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All opinions are my own and do not necessarily represent the viewpoints of any of my affiliations. As we discuss, know that we are much less interested in asserting guilt, and much more interested in finding allies, gaining recognition and understanding, or at the very least, in removing the many obstacles on the road to justice.
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“Peace is not the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice.”
— Martin Luther King, Jr.
This is uncomfortable.
This didn’t happen in my immediate community.
This still shouldn’t have happened.
This is still our fight.
It’s been five years since I watched Eric Garner die while pleading, “I can’t breathe.” I watched him die seven inches away from my face. Today his killer walks free.
It hasn't been long since I watched George Floyd die while pleading, “I can’t breathe.” Again, I watched him die on-screen, inches away from my face. Today, his killers are in jail awaiting trial. In a few months, I fear Derek Chauvin, represented by the same legal team that acquitted Philando Castile’s killer, will be acquitted of murder charges and walk free. I fear the other three charged with aiding and abetting will almost certainly walk as well.
Don’t believe me?
Nearly three months later, Breonna Taylor’s killers are still free. After enormous public pressure, the FBI finally announced they would re-examine the investigation into Taylor’s death.
Don’t hold your breath.
According to NBC, since 2005, 98 on-duty law enforcement officials have been arrested in connection to fatal on-duty shootings. Of the 98, 35 were convicted. Of the 35 convicted, 3 saw their convictions stand and actually served prison time. The rest were acquitted by a jury or judge.
According to TIME, of the 6,800+ cases of civilians intentionally or unintentionally killed by the police since 2013, an officer was charged with a crime 1.7% of the time. In most cases, “An officer gets on the stand and says, ‘I feared for my life,’ and that’s usually all she wrote.”
Therein lies the cause of our collective pain today. Therein lies the cause of the protests, whose message has been co-opted, muddled and distorted for those half-paying attention. The problem is the aggressors who perpetrate violence go on living while the victims remain robbed of their lives and futures.
Didn’t Philando and George fear for their lives too? Didn’t Breonna, and Eric, and Michael, and Tamir, and Jeremy, and Jamaar? Didn't all the others whose deaths weren't captured on video, whose names and lives have been forgotten? Don't their lives matter?
You may be thinking now that it happens to all people, not just Black people. You may be thinking, “Oh no, another #BlackLivesMatter protester! All lives matter!” Certainly, they do, but if all lives matter, aren’t Black lives included?
#BlackLivesMatter was born in 2013 when Trayvon Martin was killed and his killer subsequently acquitted. Since its inception, many have been confused about its purpose.
Confused yourself? Here’s a crash course:
– #BlackLivesMatter does not insinuate that any other life matters any less.
– #BlackLivesMatter does not imply that blue lives do not matter.
– #BlackLivesMatter does not imply that every cop is bad, nor does it imply that of even a majority of law enforcement officials.
– #BlackLivesMatter does not imply disrespect for veterans or the flag. Colin Kaepernick kneeling had nothing to do with disrespect.
– #BlackLivesMatter is a simple reminder that Black lives are human lives too.
– #BlackLivesMatter is a reminder that historically, Black lives haven't mattered enough to be protected and served properly.
– #BlackLivesMatter is a reminder that one bad cop has literally been the difference between life and death.
– #BlackLivesMatter is a reminder that 1 in 1000 Black men and boys can expect to die at the hands of police, 2.5 times more likely than white men and boys.
– #BlackLivesMatter is a reminder that Black people represent a disproportionate number of police-related fatalities, accounting for 32% of all cases despite being 13% of the U.S. population (U.S. Census, 2019).
Certainly, Black people are not the only victims, but they represent a large amount of them.
To retort and reject #BlackLivesMatter with "All lives matter!" is to forget hundreds of years of pain, suffering and insidious oppression, and gloss over how the systemic issues that cause them still fester covertly and overtly today.
Still not your problem? Lucky you.
Whether or not you support the movement, the bottom line is we cannot allow such violence without consequence to continue. Violence without consequence consequently begets more violence. There is no reason to expect peace when there is no justice.
