Protest, looting and violence erupt across US
Image: Unsplash
Over the weekend, protest against the death of George Floyd erupted across the US. Floyd was not the first black man who died because of unnecessary police violence. There were Treyvor Martin who sparked the Black Lives Matter movement, Breonna Taylor who was shot last month at her home and countless other people in black community.
In February, Ahmaud Arbery was fatally shot by a father and son while he went jogging in the afternoon. The police arrested Gregory McMichael and his son Travis McMichael months after the video went viral. William Brady Jr. who filmed the shooting was arrested and charged with murder. Brady was complicit in the crime as he tried to blocked Arbery from escaping the McMichaels.
On the same day of Floyd’s death, a video of Amy Cooper threatened Christian Cooper (not related to Amy Cooper) sparked backlash on social media. “I’m going to tell them there’s an African American man threatening my life,” said Amy Cooper in the video documented by Christian Cooper.
The anger reached the tipping point when Derek Chauvin, a police officer, kneeled on George Floyd’s neck for eight minutes. Floyd was gasping for his life, “Please… I can’t breathe. Everything hurts.” He died at the hospital few hours later.
Protest erupted in 350 cities across the US. US army was deployed in at least 23 states to handle the protest. The demonstration also spread to other countries including UK, Germany, New Zealand and Sweden. Protestors in London demonstrated in Trafalgar Square before marching to US embassy.
As the protest took place in US, looting and vandalism happened nearby. Some people on Twitter stated that those who looted stores and vandalised properties were not part of BLM movement. A video from ABC News showed the looters parted away from the peaceful protest to carry out their actions.
Image: Diet Prada
Louis Vuitton store in Ohio and Alexander McQueen store in Los Angeles were looted. Gucci store was vandalised with a grafitti slogan ‘eat the rich.’ Nordstorm, Ray Ban, Apple stores were broken into.
Big brands have been increasingly pressured to take actions into social cause. Saying black lives matter on an Instagram post no longer holds a stance. Virgil Abloh was criticised for donating $50 to a bail fund. He later apologised on a lengthy Instagram post and announced $20,500 donation. Glossier pledged $1 million donation to organisations fighting racial injustice.
In an unprecedented move, Adidas retweeted Nike’s ‘For Once, Don’t Do It’ advertisement. Celebrities like Rihanna, Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga and Blake Lively are showing their support through donations. Elsewhere, people show their solidarity on social media through black colour post with #blackouttuesday.