vox--2020-06-12--“It may be that I never go back to the grading system”

Share All sharing options for : “ It may be that I never go back to the grading system ” College students marching across campuses in caps and gowns .
High schoolers gearing up to take the SATs in packed classrooms .
Elementary school children playing tag during recess .
This is what life in American schools usually looks like during the months of May and June .
But educational institutions around the nation are wrapping the semester very differently than students and teachers had imagined as a result of the coronavirus pandemic .
And on top of the challenges @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have had to find ways to evaluate their students .
The question on many of their minds is , as one teacher put it , ” How do I grade a child during a pandemic ?
” Some schools and universities have adopted more generous pass/fail policies to accommodate students during the pandemic , while others have continued to give out letter grades .
Meanwhile , teachers across the country are the ones tasked with making sense of these guidelines , and finding ways to grade students who lack access to wifi or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ home .
The inequities brought to light by the coronavirus pandemic have also sparked a larger conversation about the role grades play in a student ’ s education , prompting some educators to rethink traditional grading systems .
Along with figuring out fair grading standards , educators have been forced to innovate and find new ways to give students the education that they want and need .
Professors have revised syllabi and extended deadlines , and teachers have held virtual lunch periods and homerooms to cultivate relationships with their students through computer screens @ @ @ @ @ @ @ educators have been grateful for the discoveries made as a result of remote learning and plan to bring new technology to the classroom in person .
Patrick Iber , a history professor at the University of Wisconsin Madison , said one thing about this semester that rings true among all students and teachers : “ People ended it on terms that they hadn ’ t signed up for in the beginning.
” Vox spoke with five instructors about the challenges of remote learning and the dilemma over how to grade students .
Their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ length .
“ In our district , we ’ ve all realized that there have been inequities , but they have never been clearer ” Carlene Baurichter just gave birth to her son in February , and has been juggling caring for her newborn and adjusting to remote learning .
“ Trying to reconfigure for an asynchronous , not in-person experience was really difficult for me , ” she said .
At Baurichter ’ s high school , where she teaches all grades , third- and fourth-quarter grades are being averaged , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ average also does not count toward students ’ GPAs .
Baurichter said she is generally satisfied with this more relaxed approach , because administrators and teachers were not sure how engaged students would be going into remote learning .
“ In hindsight , you know , it would have been nice to kind of go with a different , more gradeless situation ” for the third quarter too , she said .
Baurichter has started to integrate more standards-based grading in the classroom , which she thinks is more fair than giving percentage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we ’ re not counting it toward their GPA , because that would be really unfair for quite a few kids.
” In rural Wisconsin , where Baurichter ’ s school is located , high internet prices and data limits mean around 5 percent of her students do not have access to wifi .
During in-person classes , Baurichter would ensure that her students had time during school hours to do work that required internet access : “ And even that kind of thought process isn ’ t equitable if you think about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ absent for a day , ” she said .
Now the school has a system in place to deliver hard copies of work to students who do not have internet access .
School staff drop off packets on Thursdays and pick up the completed work from the week before .
This system often leaves students without adequate teacher feedback and a week behind their peers .
“ In our district , we ’ ve all realized that there have been inequities , but they have never been clearer , ” Baurichter said , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ normally very diligent but is falling behind because she has to care for her younger siblings now that all school is virtual and her parents have to work during the day .
“ That ’ s kind of a struggle , because you don ’ t want to fail this student who you know is capable and would do the stuff if she didn ’ t have these other circumstances , ” she said .
Now Baurichter is committed to taking an even more equitable approach to teaching after the pandemic so that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ families are not penalized .
She wants more work to get done in the classroom and less at home so that students have access to the help and supplies they need .
Through her time teaching remotely , Baurichter has learned not to make assumptions about students ’ home situations .
Having her son at home all day while teaching courses has also inspired her to be more empathetic .
Going forward , she said she wants to be more understanding in order to alleviate students ’ anxiety and promote fairness : “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ most important , ” she said .
“ It ’ s really difficult for me to just teach by speaking at a child ” “ My students learn differently , ” said Lauren Andersen , who described the necessity of using physical objects and visuals to stimulate her special needs students in the classroom .
Now that she ’ s had to switch to online learning , she said it ’ s been difficult to keep her students engaged .
On top of that , many of the online teaching resources she ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her or her students .
But she has committed to learning the ins and outs of different platforms like Google Classroom and Google Slides to create activities that are usable for her students .
Andersen does not give letter grades to students normally , but she is still responsible for giving them written feedback .
For these , Andersen has made clear that their health is the first priority , especially because some students at her school have gotten sick , or have family members who have .
“ I feel like my @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the emotional and social well-being of the child first and foremost , rather than their grades , ” she said .
Andersen started a program called “ meet and eat , ” where her students meet every Friday to eat lunch together and have face-to-face interaction .
She said this helps encourage socialization among her students .
“ Because of the nature of my class , it ’ s really difficult for me to just teach by speaking at a child , ” she said .
“ Most of my work is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ accessible for each child based on his or her needs and abilities.
” Meet and eat has become her favorite part of the week , because her students are excited and present , and it makes things “ seem normal again.
” While online teaching has been difficult , Andersen wants to continue to integrate the technological discoveries she has made , such as the meet and eats , into the classroom .
“ I feel like a lot of my colleagues , teaching assistants , and myself have just become more tech-savvy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ feel like we ’ re able to come up with really innovative ideas that may have never even passed through our minds before , ” she said .
“ It may be that I never go back to the grading systems that I have used up to now ” Patrick Iber , associate professor of history at the University of Wisconsin-Madison , Madison , Wisconsin Patrick Iber was teaching a large lecture class of about 80 students on Latin American history this semester when the pandemic hit and he was forced to move @ @ @ @ @ @ @ generally puts a lot of effort into student interaction so that his students feel connected to one another in his courses and encourages them to communicate with one another , meet in small groups , and work out problems together .