The bottom line is it is not enough to go back to normal, to the way things were, to the old “law and order” — not when the normal left some of us behind and others dead in the street, on video.
The bottom line is we must do better. If we truly believe in making our country great, we shouldn’t be so afraid to self-evaluate and improve. We may not agree on racial issues, we may not agree on protesting and civil disobedience, we may not be ready to discuss our privilege openly. But the time is now to agree that we must refocus on justice.
George Floyd deserved to live. George Floyd deserved to survive custody. George Floyd deserves to have his killers convicted justly for their crimes.
The time is now to speak up for justice. The time is now for more conflict de-escalation training. If we must arm our law enforcement with military-grade weaponry, we must also arm them with compassion and understanding.
More robust police-community partnerships, where officials are active members in the communities they serve, beyond the badge.
More access to mental health and healthcare services for everyone in law enforcement.
More independent conduct reviews.
More legislation defining conditions for force escalation and use of force.
More accountability and transparency.
More investments into alternative crime prevention strategies that do not involve the police.
The time is now for no more excessive force. Meeting protests with force leads to deadly overuse of force. On June 2, police shot and killed Sean Monterrosa as he was kneeling on the ground. 22-year-old Monterrosa had started running to avoid arrest, but changed his mind quickly and began to kneel to surrender. Instead of arresting him, the cop on-scene shot at him five times through his squad-car windshield, striking and killing him. Five rounds, all because Monterrosa allegedly had a hammer in his pocket. “Violent rioter” right? The officer must’ve been fearful for his life.
The time is now for no more “I feared for my life.”
No more “he was resisting.”
No more “I can’t breathe.”
No more “My hands are up, don’t shoot.”
No more dead brothers, sisters, sons, daughters, fathers, mothers, friends.
No more protests.
The time is now for no more.
No more.
The road to justice is tricky and riddled with distractions, with fatigue, with labors that will test our resolve and our moral fibers incessantly. After all, it was built on the pain, suffering, and bravery of the marginalized and disenfranchised. History has shown that rights and justice have been hard-won here in the United States. Remember, women fought off violence in the streets to take back their rights and the 19th Amendment, and the Reverend King died in his struggles for civil rights. Systemic oppression does not go away quietly.
The choice now falls to us. Will we help pave the road to justice? Or will we get off because it’s more palatable to dream that injustice doesn’t exist? Will we get off because we deep down value our comfort more than our neighbors’ lives?
As Maya Angelou wrote, “Without courage, we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency. We can’t be kind, true, merciful, generous or honest.”
One day, when we all have to answer for ourselves, we will surely be asked, “When people pleaded for your help, did you say, ‘How may I?’, or were you more of the ‘Only if you ask the right way’ type?”
It’s uncomfortable, but it’s time. It doesn’t have to be on social media, and it doesn’t have to be through monetary donations. There are many other avenues. Nonprofits like Campaign Zero are working to improve law enforcement-community relationships to ensure this stops happening. Legislators are working to introduce new bills aiming to curb excessive use of force. Give them a call and let them know your ideas. Lend your vote to those who will listen.
Together, we can be powerful.
Find your own way, but please stand up.
Stand with Black people. Stand with people of color. Stand with the marginalized, the disenfranchised, the underrepresented. We are all in desperate need of justice, and silence has never been on the side of justice.
As Fannie-Lou Hamer said, “Nobody’s free until everybody’s free.”
To the many, many, many incredible members of law enforcement working to aid your grieving communities today, tomorrow and every day, thank you. You truly are the heroes we thought you to be.
To Derek Chauvin and the rest of the Minneapolis Four, Breonna Taylor’s killers, Sean Monterrosa’s killer and any others who would use their position to abuse others, I hope that you get the just convictions you deserve. You have no business being part of the law enforcement community.
Address the cause of our pain. Demand justice and action today, so we can all stop sending our thoughts and prayers tomorrow.
#NoMore
#JusticeforGeorgeFloyd
#JusticeforBreonnaTaylor
#JusticeforSeanMonterrosa
#BlackLivesMatter
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Andrew Giang, M.Ed. is an educator in the Hawaii Public Schools system.
