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Black Lives Matter

George Floyd protests power on as he is put to rest

The latest on the George Floyd case and protests

Early last week a twelve-man panel from the Minneapolis city council was put in place to look into George Floyd’s nationwide firestorm. Nine of the members came out on Sunday, June 12, to announce that the council had plans to disband the city’s police department. However, they did not offer a timeline on actions they intend to take. “We are taking intermediate steps towards ending the force,” they said.

Nationwide curfews begin to lift in George Floyd protests

With major cities lifting their curfew, protesters nationwide are still pushing forward in their efforts for change even though it has been two weeks since George Floyd’s killing. They continue to voice out the bias entrenched by law enforcement agencies, especially the police, when carrying out their duty and call for immediate changes in the system.

Trump hesitates investigation Minneapolis police

According to two top Trump administration officials, “We do not believe in systemic racism in the country’s police” has led to a stark contrast on Sunday. The Attorney General William P. Barr said that President Trump is reluctant to investigate the problems in the Minneapolis city police where the national outburst began.

George Floyd gets put to rest amongst friends, family and public figures

George Floyd’s public memorial took place on Monday, June 8, and was held at Fountain of Praise church in Houston where many celebrities and political figureheads were in attendance.

Houston’s Jack Yates High School, where Floyd graduated in 1993 will have a hsted a candlelight vigil, which was held before a private service at the Fountain of Praise church that took place on Tuesday, which was followed by Floyd’s burial at Houston Memorial Gardens cemetery.

Here are other significant developments

  • On Sunday morning, President Trump said he is ordering the National Guard troops to begin withdrawing from the nation’s capital.
  • The ideology of withholding funds from the police has already begun a hot topic of interest as protests continue nationwide.
  • Philonise Floyd is scheduled to testify before Congress on Wednesday, which happens to be the first congressional hearing on the law enforcement since his brother’s killing in police custody on Memorial Day.
  • In a statement made by the Denver Police Department on Sunday said that there are making rules to ban all uses of chokeholds as part of a broader effort to address the use of force by its officers, amending the ongoing protests over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
  • Former President Obama and his wife Michelle addressed the unrest caused by George Floyd’s protest and the coronavirus pandemic on Sunday’s Class Of 2020 event for graduates. “It’s fair to say that your generation is graduating into a world that faces more profound challenges than any generation in decades,” Barack Obama said.

Also Read: The Cards We Are Dealt: Being Black in Lyric Opera

Anne Hathaway Calls out White Privilege

Anne Hathaway calls out white privilege after posting a powerful Instagram post discussing the death of black teenager, Nia Wilson, in Oakland, California.

Nia Wilson was stabbed to death on Sunday July 22 2018. Wilson and her sister, Latifa, were changing trains when approached by John Lee Cowell, 27, who repeatedly stabbed Wilson in the neck and wounded Latifa.

As the attack was unprovoked, Anne Hathaway cites race as the motivation for the attack, stating, “She is not a hash tag; she was a black woman and she was murdered in cold blood by a white man.”

She then goes on to discuss the issue of white privilege: “White people DO NOT have equivalence for this fear of violence.” Although the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) police are unsure if the attack was racially motivated, Hathaway and Wilson’s family believe that it was.

Cowell had previously been convicted of assault and was on parole at the time of the murder. Cowell’s family released a statement saying that he has a history of mental health issues, including schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Wilson’s sister, Malika Harris, argued with this excuse, saying, “He wasn’t mentally ill,” and suggesting, “It is a hate crime.”

Hathaway urges her 12 million Instagram followers to check their privilege and “ask our (white)selves- how ‘decent’ are we really? Not in our intent, but in our actions? In our lack of action?”

Hathaway is not alone in the protests against Wilson’s death. Thousands have taken to Twitter to mourn the death of Wilson. The hashtag #Sayhername has been trending and several celebrities have used it to voice their opinions on Wilson’s death. Actress Viola Davis stated, “I’m getting tired of the heartbreak. Tired of needing to organize to convince people that our lives matter.”

Following her previous post, Hathaway posted another Instagram picture with the caption: “I am still heart sick over the murder of Nia Wilson and it feels wrong to post something else so soon… I want to hold the space for Nia for longer.” Fans have flocked to Twitter to show support for Anne Hathaway’s message, describing her as “an ally to BLM” and “a strong example of white solidarity.”

Following Nia Wilson’s death, 1,000 people showed up for a vigil in Oakland in her memory, chanting “Say her name”. The mayor of Oakland, Libby Schaaf, has also given her support to Nia: “The fact that his victims were both young African-American women stirs deep pain and palpable fear in all of us who acknowledge the reality that our country still suffers from a tragic and deeply racist history.”

Further reading: Controversial Rapper XXXTentacion Shot Dead in Florida Aged 20