By Olufadeke Florence Abisoye Banjo
The first image is an artwork by me (@littleflo_arts) of 'Jacob Blake', the second image is from a protest, an individual is holding a sign/poster which says 'say their names' and the hashtag 'BlackLivesMatter'.
This year there have been several cases of black people being killed by a police officer in the USA, names such as Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Trayford Pellerin, Julian Lewis and Jacob Blake, may come to your mind. It seems like the list of black women, men and even children who are victims of police brutality in America seems to continue to increase over the years, in which this year is not exempt from, yet it seems that this social issue is becoming a norm in the world we live in. I don't know about you, but It seems that as a society we have become desensitized to seeing and hearing about black people being victims of police brutality. We see the hashtags on social media of another black person being shot and killed by a police officer, we see the photos of the victims as well as the graphic videos shared on social media, documenting the tragic incidents of another black person being attacked and killed by police officers.
As a result of this overexposure, you may find yourself in either two groups, the first group being the ones who may see the hashtags and the videos and have no empathy or have become less sensitive about seeing innocent black people being killed by the police day in and day out, as a result of being overexposed to it. Or you could be part of the other group of people, who see the hashtags, the photos and the videos and see a fellow human being, they see someone’s father, mother, child, sister, brother, lover, neighbour or friend, this group can't be comfortable with this being the new normal but rather are shocked and frustrated and thus see these incidents more than just another hashtag or a tragic story in the headlines but see a fellow human being behind these hashtags and news headlines.
In today’s blog, I will be discussing a recent case of police brutality towards a black man in America, his name is Jacob Blake a 29-year-old father of 3 young children. According to some sources Jacob Blake was trying to stop a confrontation between two women within his neighbourhood, police officers arrived at the scene after receiving a call from a woman who had reported that her boyfriend was present at the time and was not meant to be in the area (BBC, 2020). Upon arriving at the address, the officers tried to arrest Jacob Blake, with first trying to use a taser on him.
A video from one eyewitness, which has been shared throughout social media, documenting the whole incident of what happened to Jacob Blake, clearly showed that Jacob Blake was not causing any threat and was simply walking to his car where his children were in. The video shows that as Jacob Blake was walking towards his car he was being followed by a white police officer who at the time was pointing a gun at him, suddenly, before Jacob could properly enter the front door of his car to check on his children, the same police officer who had been pointing a gun at this innocent man, who now has been identified as Rusten Sheskey (BBC, 2020), pulled Mr Blake by his shirt and began to shoot Mr Blake not once, not twice but at least 7 to 8 gunshots can be heard from the video, these gunshots were fired into Mr Blake’s in back, in front of Mr Blake’s kids who were seated in the car and in front of the community in which Mr Blake lived. People who were present in the video had all witnessed this tragic event and you could hear people screaming and yelling for the police officer to stop, people shouting “don’t you do it”, one lady within the video rushed towards where Jacob Blake’s car was and where the officers were and you could see she was terrified as she started to scream in shock of what she had just witnessed as another police officer tries to tell her to move.
The video ends and as a viewer even though it shocks you the media has made it as if it’s just another innocent black person being killed by a police officer, you may not have the time or even the energy to fully process what just happened and you might simply distract yourself from it and check out another unrelated social media post. For me the first time I watched this graphic and heart-breaking video was through a friend who had seen the video and shared it with me, she had briefly given a summary of what happened to give context, as I watched the video for the first time, I could feel my heartbeat a bit faster with every gunshot that I heard the police officer fired at Jacob Blake’s back. When my friend said his children were present during the time their father was being shot 7 times in the back, this broke me even more. I was both frustrated and yet it was as if I had become numb or used to this narrative of yet another innocent black person's life being taken by the very same police officers that were meant to protect their lives. To simply put it, for a long time I have felt emotionally drained from seeing the continued injustices towards black people by the hands of racist police officers (to anyone else who has felt this way too, it is perfectly okay to take a social media break because being exposed to such things on a regular basis can sometimes take a toll on your mental health and wellbeing, so make sure to take time to take care of your mental health, as well as speaking to others about your feelings may help).
black and white images of black people who were victims of police brutality in America.