But Iber said that this kind of collaboration proved difficult with remote learning .
“ The biggest challenge , I think , was maintaining a sense of community around the classroom , ” he said .
Iber explained that at the University of Wisconsin Madison , after students see their final letter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them to pass/fail .
This system is intended to reward students who are in good standing in their courses , while avoiding penalizing those who are not due to personal circumstances .
“ I think it ’ s actually a very good policy on an emergency basis , ” Iber said .
But this semester has also prompted him to revisit the grading system he has in place and consider moving to an even more progressive model for the fall .
“ I have been thinking a lot about what kind of grading @ @ @ @ @ @ @ these kinds of conditions or other conditions , ” Iber said , adding that he was already skeptical of grading systems before this crisis .
“ It ’ s making me think more deeply about what grades are for and why we assign them and why we have the system that we have in place for them.
” Remote learning has made Iber more aware of his students ’ situations at home ; some of them are dealing with “ enormous family crises ” like health issues and homelessness .
Students have been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what they are going through since classes moved online .
“ They know what I ’ m dealing with at home , and now I often know what they ’ re dealing with at home , ” he said .
Going forward , Iber is interested in further reforming grading systems to be more collaborative and focused on self-reflection .
“ It may be that I never go back to the grading systems that I have used up to now , ” he said .
“ Some students have to share like one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ kids ” “ Student engagement and access ” have been the biggest obstacles for Joseph Grabowski as he has acclimated to remote learning .
Grabowski teaches at a charter school , and his students come from around 40 different districts in Western and Central Massachusetts .
As a result , some of his students had long , tiring commutes to school for in-person classes .
At home , some do not have access to internet or other technology , have to share one laptop with five or six people , or have to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ learning remotely .
Initially , the administration at Grabowski ’ s school opted to move to pass/fail grading , following the lead of other schools and universities in the area .
But after getting intense backlash from families and even teachers , the school returned to its original standards-based grading system , “ with the little caveat that work during this remote learning can not lower students ’ grades , ” Grabowski explained .
He said he believes there is no “ clear answer ” about how to grade right now : “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of sense but is tough for colleges and GPAs , ” he said .
“ Using the existing grading scheme is inequitable for students who can not participate in remote learning as meaningfully as other students.
” He also stressed the value of written feedback in comparison to grades : “ I think feedback during this time is the best thing we can give kids , ” he said .
But some of Grabowski ’ s students are thriving in the new environment .
One of his students had a difficult time in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ learning , often skipping classes , hiding in stairwells , and not participating in the classroom .
But since the start of online learning , the student has been doing much better : “ Now with the remote learning , they ’ re constantly engaged , submitting assignments ; they ’ re always logging in to virtual meetings , ” he said .
He thinks this is because doing work online alleviates some of the anxiety associated with social interaction in large groups , and publicly sharing ideas .
A lot of Grabowski @ @ @ @ @ @ @ how they miss being in the classroom and dislike the online learning experience , so it has been nice for him to see someone benefit from virtual school : “ For this student , it ’ s actually been a really eye-opening experience , ” he said .
“ The value of a student right now is not on their production ” Dalia Zada , seventh- and eighth-grade visual arts and art history teacher at KIPP Adelante Preparatory , San Diego , California All of Dalia Zada ’ s students who needed technology @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and wifi , so the biggest challenge of remote learning for her has largely been centered on student accountability .
It has been hard to monitor students who are not completing work on , checking Google Classroom , or coming to her daily morning meetings , she said .
She has also struggled with evaluating her students : “ How do I grade a child during a pandemic ?
” she asked .
Students will not be receiving grades for the final quarter of the school year , although teachers have only communicated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in order to ensure students complete their work .
“ We ’ re just really focusing on student relationships , ” Zada said .
She also emphasized the importance of checking in with students about how they are doing at a time when people across the country are struggling with their mental health .
Zada is concerned , however , about the general fairness of grading students for mastery when they all come from different socioeconomic and family backgrounds : “ It ’ s basically penalizing students who are low-income or lack access @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
She has made an effort to tell her students that as long as they communicate with her , ask for help , and come to her office hours , they will pass the course .
“ Kids and parents are going to look back on this time and they ’ re going to see which schools and which teachers made the pandemic more stressful for them , ” she said .
At 10 am , Tuesday through Friday , one of Zada ’ s seventh-graders comes to her office hours and presents @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he creates himself , titled “ Dank Memes for Ms. Zada.
” He also teaches her about dinosaurs , a topic he loves .
“ It ’ s the live moments I get where I can laugh with my students and feel some sense of normalcy that I ’ ve really been grateful for , ” Zada said .
Based on surveys that teachers have collected , a lot of Zada ’ s students are struggling with depression and anxiety as a result of the pandemic .
“ We don ’ t know @ @ @ @ @ @ @ makes me happy to know is that we are teaching kids to build a very important skill of self-reliance , but also asking for help and reaching out , ” she said .
Every day at Vox , we aim to answer your most important questions and provide you , and our audience around the world , with information that has the power to save lives .
Our mission has never been more vital than it is in this moment : to empower you through understanding .
Vox ’ s work is reaching @ @ @ @ @ @ @ distinctive brand of explanatory journalism takes resources — particularly during a pandemic and an economic downturn .
Your financial contribution will not constitute a donation , but it will enable our staff to continue to offer free articles , videos , and podcasts at the quality and volume that this moment requires .
Please consider making a contribution to Vox today .

Share All sharing options for: “It may be that I never go back to the grading system”
College students marching across campuses in caps and gowns. High schoolers gearing up to take the SATs in packed classrooms. Elementary school children playing tag during recess.
