Preview

The Black Lives Matter Movement: A Brief Analysis

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
518 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Black Lives Matter Movement: A Brief Analysis
I realized something about the Black Lives Matter movement. This happened two days ago when I finished watching season 4 of “Orange Is The New Black” on Netflix. This was the second to last episode of the season. The inmates are all in the cafeteria, but the silence is disrupted when Officer Piscatella shoves inmate Reznicov to the ground. The other inmates have had enough of his incessant harassment, and so they decided right then and there that they were going to have a peaceful protest. They all one by one stand on the surrounding lunch tables refusing to move until he steps down from his duty. Piscatella looks among the sea of women and orders the other officers to drag the women down from their tables and into their bunks. The only good “nice-guy”, officer Bayley doesn’t like the idea but complies with the orders. He grabs inmate Washington and pins her to the ground with his knee on her back. …show more content…
Inmate Washington mouths the words “I cant breath”. This mirrors the real-life death of Eric Garner, a man who died when he was put into a chokehold for 20 seconds while being arrested. Eric Garner prompted an uproar from the African American community. In that moment I realized, this was all an accident. Nothing was intentionally done. If so, the writers would not have chosen officer Bayley for the deed, they would have chosen a “scumbag” officer like officer Humpfrey who earlier in the season forced the inmates to fight each other. The writers don’t want you to hate the officer, and in doing so they chose officer Bayley. The Black Lives Matter movement wants to condemn all the officers for what they believe were purposeful killings or justice for the
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    Black Lives Matter: Eric Gunner's Case
    • 403 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Black Lives Matter: Eric Gunner's Case

    Focusing at Eric gunner’s case, he was a young black man who had a criminal history. This however did not imply that he was a criminal by the time he was aggressively arrested by a group of New York Department of Police O0fficers led by Daniel Pantaleo. It was because of the wrong judgment that Eric Gunner lost his life by being choked. He is known for having said “I can’t breathe “, but no one came to his rescue.…

    • 403 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Sandra Bland Research Paper
    • 555 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Sandra Bland Research Paper

    Sandra Bland was a BLACK LIVES MATTER activist. This reminds me very much of Eric GArner who was arrested for selling cigarettes on the street. He was pushed to the ground (much like Sandra Bland) and was put in an illegal chokehold. He yelled “I can’t breathe” eleven times. The police you excessive amount of force for a small crime that lead to his death. It seems that more and more Black people are being arrested for minor things or nothing at all with brutal force that is not necessary. It is important that this article is shared with more people because this force and these deaths need to stop. There is no excuse for them. the police are supposed to be protecting everyone, they are supposed to people we trust. Police should not be using excessive force. BLACK LIVES…

    • 555 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    What Is The Compton's Cafeteria Riots
    • 223 Words
    • 1 Page

    What Is The Compton's Cafeteria Riots

    The riot started when a police officer tried to arrest a transwoman for drinking a cup of coffee at Compton's, and she responded by throwing the coffee into his face. Within minutes, other trans women had joined in, throwing chairs and smashing windows. The next night, the group reunited to picket in front of Compton's.…

    • 223 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Wilfred Gray Research Papers
    • 894 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Wilfred Gray Research Papers

    In April of this year, our news outlets were flooded with photos, videos and reports of both violent riots and peaceful protests in Baltimore, Maryland. We watched as cars and shops were burnt and destroyed. We watched as people cried and bled on the streets. What prompted it all? The death of a 25 year old man in police custody. Freddie Gray, a man not much taller than any of us here was beaten by six Baltimore police offices and subjected to an incredibly forceful arrest due to the possession of what police alleged was an illegal switchblade. The extent of Freddie Grays injuries was his spine broken in multiple places. On April 19th, a week after his arrest,…

    • 894 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Rodney Glen King Traffic Violation
    • 1720 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Rodney Glen King Traffic Violation

