Police brutality against black people has been around for centuries

George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Rodney King, and Eric Garner are just the tip of the iceberg when we think about the victims of police brutality in America. George Floyd’s killing has brought people to raise their voices against the racial discrimination faced by the black communities in the U.S. However, it’s not the first time where a black man/woman has been killed by a police officer. There are many others whose names we don’t even know.

For example, Eleanor Bumpurs is a name people may not have heard of. Police broke into Bumpurs’s house in Brox, New York 36 years ago to evict her as she hadn’t paid her rent of $98.65. The police officer’s name was Stephen Sullivan who fired two shots at Bumpurs which killed her on Oct 29, 1984.

Apart from that, there have been many incidents where the police officers don’t get charged for the crimes. For instance, during a narcotics raid, police entered Breonna Taylor’s apartment with a “no-knock” search warrant. Taylor was killed during that raid and the officers have still not been charged.

Lastly, racism has been going on for centuries in America. According to Vox, there is a level of distrust between black people and the police. This distrust is present because of the racial history in the U.S. Race is a kind of issue which many tend to avoid. Now, it’s essential to raise awareness and speak up against the abuse that black people have been facing for years in their own country.

To learn more about how you help check out: Black Lives Matter, Change of Color, and NAACP.