This is what life in American schools usually looks like during the months of May and June. But educational institutions around the nation are wrapping the semester very differently than students and teachers had imagined as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. And on top of the challenges and triumphs of remote school, educators have had to find ways to evaluate their students. The question on many of their minds is, as one teacher put it, ”How do I grade a child during a pandemic?”
Some schools and universities have adopted more generous pass/fail policies to accommodate students during the pandemic, while others have continued to give out letter grades. Meanwhile, teachers across the country are the ones tasked with making sense of these guidelines, and finding ways to grade students who lack access to wifi or have to look after younger siblings at home. The inequities brought to light by the coronavirus pandemic have also sparked a larger conversation about the role grades play in a student’s education, prompting some educators to rethink traditional grading systems.
Along with figuring out fair grading standards, educators have been forced to innovate and find new ways to give students the education that they want and need. Professors have revised syllabi and extended deadlines, and teachers have held virtual lunch periods and homerooms to cultivate relationships with their students through computer screens. Despite all the stresses, some educators have been grateful for the discoveries made as a result of remote learning and plan to bring new technology to the classroom in person.
Patrick Iber, a history professor at the University of Wisconsin Madison, said one thing about this semester that rings true among all students and teachers: “People ended it on terms that they hadn’t signed up for in the beginning.”
Vox spoke with five instructors about the challenges of remote learning and the dilemma over how to grade students. Their responses have been edited for clarity and length.
“In our district, we’ve all realized that there have been inequities, but they have never been clearer”
Carlene Baurichter, social studies teacher at Bangor High School, Bangor, Wisconsin
Carlene Baurichter just gave birth to her son in February, and has been juggling caring for her newborn and adjusting to remote learning.
“Trying to reconfigure for an asynchronous, not in-person experience was really difficult for me,” she said.
At Baurichter’s high school, where she teaches all grades, third- and fourth-quarter grades are being averaged, and the fourth quarter is pass/fail. This average also does not count toward students’ GPAs. Baurichter said she is generally satisfied with this more relaxed approach, because administrators and teachers were not sure how engaged students would be going into remote learning.
“In hindsight, you know, it would have been nice to kind of go with a different, more gradeless situation” for the third quarter too, she said. Baurichter has started to integrate more standards-based grading in the classroom, which she thinks is more fair than giving percentage grades. “I do like that we’re not counting it toward their GPA, because that would be really unfair for quite a few kids.”
In rural Wisconsin, where Baurichter’s school is located, high internet prices and data limits mean around 5 percent of her students do not have access to wifi. During in-person classes, Baurichter would ensure that her students had time during school hours to do work that required internet access: “And even that kind of thought process isn’t equitable if you think about it, especially if you’re absent for a day,” she said.
Now the school has a system in place to deliver hard copies of work to students who do not have internet access. School staff drop off packets on Thursdays and pick up the completed work from the week before. This system often leaves students without adequate teacher feedback and a week behind their peers.
“In our district, we’ve all realized that there have been inequities, but they have never been clearer,” Baurichter said, describing a student of hers who is normally very diligent but is falling behind because she has to care for her younger siblings now that all school is virtual and her parents have to work during the day. “That’s kind of a struggle, because you don’t want to fail this student who you know is capable and would do the stuff if she didn’t have these other circumstances,” she said.
Now Baurichter is committed to taking an even more equitable approach to teaching after the pandemic so that students with working parents and from low-income families are not penalized. She wants more work to get done in the classroom and less at home so that students have access to the help and supplies they need.
Through her time teaching remotely, Baurichter has learned not to make assumptions about students’ home situations. Having her son at home all day while teaching courses has also inspired her to be more empathetic. Going forward, she said she wants to be more understanding in order to alleviate students’ anxiety and promote fairness: “It’s definitely solidified what is most important,” she said.
“It’s really difficult for me to just teach by speaking at a child”
Lauren Andersen, fifth-grade special education teacher at Lido Elementary School, Long Beach, New York
“My students learn differently,” said Lauren Andersen, who described the necessity of using physical objects and visuals to stimulate her special needs students in the classroom. Now that she’s had to switch to online learning, she said it’s been difficult to keep her students engaged.
On top of that, many of the online teaching resources she’s using are not user-friendly for either her or her students. But she has committed to learning the ins and outs of different platforms like Google Classroom and Google Slides to create activities that are usable for her students.
Andersen does not give letter grades to students normally, but she is still responsible for giving them written feedback. For these, Andersen has made clear that their health is the first priority, especially because some students at her school have gotten sick, or have family members who have. “I feel like my school is really understanding of the importance of the emotional and social well-being of the child first and foremost, rather than their grades,” she said.
Andersen started a program called “meet and eat,” where her students meet every Friday to eat lunch together and have face-to-face interaction. She said this helps encourage socialization among her students. “Because of the nature of my class, it’s really difficult for me to just teach by speaking at a child,” she said. “Most of my work is differentiating and moderating content to make it accessible for each child based on his or her needs and abilities.”
Meet and eat has become her favorite part of the week, because her students are excited and present, and it makes things “seem normal again.”
While online teaching has been difficult, Andersen wants to continue to integrate the technological discoveries she has made, such as the meet and eats, into the classroom. “I feel like a lot of my colleagues, teaching assistants, and myself have just become more tech-savvy, and as a result, I feel like we’re able to come up with really innovative ideas that may have never even passed through our minds before,” she said.
“It may be that I never go back to the grading systems that I have used up to now”
Patrick Iber, associate professor of history at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin
Patrick Iber was teaching a large lecture class of about 80 students on Latin American history this semester when the pandemic hit and he was forced to move his classes online. Iber said he generally puts a lot of effort into student interaction so that his students feel connected to one another in his courses and encourages them to communicate with one another, meet in small groups, and work out problems together. But Iber said that this kind of collaboration proved difficult with remote learning.
