If George Floyd was Murdered Off Camera

Black People who Get Killed on Camera vs Those who Die in the Shadows

The great awakening that is taking place in America has risen to the level of international attention because of one key point: George Floyd’s murder was filmed. One of the most terrifying predicaments is that the majority of hate crimes committed against black people are done so without any camera present. What we see on social media, the news, and in-person only represents a sample of the big picture.

If George Floyd’s death was not filmed, would most of the people supporting Black Lives Matter even know his name or support the movement?

I don’t think they would. Every year black men and women are killed by the police at a higher rate than any other race. Not all of these men are put in chokeholds. Some are beaten, shot, or die in custody under unknown circumstances. In America, we rely on the police to report their misdeeds. This flies in the face of transparency.

Newspapers like The Washington Post, The New York Times, and The Atlantic have provided reasonable estimates. However, if the death doesn’t make the local news, it is unlikely to make it to one of these bigger news outlets. To compound the problem, local newspapers do not have the power and funding they one did, reporting on stories of their choice. Most news is read using online sources, including major outlets. Because we rely on police departments to report their misdeeds, there is already a perception of underreporting.

https://www.vox.com/new-money/2016/11/2/13499004/print-newspapers-dying

Many hate crimes that go un or under-reported. For instance, an 18-year-old black woman was “set on fire,” as white men doused her with lighter fluid. Yet, the outrage was muted. It’s almost as if not seeing it happens makes people doubt the fortitude of a black person’s experience. Imagine experiencing this:

“She then heard someone yell a racial slur at her, before turning and seeing four white men in another car” (Keane, 2020).

Yet, the national outrage was simply non-existent. It’s as if white America does not have the appetite to address these serious issues unless they can visualize and therefore validate the pain. The reason that systematic racism has existed is because of the massive coverup and denial by white Americans who have coincidently benefited from the racist system. And round and round we go.

Race makes some people feel uncomfortable. Simply put, many white people do not want to fix systematic racism because fixing it would require an iron-clad focus on solutions that would inevitably jeopardize the status quo.

While some use words to assert their anti-racist rhetoric, others use actions. Actions will always be more important, since, black people have been gas-lit into thinking things would have change time and time again. When the dust settled, America was more or less the same. Change needs to occur in the criminal justice system. the education system, corporate America, and yes, the socio-economic system that has created poor black neighborhoods.

The years have only strengthened this gap. As a result, only a big structural change will make being black less dangerous and difficult in America. Simple platitudes just won’t do. Maintenance of the current socio-economic system will only keeping the wealth gap.

Further Reading:

https://www.brookings.edu/blog/up-front/2020/02/27/examining-the-black-white-wealth-gap/

Keane, D. (2020, June 26). Black girl, 18, ‘set on FIRE by four white men who yelled racist abuse and doused her in lighter fluid. Retrieved July 04, 2020, from https://www.the-sun.com/news/1042497/black-girl-set-fire-racist/