Race and policing, "What's going on?"

Caron Nazario and George Floyd are on a long list of other victims of racism and police brutality; Lieutenant Nazario kept asking, "What's going on?"

What's going on? The Black-Latino driver repeatedly asks the white policemen, who have their guns drawn. I got scared by just looking at this scene, even though similar situations have become so familiar on social media. And I wondered how he was supposed to open the car door while the policemen repeatedly screamed at him, at gunpoint, to hold his hands up. 

What's going on in America? What has happened that police officers stop law-abiding citizens on their way home, shout, pepper spray, knee-strike in the legs, and handcuff the victim for no apparent reason at all?

I don't recall ever seeing a scene like this involving a white person, nor do I recall seeing a video like this filmed outside the United States. And I can't remember how many variations I have seen on videos of racist behavior by American police officers. The list of black victims of police brutality is long; it includes Breonna Taylor, Daniel Prude, Rayshard Brooks, and many more.

For those who missed the news. This is the viral video:

Like you, Caron Nazario, a lieutenant in the U.S. Army, had undoubtedly seen many of these videos. So when the police wanted to stop him, he made sure not to stop at a dark road, but he stopped a bit further at a well-lit gas station. He also put on the video on his smartphone and recorded what happened next.

The scene was set, in bright light, cameras rolling, a serving officer in the U.S. army, dressed in full uniform; what could possibly go wrong? As you have seen: a lot.

Now try to imagine an alternative that I suppose must happen countless times every night: a dark road, no cameras, and a person of color behind the steering wheel instead of an army officer that did everything possible to stay calm and reasonable. The videos we all know are disturbing, but the scenes not filmed will likely be worse. 

What's going on?

The world witnessed the slow death of George Floyd, a white cop kneeling on top of his black victim. Daily we see the trial's newsflashes; doctors stating it was not drugs that killed him but cops and that Chauvin's knee would have killed any healthy person. We all know what we have seen. 

But there is an exciting development going on: the blue wall of silence is crumbling down. Chauvin can't rely on the protection of fellow officers. Last year, fourteen officers signed an open letter saying Chauvin "failed as a human and stripped George Floyd of his dignity and life. This is not who we are". These weeks, we saw police officers, including the Minneapolis Police Chief, testifying against a former subordinate, which is a rare sight. The question is if this positive trend will trickle down in American society in all other cases that are not in the spotlight of the national and international press.

Nazario's experience shows that some policemen haven't changed their racist acts, while the Floyd trial gives hope. 

What else is going on? Last month, the George Floyd Justice in Policing Bill of 2021 passed the House of Representatives. Some of the key points are about making the prosecution of police misconduct easier, creating better federal oversight, and changing policing tactics. Note that not a single one of the Republican representatives supported this act. 

Kneeling

I am reminded of more pictures of kneeling men, in stark contrast to Chauvin's knee but directly related to the same racial injustice. Not to kill, but to ask attention to the plight of blacks in America. Nearly 250 years ago, a drawing of an enslaved black man was the British abolitionist movement's emblem.

Fifty-five years ago, Martin Luther King Jr. took a knee during a march in Selma, Alabama. And five years ago, it was his example that inspired Colin Kaepernick. He explained taking a knee during the national anthem, saying: "I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color." 

Four men on a knee. One is a symbol of racist violence. Three protesting racial injustice, one enslaved, one murdered, and Kaepernick could never play professional football since.  

Martin Luther King's daughter, Bernice King, reminded the world in 2017 that not much has changed in so many years. Let's hope there will be change now. 

Be A King @BerniceKing

The real shame & disrespect is that, decades after the 1st photo, racism STILL kills people & corrupts systems. #America #TakeAKnee @POTUS

---

Don’t click away yet! Read this too: If you like what you read, please consider taking a paid subscription to this newsletter. It supports my work (and believe me, this is a lot of work). It also makes it possible for those who can’t pay to keep reading The Planet. I try to keep it accessible to everyone.  

---

Notes:

https://www.vice.com/en/article/y3dm3m/cops-caught-on-video-holding-a-black-army-lieutenant-at-gunpoint-then-pepper-spraying-him

https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/blue-wall-silence-takes-hit-chauvins-murder-trial-76977334

https://globalnews.ca/news/3769534/martin-luther-king-jr-take-a-knee-history/

https://peoplesworld.org/article/two-knees-one-a-call-for-change-the-other-a-murder-weapon/d

---