The Black Lives Matter movement is more than a call to action for police brutality, it’s a call for justice to stop the racial inequality that can still be seen today. It all started in 2013 when three women, Patrisse Cullors, Opal Tometi, and Alicia Garza, created the hashtag #blacklivesmatter after Trayvon Martin was placed on trial for his own murder while George Zimmerman, the man who killed him, was not held accountable (Black Lives). Many people were angered by this, so with the help of cultural workers, artists, and designers, the movement was able to expand beyond a social media hashtag to what you see today, a full fledged civil rights movement (Black Lives). The movement grew even larger in 2014 after Michael Brown, a black, unarmed
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During the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s and 1970s peaceful protesters were attacked by police with dogs, clubs, and high-pressure fire hoses (Ruth 14). In December 2014, a situation much like the one in Birmingham, Alabama in 1963 occurred in Berkeley, California. Police had used tear gas, batons, riot shields, smoke grenades and rubber bullets against peaceful demonstrators who were protesting police violence after the verdict for Daniel Pantaleo was announced (World). Pantaleo was not going to face any charges for the death of Eric …show more content…
This the impression to many that the system is in fact one sided. It also gives the incentive for police officers to abuse their power which leads to the acts of unfairness that are seen today. For example, in a courtroom by law what a police officer says will be held as a solid piece of proof because of their “trained observer” status (Ruth 22). However, police officers are human and they could lie if they choose to or be prejudiced against an African American. It could be because of racial profiling or simply the way they were raised. One could argue that there are not enough facts to determine the national character of all police officers, but i is undeniable that this is a problem for minorities (Ruth
During the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s and 1970s peaceful protesters were attacked by police with dogs, clubs, and high-pressure fire hoses (Ruth 14). In December 2014, a situation much like the one in Birmingham, Alabama in 1963 occurred in Berkeley, California. Police had used tear gas, batons, riot shields, smoke grenades and rubber bullets against peaceful demonstrators who were protesting police violence after the verdict for Daniel Pantaleo was announced (World). Pantaleo was not going to face any charges for the death of Eric …show more content…
This the impression to many that the system is in fact one sided. It also gives the incentive for police officers to abuse their power which leads to the acts of unfairness that are seen today. For example, in a courtroom by law what a police officer says will be held as a solid piece of proof because of their “trained observer” status (Ruth 22). However, police officers are human and they could lie if they choose to or be prejudiced against an African American. It could be because of racial profiling or simply the way they were raised. One could argue that there are not enough facts to determine the national character of all police officers, but i is undeniable that this is a problem for minorities (Ruth