“The biggest challenge, I think, was maintaining a sense of community around the classroom,” he said.
Iber explained that at the University of Wisconsin Madison, after students see their final letter grades, they can elect to switch them to pass/fail. This system is intended to reward students who are in good standing in their courses, while avoiding penalizing those who are not due to personal circumstances.
“I think it’s actually a very good policy on an emergency basis,” Iber said.
But this semester has also prompted him to revisit the grading system he has in place and consider moving to an even more progressive model for the fall. “I have been thinking a lot about what kind of grading system would be even remotely fair under these kinds of conditions or other conditions,” Iber said, adding that he was already skeptical of grading systems before this crisis. “It’s making me think more deeply about what grades are for and why we assign them and why we have the system that we have in place for them.”
Remote learning has made Iber more aware of his students’ situations at home; some of them are dealing with “enormous family crises” like health issues and homelessness. Students have been more communicative and open with him about what they are going through since classes moved online.
“They know what I’m dealing with at home, and now I often know what they’re dealing with at home,” he said.
Going forward, Iber is interested in further reforming grading systems to be more collaborative and focused on self-reflection.
“It may be that I never go back to the grading systems that I have used up to now,” he said.
“Some students have to share like one or two laptops across five or six kids”
Joseph Grabowski, ninth-grade algebra I teacher at Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Charter Public School, South Hadley, Massachusetts
“Student engagement and access” have been the biggest obstacles for Joseph Grabowski as he has acclimated to remote learning.
Grabowski teaches at a charter school, and his students come from around 40 different districts in Western and Central Massachusetts. As a result, some of his students had long, tiring commutes to school for in-person classes. At home, some do not have access to internet or other technology, have to share one laptop with five or six people, or have to look after younger siblings who are all learning remotely.
Initially, the administration at Grabowski’s school opted to move to pass/fail grading, following the lead of other schools and universities in the area. But after getting intense backlash from families and even teachers, the school returned to its original standards-based grading system, “with the little caveat that work during this remote learning cannot lower students’ grades,” Grabowski explained.
He said he believes there is no “clear answer” about how to grade right now: “Pass/fail for the semester makes a lot of sense but is tough for colleges and GPAs,” he said. “Using the existing grading scheme is inequitable for students who can not participate in remote learning as meaningfully as other students.”
He also stressed the value of written feedback in comparison to grades: “I think feedback during this time is the best thing we can give kids,” he said.
But some of Grabowski’s students are thriving in the new environment. One of his students had a difficult time in school up to the start of remote learning, often skipping classes, hiding in stairwells, and not participating in the classroom.
But since the start of online learning, the student has been doing much better: “Now with the remote learning, they’re constantly engaged, submitting assignments; they’re always logging in to virtual meetings,” he said. He thinks this is because doing work online alleviates some of the anxiety associated with social interaction in large groups, and publicly sharing ideas.
A lot of Grabowski’s students have made comments about how they miss being in the classroom and dislike the online learning experience, so it has been nice for him to see someone benefit from virtual school: “For this student, it’s actually been a really eye-opening experience,” he said.
“The value of a student right now is not on their production”
Dalia Zada, seventh- and eighth-grade visual arts and art history teacher at KIPP Adelante Preparatory, San Diego, California
All of Dalia Zada’s students who needed technology support were provided access to a Chromebook and wifi, so the biggest challenge of remote learning for her has largely been centered on student accountability.
It has been hard to monitor students who are not completing work on time, checking Google Classroom, or coming to her daily morning meetings, she said. She has also struggled with evaluating her students: “How do I grade a child during a pandemic?” she asked.
Students will not be receiving grades for the final quarter of the school year, although teachers have only communicated this to parents, not students, in order to ensure students complete their work.
“We’re just really focusing on student relationships,” Zada said. She also emphasized the importance of checking in with students about how they are doing at a time when people across the country are struggling with their mental health.
Zada is concerned, however, about the general fairness of grading students for mastery when they all come from different socioeconomic and family backgrounds: “It’s basically penalizing students who are low-income or lack access to a device,” she said. She has made an effort to tell her students that as long as they communicate with her, ask for help, and come to her office hours, they will pass the course.
“Kids and parents are going to look back on this time and they’re going to see which schools and which teachers made the pandemic more stressful for them,” she said.
At 10 am, Tuesday through Friday, one of Zada’s seventh-graders comes to her office hours and presents a compilation of memes to her that he creates himself, titled “Dank Memes for Ms. Zada.” He also teaches her about dinosaurs, a topic he loves.
“It’s the live moments I get where I can laugh with my students and feel some sense of normalcy that I’ve really been grateful for,” Zada said.
Based on surveys that teachers have collected, a lot of Zada’s students are struggling with depression and anxiety as a result of the pandemic. “We don’t know what’s happening, but what makes me happy to know is that we are teaching kids to build a very important skill of self-reliance, but also asking for help and reaching out,” she said.


What day is it today?

Today is Friday , June 12 , 2020 , at least in the continental United States .
It is already Saturday , June 13 , 2020 , in some parts of the world .
To some degree , time is an illusion .
We are bound by its forward passage , being the third-dimensional creatures we are , but the perceptions we have placed upon time have been invented .
Humans invented the year .
Humans invented the month .
Humans invented the day , the hour , the minute , the second .
These distinctions are not arbitrary — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the Earth to orbit the sun — but their creation was not inevitable .
Our numerical system is likely base-10 because we have 10 fingers ; the way we understand time is almost entirely dependent on the fact that we evolved on this planet , circling this sun .
Time , at least as we understand it , is also a byproduct of capitalism .
