The killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer in May 2020 sparked widespread protests and reignited the national conversation about police brutality in the United States. The incident, which was captured on video and widely shared on social media, showed Floyd, an unarmed black man, being held down on the ground by a white police officer, Derek Chauvin, with a knee on his neck for more than nine minutes. Despite Floyd’s cries for help and pleas for breath, Chauvin remained in position until Floyd stopped breathing and lost consciousness.
The killing of George Floyd was not an isolated incident but rather the latest in a long history of police brutality against black people in the United States. For many people, it was a painful reminder of the systemic racism and bias that continues to plague law enforcement in the country. The incident sparked widespread outrage and protests not just in the United States, but around the world, with people demanding justice and systemic change. Police brutality refers to the excessive use of force by law enforcement officials in the performance of their duties (Brooks 239). This can take many forms, including physical violence, verbal abuse, harassment, and intimidation. While police brutality affects people of all races and backgrounds, it has disproportionately affected black and brown people in the United States. This is due in large part to the systemic racism and bias that exists in law enforcement, as well as the criminal justice system as a whole.
The outpouring of responses to Floyd’s passing demonstrated that dissatisfaction with the treatment of Black people by police had reached a breaking point, prompting calls for radical reform of the police. This outrage was probably made worse by the effect of racial capitalism on the morbidity and mortality brought on by COVID-19 that occurred concurrently (Dixon and Dundes). Despite widespread disapproval of the police, responses to Floyd’s death also included the idea that a single, so-called “bad apple” officer did not accurately represent the entire force (Dixon and Dundes). Focusing on rogue police, whose actions are viewed as anomalous, reflects a psychological individualism philosophy, according to which responsibility lies with a free-standing individual (Dixon and Dundes). Instead of dismantling or significantly altering the system, justice in the case of police brutality entails punishing the guilty party (Dixon and Dundes). To put it another way, this way of thinking says Floyd’s death was caused by the inhumanity of a corrupt person rather than a flawed, unfair system that favors some groups over others.
George Floyd’s death was a clear example of police brutality, and it highlighted the need for police reform in the United States. One of the key issues that the incident brought to light was the use of force by police officers and, in particular, the use of neck restraints like the one used by Derek Chauvin (Wu et al.). Many police departments across the country have since banned the use of neck restraints or are considering doing so as a result of Floyd’s death (Wu et al.). Other reforms that have been proposed include increased training on de-escalation techniques, the use of body cameras to hold officers accountable, and the establishment of civilian oversight boards to provide greater transparency and accountability. In addition to the need for police reform, the killing of George Floyd also highlighted the need for broader societal change in the United States. The incident exposed the deep-seated racism and bias that exists not just in law enforcement but in many other aspects of American society as well (Dixon and Dundes). It forced many people to confront uncomfortable truths about the country’s history of slavery, segregation, and discrimination and to reckon with the ongoing legacy of those injustices.
In the past, it has been difficult in the United States to deal with police use of excessive force. More recently, George Floyd’s passing sparked widespread protests against the excessive use of power and the general policing paradigm (PĂ©loquin et al.). Over the past ten years, social media has grown in acceptance and accessibility, transforming it into a potent tool for citizen mobilization and a venue for protest. Therefore, the response to the killing of George Floyd was complex and multifaceted, reflecting the diverse perspectives and opinions of people across the United States and around the world. While many people saw the incident as a clear example of police brutality and systemic racism, others argued that the protests and demands for reform went too far and that law enforcement was being unfairly targeted and vilified. Some people even accused protesters of inciting violence and looting, although evidence suggests that the vast majority of protests were peaceful.
Ultimately, the killing of George Floyd and the subsequent protests and demands for change have had a profound impact on the United States and the world. They have brought the issue of police brutality and systemic racism to the forefront of the national conversation and have forced many people to confront uncomfortable truths about the country’s history and current reality. While there is still much work to be done to achieve true justice and equality, the incident has galvanized a movement for change that shows no signs of slowing down.
Works Cited
Brooks, Oliver. “Police Brutality and Blacks: An American Immune System Disorder.” Journal of The National Medical Association, vol. 112, no. 3, 2020, pp. 239-241. Web.
Dixon, Patricia, J., and Lauren Dundes. “Exceptional Injustice: Facebook as a Reflection of Race- and Gender-Based Narratives Following the Death of George Floyd.” Social Sciences, vol. 9, no. 12, 2020. Web.
Wu, Henry, et al. “Say their names: Resurgence in the collective attention toward Black victims of fatal police violence following the death of George Floyd.” PLoS ONE, vol. 18, no. 1, 2023. Web.
Péloquin, Olivier, et al. “Examining Negative Online Social Reaction to Police Use of Force: The George Floyd and Jacob Blake Events.” Canadian Journal of Criminology and Criminal Justice, vol. 64, no.1, 2022, pp. 53-81. Web.