By Khimmoy Hudson and Ajmaanie Andre  

From Our May/June 2020 Issue

George Floyd was a brother, a son and a victim of police brutality. He took his final breath on Monday, May 25, 2020. 

And the world watched.

For the nine minutes and twenty-nine seconds, Officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee on Floyd’s neck, and bystanders urged the officer to get off. They asked him, and the three other police officers there, to check for a pulse. The officer did not move.   

Now, latest clips and surveillance footage reveal the encounter, from the moment Floyd exited his vehicle in police handcuffs  to him lying on the floor uttering:

“Please, please, please. I can’t breathe. My stomach hurts. My neck hurts. Please,” he continued before going silent. Paramedics later arrived at the scene, and Floyd was placed on a stretcher. Floyd was declared dead at the hospital — uproar sparked nationwide, reinvigorating a movement that precipitated protests, riots and social unrest: The Black Lives Matter Movement.

In the wake of Floyd’s murder, followed by the ruthless killings of other innocent African Americans by police, protestors and activists have gathered in large spaces to bring about change regarding the treatment of African Americans. 

But, the road to change is paved with chaos.

Pictures of protestors and journalists enduring pepper spray, footage of citizens pouring milk on their faces to eliminate the harsh effects of tear gas, and blood — images of injuries caused by “non-lethal weapons” — is well documented on social media and the evening news. But, for the relentless, this is just a small price to pay for change.

“I am just tired of this: I’m tired of everytime I turn on the news another one of my brothers is dying,” said Dominic Dunois, a 20 year old citizen, who protested in the Fort Lauderdale area. “I have sisters, they could be next. I need to be doing something.”

Some have pointed out that some of these citizens are not protestors at all, as police officer Jacob Pederson of St. Paul was recorded smashing windows near protests as members of the community tried to stop him. The St. Paul police department has not commented on this. 

Others have also drawn comparisons between gubernatorial reaction to these protests and the ones that occurred a few weeks ago in Michigan, when far-right, white protesters walked with guns and tactical gear into a Lansing staehouse, where they threatened to lynch lawmakers unless stay-at-home orders were lifted. There was no tear gas then.

“There is clearly a difference in treatment. They were both protests but one was met with almost no resistance while the other was handled with more force and was treated entirely differently because of the race of the protesters,” stated Jean Laguerre, President of Carribean Cultural Club at MLEC. 

Yet, across the nation, namely in Miami, a city recognized by its unique diversity, many have continued to be the unrelenting force that precipitates change. The words of Rev. Martin Luther King echo throughout the nation:

“A riot is the language of the unheard.”

These protesters, along with Floyd’s family, demanded justice and the immediate firing of the four officers involved. They decried that no police officer should react that way — blaming racial discrimination and police brutality in America as the cause behind Floyd’s death.

“People are tired of all the injustices that happen daily and then get pushed to the side. I understand the pain and something has to be done to bring about change,” stated Lorena Vasquez, a sophomore in the Health Academy and a member of Key Club at MLEC, which is geared to developing young, capable and competent leaders through community service.

With “Black Lives Matter” and “Justice for Floyd” signs, protesters started manifesting in different parts of the country despite COVID-19 — an event similar to how protests rose across the country a few weeks ago after a video depicting the murder or Ahmaud Arbery surfaced at the beginning of May. 

In Florida, protests, most of them peaceful, have gone on throughout the week. Downton Miami, Bayside, and Fort Lauderdale — these are just a few areas where protesters have gathered. 

“When it comes to protest, even peaceful protest, there’s no power in them without violence,” said Brownstafford Abraham, a 21 year old citizen who protested in Fort Lauderdale. “That’s the imagery of peaceful protests.”