By Mariella Ortega
Editor’s note: Mariella Ortega is a grade 7 student at Breed Middle School.
On May 25th, George Floyd, an African American man died in a neighborhood downtown of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Floyd was handcuffed face down on the cement during an arrest. Derek Chauvin, a white police officer, kept his knee on the right side of Floyd’s neck for around 8 minutes and 40 seconds, according to the complaint against the officer. Two minutes and 53 seconds of that time and Floyd had died. Officers Tou Thoa, J. Alexander Kueng, and Thomas K. Lane helped in Floyd’s arrest, with Kueng holding Floyd’s back, Lane holding his legs, and Thoa looking as he stood close. On George Floyd’s autopsy there was nothing saying that he died from strangulation or traumatic asphyxia, but that the effects of being restrained and his health problems and the intoxicants in his system was likely how he led to his death. The arrest was made after Floyd was accused of using a counterfeit $20 bill at a deli. Police said Floyd physically resisted the arrest. A security camera from a close by business didn’t show Floyd resisting. However, the criminal complaint filed later stated Floyd “did not voluntarily get in the car and struggled with the officers, intentionally falling down, saying he was not getting in the car, and refusing to stand still.” A whole bunch of people recorded this event on the smartphone, with one video showing Floyd repeating “Please,” “I can’t breathe,” and “Don’t kill me.” This event went all over social media. All four officers were fired the next day. On May 29th, Officer Chauvin was charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter for Floyd’s death, with Hennepin County attorney, Michael O. Freeman saying he anticipated charges to be brought against the other three officers.
After Floyd’s death, demonstrations and protests in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul area were initially peaceful on May 26th, but later that day it became violent as windows were smashed at a police precinct, two stores were set on fire, and many stores were looted and damaged. Some demonstrators skirmished with police, who fired tear gas and rubber bullets. Protests developed in over 100 cities throughout the United States and internationally. Floyd’s death was compared to the 2014 death of Eric Garner. Garner was an unarmed black man, he repeated “I can’t breathe” eleven times after being placed in a chokehold by a New York police officer during an arrest in Staten Island.
I am in so many emotions when I hear and see this stuff happening. Everyone has their own opinion, but this is mine. George Floyd was a loving father and it’s crazy to see him and people like him go through stuff like that. People are always judged by the color of their skin and it’s crazy. If I cut myself and you cut yourself, we bleed the same blood. We are connected even if our skin colors aren’t the same. Rosa Parks protested, African American people couldn’t sit in the front of the bus but one day she made a change and stood up for what she believed in. I do understand that the way they protest was wrong. Boston, Massachusetts protested (Sunday) and, in the morning, it was a peaceful protest, but it turned wild right after, people started breaking into stores and grabbing things and throwing stuff all around. It was just a mess. Greats protested in our past, but they used their voice not violence.
This is a peaceful protest.
This is not.
My family and I watched the news yesterday and we saw everything that happened. My mom and dad were telling me Rosa Parks sat in front of the bus but didn’t burn the bus down or kill people on the bus. They always told me to speak up for what I believe in but there are right ways to do it and what they did yesterday wasn’t it.
I am Mariella Ortega, I go to Breed Middle School in Lynn, Massachusetts. I am 13 years old and I have 2 sibling My brother Jadiel Ortega he’s 10 years old, and my little sister Vanessa Ortega she’s 4 years old. I’ve never really had a talk about what to do when a police officer stops you but May 31st, I did have that talk. I’m half Salvadorian and half Puerto Rican. This stuff happens to Latin-American, but we just get deported. Some white people think that Latin American people come in and just take their jobs but to be honest Latin American people do the work that nobody wants to do, they do what they have to do to provide for their families and themselves. It doesn’t just happen to African American people, it can happen to a lot of races, but white people have a kind of privilege because of the color of their skin. There are teachers at my school that I hope that are not like that. Some white people don’t come from privileged homes, but the color of their skin still is a privilege. I hope people can understand where I come from.
Here are some movies to watch that remind me of what going on
- The Hate U Give
- When They See Us- on Netflix.
Here’s a song people should listen to. Never be afraid to speak up.You have a voice for a reason!