By Leah Conway
“If you can only be tall because someone is on their knees then you have a serious problem.” – Toni Morrison
This week has been devastating for many reasons, but nonetheless it has been full of issues that we cannot turn a blind eye on.
This is not a situation to be neutral on.
On Monday 25th May, George Floyd was murdered.
8 minutes and 46 seconds.
That’s how long Derek Chauvin trapped George Floyd’s neck underneath his knee. Coldly, with his hands casually in his pockets, without remorse as three other police officers stood by and watched.
George Floyd is not alone. It is a story we’ve heard too many times: Breonna Taylor, Trayvon Martin, Sandra Bland, Ahmaud Arbery, Amadou Diallo, the list goes on. There are too many names that have preceded George Floyd’s.
But this week has felt different. George Floyd’s murder has been a spark, hopefully, a spark of genuine, heartfelt change that will surpass short-lived news cycles, online trends and hashtags.
As George Floyd’s 6-year-old daughter said, “Daddy changed the world.”
No Justice. No Peace.
Not only have there been protests in all 50 US states, but the protests have even spread across the globe.
England, Ireland, Australia, France, Italy, Spain, Denmark are but a few countries in which people are protesting and showing support in solidarity with the movement.
This week’s protests have even drawn out a response from the hacker collective, Anonymous, after years of relative quiet.
They ominously promised to expose “many crimes” of Minneapolis’ police department to the world and have made several cyber-attacks throughout the week.
Many people have also been speaking up on social media. Posting support, opinions, ways to educate yourselves, where to donate and sign petitions.
These are sentiments and actions being taken that will hopefully not fade away when the protesting stops.
Let this week be one that we do not forget, a week for change.
You can sign the petition for George Floyd here
There are numerous other petitions that you can support, consider taking a few minutes of your day to put your support into action.