2020 strikes again the world reacts to the lynching of George Floyd; Fuel to the flame that’s been growing with every murder. In the last few weeks there has been unprecedented publicity of the mistreatment of indigenous, Black and other minority groups that continues to plague us.
George Floyd. 46 years old, 46 minutes of colour.
-Adrian Brandon
The Stolen Series
Scrolling through the multitude of videos capturing body after black body being slammed to the ground, beaten, choked, and held down; chased, tasered and shot; hours listening to cries of outrage and confusion turning into desperate pleas and gasps for breath; I am beyond anger, beyond frustration, beyond disgust. I’ve felt the unbearable pressure in my chest telling me I am powerless to stop the suffering and death that I watch on my screen. Its only normal that after a certain point I began to think – wow, what’s the point? Because the cases I am just now learning about are a tiny portion of the oppression, silencing and appropriation of minorities every single day. How long do people have to fight to be treated with common decency? To be seen as living, breathing, bleeding? To be acknowledged as human?
Just one example of history repeating itself is in the senseless death of Eric Garner. A case eerily similar to that of George Floyd. July 17, 2014. Eric is approached by police officers. As Eric asks to be left alone an officer comes up behind him and puts him in a chokehold, bringing Eric to the ground as three additional officers climb on top of him and hold him until he stills. Dead.
Eric Garner. 43 years old, 43 minutes of colour.
-Adrian Brandon,
The Stolen Series
Amongst Eric’s last words is a phrase that may sound familiar.
“ I can’t breathe ”
These words have already inspired a movement – six years ago. What a disappointment that they are now attributed to the loss of another life.
And yet, although another black man has died at the hands (and under the knee) of another disillusioned, merciless bastard, we have refused to let George Floyd become just another name on a too-long list. We have turned him into an icon, a symbol of a movement and a driver for change.
Breonna Taylor would have turned 27 on June 5th. In March, officers broke into Breonna’s home, and fired over 20 shots blindly into the apartment; 8 of them hitting and killing Breonna.
Breonna Taylor. 26 years old, 26 minutes of colour.
-Adrian Brandon
The Stolen Series
Just a few days ago, Breonna’s Law was passed by unanimous vote in Breonna’s hometown Louisville banning the ‘no-knock’ warrants that saves others meeting her fate.
There is hope for justice. It’s a slow and painful process, but it is possible. If even 1 life is saved by Breonna’s law, it’s proof enough of why we have to keep pushing.
Dr. Joe Zizek mentioned some interesting points on crowd psychology and how we, as conscious crowds, can come together with purpose to enact our demands. We create our own hope. People all around the world are gathering to make a stand –displaying our force to put wayward authoritarians in their place. To take down racist monuments. To defund and reform a system that is corrupt to its core.
As Thomas Nash discussed, if there are refugees that are able to hold onto keys for homes that no longer exist and call it hope; to envision their children sheltered, safe and content once again, what’s my excuse? There will still be moments when I feel the wheels of a vicious cycle spinning, however, as a brown Muslim, African/European kiwi that was able to have a childhood devoid of fear, shame and violence, it would be wrong for me not to do my part in fighting for another child’s right to do the same.
Black Lives Matter.
No justice? no peace.
How long do we have to fight to be human?
As long as it takes.
Resources to check out:
The drawn images are all from the incredibly talented Adrian Brandon (@ayy.bee). In the Stolen series he uses time as a measure of how long is given for each portrait to be coloured, showing just how much of each life was left unlived.
https://www.adrianbrandon.com/stolen
Breonna Taylor:
https://www.standwithbre.com
https://www.change.org/p/andy-beshear-justice-for-breonna-taylor
Eric Garner:
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/video/2014/dec/04/i-cant-breathe-eric-garner-chokehold-death-video
Sandra Bland:
https://www.change.org/p/texas-governor-i-want-sandra-bland-s-case-reopened
More petitions:
https://www.change.org/t/black-lives-matter-en-us
Noor, I love this passionate piece! So fiery and full of revolutionary energy. Historically, I hope George Floyd’s death will be treated like that of JFK or MLK. Two phenomenal men that inspired en mass revolutionary change. In some senses, we are reliving the civil rights moment, evaluating our progress, and concluding it is not enough. Systemic racism still exists, it has merely changed form into something that we cannot see and when it strikes it cuts through our defenses like a knife. These protests have generated many interesting points of discussion on the future of the police; there seems to be a separation between moderate police reformists and radical abolitionists. Should we increase the qualification standards of the police? Should we invest in more restorative forms of justice excluding law enforcement and corrections? We are witnessing a movement that seeks to re-define society along many lines, I’m calling it, “second wave”, civil rights. The promises from the government are vague abstractions, change comes from the street, from the ground up.
Such an important post. It is so strange how in high school we were made to read texts such as To Kill a Mockingbird and are told that such narratives are scars of the past. The very suffering that George Floyd underwent mirrors the prejudice emphasised in the novel. I think something that people don’t realise for the USA is that both Donald Trump and Joe Biden – the two presidential candidates left – are both privileged white men who were born and raised in a nation that enforced the Jim Crow laws. The people who are in power in the USA are mostly people who were entrenched in the concept of a black person being lesser than a white person. I have so much hope that change will come. Unfortunately, this change will not be coming any time soon.