Saturday May 30,
2020, I woke up just to see breaking news on chaos over Centennial Olympic Park
where protesters gathering to release their anger on George Floyd incident.
I could not help thinking when the last time I heard “I can’t
breathe”.
On July 17, 2014, Eric Garner died in the
New York City borough of Staten
Island after Daniel Pantaleo, a New York City Police Department (NYPD) officer, put him in a chokehold while arresting him.[2] Video footage of the incident generated widespread
national attention and raised questions about the appropriate use of
force by law enforcement.”
With multiple officers
restraining him, Garner repeated the words "I can't breathe" 11 times
while lying face down on the sidewalk. After Garner lost consciousness, officers
turned him onto his side to ease his breathing. Garner remained lying on the
sidewalk for seven minutes while the officers waited for an ambulance to
arrive. Garner was pronounced dead at an area hospital approximately one hour
later.
Now 6 years later, I heard
another “I can’t breathe”.
The death of George Floyd, an African-American man from Minnesota, occurred on May 25, 2020, when Derek Chauvin, a white Minneapolis police officer, knelt on Floyd's neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds, with 2
minutes and 53 seconds of that occurring after Floyd was unresponsive,
according to the criminal complaint filed against Chauvin.[2][3] Floyd was handcuffed and lying face down on the road,
while Chauvin had his knee on his neck.[4][5][6] The three other arresting officers were identified as
Thomas K. Lane, Tou Thao, and J. Alexander Kueng.
Video recording by
bystanders, showing the arrested Floyd repeatedly saying "I can't
breathe", were widely circulated on social media platforms and broadcast
by the media.[7]
How many more times “I can’t breathe” incidents will be heard?
Should classes like How to Survive
White Police Officers be added and taught among black communities?
Here in GA, Ahmaud Arbery was just fatally shot by two white men while taking a jog in February. The incident alone has drawn hatred from around the nation. No wonder why people got so frustrated and could not stay at home and keep social distancing anymore.
Here in GA, Ahmaud Arbery was just fatally shot by two white men while taking a jog in February. The incident alone has drawn hatred from around the nation. No wonder why people got so frustrated and could not stay at home and keep social distancing anymore.
Amid Coronavirus crisis, life is sill going on and this is just part of it.
