Death of George Floyd Sparks Protests

[조영신 (Charlotte 문교12기)]

Death of George Floyd Sparks Protests

Demonstrations against racial injustice and police brutality have grown larger and more violent since the initial protest that took place in Minneapolis, Minnesota, after the death of an unarmed black man in police custody. 
George Floyd was an African-American man who had been arrested for allegedly using a counterfeit bill at a convenience store on May 25. Derek Chauvin and three other officers arrived and detained Floyd in handcuffs. Chauvin pressed his knee against the back of Floyd’s neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds, of which Floyd became unresponsive during the last two minutes and 53 seconds. Two other officers on the scene, Kueng and Lane, had held Floyd’s back and legs, respectively. The arrest was caught on video by onlookers who pleaded with the officers to stop. Floyd was recorded saying “I can’t breathe” multiple times as well as “please” but to no avail, as the three officers remained in their positions on the man. Floyd was declared dead not long after the incident. The four officers involved were swiftly fired, while Chauvin was charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
When the video went viral, protests erupted all across the city of Minneapolis from May 26-28. But what started as peaceful demonstrations quickly plunged into violence and chaos, with some protesters even stooping to looting and vandalism. On the 28th, protesters in the city set a police station on fire. A state of emergency was soon declared and the National Guard was activated as well.
Protests began popping up in at least 75 cities across the U.S., including Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and New Orleans. Some of these demonstrations turned violent, prompting curfews in at least 25 cities as well as the presence of the National Guard in at least 10 states. Most concerningly, the violence seems to be worsening on both sides, as at least half a dozen different incidents where reporters were assaulted and arrested were reported. Some of these incidents even occurred live on camera, where reporters were seen being arrested or shot with rubber bullets and pepper balls by the police for no discernible reason. Meanwhile, several reporters were also attacked by some protesters to the point that they had to be hospitalized for severe injuries. 
The killing of George Floyd was the last straw after a long history of irrational violence against unarmed black men in America. For centuries, African-Americans were treated unfairly by the justice system. According to statistics, African-Americans are killed by police at more than twice the rate of white Americans. Moreover, in many cases where a black American is attacked either verbally or physically by a white American, the perpetrator is often given an unfairly lenient sentence. As such, the anger and distrust between police and black citizens were already simmering just under the surface in some states, and the excessive use of force against George Floyd was just the breaking point for many Americans.

조지 플로이드의 사망이 시위를 촉발시키다

brutality 잔인한 행위, 만행 / counterfeit 위조의 / onlooker 구경꾼, 방관자 / plead 애원하다 / avail 효과, 소용 / stoop to ~을 할 정도로 비굴[비열]해지다 / looting 약탈 / vandalism 공공 기물 파손죄 / curfew 통행금지령 / discernible 보고 알 수 있는 / perpetrator 가해자[범인] / lenient 관대한 / simmer 부글부글 끓다

[신언수(Jason,영문09)]

Thanks Charlotte !!

.After the huge number of protests over the world and states caused by the death of George Floyd , even if the politicians promised to defund and renovate the police related rules and system from the scratch, recently another unarmed black man was shot to death by the police again. I wonder if the police system for anti-racism could be changed and established thoroughly in the states.