When police brutality towards black people in America had re-emerged in 2020 (which to clarify is nothing new under the sun this has been happening for years and not just in the USA but even in England who are not innocent either), I had already gone through this emotional roller coaster before during the years of 2014, 2015 and 2016, some names come to mind such as Eric Garner aged 43 who was wrestled to the ground and killed by police officers in America in 2014 on the suspicion that he was selling illegal cigarettes, Tamir Rice a 12-year-old boy who was playing with a fake gun in the park and was shot and killed by a police officer after someone had reported to the police officers that they saw a black male with a gun in the park, Sandra Bland aged 28 who was pulled over by a racist police officer in 2015 due to failing to signal during a line change. A video footage was taken from the police officer's dashboard as well as Sandra Bland partly filming the whole situation on her phone, the video showcased what had taken place between Sandra Bland and the police officer, three days later after Sandra Bland was arrested she was found dead hanging in a prison cell and her death has been ruled as a suicide, however, there is still further investigation and uncertainty as what events lead up to her sudden death within police custody. Philando Castile aged 32 at the time of his death in 2016, he was stopped by the police for a routine check, he had made the police officer aware that he was licenced to carry a weapon and as he reached for his licence he was shot by the police officer in front of his girlfriend and his girlfriend's daughter. All these innocent lives were cut short in the hands of those in which it is their duty to protect such individuals in which they failed to do.
images of protesters with the slogan 'Black Lives Matter' and 'say their names' and an image of a black man with a tattoo with the words 'stop killing us'.
I am honestly lost for words for the number of times I have seen and typed #justice for .....,(insert name) and the amount of petitions I have signed just within a couple of months of this year and the ironic thing is the fact that this year is not even close to finishing yet (depending on when I post this we may be still in August or in the early beginnings of September), 2020 has already been problematic and unpredictable all by itself, but I am still trying to be optimistic about the rest of this year.
DIVINE INTERVENTION?
Depending on the day I post this blog, according to various sources both from social media and news outlets Jacob Blake who I had first assumed had died based on the video that showed him being shot several times by a police officer. I was both shocked and relieved to find out that he is still alive but in critical condition and is in the hospital, his father had testified that his son is alive on social media and recently Mr Blake’s family say that Jacob has been left paralysed from the waist down (BBC, 2020). Moreover, according to an article by Associated Press (2020), Mr Blake’s family lawyer on Tuesday the 25th of August said that it would “take a miracle for him to walk again” (Associated Press, 2020). The family lawyer also added that the police officers who had shot Jacob Blake needed to be arrested and the other officers involved need to be fired from their jobs (Associated Press, 2020).
An image of people holding each other's hands on a table with a bible in the centre and another bible next to someone.
The reason why I put the subheading divine intervention is that as a Christian I believe that Jacob Blake being alive was not just simply a coincidence or that he was fortunate to survive that amount of bullets yet still being in critical condition, but I honestly believe it was a miracle, I believe that God had intervened in that situation, God had not given up on Mr Blake but made sure Jacob’s body did not give up the ghost/the breath of life just yet. I believe that God has a plan for each one of us, whether you are a believer or non-believer and no matter what the enemy or man tries to do God will accomplish what He said He will do (Read: Isaiah 55:11, Jeremiah 29:11, Philippians 1:6 and Romans 8:31 when you have the chance). In the same way, I believe that God has a plan for Jacob Blake’s life too.
For those who are not Christians or religious l can understand that the paragraph above, you may not relate to or even agree with and that is fine (this blog is for Everyone!), so I decided to look into the chances of surviving multiple gunshots, so I came across an article on 'The New York Times' website, which was written by John Eligon, published in 2008. The article looked at different cases of individuals who had been shot multiple times and their testimony of them surviving, the article mentioned people such as the American rapper 50 Cent who was shot 9 times in the year 2000 (John Eligon, 2008) and as we know 50 Cent is still alive to this day, the article as mentioned a man from North Carolina who had been shot roughly 20 times back in 1995, who survived these multiple gunshots (John Eligon, 2008). The article also highlighted that for doctors that had treated gunshot victims, say that being shot does not automatically mean a death sentence, when major organs, in particular, the heart and brain, as well as blood vessels, are avoided the likelihood of surviving a gunshot are good (John Eligon, 2008).
