Before I begin, there are a few things I would like to clear up; I am white. I am female. When a police officer sees me, they see their sisters, their daughters or their mothers.
I am not at risk of being shot by a police officer whilst reaching into my pocket or carrying a BB gun. I am not at risk of being shot by a police officer for walking home through a bad neighborhood or wearing a hooded sweater.
I am privileged but, my goodness, am I outraged. And if you are not, I urge you to open your eyes and look at the America we are living in today.
This year has filled much of this nation, including myself, with utter rage; rage, shock and anger over the far too many occasions on display of police brutality towards African-Americans. In the case of Mike Brown, an 18-year-old African-American who was shot multiple times by white police officer Darren Wilson. The Ferguson, Missouri police officer got no indictment, meaning nine grand jury members found there was not enough evidence against officer Wilson to send the case to trial. To them, it seemed it was clear that Wilson used a sufficient amount of force and that the 18-year-old, unarmed male, was a clear threat. This, of course, caused outrage. The black community rallied for change with protests not only in Ferguson, but across the nation. They protested with signs that read “Black lives matter,” and “Hands up, doesn’t shoot,” a sign that emphasized the police brutality that occurred. Witnesses testified that Brown had his hands up when Wilson shot him repeatedly.
With outrage over the no indictment charge of Wilson still strong, 10 days later in Staten Island, New York, officer Daniel Pantaleo was cleared of the murder of Eric Garner, a 43-year-old man who died after being placed in a choke hold by Pantaleo. Garner cried out 11 times to the officer saying “I can’t breathe, I can’t breathe.” The father of six’s death was caught on video by a witness and I wonder what video the grand jury saw to choose not to indict officer Pantaleo when choke hold are illegal for NYPD officers. Protests continued with signs that read “We can’t breathe,” and “No justice; no peace.”
The videos of protestors are eye-opening to an America the media is trying so frantically to hide; an America where people are being killed because of the color of their skin and the white police officers killing them are not facing the full force of the American justice system. In a nation that preaches “Liberty and justice for all,” there is no justice for Mike Brown or Eric Garner and its becoming clear to see just how corrupt the justice system is.
In the 1960s, it was the youth who were filled with fury and rage over the injustice of this nation and now we are seeing the same thing; youth across the country are outraged over the treatment over the black community. From Berkeley to Washington, D.C, we are marching; our voices are loud enough to be heard and we are demanding they listen. They can’t breathe and I will not stand by and watch them suffocate.
– Lilia Burdett is a student at San Benito High School