The U.S.

Peaceful Protests Become Violent Across the U.S.

Since May 25, 2020 peaceful protests and vigils have been held throughout the U.S. from New York and Washington D.C. to L.A. as well as Atlanta, Dallas and Minneapolis where African-American, George Floyd was murdered by police officer Derek Chauvin. 

In the wake of Floyd’s death, protesters have come out in support of the #BlackLivesMatter movement. Black Lives Matter is an international human rights movement that was founded in 2013. Its purpose is to campaign against systemic racism and violence towards Black people. Whilst it’s an international movement most of its work is done within the U.S. 

Overall the protests have been largely peaceful, mostly organized by local residents. However, over the past week the dynamic of the protests has changed significantly. While no one is currently claiming responsibility for the looting, violence and damage to property connected to the protests, leaders including Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has come out and said the many of the people responsible are not local residents. It is commonly known by these leaders across the nation that outsider aggressors are hijacking the planned peaceful protests.

Words: Alice I’Anson 2020
Cover Image: Alice I’Anson 2020

Augustine Zion Livingstone, a protestor from Minnesota said "Ain't no Black person burning down no damn barbershops in their hood, we're not doing that." However, looting is typically done by locals with Livingstone saying these groups, while they might be participating, are still in the minority. Often these are people with no criminal record who get caught up in the moment - according to reports from USA Today. 

While the protests began and were intended to be peaceful  violence is a predictable result of years of suffering and oppression that Black Americans have endured in the U.S. So, what will it take to stop the protests? The arrest and conviction of Chauvin is a good first step but it’s only a small dent in delivering justice to a community that has been ignored for generations.