The article also mentioned a quote from Dr Vincent J.M who had said that when referring to surviving gunshots “it’s a matter of straight luck” for me I will replace the word luck with a miracle, the reason why I replace it with miracle is that with most of the cases of police brutality cases against black people in America, the victims are not alive to tell their story such names that come to mind are, Tamir rice, Breoanna Taylor, George Floyd and many others who were all victims of police brutality. Jacob Blake surviving the multiple gunshots to his back was like the unexpected turning of events in a movie or tv series, but this is not a movie or a tv series this is REAL LIFE. Things are not out of the woods just yet; Jacob Blake is still in critical condition in the hospital and as previously mentioned he is currently paralysed from the waist down and there are chances he might not walk again. We can all lift up a prayer for his recovery as well as signing petitions and for those living America to call the local officials to get the police officer who shot Jacob Blake arrested as he seems more of a threat to the population of America than the innocent black man Jacob Blake who simply was trying to break up a fight in the community he lives in. I believe Mr Blake is a modern-day example of a Good Samaritan in his community, something that perhaps more police officers can learn from in how to approach conflict within the community.
The journey is not over yet, the fight to end police brutality against black people, bringing justice for the black men, women and black trans that have been victims to police brutality who are not alive to tell their story, this fight continues. The fight to end racism both within society and within systems including how the police and justice system is run, which allowed for an innocent black man Julis Jones to be executed for a crime he did not commit (look up his case) but still have not arrested the cops who killed Breoanna Taylor, highlights that the battle is not over as well as highlighting the institutional racism within such systems.
Moreover, like most movements throughout history the journey to freedom, equality, justice is not smooth slaying, take for instance the fight and ending of the oppressive system of Apartheid which only ended in the early 1990s, as we know this was not a smooth journey, post-Apartheid, South Africa is still facing racial divide and issues such as xenophobia and gender violence just to name a few, or take the fight for equality for women in the UK to have the right to vote in which it was not until 1918 and 1928 that women in Britain over the age of 30 and women aged over 21 had the same right to vote as men had at the time, women till this day still face gender inequalities in many countries and from different systems in society including the workplace where in some cases women still get less pay compared to men as well as being victims to gender violence in some countries.
A gif (a moving image ) with the words 'black lives matter'
I believe the 'Black lives matter movement' is no different, the battle to stop police brutality against black people, to bring justice for those victims of police brutality, to end racism and to create new systems and dismantle current oppressive systems within society is still an ongoing battle. Which requires the support of those who benefit from white privileges within society to check their privileges and use it for good, re-examining the current methods and approaches used to fight against police brutality and encouraging people to vote is an ongoing challenge but a challenge worth fighting for.
Two quotes that I recently saw on Instagram that really impacted me and I feel really brings this message home that seeing black people being killed by the police can no longer be the norm. The first quote stated that “if seeing is believing I think we have seen enough”, the honesty of this quote I feel a lot of black people and decent human beings who are against racism can resonate with this quote, I know I do, as a black person myself I am tired of seeing black people being killed by racist police officers. The other quote that I felt was also powerful, stated that “Watching Black people die on the internet is not normal”, and the thing is it should not be the norm. When it all boils down it’s a human right to want to live, to not be afraid that because of the colour of your skin your life should be cut short, these are God’s children being killed, the black person you see on your phone being attacked, shot and killed is someone’s father, someone’s mother, someone’s wife, someone’s husband and someone’s child, they are not just another statistic or hashtag on social media these are people who had hopes and dreams just like the rest of us. Jacob Blake is a father, imagine his kids having to live without their father (black men already have the narrative that they are not there for their kids). Think about Breoanna Taylor who was a key worker during the current pandemic, a lady that was already risking her own life to protect the public to later be invaded in her own house and shot and killed by police officers in her own home. She had hopes and dreams too, desiring to be a nurse, but this was taken away from her and many other innocent black lives.
