(Washington Insider Magazine) -Since late 2012, Black lives matter went from a hashtag on the internet after the death of Trayvon Martin by the hands of George Zimmerman, to an organization and movement that has become the staple for Black Americans over the last nine years.
Since 2015, when statistics for police violence became tracked, officers have shot and killed nearly 1,000 citizens per year over that time span. According to the Washington Post, the rate at which Black people are killed is 30 times per 10 million population. That is nearly 10 times more than the next race, which is Hispanic, despite Black people making up 13 percent of the population.
Since the Black Lives Matter organization started to protest and fight for human rights, however, the numbers have slowly begun to decrease.
The organization has fought for a society in which Black people can live freely without worrying if a police officer will kill them at the next traffic stop, despite abiding by the rules. And while officers are just one group they have been fighting against, the organization has branched off into multiple chapters across the country to fight against corruption within the system as well.
In Florida, the group prevented prosecutor Angela Corey from being re-elected. She was responsible for helping George Zimmerman’s acquittal in 2013. And since 2008, she was known for charging children of color as adults for “very adult crimes,” according to The Nation.
In Chicago, the group was able to prevent prosecutor Anita Alvarez from winning her re-election as well. Alvarez was responsible for failing to charge police officers for killing nearly 100 people in seven years.
The movement gained global recognition in 2020 after the death of George Floyd by the hands of Derek Chauvin, who kneeled on Floyd for nearly nine minutes. This caused an uproar in the Black community, but led to protests in other countries all over the world – from London to France to even Japan – which ultimately led to Chauvin being convicted of murder.
Today, the organization is fighting to end police corruption, and has also gotten involved in politics by supporting the democrats for making policy changes.
References:
Florida prosecutor Angela Corey just lost her re-election bid in a blowout
Anita Alvarez, Chicago’s Top Prosecutor, Cleared Killer Cops 68 Times
How Black Lives Matter Changed the Way Americans Fight for Freedom
