RIZE FM RADIO BLOG

Sunday, 31 May 2020

Michelle Obama: It's up to everyone to root out racism

Michelle Obama's statement came after the death of George Floyd.

(CNN)Non-black folks also need to help root out racism, former first lady Michelle Obama said this week while speaking out over the death of George Floyd.

Obama expressed grief over the recent killing of Floyd, as well as other black men and women in recent weeks, in a Facebook post on Friday.

"Like so many of you, I'm pained by these recent tragedies," she wrote. "And I'm exhausted by a heartbreak that never seems to stop."

Obama went on to mention Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery, as well as Eric Garner, Sandra Bland and Michael Brown.

"It just goes on, and on, and on. Race and racism is a reality that so many of us grow up learning to just deal with. But if we ever hope to move past it, it can't just be on people of color to deal with it," she wrote. "It's up to all of us—Black, white, everyone—no matter how well-meaning we think we might be, to do the honest, uncomfortable work of rooting it out."

She continued, "It starts with self-examination and listening to those whose lives are different from our own. It ends with justice, compassion, and empathy that manifests in our lives and on our streets."

Obama concluded on a hopeful note, saying she prays "we all have the strength for that journey, just as I pray for the souls and the families of those who were taken from us."

Her statements came as her husband, former President Barack Obama, shared similar sentiments on Twitter.

"It can't be 'normal,'" the former president wrote, speaking about racism in the US. "If we want our children to grow up in a nation that lives up to its highest ideals, we can and must be better."

Both statements come against the backdrop of sometimes violent protests across the nation, as people mourn and show their anger over the death of Floyd. Floyd, 46, died Monday after he was pinned to the ground -- handcuffed and unarmed -- by a police officer with his knee on Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes as he cried out, "I can't breathe."

Floyd's death is one of several of what many say is a disturbing trend of police using lethal force against black people. The protests in Minneapolis have drawn comparisons to those in 2014 in Ferguson, Missouri, after the fatal shooting of Michael Brown by a police officer.

Saturday, 30 May 2020

MASSIVE rallies block roads in Los Angeles as anti-police brutality protesters demand justice for George Floyd (Video)

Huge crowds have hit the streets for the fourth consecutive day in Los Angeles after the death of George Floyd has triggered massive anti-police brutality rallies escalating into riots across the US.

Aerial footage shows massive crowds on the 3rd Street and Fairfax Avenue. The march has been peaceful so far, but police have deployed 'additional resources' to maintain order.

The protesters, many of whom are Black Live Matter activists, are demanding justice for George Floyd, an unarmed black man, who died in police custody earlier this week in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Floyd’s death has sparked riots and unrest in several major cities across the country. A total of 533 people were detained in Los Angeles alone on Friday.

The demonstrations take place amid the quarantine restrictions, imposed to combat the spread of Covid-19.

‘This shouldn’t be “normal” in 2020 America’ – Barack Obama issues a statement on the death of George Floyd

Obama, 58, released a statement via his Twitter page, saying it “cannot be normal” in 2020 and urged the Minnesota authorities to ‘ensure that the circumstances surrounding George Floyd’s death are investigated thoroughly’.

Obama, U.S. first black president, added: “This shouldn’t be ‘normal’ in 2020 America. It can’t be normal. If we want our children to grow up in a nation that lives to its highest ideals, we can and must do better.

“It was fall mainly on the officials of Minnesota to ensure that the circumstances surrounding George Floyd’s death is investigated thoroughly and that justice is ultimately done.

“But it falls on all of us, regardless of our race or station – including the majority of men and women in law enforcement who take pride in doing their tough job the right way, every day – to work together to create a “new normal” in which the legacy of bigotry and unequal treatment no longer infects our institutions or our hearts.”

“It’s natural to wish for life “to just get back to normal” as a pandemic and economic crisis upend everything around us,” he said.

“But we have to remember that for millions of Americans, being treated differently on account of race is tragically, painfully and maddeningly “normal” – whether it’s while dealing with the healthcare system, or interacting with the criminal justice system, or jogging down the street, or just watching birds in a park.”