In his seminal 1967 economic paper “ Work-Discipline and Industrial Capitalism , ” E. P. Thompson notes that in early human cultures , delineations of time were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up and went down , when the seasons changed .
But as industrialization became the norm , time became a mechanized system that no longer served those who ’ d invented it .
We increasingly served at the beck and call of time , for that is how those who possessed capital could best regulate those who performed the labor .
For we are now at a point where sociologists are discussing the “ problem ” of leisure .
And a part of the problem is : how did it come to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ marriage of convenience with industrial capitalism , was the agent which converted men to new valuations of time ; which taught children even in their infancy to improve each shining hour ; and which saturated men ’ s minds with the equation , time is money .
One recurrent form of revolt within Western industrial capitalism , whether bohemian or beatnik , has often taken the form of flouting the urgency of respectable timevalues .
And the interesting question arises : if Puritanism was a necessary part of the work-ethos which enabled the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ poverty-stricken economies of the past , will the Puritan valuation of time begin to decompose as the pressures of poverty relax ?
Is it decomposing already ?
Will men begin to lose that restless urgency , that desire to consume time purposively , which most people carry just as they carry a watch on their wrists ?
But it remains that on some base level , we will always understand time .
The sun comes up , the sun goes down .
Though we might be inside , where that process is more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our insideness does not obscure the day and night cycle .
What is lost , as each day blends into the next , in vaguely similar ways , is the mechanistic definition of time , the capitalist definition of time , the industrial definition of time .
We do not know what day it is , but we do know when there is a new day .
To live inside is to lose distinction .
There is a numbing effect that occurs when each day is the same , when our schedules are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gulf of undifferentiated time .
And yet isn ’ t this how so many of the less privileged around the world , forced to work jobs involving menial labor , day after day after day , already live ?
Isn ’ t this why we invented the weekend ?
Has this quarantine simply shown to those of us with more economic privilege that our “ free time ” was always a mirage , which could disappear before our eyes , by giving us so much “ free ” time ?
I have a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and when I need to orient myself in time , I look at it .
But even the usefulness of my calendar has started to fray around the edges .
I began writing this story because I couldn ’ t quite believe it was a Thursday , even as I knew it had to be a Thursday .
But it might as well not be .
A cycle that bears the sun across our sky until it sets in the west is a reality ; “ Thursday ” is an invention .
Is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t know .
I will update this article daily until we don ’ t need it anymore .
I hope there is a time when we know it is Thursday or Tuesday or June 17 without having to look at a calendar or ask each other or Google .
I hope there is a time when going outside to see the sun doesn ’ t feel like exposing yourself to toxic levels of radiation .
( I know I should be taking walks ; every time , I feel like I ’ m @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is a time in which all this “ free ” time no longer feels like a period we must exploit for maximum value .
I hope there is a time when I remember what it ’ s like to grab lunch with a friend , to watch dogs play in the surf , to breathe in the air and just be .
Until then , find a way to make time have meaning for you .
Read a long book .
Cook an elaborate meal .
Take up knitting .
Write an epic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ ve always meant to get to .
Sleep .
Remember that time doesn ’ t own you , and that you own time .
This will be over someday , a part of the past .
It will someday be a memory .
Hang on to that .
I ’ ll see you outside again .
For now , it is Friday , June 12 , 2020 .
In some parts of the world , it is Saturday , June 13 , 2020 .
Are you a “ What day is it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our official theme song .
It ’ s written by composer Laura Stratford , and it is wonderful .

Today is Wednesday, July 1, 2020, at least in the continental United States. It is already Thursday, July 2, 2020, in some parts of the world. Life isn’t resuming gracefully, but the herky jerky train wreck of America’s reopening certainly speaks to some desire to exit this quarantine period. And so “What Day Is It Today” will exit the stage, too. For now, at least.
To some degree, time is an illusion. We are bound by its forward passage, being the third-dimensional creatures we are, but the perceptions we have placed upon time have been invented. Humans invented the year. Humans invented the month. Humans invented the day, the hour, the minute, the second.
These distinctions are not arbitrary — it really does take about 365 days for the Earth to orbit the sun — but their creation was not inevitable. Our numerical system is likely base-10 because we have 10 fingers; the way we understand time is almost entirely dependent on the fact that we evolved on this planet, circling this sun.
Time, at least as we understand it, is also a byproduct of capitalism. In his seminal 1967 economic paper “Work-Discipline and Industrial Capitalism,” E. P. Thompson notes that in early human cultures, delineations of time were broad understandings of when the sun came up and went down, when the seasons changed. But as industrialization became the norm, time became a mechanized system that no longer served those who’d invented it. We increasingly served at the beck and call of time, for that is how those who possessed capital could best regulate those who performed the labor.
Thompson writes:
For we are now at a point where sociologists are discussing the “problem” of leisure. And a part of the problem is: how did it come to be a problem ? Puritanism, in its marriage of convenience with industrial capitalism, was the agent which converted men to new valuations of time; which taught children even in their infancy to improve each shining hour; and which saturated men’s minds with the equation, time is money. One recurrent form of revolt within Western industrial capitalism, whether bohemian or beatnik, has often taken the form of flouting the urgency of respectable timevalues. And the interesting question arises: if Puritanism was a necessary part of the work-ethos which enabled the industrialized world to break out of the poverty-stricken economies of the past, will the Puritan valuation of time begin to decompose as the pressures of poverty relax? Is it decomposing already? Will men begin to lose that restless urgency, that desire to consume time purposively, which most people carry just as they carry a watch on their wrists?
But it remains that on some base level, we will always understand time. The sun comes up, the sun goes down. Though we might be inside, where that process is more difficult to witness, the fact of our insideness does not obscure the day and night cycle. What is lost, as each day blends into the next, in vaguely similar ways, is the mechanistic definition of time, the capitalist definition of time, the industrial definition of time. We do not know what day it is, but we do know when there is a new day.
