Yo, Is This Racist?
Team Members: Alex Borchers, Griffin Gardner, and Raevin McQueen
Racial inequality has been prevalent within the United States for centuries, but it seems as though instances of this are only becoming more common today. Although legislation such as affirmative action programs and the 15th Amendment were steps in the right direction, there are still social and economic disparities between Caucasians and African-Americans in this country. A wide variety of young people are still adopting feelings of ill will towards African-Americans, and this sense of conformity has caused America to regress. People of color have been put on the backburner and are not treated properly by leaders and others who are supposed to protect our country. African-Americans are alienated from and exploited by the rest of society for no apparent reason, and they can be compared to the poorly treated proletariat in Marxist theory. There is still a long way to go in order for these people to gain equal rights, but law enforcement officials are not providing as much aid as they should to speed up this process. In fact, many are doing the exact opposite and using corrupt tactics that only benefit Caucasians. This has been very evident within the last few months, and one instance in particular deals with Breonna Taylor.
On March 13th, 2020, Breonna Taylor was shot while sleeping in her own home by Officer Bret Hankison. On the night of the murder, the officers forced their way into Ms.Taylor’s apartment for a drug dealing investigation. The officers claim that they announced themselves as officers upon entry, but Ms.Taylor’s boyfriend says he did not hear them and assumed someone dangerous was breaking into their house. He fired “a warning shot” on his licensed gun, to which the cops returned 32 shots. Ms.Taylor was hit by six bullets and passed away as a result. After her death, the officers were not charged with murder and the case was settled with a 12 million dollar settlement (Gottbrath).
Do we think that this situation was handled properly?
Alex: I personally think that Breonna Taylor’s murderers were not given the proper repercussions that they deserved, and this illustrates one of many obstacles that marginalized groups face daily. The court system could have handled this situation much better, and it seems as if the police officers involved were provided a special immunity because of their positions. They have to worry much less for doing much worse, and instances like this are what cause police officers to repetitively commit the same crime.
Raevin: Breonna’s murderers were just let off the hook, and since they were not put in their place, they will probably continue to disobey moral law again in the future. This is common for anyone because people know if they can get away with something once, then they will keep trying to misbehave later down the line. Officers are clearly not reprimanded as much as they should be, which is why people are so adamant on trying to defund the police nowadays. If these officers were not treated above the law, we would not be experiencing the murders of innocent people.
Griffin: I think that this is similar to the case of George Floyd, who was murdered by a police officer who had abused his power in the past. Derek Chauvin already had 18 complaints filed against him and “received oral reprimands for using a “demeaning tone,” “derogatory language” and other language that merited discipline” (Andrew). Chauvin should have been under strict watch by the police department, but he was instead given the opportunity to act however he wanted still. This ultimately resulted in George Floyd being killed because Chauvin was so used to exerting excessive amounts of power and figured he would get away with it, like he has in the past. I think that this is a theme in police departments, and it is causing situations to get out of control.
This shows a mural of Breonna Taylor painted in Louisville, where she was murdered. Taylor has become another symbol on top of George Floyd for the movement as a whole.
How should this particular situation have been handled?
Raevin: Brett Hankison should’ve been charged for the murder of Breonna Taylor. No one truly knows what happened inside that apartment besides the officers involved and Ms. Taylor’s boyfriend. Rumor has it that after her boyfriend fired one shot, the officers responded with 32 shots, 6 of which hit Ms. Taylor. If that is the case, the officer should’ve been charged with manslaughter or 2nd degree murder. The ex-officer being charged with wanton endangerment downplays the events that happened that night. It also doesn’t make sense to have a 12 million dollar settlement while no one is charged for unnecessarily taking away an innocent life.
How should future situations be handled?
Alex: In regards to situations involving law enforcement, I think it is very important for police officers to undergo more intensive training. Police officers train fewer hours than cosmetologists, and considering the fact that they carry firearms and can determine someone’s fate, they need to be aware of when to use these weapons. By training more, the corrupt police officers who aren’t looking to protect and serve will be seen in their true colors and will be weeded out.
Griffin: I think that giving officers more time with weapons before they use them in public will ensure that the weapons are used less impulsive. Adichie’s “The Danger of a Single Story” connects to this because with a lack of proper training, officers are not taught how to treat people neutrally. Instead, many of their implicit biases come out when they’re having a confrontation. Although the person being questioned may not have any negative intentions, officers’ narrow prejudices can cause them to lash out and ruin lives. It is important for police officers to understand commonalities between people who are actual threats. Far too often, officers paint their own picture of what a hostile figure looks like. If they are trained longer and in a more strict manner to steer clear of implicit biases, then they will not be subjected to a single view and will better understand who an actual target should be.
