Police Brutality Plagues The United States, is Austin Part of the Problem?
Black Lives Matter (BLM) protesters in Charlotte, North Carolina cheer for justice after the death of George Floyd on 30 May, 2020. (Photo by Clay Banks courtesy of Unsplash.)
By Eliana Legatt Content Warning: This article discusses topics that may not be suitable for all audiences. fter the murder of George Floyd and the violence against activists in the Black Lives Matter protests in the summer of 2020, many people questioned the integrity of the police. The protests brought to light buried truths about racism in the United States, and forced many to face history in a new way. George Floyd was a 46-year-old Black man who the police were called on for allegedly paying for cigarettes with counterfeit money. Floyd was pushed to the pavement by Police Officer Derek Chauvin who was assisted by Police Officers Tou Thao, Alexander Kueng and Thomas 28 Austin Divided
Lane. Chauvin asphyxiated Floyd under his knee, causing Floyd’s death. In the United States, it is commonly recognized that law enforcement has used excessive force disproportionately on people of color over white people, and while it has been a discussed issue for decades, the murder of George Floyd made it a very prevalent issue that was forced to be recognized by all.
enforcement in the public’s eye. “[The police] looked really bad over the summer with the Black Lives Matter protesters… how they responded to the Alex Jones crowd, to the Trump crowd, how [they were] nice, gentle, and shaking hands or taking pictures with them,” said Andresen. “Then they were so over the top with the Black Lives Matter protesters. That created, obviously, a problem.”
Warren Andresen is an assistant professor of criminal justice at the school of behavioral and social science at St. Edward’s University. Andresen said the actions of the police in the protests in Austin had an effect on the perception of law
The contrast in the actions of the police toward more conservativeleaning figures, such as conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and former President Donald Trump, against more left-leaning movements, gave many people the concern
