This Monday, a birdwatcher in Central Park, New York, asked a woman to keep her dog on lead. That area of the park had rules in place specifically to protect the wildlife, so an unleashed dog posed a threat. The woman got out her phone to call the police on him. She said, “I’m going to tell them there’s an African American threatening my life”, but as these words left her mouth, he captured them on film.
Christian Cooper, the bird enthusiast of the altercation, shared the video with his sister, who then posted it on Twitter. It has since received over 40 million views, and the white woman with the dog has lost her job. She has issued an apology, but the ‘optics’ of the situation — the way in which white women use victimhood strategically against black men and women — is being used by social media as an example of how innocent black men disproportionately face police brutality in the US. That same Monday evening, the reality of the threat played out. In Minneapolis, George Floyd was arrested by police accused of using a counterfeit check. George was taken compliant, unarmed and cuffed to a police car, where suddenly he was pushed to the ground. The officer knelt on George’s neck until he passed out — again, all caught on camera. He was later announced dead at hospital.
These instances of racial profiling and violence have sparked riots in Minneapolis and a growing push to protest in spite of the social distancing recommendations still in place for COVID-19. With the November elections looming ever closer and the good chance an all-but-certified white supremacist will be reelected, police becoming even more galvanised to mistreat POC, especially Men Of Colour, is a real threat. The following thread from Twitter outlines the fear and vigilance black men in the US already experience:
It’s now Friday in Australia and what will probably be Day 3 of rioting in Minneapolis. On social media the usual hand-wringing take on looting and rioting has already unfolded: “They’re not doing themselves any favours by committing more crime.” The best response to this I’ve seen is this data from the Economic Policy Institute, visualised:
And the constant reminder that human rights are rarely won by civility and cozying up to authority. This brings me, finally, to the reason I’m sharing this condensed version of the week’s events in another country. These fights are not won by idly watching on. Allyship is needed, and anyone who benefits from white privilege has to reflect on how that serves them in their own country. Here in Australia, Indigenous deaths in custody and the battles for land sovereignty continue. We should be having these conversations and asking our friends to listen to the hardships of marginalised groups. I don’t like how empathy and direct action to help those less fortunate has been coopted by the ‘neo-liberal’ idea that everyone has the same opportunities to pull themselves up by their bootstraps. The history of both the US and Australia has systematically kept non-white citizens down, and some without boots at all.
This document has a comprehensive list of Anti-racism Resources, specifically for Americans, but there’s a lot of cross-over interest.
For Australians, here are several documents that may be of interest:
Australian Human Rights Commission’s Guide to Conducting Conversations About Racism
Nurragunnawali’s Anti-Racism Strategy
Beyond Blue’s Educate Yourself About Racism
Western Sydney University’s Anti-Racism Initiatives
And now for some lighthearted miscellaneous Things of Interest I’ve seen around the web this week.
A video series on the Kaurna language of the Adelaide Plains:
What the heck is up with the International Date Line???
Why “OK” is the most terrifying text message you could ever receive!!!
The man who has spent his time in isolation building a giant laughing kookaburra.
Thanks again for reading! And if you can, share with anyone who might also be interested in this newsletter.
P.S.: Personally, I’m doing OK! Just another week in C-19 World. LalalALALALAlalala.