Brendan O’ Boyle
Staff Writer
After the death of George Floyd and years of police brutality and discrimination, more Black Lives Matter protests have begun to take place. The difference is now they are getting more attention than ever before. Across the country communities are rallying together for a common good of trying to shine light on discrimination and police brutality against African Americans. Large crowds of determined citizens can be seen walking down the highways holding signs that read “Black lives matter” and “Justice for Floyd.”
Some protests have been supported by law enforcement and have been able to continue without any obstacles, but some have been met with violence. Videos of police tackling, arresting, and even pepper spraying people have surfaced across the internet. One woman who attended the protests was even blinded in one eye after being pepper sprayed by a police officer. The response by these officers has only motivated people to continue these protests.
It isn’t just average people fighting for change though, major corporations have been openly supporting these protests and rallying behind the supporters of the cause. Brands like Nike, Adidas, Netflix, Amazon, Microsoft, Best Buy, and myriad others have all done things to show their support and help motivate people to continue the fight for change. Nike played on their popular slogan “just do it” and in a new advertisement said “For once, don’t do it” talking about violence and discrimination.
While the anti-violent protests have been widely supported by people from all walks of life, there are others who have tried to take advantage of the unrest. Some people have been using these protests as an opportunity to loot, raid, and destroy stores. The citizens actually trying to make change by walking in the nonviolent protests are outraged by the people committing these acts because it reflects badly on the cause and does irreparable harm to communities and innocent fellow citizens.
