The George Floyd Protests Are about More than Police Brutality

FEATURING CHENJERAI KUMANYIKA – Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar has announced that all four police officers involved in the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis will now be facing charges. State Attorney General Keith Ellison will be increasing charges against Derek Chauvin, the man who pinned down Floyd’s neck for more than 8 minutes. Initially Chauvin was charged with third degree murder – now his charges will include second degree murder. Two separate autopsies have concluded that the 46-year old Floyd was the victim of homicide.

As protests continue across the country into a second week, there appears to be a sea change in attitudes around police brutality, prompting deeper discussions about the role of police in society and the excessing funding that law enforcement receives at the expense of public services. Many are also linking to the protests a broader frustration felt by those struggling with deep societal inequality exacerbated and highlighted by the coronavirus pandemic.

Read Chenjerai’s article on The Intercept, ‘Getting Real About the Job of Police: A Letter to Barack Obama,’ HERE.

Chenjerai Kumanyika, Assistant Professor at Rutgers University School of Communication and Information.