Tens of thousands of protestors rocked the streets of Minneapolis and other cities, demanding justice for the murder of George Floyd in 2020. Protests often involved violence, vandalism, looting, and many officers getting fired. Minneapolis is falling into huge disarray and efforts to get everything under control are falling terribly short. As of today, citizens of Minneapolis are losing trust in their police force very quickly, especially those who are part of the black community.
Tensions are running high in Minneapolis. The police are tired of constantly being called racist by residents while Black residents of the community are tired of being a prime target of discrimination. There are many sides to this same story, and neither side seems to understand the other.
The cops’ side is fairly straightforward: they focus on crime, not race. Sergeant Andrew Schroeder, who has been a police officer for nearly a decade, confirmed that a majority of the city’s shootings were by Black men. Although, ironically, most of the city’s shooting victims were also Black.
Contradicting the major public opinion, however, is a quote from Sergeant Schroeder, where he stated that “The cops who are still here in the department are good officers, they want to do a good job and legitimately want to make the community better.” Additionally, many of the worst cases in police violence involve those who have already left the force (examples include Mr. Derek Chauvin, who murdered George Floyd).
However, some in the Black community view the situation differently. Mook Thomas, 27, feels that the police are targeting certain people in her community. As Ms. Thomas recalls, she and her husband were stopped by police officers for allegedly having a broken headlight, though, she said, both headlights had worked just fine.
The cops had also allegedly gone an extra step, and according to Ms. Thomas, “He’s harassing us, telling us we don’t belong over here,” all the while using racial slurs.
Other examples of police violence besides the infamous murder of George Floyd include Sincere Peirce, 18; Arthur Keith, 19; Gregory Jackson, 45; Angelo “AJ” Crooms, 16; and Robert Coleman, 88.
Evidently, this is where the violent and tragic incidents scattered throughout the past few years have led us. Both sides feel wronged, and have the right to do so to some extent. And, hopefully, this conflict will be able resolve itself in the best way possible in the nearest future.
Tensions are running high in Minneapolis. The police are tired of constantly being called racist by residents while Black residents of the community are tired of being a prime target of discrimination. There are many sides to this same story, and neither side seems to understand the other.
The cops’ side is fairly straightforward: they focus on crime, not race. Sergeant Andrew Schroeder, who has been a police officer for nearly a decade, confirmed that a majority of the city’s shootings were by Black men. Although, ironically, most of the city’s shooting victims were also Black.
Contradicting the major public opinion, however, is a quote from Sergeant Schroeder, where he stated that “The cops who are still here in the department are good officers, they want to do a good job and legitimately want to make the community better.” Additionally, many of the worst cases in police violence involve those who have already left the force (examples include Mr. Derek Chauvin, who murdered George Floyd).
However, some in the Black community view the situation differently. Mook Thomas, 27, feels that the police are targeting certain people in her community. As Ms. Thomas recalls, she and her husband were stopped by police officers for allegedly having a broken headlight, though, she said, both headlights had worked just fine.
The cops had also allegedly gone an extra step, and according to Ms. Thomas, “He’s harassing us, telling us we don’t belong over here,” all the while using racial slurs.
Other examples of police violence besides the infamous murder of George Floyd include Sincere Peirce, 18; Arthur Keith, 19; Gregory Jackson, 45; Angelo “AJ” Crooms, 16; and Robert Coleman, 88.
Evidently, this is where the violent and tragic incidents scattered throughout the past few years have led us. Both sides feel wronged, and have the right to do so to some extent. And, hopefully, this conflict will be able resolve itself in the best way possible in the nearest future.
