I guess by now we are well acquainted with the George Floyd case in Minneapolis. Another case of police brutalised and as usual, you have a black person at the receiving end. This sort of thing opens old wounds, takes you back the Ferguson case, or the central pack 5 case and many undocumented cases where black people have been falsely accused and jailed for crimes they never committed. I was watching a snippet from the American Got Talent show the other day about a man who was incarcerated for over 30 days for a rape he knew nothing about. He was just a black around a crime scene which is enough to implicate him. When you think about things like this-prejudice towards the black race-- still being prevalent in a supposedly free country it makes you sick to your stomach.
I also came across a story yesterday about DR Congo. Over 80% of the worlds contain is found in DR condo. Coltan is an essential mineral used in creating mobile phones.
Above is one of the mines in which this mineral is been mined. I am certain if this rare mineral was found somewhere else, for example, China there would be better working conditions for the miners. It is one thing not feeling safe outside your continent and a totally different and even more painful experience been treated like garbage in your own continent--country. Things like this make me question if there is something fundamentally wrong with the black race.
Going back to the issue of police brutality and radical profiling. I do find it absurd that people are been judged based on the colour of their skin rather than their abilities or disabilities. I don't necessarily want to make this a white vs black thing but it's so glaring to see. The stats are there for those who care to see. I dare say that George Floyd would be alive today if he was a caucasian man irrespective of the crime he committed. He would have been treated with more dignity than George was afforded. That is the sad reality.
Police brutality is a thing not just in America but also here in Africa--Nigeria to be precise. We have countless of cases where young men profiled as fraudsters have been maimed and extorted. I have had a friend who happened to be an artist arrested because he had dreadlocks and a fancy car. A well known young artist in the international community striped down to the level of a common thief because he looked a certain way.
We talk about police reforms and ways to make the streets safe for black people--everyone in fact. For me personally, it begins with debunking some of the myths about certain groups and the law enforcement agencies performing their task without any prejudice.
I think this is a valid point and a key way of curtailing police brutality. The police should be held accountable and the excessive use of force curtailed. As seen in the viral video of the deceased, there was excessive use of force even when Floyd did not resist arrest. He was pinned to the ground with the officer's knees pressed on his neck. It was a very intentional act to inflict pain on George who accused of using a forged check at a grocery store. That was the supposed crime that led to his death. This is quite unfortunate.
There is news of an ongoing protest in Minneapolis. It is my hope and wish that George Floyd gets the justice he deserves. Black lives matter.