To live inside is to lose distinction. There is a numbing effect that occurs when each day is the same, when our schedules are subsumed by what feels like an endless gulf of undifferentiated time. And yet isn’t this how so many of the less privileged around the world, forced to work jobs involving menial labor, day after day after day, already live? Isn’t this why we invented the weekend? Has this quarantine simply shown to those of us with more economic privilege that our “free time” was always a mirage, which could disappear before our eyes, by giving us so much “free” time?
I have a wall calendar hanging above my desk, and when I need to orient myself in time, I look at it. But even the usefulness of my calendar has started to fray around the edges. I began writing this story because I couldn’t quite believe it was a Thursday, even as I knew it had to be a Thursday. But it might as well not be. A cycle that bears the sun across our sky until it sets in the west is a reality; “Thursday” is an invention. Is it still necessary? I don’t know.
What’s important to remember is that time doesn’t own you. You own time. This will be over someday, a part of the past. It will someday be a memory. Hang on to that. I’ll see you outside again.
This story was originally published Friday, March 27, 2020.
Are you a “What day is it today?” superfan? Check out our official theme song. It’s written by composer Laura Stratford, and it is wonderful.


vox--2020-06-12--Protesters describe the police brutality they’ve faced while protesting police brutality

The police response to protests across the country has been strikingly similar .
In Philadelphia , police cornered peaceful protesters on the side of a highway and tear-gassed them en masse .
In Portland , Oregon law enforcement used what ’ s known as a sound cannon — or a Long Range Acoustic Device — to send a piercing signal through a crowd of demonstrators .
And in Washington , DC , National Guard officers flew military helicopters over protesters on the ground , an intimidation tactic aimed at getting them to leave .
At demonstration after demonstration , officers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ condemning the police killing of George Floyd — and police violence more broadly — with disproportionate and brutal force , often for no reason but to “ disperse ” a crowd .
It ’ s an approach that ’ s only illustrated how quick police can be to use violent tactics , particularly against black individuals .
The irony of this dynamic isn ’ t one that ’ s lost on protesters : By responding with brutality in demonstrations about police brutality , police are effectively helping activists make their point .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cruelty , the egregious militarized force , it forces you to come to the conclusion that this is systemic , ” says Krystal Strong , 35 , a member of Black Lives Matter in Philadelphia , who recalled watching a young , black man get rammed with a police bike at a recent demonstration .
“ It ’ s not just Minneapolis .
It ’ s not just Chicago or LA.
” Vox spoke with 10 protesters in seven different cities — and nearly all of them had either directly witnessed or been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ marches and rallies in recent weeks .
“ It ’ s affirmed that policing is brutal , ” says Melina Abdullah , a cofounder of Black Lives Matter Los Angeles , of her experience .
“ If I were the police , strategically I would say at a police brutality march , don ’ t be brutal .
It ’ s just not smart ; it ’ s bad optics.
” Police have escalated the violence at protests The protesters who spoke with Vox all had a common experience : Regardless of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was a peaceful march or a rally that included graffiti and property damage — the police were the ones who escalated the situation .
And across the board , that response was seen as entirely disproportionate to the activity that may have prompted it .
During a peaceful protest in Toledo , Ohio , 29-year-old attorney Matthew Ahn saw police shooting wooden bullets directly at people ’ s bodies , severely injuring at least two individuals .
“ One of the projectiles hit someone directly in the foot and broke multiple bones in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ There were several puddles of blood left where he was.
” Throughout a day of demonstrations , Ahn — who attended the protests in a personal capacity and not a professional one — says police shot pepper balls , rubber bullets , or wooden bullets at protesters seven different times .
In Los Angeles , Abdullah described watching a state highway patrol car plow into a crowd of protesters and knock a man out in the process .
“ We didn ’ t know he was alive at the moment , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” And in Washington , DC , Allison Lane , a 34-year-old podcaster and bartender , recalled being more than a hundred protesters who were kettled by police into a residential neighborhood .
Last week , roughly 70 protesters , including Lane , were taken in by a resident named Rahul Dubey , who housed them for an entire night as police waited outside to arrest people for curfew violations .
“ Police officers were pepper-spraying wildly at people who were trying to get inside the home , ” she said .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ milk into their eyes , using eyewash bottles.
” These incidents are among hundreds that have occurred in the past few weeks as thousands of people have taken to the streets to protest the police killings of black men and women , following Floyd ’ s death .
A Twitter thread that ’ s since gone viral includes more than 200 video clips that capture police tear-gassing , shoving , and beating protesters with batons — and those are simply the offenses that have been taped .
Such acts of police violence have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rubber bullets have blinded multiple individuals , while beatings have resulted in broken bones — and one death .
In Louisville , Kentucky , where officers still haven ’ t been charged in the shooting death of Breonna Taylor , police shot and killed David McAtee near his business when he was out past curfew in early June .
“ The protesters had to de-escalate the police ” Demonstrators emphasize that they now go into marches expecting violence because of how law enforcement has behaved up to this point .
“ I didn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that ’ s all we ’ re thinking about , ” said Lane .
Given the precedent for police behavior , protesters have been told to prepare and steel themselves for such treatment .
Organizers encourage protesters to inform friends and family about where they are and set up a phone tree of emergency contacts .
Additionally , demonstrators have been urged to dress in long-sleeve shirts and pants and to bring goggles in case of the use of tear gas or pepper spray .
Multiple organizers told Vox they try to protest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to deal with the exhaustion that protesters may experience and potential injuries that could result from police activity .
“ We now only do marches with medics present and that ’ s been very helpful , ” Abdullah , the Los Angeles BLM organizer , told Vox .
