The Black Lives Matter movement still fights on. The dismantling of systemic racism and fight against police brutality mobilizes and fuels the momentum of this movement. On the police perspective, officers have been claiming protestors have been inciting violence and property damage. This has largely been debated as inaccurate, as many videos from these protests have proven that they have been peaceful; the only violence that occurred was when police arrived and attacked the peaceful protestors. Peaceful assembly is a fundamental right protected by the First Amendment, which police violated by attacking and dispersing peaceful crowds. A major aspect that fuels that Black Lives Matter movement is police brutality and the double standards they display when confronting white suspects vs black suspects. For instance, the Chicago Police shot unarmed Latrell Allen in Englewood. The claim was that the man shot was carrying a firearm and did not corroborate; the only evidence provided is a single picture of a firearm laying in grass. This does not prove it belonged to Allen. Officers also did not have their body cams on, which could have provided a more accurate portrayal of the day’s events. Allen has a $1 million bond set for “firing at police officers.” While Latrell Allen survived, outrage with the way law enforcement handled the situation sparked protests in the Loop. Like most BLM protests, the demonstrations on this day were largely peaceful, with the exception of the looting that took place early the next morning. Law enforcement continues to condemn property destruction and looting while disregarding justice for the people they have harmed the most. Latrell Allen’s exceptionally high bond comes as no surprise as the four officers involved in the shooting of Breonna Taylor walk free. The double standards here shows how Latrell Allen’s possible guilt supposedly justifies his treatment, while the officers who have no justification for there murder of an innocent woman sleeping in her home can walk free with no accountability. This is why the BLM movement has not died down or lost traction; as long as the police have qualified immunity they will never stop hunting and targeting marginalized people.
Are cops enforcing lawfully or are they committing hate crimes? See the stats here from FBI’s actual documents.
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