matter does not mean that only Black lives matter – it is not exclusionary. Black Lives Matter isn’t saying that others’ lives don’t matter.”
The term Black Lives Matter validates people of color and tells them that their lives matter when it seems like they don’t. The term ‘Blue Lives Matter’ refers to cops’ lives matter and is used to counter BLM supporters.
“The BLM movement is calling attention to the systemic racism that exists in our country,” Johnson says. “It’s asking policymakers and individual citizens to see and hear that Black and Brown people are hurting in our country, and it encourages much-needed healing and change.”
Systemic racism goes beyond an individual’s belief and feelings about people of another race. It means that systems that society depends on, like healthcare, are infused and altered by racism.
“Protesting creates “noise” around an issue,” says Johnson. “However, for true change to happen, policies that are racist need to be changed.”
With activism and movements becoming more popular in the past couple of months, Johnson said it is important to understand how to effectively and safely protest.
“Protesting at any time is a personal choice, and protests during a pandemic heighten this reality,” Johnson says.
About 93% of protests have been peaceful and non-destructive since the death of George Floyd, according to CNN Sep. 4, 2020.
“We support the First Amendment to peaceful protest and demonstrate,” Nosalik said. “History has shown us peaceful protests have made a difference.
”“We don’t support rioting or unlawful assembly,” Nofalik said. “I don’t believe that rioting or being destructive serves its purpose.”
The First Amendment gives all U.S citizens the right to assemble, and protesters around the world aren’t hesitant to practice that right.
“[Protesting is] honestly one of the main ways to get our voices heard and to start change,” Leahy said. “It’s the most impactful way to make a change other than voting.”
Kyle Larson, a Bradford junior, underscored how much value he believes the BLM movement could have in changing the world.
“Our voices have to be heard,” says Larson, “[Black Lives Matter] is quite possibly the most important movement that will be made by our generation.”