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How do we think about the George Floyd murder?
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The police are violent towards people protesting the murder of George Floyd

Ruthless police behavior during these riots is symptomatic of the broader issue. Across the nation, they have actively encouraged peaceful protestors to turn to violence by firing rubber bullets, unleashing tear gas, and threatening the unarmed with physical altercations. This is a deliberate effort to undermine the calls of the protestors for an end to institutional racism.
George Floyd

The Argument

On May 26th, 2020, protests began to occur in every major city in the United States, following the death of George Floyd. Though the majority of these protests were peaceful, many incidents of police violence took place between protestors and the police. Videos of the police violence that occurred during protests have spread across social media, providing proof of violent incidents involving police. Hundreds of videos involving police violence against journalists have surfaced as well. Videos show protesters met with pepper spray, rubber bullets, tear gas, and batons, as well as physical assault by police officers.[1] The US guarantees the right to freedom of speech and the right to protest. The violence police officers have inflicted against peaceful protestors undermines the protestors and their civil rights. Though some argue the police have used these tactics to protect themselves, disturbing videos have shown that the use of these tactics without provocation by protestors. Instead, its use incites fear and gains control over protesters. New York City has seen many of these incidents, including an instance that happened on May 30th, 2020, when police officers drove through a crowd of Brooklyn protestors, knocking many to the ground. [2] Women and elderly protestors were victims of this heinous violence as well, infringing on their rights to peaceful protests and freedom of speech. Protesters are reacting proportionally to their treatment by police. The police and critics of the protest are bending the narrative, demonizing the protesters.

Counter arguments

Police officers often use crowd-control methods to ensure the safety of the protestors. Tactics such as tear gas, rubber bullets, and pepper spray are used in extreme cases to avoid violence from escalating among protestors and business owners during riots. In most cases, the use of these tactics is for self-defense against aggressive protestors. Many police officers are civil to protestors, engaging in conversation about the protests, and providing food and water for those who are in need. The media is skewed in its portrayal of the behavior of police officers during protests, and the videos that surface the internet are taken out of context. There are many videos of police officers demonstrating solidarity with the protesters, and ven marching with them. If the media cared about representing these protests honestly, it would include these moments of humanity in the reporting and not just the violence.

Proponents

Premises

Rejecting the premises

References

  1. https://www.bellingcat.com/news/americas/2020/06/05/visualizing-police-violence-against-journalists-at-protests-across-the-us/
  2. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jun/06/police-violence-protests-us-george-floyd
This page was last edited on Monday, 9 Nov 2020 at 22:48 UTC

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