The Dangerous Double Standard

By Zyiah Tyler and Tyler Wheatley, Staff Reporters

MARY ALTAFFER/Associated Press

On Feb. 26, 2012, a 17-year-old African American named Trayvon Martin was shot and killed by George Zimmerman. This sparked protest throughout the entire nation. The death of Martin influenced many Black people to stand up against the killing of their race. This was only the start of the Black Lives Matter movement.

The Black Lives Matter Movement (BLM) has been alive for almost nine years. Millions of people on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram have talked endlessly about the different treatment that some citizens face due to their skin color. Whether it’s unlawful arrests or unnecessary lethal force, the actions sparked the attention of younger generations.

These calls of injustice grew this past summer when George Floyd, an African American man from Minneapolis, was killed while in police custody.

It only took eight minutes and forty-six seconds for Floyd to pass away. He repeatedly stated that he couldn’t breathe as Minneapolis Police Department Office Derek Chauvin pinned Floyd down by the neck using his knee. Bystanders who took videos shouted at the cops and demanded they let him go.

That was the firework.

The video spread to several online media platforms which resulted in thousands of protests using the last words Floyd spoke before passing away. “I can’t breathe” became a popular slogan and hashtag during the protests. Talk of Floyd’s death took over the U.S. with protests starting in Minneapolis and expanding to 150 cities before going global.

Wednesday, Jan. 6 was the day true colors were shown, not only from die hard Trump supporters and Republicans but from the police. A mob of angry protestors stormed the U.S. Capitol building, some armed with guns, knives, pepper spray, and zip ties, intent on disrupting our nation's democratic process and harming those lawmakers who sought a peaceful transition of power following President Trump's election loss.

“The difference between motives are completely different," senior Conner Stoebe said. "93% of BLM protests were peaceful and a majority of the riots were done by Trump supporters."

The statistic is reported by the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED). During the BLM movement, people noticed that law enforcement were very aggressive with the protesters. They used significant force against the unarmed protesters including pepper spray, tear gas, batons, and even going as far as using rubber bullets.

However, the people who forced their way into the Capitol, who were armed and presumed dangerous, weren’t treated the same way. Instead, they were allowed to march around the Capitol without being stopped. There was no use of rubber bullets or tear gas or any extreme force like there was with BLM supporters.

Countless Black lives have been lost to due racial profiling. The double standard shows how little America truly cares about its minority race.

Republicans break into the Capitol and try to justify it by saying they were merely exercising their first amendment right. However, the first amendment preaches peaceful protesting and the right to assemble; not breaking & entering and destroying government property.

When people begin to stand for the BLM movement and exercise their first amendment right correctly, they get beaten, arrested, and shot at by police.

There’s a vast difference between peaceful and hostile and a large difference between exercising a right and committing a crime.

Unfortunately, in today's America, it would appear that the consequences we face have less to do with the actions we take and more to do with the color of our skin.