Will Justice ever be Served?
Young african man holding a cardboard poster with the message text Fix the system isolated on white background, Concept on the theme of protest for police brutality and racism.
Exhausted, I walked to the kitchen to get a cup of tea. A little pick me in the midst of a chaotic week. I opened the fridge, and from the corner of my eye I saw “Breaking News Report” flash across the TV. I turned my attention to the screen, anxious something terrible happened. “A verdict has been reached in the Derek Chauvin Trial.”
It took me a minute to process what I just heard. A verdict? Already? There was no way. It hasn’t even been a full 24 hours. I took a deep breath and continued to make my tea, my hands visibly shaking. I walked upstairs to my parents room with Anderson Cooper’s voice echoing in my head. A verdict has been reached.
I settled onto my parent’s bed next to my mom, both of us visibly in shock. We sit in silence as my sister, brother, and dad join us, all eyes on the TV. We sat for what felt like an eternity. In reality, it was only an hour. My head was spinning. What if he isn’t guilty? What does that say about America? What does that say about how America views the lives of POC? Does my life not matter?
“Guilty on all three charges.” I let out the breath I didn’t even know I was holding. Finally, some good news. For the first time in a long time I had the slightest glimmer of hope.
Not even three hours later, another breaking news story. “15 year-old Ma’Khai Bryant shot and killed by a police officer that she called for help.”
That was my bad, I forgot this is America. We go ½ a step in the right direction and then take 100 steps back. Will justice ever be served?
Black people are three times more likely to be killed during an encounter with police than white people. In 2020 alone, there have been 241 black people shot and killed by police and 169 hispanic people. Although we are only 4 months into 2021, police have already shot and killed 30 black people and 20 hispanic people. Using population data from January of 2015 until March of 2021, we can see that 60.1% of the United States population is white. White people accounted for 45.4% of people shot and killed by police. The population of African American people in America is 13.4%. However, African Americans accounted for 23.8% of people shot and killed by police. The population of hispanic people in America is 18.5% and they accounted for 16.7% of people killed in police shootings. Why are the numbers so much higher for people of color?
There is no real reason that people of color are targeted by police officers. It is rooted in racism and racial inequality. Since this country was established, people of color have been a target. Whether it was indigineous people being drawn out of their land, Arab people being blamed for 9/11, or black Americans being used against their will, people of color have always been used, abused, and oppressed in America. Police brutality is just a new form of this oppression.
It’s gruesome watching a new name pop up on our phones every day. Another innocent life taken. It’s hard and disheartening knowing that we have to fight for our lives, when other people get to sit back comfortably. It’s discouraging knowing we did nothing wrong, but still have to fight for our rights when other people were handed theirs. It’s infuriating knowing that a murder was caught on camera and there was still so much doubt of a guilty verdict. However, we cannot stop fighting until justice is served. We saw how quickly things change, when justice was served for George Flloyd and then a few short hours later an innocent life was taken. We cannot stop fighting until justice is served for Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Ma’Khai Bryant, and so many other beautiful lives that were lost at the hands of police. Justice will be served.
References
Black people more than three times as likely as white people to be killed during a police encounter. News. (2020, July 8). https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/hsph-in-the-news/blacks-whites-police-deaths-disparity/.
Department, P. by S. R., & 31, M. (2021, March 31). People shot to death by U.S. police, by race 2021. Statista. https://www.statista.com/statistics/585152/people-shot-to-death-by-us-police-by-race/.
Edwards, F., Lee, H., & Esposito, M. (2019, August 20). Risk of being killed by police use of force in the United States by age, race–ethnicity, and sex. PNAS. https://www.pnas.org/content/116/34/16793.
Fatal police shootings of unarmed Black people in US more than 3 times as high as in Whites. BMJ. (n.d.). https://www.bmj.com/company/newsroom/fatal-police-shootings-of-unarmed-black-people-in-us-more-than-3-times-as-high-as-in-whites/.
team, R. C. (2021, April 21). George Floyd: How are African-Americans treated under the law? BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-52877678.