Another example of a person in charge treating African-Americans as less worthy and unfavorable to Caucasians corresponds with Donald Trump. At the first presidential debate between Trump and Biden, the moderator for the event, Chris Wallace asked President Trump if he was ready to denounce the white supremacists apparent in the United States. Trump responded by asking who Wallace would like him to condemn and Joe Biden stated the Proud Boys. If you don’t know who the Proud Boys are, the Proud Boys are an openly racist all-male group that promotes political violence against non-white people and organizations. Trump not only dismissed the condemning of this hateful group, but also attacked a peaceful group called Antifa because they oppose his views (McCammon). Although some individuals have a great deal of authority, this instance raises red flags and makes us curious about whether or not the President looks out for every group with the same amount of respect.
Do we think that this situation was handled properly?
Alex: While on a national stage, the current president of the United States was given the chance to denounce a group of people who outrightly attacks and hates any person of color. He chose to dismiss this and make remarks condemning a peaceful group who have opposing views to his. To me, this should have been a clear case of someone in a position of power trying to eliminate hatred and unrest in the country that elected them. However, knowing that this hateful group supported him, he refused to do this.
Griffin: Trump defends and ignores the racist, violent, and hateful actions taken by groups such as the Proud Boys and the Ku Klux Klan. However, he attacks peaceful groups such as Antifa and the Black Lives Matter movement. I can’t help but make extremely clear similarities between what is occurring now and what occurred in the 50s and 60s with MLK and the civil rights movements.
Raevin: In the “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” MLK writes about how the voices of the people actively protesting are being covered up and the messages they are trying to push are being twisted. This can be seen currently in the Black Lives Matter protests as well. Trump has even tweeted about using the military as a means of violence against protestors fighting for their voices to be heard. In fact, he claimed that “When the looting starts, the shooting starts.” This is not appropriate for anyone to say in a situation, let alone the President. This tweet was later flagged by Twitter and taken down. This gives us a look at who originally spoke this line and allows us to see that what he’s representing is appalling.
How should this particular situation have been handled?
Griffin: In the national spotlight, speaking to the entire country, the president should have denounced the Proud Boys. Especially given that Chris Wallace gave him an easy chance to by bringing white supremacy up during the debate. There are many people who defend Trump and claim he is not a racist individual, which is pretty concerning.
Alex: Looking at this situation, it is hard to back that claim up. By choosing to dismiss this, the president chose to be a bystander to a group that is openly racist in the country that he is supposed to bring together.
How should future situations be handled?
Raevin: I think that in the future, the federal government needs to make better use of checks and balances. Although other branches of government can’t really “check” what comes out of the President’s mouth and fully control him, I think that they could implement a better system for “writing up” the President and giving him/her warnings for misbehaving.
Griffin: President Trump has been extremely polarized in his views, and I think it is important for future presidents to cater to everyone. Thus, if this individual takes a step in the wrong direction, I think they should get reprimanded for it. Many presidents have been able to do wrong and get away with it, so I think there needs to be a way for them to be temporarily demoted in order to understand their boundaries.
Alex: I believe that in the future, the President should definitely go through some unconscious bias training in order to be less quick to judge groups, especially marginalized ones that are picked on for no reason. Many presidents have made harsh statements in the past before their presidencies, and people need to take these into account and understand a better picture of the candidates running before they blindly make a decision.
Works Referenced
Andrew, Scottie. Derek Chauvin: What We Know about the Former Officer Charged in George Floyd’s Death. CNN, 1 June 2020, www.cnn.com/2020/06/01/us/derek-chauvin-what-we-know-trnd/index.html.
“Breonna Taylor: What Happened on the Night of Her Death?” BBC News, BBC, 8 Oct. 2020, www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-54210448.
Gottbrath, Laurin-Whitney. “Breonna Taylor: Police Files Raise New Questions, Renew Outrage.” US & Canada | Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera, 9 Oct. 2020, www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/10/8/breonna-taylor-police-files-raise-new-questions-renew-outrage.
McCammon, Sarah. “From Debate Stage, Trump Declines To Denounce White Supremacy.” NPR, NPR, 30 Sept. 2020, www.npr.org/2020/09/30/918483794/from-debate-stage-trump-declines-to-denounce-white-supremacy.
Tony Romm, Allyson Chiu. “Twitter Flags Trump, White House for ‘Glorifying Violence’ after Tweeting Minneapolis Looting Will Lead to ‘Shooting’.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 30 May 2020, www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/05/29/trump-minneapolis-twitter-protest/.