BAIL FUND: https://t.co/eBPxWrkqfP?amp=1
MEDICAL SUPPLY FUND: https://www.northstarhealthcollective.org/donate
JUSTICE FOR GEORGE FLOYD: https://www.change.org/justice_for_george
On the 25th of May, 2020, George Floyd died in hospital after a white police officer knelt on his
neck for several minutes. Four officers, one unarmed black man. George had been arrested under the suspicion of writing a bad cheque - which turned out to be untrue. He was innocent.
George was unarmed and handcuffed when one of the four officers went to further restrain him. The knee-to-neck manoeuvre is discouraged for how dangerous it is, only for situations where the suspect is aggressive and resisting arrest.
To reiterate, George was unarmed and handcuffed. This lethal move was completely unnecessary.
The police officers involved were fired later the same week. Their consequence for murdering a man was to lose their job. No arrests were made.
This is a blatant display of privilege and racism in the modern day world. A white officer killed an innocent black man, with no justice. *As I'm writing and editing this blog post, New York Times has released a statement saying the former Minneapolis officer has been charged with third-degree murder. The fight for justice is far from over, however.
The officer who caused George's death has almost 20 complaints and 2 letters of reprimand filed against him. An officer standing by was sued in 2017 for excessive force. Their names don't deserve to be shared, but should you wish to find out, they can be found in articles regarding the murder of George.
In response to the lack of consequence to those who assisted in the murder of George Floyd, people began to protest in Minneapolis. Police brought rubber bullets, tear gas, pepper spray to what was meant to be a peaceful protest. People will focus on the protesters 'looting' Target, but they used items such as trolleys to build a barricade between themselves and the police, to protect themselves from the bullets and gas. Keep in mind the protests arguing that lockdown was restraining people's freedom. Protesters brought guns, caused ruckus with the police, stormed capitol buildings. The police weren't violent. The difference was the skin colour of those who took part in the protests. Another blatant display of privilege and racism in the modern day world.
Black Lives Matter is an international activist movement, originating in the African-American community, that campaigns against violence and systematic racism towards black people. Some may argue 'but all lives matter!!!' - of course, they do.
However, until the oppression towards black people is addressed and unlearned, there cannot exist a world in which all lives matter equally. A short analogy may be this:
There are five children. One has fallen over and has scraped their knee. You give the child a plaster. You're fighting for equality, should you give plasters to all five children? You prioritise the one who needs it most, the child who has fallen over. Right now, the movement requiring most attention and improvement from society is how we treat black people, because they are actively being oppressed.
How can you help?
To write this blogpost and find out how to aid the BLM movement, I went through Twitter threads, Instagram posts and articles. If there's anybody I don't give credit to, please correct me and I shall add it in.
First and foremost, if you are not black, don't use the n-word. Don't sing the n-word, don't rap the n-word, don't write the n-word. No argument. It isn't your word to use.
Donate to causes surrounding the movement. I used a few twitter threads to compose this:
From @Halsey (twitter):
- TWITTER: @NAACP_LDF // https://t.co/mAQd5xdfDv?amp=1 - for the long term racial equality fight
- TWITTER: @reclaimtheblock - a grassroots group that desperately needs donations to combat the power and funds of the Minneapolis police union
- TWITTER: @blackvisionsMN - a black, transgender and queer led organisation in affiliation with the Black Lives Matter Global Network, the official chapter in Minnesota.
- TWITTER: @mnfreedomfund // https://t.co/GPRgTliiYd?amp=1 - the Minnesota freedom fund, paying jail bonds for those who cannot afford to fight discriminatory and coercive jailing
- TWITTER: @blklivesmatter // https://t.co/g3CwJrJR66?amp=1 - an organisation with the mission statement of bringing justice, freedom and healing to black people across the globe
From @NEWFEARS17 (twitter):
- https://t.co/CgJ2wpADwo?amp=1 - a link to multiple petitions, causes to donate to and numbers to call and text (site created by @dehyedration on twitter)
Support black owned businesses, artists and creators. I've added in a twitter thread where black creators are encouraged to share their work, check it out!
To educate yourself, read 'Me and White Supremacy', by Layla F Saad.
Follow these remarkable women on instagram, as they share the history of racism and what we can do to combat it. Follow their work, buy their courses!
INSTAGRAM: @iamrachelricketts , @laylafsaad , @rachel.cargle , @sassy_latte , @sharynahomes
Hunter Shackelford wrote an article headlining "For white people who want to attend #BlackLivesMatter Protests" : https://t.co/YrRjIQibus
Why are you going to a protest when you're the oppressor? This article opened my eyes; I've attended marches and protests before and have actively been searching to see if one in London for George is coming up, but reading Shackelford's article showed me alternative ways I could assist the movement unless invited to a protest as a buffer against the police or as a legal observer. If you still want to protest, bring things to help those protesting. Medical aid, water, any items to hide identities (masks, scarves, hats). This is not an opportunity to take pictures as you perform being woke in public; as Shackelford describes "These marches are funerals for us". If you are not dedicated to the cause, do not come to protest.
Amandla Stenberg spoke on instagram;
"... it's invigorating to see this conversation take a different turn and see that what's being centred is how imperative it is for white people to be real allies... I notice there's a tendency for white people to differentiate themselves from 'racists' as if racism is something you unequivocally do or don't participate in when in reality it's a structure and spectrum that we all exist within.
"To be an ally in my eyes requires active participation in recognising the systems that dictate our reality, unlearning internalised notions and then devoting yourself to active counterbalancing to the anti black systems in place. Educating yourself without the expectation from people of colour to provide those resources for you is a foundational and basic step - implementing that education is step two of hopefully a life long quest. What is the work you do to mediate your privilege?
"How can you look at this timeline and not recognise that the implications of slavery are real and present? We are facing the repercussions pf hundreds of years of global anti-blackness. How can you witness the concrete evidence of that anti-blackness every time a black person is killed by a white police officer and not see how it is your imperative responsibility to counteract 500 years of violence?"
Do not see this as an American-only issue.
Racism is embedded globally and still exists within the UK. Mark Duggan was shot in August 2011. The officer that shot him believed he was carrying a gun, other eyewitnesses believe the object he was holding was his mobile phone. The gun Duggan was supposedly carrying was found 20ft away, inside a sock - see this article.
Should you read this post and believe there is something I should add or stand corrected, please just drop me a message. I wanted to create a place where people could educate themselves, find petitions and causes to donate to, and learn how to become an ally.
Thank you, and God bless George Floyd.
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