    The five officers, Stacey Koon, Laurence Powell, Timothy Wind, Theodore Briseno, and Rolando Solano, were taken to court soon after the incident. The Officers were acquitted of all charges, the community was furious with the outcome of the case. Protesters immediately took to the street in light of recent court decisions. The Protest did not stay peaceful for long and soon there was all out violence and crime throughout the city of Los Angeles. The black community started attacking anyone who was not black pulling. For instance, “Reginald Denny, a white truck driver, was dragged from his truck and severely beaten by several angry rioters”(Staff, 1992).Throwing rock at other race people and even pulling them out of their cars for a quick beatdown for no apparent fault of the victim. Meanwhile the chief of police was attending a fundraiser on the other side of Los Angeles. As the night came the crime start to escalate with random fire by the dozen spread throughout the city. The ironic thing is these violent protester were not burning government buildings or officers houses, instead they were burning small business of people in the struggling community. By nightfall mayor Bradley declared a “state of emergency asking california governor to send two thousand national guardsmen”(Medina,2012). Violence, fires, looting, and deaths continued to increase throughout the night. Violence spread throughout major cities in the US. Among them was Seattle, San Francisco, Las Vegas, and Atlanta. The following day violence continued even though the national guard was there. Much controversy was on the issue if the national guard should use live ammunition. The National guard decided not to and the riots continued to spread. That same day Rodney king went in front of camera and plead with the citizen of Los Angles and and cities throughout the nation to keep the peace, using the famous quote…

    • 1720 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Prison Uprising Research Paper
    • 793 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Prison Uprising Research Paper

    The day before the uprising occurred, prison guards had attempted to diffuse what they perceived to be sparring between a black and a white inmate. The two inmates were said to have been rough-housing during a warm up for a football game out on the yard. A confrontation kept the guards from taking any further action at that time. Other inmates began to make uproar. That night, the two inmates from the incident on the yard were taken from their…

    • 793 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Rodney King: The Watts Riots
    • 999 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Rodney King: The Watts Riots

    On the 24th of November 2015, unarmed 24 year old Jamar Clark was fatally shot in the head by a police officer after an alleged altercation between Clark and two police officers in the North Side of Minneapolis, a predominately black neighborhood. Soon after, protests spearheaded by the Black Lives Matter movement started at the 4th precinct of Minneapolis-- the police station just blocks away from where Jamar Clark was shot. Days of occupation of the precinct and peaceful protest led to increased presence of police in riot gear , openly brandishing tear gas guns. Despite the peaceful nature of the protest, police officers in tactical gear sprayed chemical irritants into the eyes of protesters, used intimidation as a form of crowd control, and even punched a young woman in the face. While it remains uncertain as of now if the shooting of Jamar Clark was a justified use of self defense, the outrage seen over police officers using excessive force against unarmed black men, in the North Side of Minneapolis in particular, is reminiscent of the upsets manifested in the Watts Riots, LA Riots, and the protest and rioting in…

    • 999 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Fruitvale Station Essay
    • 883 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Fruitvale Station Essay

    In the film Fruitvale Station depicts the last 24 hours in the life of Oscar Grant III, a 22-year-old black man from Oakland, California who was shot and killed by a policeman early in the morning of January 1, 2009. Oscar was unarmed and pinned on the ground by the two officers, one of whom shot him in the back. Oscar died several hours later. The officer who shot him was eventually charged with involuntary manslaughter and served 11 months in prison. This is just one example of how people of color are brutally mistreated and discriminated. In this essay, I will argue that all Americans should recognize that people of color are discriminated against, racism is as strong as ever, and there needs to be a social movement of the American people.…

    • 883 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Stono's Rebellion: The Cause Of Violence In Prisons
    • 976 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Stono's Rebellion: The Cause Of Violence In Prisons

    In 1971 the Attica Prison, located near Buffalo, New York, erupted into a riot (“Riot at Attica Prison”). Many of the inmates at the correctional facility had strong emotions about the treatment they and others were receiving at this prison. Physical brutality, lack of medical treatment, and poor sanitation were just a few points of interest the inmates wanted to see change (Berman). On the morning of September 9, a minimal amount of prisoners overpowered guards and seized control of a prison gallery (“Riot at Attica Prison”). After access was granted to this prison gallery, the prisoners were able to access all areas of the correctional facility. It was at this time all 2,200 prisoners went into a rebellion, brutally destroying the facility. However, by 10:30 a.m., state police with the help of the National Guard regained control of most of the prison without any lives lost (“Riot at Attica Prison”). The only area remaining to regain control of was the D yard, and in an attempt to do just that, state police, as well as the national guard, tear-gassed everyone located inside this area (Berman). Frank Smith, an inmate who resumed the job of a guard during the prison riot was in yard D at the time of this occurrence. “The first thing I seen and hear was a helicopter circling over the yard, you know, and then gas, and then a loudspeaker, ‘Put your hand on your head and you won't be harmed,’” Frank Smith recounts in a interview with PBS (Douglass). The information Frank Smith provided at that time helped the citizens, who were not present at the time of the riot, to fully understand the events that had taken place. After state officials agreed to the inmates demands, they regained control of the correctional facility returning the prison to normal. The Attica Prison Riot signifies the worst prison riot in the United States history with 43 people left dead (“Riot at Attica…

