George Floyd is not the first black man to be murdered by a white policeman in a brutal manner. Dozens of cases were filmed and broadcast to the world, few of which received some attention - such as the murder of Trevor Martin, Freddy Gray and Eric Garner - but the vast majority of the murders went through without much fanfare, so what The secret of all these protests?
Floyd’s murder case differs fundamentally from various aspects, firstly in terms of the amount of reaction to it, whether from demonstrators inside all fifty states and the capital Washington, and secondly in terms of the ruling administration’s response to it and its attempt to exploit it politically, and third in terms of its timing, which came amid a pandemic sweeping the world and America, In addition to its proximity to the presidential and legislative elections, only five months remain.
(1) How did the latest events start?
The start was the killing of Floyd, on May 25 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where it was so ugly. White policeman Derek Chauven pressed his knee on Floyd's neck for nine consecutive minutes and no one moved to prevent him from the three policemen who saw the situation in silence.
Floyd was not helped by his clearly heard distress during his death video that he could not breathe until he stopped breathing. The killing was clear and long-term, in addition to Floyd who was not armed and did not resist or attack the policeman, but he was under his knee the whole time.
(2) How did the demonstrations erupt?
The protest demonstrations began spontaneously in the city of Minneapolis as soon as the video of the murder of Floyd spread by a teenage girl aired, to make a new history in the United States.
The angry people set fire to two police units and destroyed several police cars. The next day, demonstrations erupted in many American cities with the slogans "I cannot breathe" or "Black lives are important" and "No justice .. no peace."
(3) Did the timing of the accident play a role?
The killing and the ensuing protests came at a time when America was suffering the consequences of the pandemic of the spread of the Corona virus, which resulted in more than forty million Americans losing their jobs and increasing the unemployment rate to 13%.
The incident came as millions of Americans were staying at home amid the closure of schools and various institutions due to the Corona virus.
(4) Who participated in these protest demonstrations?
It is difficult to limit the racial and ethnic backgrounds of the protesters, but Al Jazeera Net has revealed a great diversity of youth, women and men of all ages, and from different ethnicities and ethnicities.
(5) Why have some protests turned violent?
Most of the protests and demonstrations were peaceful in nature, but some went out of control, and a small minority carried out looting, robbery, and cracking of many shops and police stations in a number of cities.
A CNN poll showed that 84% of the demonstrators felt safe while participating in the demonstrations.
(6) What are the main demands of the protesters?
Several demands were expressed by the demonstrations, the first of which is to bring more severe charges against the murderer who was charged with third degree murder, then the charge was changed to a second degree murder.
The protesters also demanded that the charges include the three policemen who did not interfere to stop the killing, which happened later.
The demands evolved to include reducing the budgets allocated to the police at the federal and local levels in the different states and provinces, then the demands moved among the demonstrations to encourage citizens to participate in the upcoming elections.
(7) When do the demonstrations end?
The demonstrations lasted for more than a full week, and last Sunday may be considered the last day of these large demonstrations, as the number of protesters decreased and almost disappeared from several cities, especially Washington, DC.
Al-Jazeera Net asked a large number of demonstrators about the fate or development of the protests, and there was no clear vision of the steps to end the demonstration or what the government or Congress should do.
(8) How was President Trump's position?
US President Donald Trump condemned the killing, calling it ugly, then blamed the absence of leadership skills among Democrats in Minneapolis, and threatened to summon the National Guard in a tweet, and later threatened the army's intervention to maintain security and stability.
In his only speech during the events, Trump attacked the demonstrators and described himself as the head of law and order, accusing the demonstrators of being "reckless criminals" seeking to spread chaos in the country.
Trump has ordered the opposite Lafayette Square to be evacuated to dismount to St. John's Church facing the White House in a show of his presidential power.
(9) How Trump faced the crisis?
According to many observers, Trump did not show the necessary leadership qualities at this exceptional moment in American history, nor did he address a conciliatory conciliatory speech to the American nation, and instead resorted to a speech intended primarily for his constituents in which he used the language of threat and intimidation for his desire to emerge as a strong leader.
(10) To whom did Trump point the finger?
Trump did not distinguish between mostly peaceful protesters and the minority who committed some violence.
He expressed his administration's intention to classify the left-wing "Anteeva" as a terrorist group, and Trump and other Republican politicians accused Anteeva of being behind the violence, robbery and destruction that accompanied some of the demonstrations.
Antiva is an extreme left-wing organization essentially opposed to capitalist and neoliberal ideas, and Antiva opposes "fascist, Nazi and extreme-right ideas".
(11) Is there a flaw in the police relationship with blacks?
Certainly, there is a structural defect in the position of black Americans in American society, and this failure did not change the arrival of a black president to the White House, Barack Obama, who remained in power for two periods from 2008 until 2016.
Various laws and regulations have not succeeded in bridging the chasm of racism, which is widespread in large sectors of the US police.
As repeated violations by black policemen of black men, the Black Lives Matter movement appeared, to coordinate efforts to combat this racism and to work to reform the criminal system.
Various opinion polls indicate that the majority of the American people acknowledge that there is a major crisis in the relationship of the police forces with black men.
(12) Are protests only for Floyd?
The killing did not happen out of the blue, but it was surrounded by a bad reality in which the majority of black Americans live. Yes, the living conditions of blacks in general have improved in recent decades, but the differences remain and are blatant.
The number of blacks reached 42 million, or 13% of the total population, and 40% of the prison population.
Black Americans suffer from several disturbing phenomena, the most prominent of which is poverty, as 24.7% of them live below the poverty line, and this percentage reaches 12% at the American national level.
(13) What about black infections with Corona virus?
The spread of the virus in high proportions among black Americans has evoked painful memories in their minds, as it is linked to being among the first victims of the disasters in America.
The rate of injuries and deaths among blacks is higher compared to their percentage of the total population. For example, the percentage of people with corona in Minnesota - where George Floyd was killed - reached 20%, while the proportion of blacks does not exceed a barrier of only 7% of the total population.
The Corona virus increased the frustration of blacks in general, and led to a lack of confidence in the local and federal authorities for their failure to manage the crisis, especially with the rise in infections among blacks.
(14) Do demonstrations in America have any value in changing the situation?
Yes, the demonstrations that took place in the United States in the fifties and sixties of the last century during the civil rights movement had a great impact in changing the legislation that fully completed the legal equality between whites and blacks.
In addition to Congress, several American cities are exploring initiatives to dismantle or reform the police, and some states are considering reducing police allocations and reducing their military training and equipment.
(15) What about the upcoming presidential elections?
Trump is trying to take advantage of the situation and emerge as a law and order candidate, and accuse Democrats of supporting chaos and harmful protests.
Meanwhile, Democrats are trying to get closer to ethnic minorities and adopt police reforms.
On the other hand, the murder of George Floyd prompted the redoubling of efforts by black voters to register their constituencies in order to have a greater role in the 2020 elections.
The Democratic Party machine strongly supports efforts to register black citizens in electoral records, especially in swing states.