Thoughts on the protests, aggregated by Mulan
Facts
- The people killed 1,099 people in 2019. 24% of victims were black, while only 13% of the US population is black.
- Violent offenders who are black: 22.7% Violent offenders who are LatinX: 14.4% Violent offenders who are white: 43.8%
Privilege-questioning thoughts
- People seem to forget that George Floyd died because people were trying to follow the law and negotiate peacefully.
- When as a white/non-black person, you say that “violence is not the answer”, you are saying “peaceful protest and negotiation” are the answer. Saying that denies (or ignores) the simple reality that marginalized groups often aren’t heard.
- It is not your choice to determine how an oppressed group protests.
- The current riots and violence are a result of countless peaceful protests that haven’t worked and anger towards the racist American justice system that continues to let black people be murdered unjustly.
- Riots are not the problem. Riots are a symptom of the problem.
- Violent protests have consequences. People will die, people will go to jail, people will lose everything they have. How far does someone have to be pushed to risk it all?
- Yes, riots feel uncomfortable because they are uncomfortable. Racism of also uncomfortable.
- If it’s difficult for you to understand why people resort to violence, it probably means your privilege has protected you from being put in a situation where you feel you have no other choice.
- Implying there are other ways minimizes the frustration and provides no answers, or solutions. It just points, with privilege, to do things a different way that doesn’t disturb your comfort.
General Thoughts about the Protests/situation
- Sometimes change is disruptive. Peaceful protest hasn’t worked, which is why they are resorting to riots, but some people are taking advantage of the situation, and just causing destruction. It’s not just black people looting.
- It’s important to note that
- It’s not just black people looting: most videos show white people and officers instigating violence
- Black and indigenous people have lost eons worth of ancestors and knowledge due to white greed and haven’t been close to repaid. They are taking what’s owed to them.
We live in a world where trained cops can panic and act on impulse, but untrained civilians must remain calm with a gun in their face.
How to be an ally, as an Asian-American
- Recognize your privileges
- The black experience is different from ours. We don’t face the same severe multi-faceted discrimination as them, and we never will
- Utilize your privileges to leverage support for movements for black causes
- Recognize that a lot of our freedoms and rights are credited to the movements and strides made by African-American activists during the Civil Rights era
- Support black-owned businesses
- Call out your family and friends on their bullshit
- Understand that the government has been using us as a scapegoat for their mistreatment of black people (i.e. the model minority myth)
- Our privileges are a mirage given to us by the unjust powers as an effort to use us as a racial wedge
People ask “Can’t they demand justice without burning stuff down?” Most of these protest started out peacefully until the police escalated things as they usually do. It’s also the non-black people who don’t actually care, and just want to add to the flames.
George Floyd couldn’t breathe. Eric Garner couldn’t breathe. Breonna Taylor, Amaud Arbery, Tony McDade. Botham Jean, Atatiana Jefferson, Stephon Clark, Philando Castille, Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Tamir Rice, Jonathan Farrell, Renisha McBride, Jordan Edwards, Jordan Davis, Aiyana Jones, the Charleston 9, Sean Bell, Oscar Grant, Sandra Bland, Corey Jones, John Crawford, Terrence Crutcher, Clifford Glober, Claude Reese, Randy Evans, Yvonne Smallwood, Amadou Diallo, Walter Scott, Freddie Gray, and countless others, can’t breathe.
There are not my thoughts — In fact, I don’t completely agree with all of these, especially the one seems to justify that centuries of violence justifies more violence. But I think these notes are interesting as a reminder to me, especially so that I can gradually phase off my own thoughts that aren’t very ideal 202006020157.
uid: 202006011540 tags: #literature