As the New York Times reported , there ’ s been a surge of medical professionals and volunteers getting training to serve as “ street medics ” following the police violence at many demonstrations .
There have been some changes in how police have responded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than two weeks ago .
Since then , as cities have lifted curfews , and demonstrations have fluctuated in size , the police reaction has become less confrontational , in some instances .
Protesters have speculated that this shift was because of the poor optics police had encountered , particularly when it came to high-profile incidents like the tear-gassing of peaceful demonstrators in front of the White House .
At the marches where law enforcement has taken a more aggressive approach , the escalation by police often came with little warning , protesters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ frightening , and overwhelming .
“ There were many moments where we grabbed each other , where we pulled each other to safety .
It ’ s a moment to moment re-evaluation of the situation , ” says Strong .
In some instances , protesters have called white allies to put “ white bodies to the front , ” when it appears that police are advancing on a crowd because it ’ s less likely law enforcement will use fatal force on white activists .
“ I don ’ t think I was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” said Steven , 25 , a white protester in Washington , DC , who was tear-gassed and shoved by police multiple times on June 1 .
Ultimately , many protesters note that they ’ ve been forced to de-escalate police rather than the other way around — and they warn that activists should be ready to do just that .
During a demonstration outside Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti ’ s house on June 2 , for example , Abdullah says protesters were the ones who actually diffused the tension .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” she said .
“ The protesters who were in front of the police began to just sit down to create almost a human fencing around the rest of us to prevent the police [ from ] being able to run in.
” The actions they ’ ve witnessed have further confirmed protester views of police For many protesters , the treatment they ’ ve witnessed only further reaffirms the views they held about police .
“ For them to be so brutal and repressive and terrible at these marches just affirms @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can ’ t continue to exist in its current form .
You can ’ t tinker around the edges , it ’ s in the DNA , ” says Abdullah .
Activists say the protests have strengthened their resolve both to hold police accountable and to push for policy changes that fundamentally upbraid the current system .
A major rallying cry at many of these protests has been a call to not simply reform the police but to defund the institution .
The justification for this effort is a straightforward one : States @ @ @ @ @ @ @ police and instead transfer that money to social service programs like food aid and education — to better address the core causes both of inequities and crime .
“ If I were the police , strategically I would say at a police brutality march , don ’ t be brutal .
It ’ s just not smart ; it ’ s bad optics.
” In Los Angeles , for example , activists have urged officials to consider what they ’ re calling the “ people ’ s budget , ” which would reduce @ @ @ @ @ @ @ roughly 54 percent of the city ’ s general fund budget to 6 percent .
The role that the protests have played in further highlighting police abuses has parallels in history : Nonviolent protest as a means to raise awareness of state violence was also a key goal of civil rights protests led by Martin Luther King Jr. and demonstrations against British rule by Mahatma Gandhi in India .
During the protests in the 1960s , the marches themselves drew attention to police violence — and the horrific treatment of protesters by police @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dispersion tactics , such as police dogs and fire hoses , against individuals in peaceful protests and sit-ins , were the most widely publicized examples of police brutality in that era , ” Katie Nodjimbadem writes for Smithsonian Magazine .
“ Even back in the 1960s , when Dr. King was marching , part of the reason for the march was to expose the brutality , ” Abdullah emphasizes .
There are legal actions protesters can take to hold police accountable There is legal recourse for protesters who have suffered injuries at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ historically been some pretty big obstacles to getting accountability .
Such barriers are largely due to the protections that police have in the case of civil lawsuits because of a legal doctrine known as qualified immunity : In order to even go to trial with an allegation of police misconduct , an individual needs to show not only that it was a violation of their civil rights , but also that there ’ s precedent for that same action being considered unlawful in prior cases .
This shield has enabled police officers to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the past , including shootings , theft and property damage .
Still , experts tell Vox that protesters have plenty of grounds to pursue legal action — and already , there ’ s been multiple cases in the last month where the officer involved faces criminal charges .
“ Police officers have the right to use force in a number of situations , but they never have the right to use excessive force or brutality .
That is always illegal , ” says University of Chicago law professor Craig Futterman , who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Accountability Project .
Protesters have three avenues they can take , Futterman notes : They can file a civil lawsuit against a specific officer for violating their constitutional rights , they can register a complaint with the city or police station involved , or they can report the incident to a district attorney , who could then file a criminal lawsuit .
In recent weeks , there have been at least two cases where such legal recourse has been effective : In New York City , the district attorney has charged a police @ @ @ @ @ @ @ during a demonstration in Brooklyn , and in Buffalo , New York , the district attorney has charged two police officers , who were filmed pushing an elderly man to the ground , with assault .
Organizations like the ACLU and Black Lives Matter are among those currently working with protesters to advance legal actions on this front .
Yet , while the outcome of a lawsuit could help increase police accountability , it doesn ’ t do much in the near term for protesters fielding medical bills and injuries .
“ In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the police department , the only way would be to file a lawsuit , which would take time , ” University of Memphis law professor Steven Mulroy tells Vox .
He notes that legal advocates could put pressure on police departments to more quickly cover these costs without going to court .
“ A lawyer could send a demand letter — if you provide this amount to defray the medical expenses , we ’ ll hold off on pursuing a lawsuit , ” Mulroy emphasizes .
Such accountability , while important , isn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nature of these abuses , though .
To do that , protesters emphasize that the demonstrations and the civic action must continue .
Every day at Vox , we aim to answer your most important questions and provide you , and our audience around the world , with information that has the power to save lives .
Our mission has never been more vital than it is in this moment : to empower you through understanding .
Vox ’ s work is reaching more people than ever , but our distinctive brand of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a pandemic and an economic downturn .