(An image someone with their hand's clasped together over and the open bible, two protesters holding signs with one sign saying black lives matter, an image of black people who were victims of police brutality in America)
Therefore seeing black people or any person of colour being killed can no longer be the norm and as a Christian as well as being a fellow black person I can’t keep quiet or close my eyes from all of this, hence I am using this platform and other platforms to write and perhaps speak about such issues, you do not have to be in someone else’s shoe or go through the same experience that they went through in order for you to show compassion and empathy towards them, you just got to remember what it means to be human and to see the other person’s life and their experiences as valuable as your life and experiences are. Throughout Jesus’s ministry on earth, He was moved by compassion towards the outcast, the marginalised in society at the time and He helped meet their needs (read: Matthew 9:36, in fact, I would recommend reading the 4 gospels from Matthew to John in the New Testament in order to understand Jesus’s ministry on earth and how He ministered to people and tackled certain injustices). As a Christian I am taught to follow the example Christ took when He saw injustices happening during His time on earth, He did not stay silent but with compassion in His heart, He met people where they were and helped them, hence, speaking to my fellow sisters and brothers in Christ, as we are part of a body of believers we can no longer turn a blind eye to the injustices happening around us but even in our small circles of influence we can make a difference, we can be the light the hope in which God has called us to be in this world (Read: Matthew 5:15-16). For those who think that the bible is silent when it comes to speaking about justice here are a few bible verses you should read in your own time: (Isaiah 1:17, Micah 6:8, psalms 89:14, psalms 82:3, Luke 11:42, Amos 5:24, Isaiah 30:18-19, Isaiah 61:8, Leviticus19:15).
As I wrap up this blog post a famous quote by Desmond Tutu comes to mind “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the oppressor”, silence is a choice but does not mean it is the right choice all the time especially when it comes to witnessing injustices happening in the world and choosing not to do anything about it when you may have the capability to do something about it. I do believe though, that wisdom is needed before one acts against injustices that they see around them, the bible says that “if any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you” (James 1:5, NIV), who better to ask than the one who holds all wisdom, there are also people and groups out there who have had experience in fighting against injustices and can give good advice, one group I would recommend to follow is the Grassroots law project on their social media account as well as checking out their website for more information.
Finally, one thing that the Jacob Blake's case and other cases of injustices against black people, as well as other injustices happening all over the world, all point to the fact that as a society we can no longer be the passive audience just consuming what we see in the media and not challenging it, one thing 2020 has taught me and perhaps has also taught the rest of the world at large, is to be active and even become more critical thinkers with what we see in the media, not just taking everything as facts. People are actively doing their own research on topics and stories that interest them and are using this to inform the wider masses and not just simply relying on what the mainstream media present them but a challenge it. People are using their circle of influence and platform to be social media activists for causes that they believe in, people are filming videos of injustices they see happening around them and people are creating petitions and going to protest to fight for justice, the list goes on, as you can see there are different ways we can be more active and less passive when it comes to such pressing issues in the world.
A gif (a moving image ) of betty Boop and a speech bubble with the words 'Let's all be part of the change' and the hashtag BLM (Black lives matter)
Comment down below your thoughts of this blog post, do you think police brutality against black people in America has become a norm in today's society? and if yes do you feel this a serious problem?
If you liked this blog post I would really appreciate it if you shared it to a friend or sharing it on your social media account, thank you. More blog post will be coming soon.
Here are some useful links to both petitions to sign, the go fund me page for Jacob Blake and some useful resources to help inform you about the injustices happening to black people and how you could help:
Charge the Cops who killed Jacob Blake: https://www.change.org/p/tony-evers-charge-the-cops-who-shot-jacob-blake?use_react=false
Justice for Jacob Blake Go-fund me page: https://www.gofundme.com/f/justiceforjacobblake
Black Lives Matter UK: https://blacklivesmatter.uk/
Grassrootslaw website:https://www.grassrootslaw.org/#:~:text=Grassroots%20Law%20Project%20bridges%20the%20gap%20between%20grassroots,deep%20structural%20change.%20WORKING%20TOGETHER%20FOR%20REAL%20CHANGE
Shaun King's podcast called 'the breakdown' on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/thebreakdown/
Thank you for your time, bye for now, love Flo.
Reference list:
Associated Press (2020) ' Lawyer: Blake Not Likey to Walk Again After He Was Shot By Police'. Available at:https://news.wttw.com/2020/08/25/lawyer-blake-not-likely-walk-again-after-he-was-shot-police (Accessed: 28th August 2020)
BBC (2020).' Jacob Blake: What we know about Wisconsin Police shooting'. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-53909766 (Accessed: 28th August 2020)
John Eligton (2008).' One Bullet Can Kill, but Sometimes 20 Don't, Survivors Show'. The New York Times. Available at:https://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/03/nyregion/03shot.html (Accessed: 28th August 2020)