ON THE BASIS OF COLOUR.
A black man's nightmare in America.
I knew a black man. One with a family and a child. On a certain day, he was arrested and beaten by the police. His offence was great because he was black and not because of a fake $20 bill he is said to have produced at a convenience store. He was pinned down by a police officer for 8 minutes and 46 seconds. “I can’t breathe,” Mr Floyd said repeatedly, pleading for his mother and begging “please, please, please”. He continued pleading for his life, but just like the system, his killer had one in mind. Our forefathers were shackled as they were transported to America, more than 100 years later, the shackles are still present but in different forms. For the said black man, a knee on his neck was enough to end his life. His name was George Floyd.
His prime mistake was that he was jogging in a white neighbourhood. One that did not understand why a person of his colour would have the guts to jog in that area. As is the ritual, the police were called but before they got two him, a father, a son and a shotgun did. The irony of this story is that fact that he Ahmed Abuary was someone's son and maybe one day, hed graduate to fatherhood. This will not be the case as he was gunned down. According to his killers, he was a perfect fit for a burglar who had traversed the said neighbourhood a month ago. A prosecutor previously assigned to the case would later outline reasons he believed there was “insufficient probable cause to issue arrest warrants” in the case. The District Attorneys argument was that the father-son duo actions were legal under Georgia laws on citizen’s arrests, it allows for open carry of guns and self-defence. His killers are yet to face justice!
He is an avid bird watcher. On the 25th of May, he was birdwatching in Newyork’s Central Park when he saw a woman with an unleashed dog. In the rumble, part of the Central Park, the rule is that all dogs have to be leashed to make it easier for birdwatchers to interact with the ground-birds. He decided to say something. The woman who was later identified as Amy Cooper refused to leash her dog or move to another area of the park. She threatened to call the authorities claiming that she together with her dog were being threatened by an African America man. Finally, she actually calls the authorities, saying that an African American man “is recording me and threatening me and my dog.”Christian Cooper, the “African American” says very little on the video, and certainly, nothing threatening. Amy Coopers 911 call is part of a pattern of calls on black people for no valid reason, aside from the fact that they are black.
1,134. This is the number of black men that are killed by the police in America annually. The world is now a global village with progress in different fields. One would think that the same false accusation that ended Emmet Hill’s life in 1955 would have ceased by now, but we are wrong. The year is 2020 and black men are still being gunned down and their lives wasted. This is of course on the basis of colour!