    • 976 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    African-American Police Incidents
    • 710 Words
    • 3 Pages

    African-American Police Incidents

    “I can’t breathe, I can’t breathe.” That’s what Eric Garner said when a police officer killed him for no reason in Staten Island. Garner was accused of selling cigarettes illegally, and in the video taken of the event Garner mentions how the cops have always ragged on him for selling illegal cigarettes. Garner combats the police by saying “I did not sell nothing!” and “Whenever you see me you want to mess with me! It stops now!” Officer Daniel Pantaleo compulsively choked Garne and killed him. He was 43 when he died. This was the first incident that had ample attention brought to it, but there have been many racist police encounters with African-Americans over the years. This incident also opened the issue of African-Americans targeted by police…

    • 710 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration
    • 1165 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration

    I listened to the audiobook version of The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness and as I listened I walked through the streets of Boston. One night as I listened to Michelle Alexander talk about how African American men are far more likely to be stopped and searched by the police, I came across two Emerson Police Officers forcing a black man to the ground. He knelt down with his hands in the air as they patted his body down. Maybe he had done something do deserve this treatment, or maybe he had just looked like a criminal because of the color of his skin.…

    • 1165 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    White Dignity: An Analysis Of Black Lives Matter
    • 1072 Words
    • 5 Pages

    White Dignity: An Analysis Of Black Lives Matter

    Anyone watching the news, using social media, or walking down a street in a large city has most likely seen or heard the phrase “Black Lives Matter.” Black Lives Matter is an organization founded by Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi, but these are just the chief founders in the organization. The major reason that this organization formed is due to the shooting on February 26, 2012 in Sanford, Florida, of a black man named Trayvon Martin who was shot by George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch member. Zimmerman went to court and was found not guilty for second degree murder. This added fuel to the already existent fire of racisms making this powder keg for the black community.…

    • 1072 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Examples Of Unjust Killing Of African Americans
    • 1712 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Examples Of Unjust Killing Of African Americans

    Seeing this has made people start to protest and riot. Others have been trying to come up with ways to prevent police brutality. Police officers jobs are to protect and serve their community not to kill innocent black people. An African American…

    • 1712 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Black Lives Matter Protest
    • 384 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Black Lives Matter Protest

    I believe all people should be treated fairly, and you would think that would be a commonly held belief, but I get a lot of shit for it anyway. And so, I continue to march on and make my voice heard. Let me tell you about the first time I marched in the streets of Washington DC. I was 15.…

    • 384 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Racial Profiling
    • 1716 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Racial Profiling

    On February 4, 1999, Amadou Diallo, an unarmed 22 year-old immigrant from New Guinea, West Africa, was shot and killed in the narrow vestibule of the apartment building where he lived. Four white officers, Sean Carroll, Kenneth Boss, Edward McMellon and Richard Murphy fired 41 bullets, hitting Diallo 19 times. All four were members of the New York City Police Department's Street Crimes Unit, which, under the slogan, "We Own the Night," used aggressive "stop and frisk" tactics against African- Americans at a rate double that group's population percentage. A report on the unit by the state attorney general found that blacks were stopped at a rate 10 times that of whites, and that 35 percent of those stops lacked reasonable suspicion to detain or had reports insufficiently filled out to make a determination. Thousands attended Diallo's funeral. Demonstrations were held almost daily, along with the arrests of over 1,200 people in planned civil disobedience. In a trial that was moved out of the community where Diallo lived and to Albany in upstate New York, the four officers who killed Diallo were acquitted of all charges (“The Diallo” online). Racial Profiling is any police or private security practice in which a person is treated as a suspect because of his or her race, ethnicity, nationality or religion. This occurs when police investigate, stop, frisk, search or use force against a person based on such characteristics instead of evidence of a person's criminal behavior. It often involves the stopping and searching of people of color for traffic violations, known as “DWB” or “driving while black or brown.” (Meeks 17).…

    • 1716 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More

Related Topics