BY CAMILLA O'KEEFE
The coronavirus has taken the world by storm; people are lining up for groceries, stores are closing for who knows how long, and children are forced to learn from home. COVID-19 has drastically affected all of our lives one way or another, especially blacks and latinos, who are still being treated--correction, brutalized--the same way. Even during a global pandemic.
Police brutality is an unfortunate, sad norm in the lives of people of color. And it has proven to be no stranger even during the time of the coronavirus. Sadly, I (and I am sure many other people) have heard some say that these acts of violence, all in the name of “social distancing”, are “not a big deal” when it actually is, in fact, a big deal. Racism is so embedded in this country and its foundations that even during a health crisis it continues to thrive and continues to be excused. If you don’t believe me, here are just a handful of recent instances.
On May 4, Officer Francisco Garcia and others from the NYPD confronted people standing at a street corner because they were, “not wearing masks''; ironically, several of those officers--including Officer Garcia--were not wearing face masks either. Then, Garcia and his partner used excessive force to drag said people to the ground and started beating them. Onlookers came running to the scene, of which included New York City Housing Association (NYCHA) groundskeeper Donni Wright. Wright simply approached Officer Garcia, calmly saying, “He didn’t do nothing, he didn’t do nothing,” to which Garcia pulled out his taser and started yelling, “Stay the fuck back.” Wright, again, said that the man did nothing wrong. Then, Officer Garcia proceeded to punch, tackle, and beat Wright to the ground, shouting the n-word, and handcuffed Wright while kneeling on top of his head. Wright, along with others that encountered the NYPD officers that day, were horribly brutalized and beaten for not wearing masks and Wright’s confrontation. The victims of this brutal beating all have one thing in common: they were black.
There are numerous cases JUST like this. Only last week, two LAPD officers cornered an African-American man (who has not yet been identified at this point). He was unarmed and non-violent, and when the officers handcuffed him he complied willingly. He was not combative at ALL, but that didn’t matter, since one of the two officers viciously punched the man in the head and bashed his face into a gate numerous times for no reason. His partner simply stood by. She did not intervene. She didn’t even go as near as to try and stop her partner from beating a defenseless man. She simply watched.
In what way can any of these attacks be justified by police when there are literal violent protests across the country where thousands of people are barricading the streets, harassing medical workers, and even carrying assault rifles, all while not wearing masks? The answer to the question is skin color. Wright is a young black man. Those violent protestors are white. In no way can any of these officers say that they did not use force against them because they didn’t feel as though they were in danger, for these protestors are the same people that were literally armed with assault-style weapons and yelling right in the faces of the police officers. These protests are much more of a risk to the lives of people than Wright ever was (keep in mind, Wright was socially distancing; the protestors were and still are not), but because the people are white it is acceptable to our society. It is just one of many examples of white privilege in this country.
Still don’t believe me? Then how is it that two weekends ago in Manhattan, in neighborhoods that are mainly rich and white, people were out and about crowding in parks? Sure the weather was nice and sunny, but none of these people had masks, nor were any of them social distancing amid a pandemic. And yet, officers were anything but hostile towards them. Officers (who were donned in protective gear) patrolled these rich, white neighborhoods and kindly gave out free masks and gloves. These (white) people were not even scolded for crowding. But in black and latino communities just a couple miles away, none of the officers were wearing protective gear (and still aren’t), and none of them are giving out free masks. Rather, they are giving out free scolding, beatings, and punches. Blacks and latinos are accosted and brutalized by police officers all in the name of “social distancing,” but if that were the case then wouldn’t the same happen to the people in those rich, white neighborhoods too?
The violence that is faced by blacks and latinos in this country is appalling, period. But the fact that, even during COVID-19, blacks and latinos are still being tortured at the hands of the police is truly disgusting. And it is even more disgusting to see the president telling these violent protestors to quote, “LIBERATE THEMSELVES,” for by doing so he is enticing and encouraging them to risk the health of others, while keeping silent on the brutal torture and treatment faced by blacks and latinos.
In no way am I or is this article a message saying, “all cops are bad.” It is true, not all cops are bad. But the brutality that is faced by people of color is bad. The fact that black people are 3.6 times more likely to experience force by police officers as compared to white people is bad. And to say “not all cops are bad” in response to calling out police brutality is just an attempt to belittle and dismiss those who are trying to fix the problems within the system of policing. By saying “not all cops are bad” and/or “there’s gonna be bad apples” only honors and celebrates cops that do not abuse their power; it only normalizes police violence and desensitizes the police brutality issues that blacks and latinos face. And to use COVID-19--a worldwide health crisis--as an excuse to normalize police violence is unacceptable.
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