Many are watching, puzzled at how the murders of two Black men (Ahmaud Avery and George Floyd) have led to such unrest. Protests and riots are happening not just in the US but around the world. Unarmed Black men being gunned down by the hands of law enforcement and White men practicing vigilantism against Blacks they perceive to be criminals is far from an anomaly, but the current response to this type of behavior is more intense than what one would expect. Many may wonder, what is the difference between the murders of Eric Garner and Trayvon Martin? Surprisingly, not much is different. Sure, we did not have the Trayvon Martin murder on camera, but we knew what happened.
The difference this time is timing. On the average day that an unarmed Black man dies at the hands of law enforcement or racist vigilantes, people, well, for the most part, Black people are outraged. The outrage is usually met with creating a catchy hashtag and memorabilia to honor the slain. Protests and riots are going on, lasting anywhere from a few weeks to a few months. Blacks will primarily cry out alone and have the daunting task of convincing individuals with unquestioned faith in law enforcement that the fallen Black men were not responsible for their deaths. There will not be an outpouring of international support, nor are big corporations like Nike releasing ads addressing racial injustice.
So, what happened…
The officer who murdered George Floyd did not realize that there is a time and a place for everything, even killing Blacks. Yes, there was camera footage, which, although damning, has not always brought justice. There were witnesses, which again has not always brought justice, especially if the witnesses were Black. The confounding variable surrounding the deaths of Ahmaud Avery and George Floyd is the coronavirus pandemic. At first, glance, giving credit to the coronavirus may seem ludicrous.
However, Lazarus and Folkman’s stress and coping theory explains precisely how individuals recognize and deal with stressful events. Part of our ability to deal with stress is contingent upon how we perceive the event and the mental faculties we possess to deal with the stress that we perceive. Our mental faculties are not endless. When we are in a stressful situation, we are less able to take on much more without there being some form of breakdown. The pandemic has done a number on millions of Americans and individuals worldwide. The fear of infection, delayed stimulus, and unemployment checks have many Americans on edge.
Shooting a Black man for looking suspicious and sitting one’s knee on the neck of a Black man in custody, leading to his death, are harder to ignore during a pandemic. With the absence of live sports and the majority of the nation on some form of restricted lockdown, people do not have much else to do but stay informed. One can argue that recent events are reminiscent of past historical events. On March 7th, 1965, the nation watched what would later go on to be called Bloody Sunday. For those who are too young to remember or do not know the story, the country had a front-row seat to police brutality. Armed police brutally beat Civil Rights Movement demonstrators attempting to march to the state’s capital of Montgomery, Alabama.
The high visibility of the actions that took place on Bloody Sunday made many Americans who were typically unmoved by the mistreatment of Black people uncomfortable. The high visibility of current racial injustice has permitted Blacks to have many more allies than usual. No one can be sure if the support will endure once the nation returns to normal.
I suggest, just as the looters have wasted no time cleaning off the shelves of Targets, Wal-Marts and Best Buys, Blacks who have long argued against the myth of a post-racist society and have been labeled race-baiters take this opportunity to spread the word that racism is not only ongoing but how it is most likely to present itself, easily disguised and attributed to other factors.
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