JAKARTA - On May 25, 2020, a black man named George Floyd died because his neck was pinned to the knee of a police officer, Derek Chauvin. George Floyd's death sparked mass action in many parts of the world. "Black Lives Matter," so the resistance to racism, imperialism, to slavery is voiced.
George Floyd's death began when he bought a pack of cigarettes at a convenience store in South Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States (USA). A shop assistant believes that George Floyd used a fake $20 banknote and called the police after George Floyd refused to return cigarettes or pay again.
Officers, including Derek Chauvin, came and handcuffed him. But George Floyd refused to get in the patrol car. George Floyd's struggle ended with himself face down in the street, with Derek Chauvin kneeling around George Floyd's neck for nearly ten minutes. More than 20 times Floyd said he couldn't breathe.
A video shows him limping and being taken by police to hospital. George Floyd was pronounced dead at a hospital an hour later. This case not only illustrates a brutality between the police and civil society, but also touches on cases of racism.
Derek Chauvin, who is a white police officer, is considered to have done so because he saw George Floyd who was black. Floyd's death was also the beginning of the largest protest movement in U.S. history, even followed by countries around the world that share the same fate about racism.
Black Lives Matter
Black Lives Matter Street in Washington DC (Twitter @DMVBlackLives)
According to a BBC report, the four police officers at the scene were fired the next day, as a crowd took to the streets in Minneapolis to protest. The offices where they worked were burned down and demonstrations quickly spread to other cities.
On the sixth night, there were protests in 75 cities across the U.S., some of which were violent, and a national debate about police brutality against African-Americans was revived. The anti-racism movement created in 2013 after the murder of Trayvon Martin's teenager, Black Lives Matter, was reinstated.
Even small, white-majority cities in the U.S. held protests in memory of Floyd and against racial injustice. Reforms were introduced by MPs to change the way some police make arrests and detain suspects. But the conversation soon expanded from policing to issues such as equality in the workplace, unconscious bias, and the legacy of slavery.
Action outside the US
Anti-racism protests were held in countries around the world in response to the deaths. Many focused on victims of alleged police violence.
But there are also protests that illustrate how racism has been ingrained for a long time. In Australia, the focus is on indigenous communities.
Meanwhile in England, a statue of a 17th-century slave trader was torn down and dumped in bristol harbour. Meanwhile, in France, the case of Adama Traore who was also black and both died at the hands of the police was again raised.
Traore died at a police station after being arrested by authorities in the Paris suburbs. Traore had lost consciousness when transported into the vehicle.
Traore's death remains a mystery. According to one of the officers' confessions to investigators, he and two colleagues did clamp Traore with his body.
However, official investigation results show Traore died for medical reasons. He was diagnosed with heart failure.
Many corporate brands have also expressed support for Black Lives Matter. While many athletes "bowed" in solidarity before the game.
The fate of Derek Chauvin
Chauvin, who had at least 17 other misconduct complaints filed against him before Floyd's death, was arrested on May 29, 2020.
He was charged with second- and third-degree murder. Chauvin was also charged with second-degree murder.
On April 20, 2021, after a trial that was broadcast live online and on TV due to the pandemic, Chauvin was found guilty of all charges.
*Read more information about WORLD HISTORY or read other interesting writings from Putri Ainur Islam.
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