Your financial contribution will not constitute a donation , but it will enable our staff to continue to offer free articles , videos , and podcasts at the quality and volume that this moment requires .
Please consider making a contribution to Vox today .

“The protesters had to deescalate the police”: Demonstrators are the ones defusing violence at protests
Share All sharing options for: “The protesters had to deescalate the police”: Demonstrators are the ones defusing violence at protests
The police response to protests across the country has been strikingly similar.
In Philadelphia, police cornered peaceful protesters on the side of a highway and tear-gassed them en masse. In Portland, Oregon, law enforcement used what’s known as a sound cannon — or a Long Range Acoustic Device — to send a piercing signal through a crowd of demonstrators. And in Washington, DC, National Guard officers flew military helicopters over protesters on the ground, an intimidation tactic aimed at getting them to leave.
At demonstration after demonstration, officers have met peaceful protesters, who are condemning the police killing of George Floyd, and police violence more broadly, with disproportionate and brutal force, often for no reason but to “disperse” a crowd. The approach has only illustrated how quick police can be to use violent tactics, particularly against black individuals.
More terrific photos bearing witness by @jessicagriffin @PhillyInquirer @danesekenon. Police firing teargas at peaceful protesters on Vine Street, Philadelphia- the birthplace of the First Amendment. @lenfestinst pic.twitter.com/cXdHKTi1lC — Jim Friedlich (@JimFriedlich) June 2, 2020
The irony of this dynamic isn’t lost on protesters: By responding with brutality in demonstrations about police brutality, police are effectively helping activists make their point.
“The continuity across these spaces, the cruelty, the egregious militarized force, it forces you to come to the conclusion that this is systemic,” says Krystal Strong, 35, a member of Black Lives Matter in Philadelphia, who recalled watching a young black man get rammed with a police bike at a recent demonstration. “It’s not just Minneapolis. It’s not just Chicago or LA.”
Vox spoke with 10 protesters in seven cities — and nearly all of them had either directly witnessed or been subject to police violence while participating in marches and rallies in recent weeks.
“It’s affirmed that policing is brutal,” says Melina Abdullah, a co-founder of Black Lives Matter Los Angeles, of her experience. “If I were the police, strategically I would say at a police brutality march, don’t be brutal. It’s just not smart; it’s bad optics.”
Police have escalated the violence at protests
The protesters who spoke with Vox all had a common experience: Regardless of the demonstration they attended — whether it was a peaceful march or a rally that included graffiti and property damage — the police were the ones who escalated the situation. And across the board, that response was seen as entirely disproportionate to the activity that may have prompted it.
During a peaceful protest in Toledo, Ohio, 29-year-old attorney Matthew Ahn said he saw police shooting wooden bullets directly at people, severely injuring at least two individuals. “One of the projectiles hit someone directly in the foot and broke multiple bones in his foot,” he said. “There were several puddles of blood left where he was.” Throughout a day of demonstrations, Ahn — who attended the protests in a personal, not professional, capacity — says police shot pepper balls, rubber bullets, or wooden bullets at protesters seven different times.
I’m not sure what exactly set it off. But as the massive armored truck drove by toward another group of protestors, the cop perched out of the top of the truck pointed at her, and then adjusted his hand on the trigger and shot this. It hit her square in the shin. 3/ pic.twitter.com/gIL5QqpSpS — Matthew Ahn (@ahnbrand) May 31, 2020
In Los Angeles, Abdullah described watching a state highway patrol car plow into a crowd of protesters and knock a man out in the process. “We didn’t know he was alive at the moment,” she says. “He was unconscious.”
And in Washington, DC, Allison Lane, a 34-year-old podcaster and bartender, recalled being among more than 100 protesters who were “kettled” by police into a residential neighborhood.
Last week, roughly 70 protesters, including Lane, were taken in by a resident named Rahul Dubey, who housed them for an entire night as police waited outside to arrest people for curfew violations. “Police officers were pepper-spraying wildly at people who were trying to get inside the home,” she said. “The scene inside ... is people pouring milk into their eyes, using eyewash bottles.”
I’m at a house in DC after being pepper sprayed and knocked down by the police. There are about 100 of us in a house surrounded by cops. All the neighbors on this street opened their doors and are tending to protesters. The cops corralled us on this street and sprayed us down. — Allison Lane (@allieblablah) June 2, 2020
And here on the other side of #SwannStreet, riot police and National Guardsmen close in on an even younger group of protesters as a neighbor decries the absurdity of detaining these kids and correctly predicts the chaos it will bring to the neighborhood. ( : @DanielleMisiak) pic.twitter.com/v7EP9sJe58 — Alex Taliadoros (@AlexCTaliadoros) June 9, 2020
These incidents are among hundreds that have occurred in the past few weeks as thousands have taken to the streets to protest the police killings of black people, following Floyd’s death. A Twitter thread that’s since gone viral includes more than 200 video clips that capture police tear-gassing, shoving, and beating protesters with batons — and those are simply the offenses that have been taped.
Such acts of police violence have contributed to a number of injuries — rubber bullets have blinded multiple individuals, while beatings have resulted in broken bones — and one death. In Louisville, Kentucky, where officers still haven’t been charged in the shooting death of Breonna Taylor, police shot and killed David McAtee near his business when he was out past curfew in early June.
“The protesters had to deescalate the police”
Demonstrators emphasize that they now go into marches expecting violence because of how law enforcement has behaved up to this point.
“I didn’t expect anything but violence — that’s all we’re thinking about,” said Lane.
Given the precedent for police behavior, protesters have been told to prepare and steel themselves for such treatment. Organizers encourage protesters to inform friends and family about where they are and set up a phone tree of emergency contacts. Additionally, demonstrators have been urged to dress in long-sleeved shirts and pants and to bring goggles in case tear gas or pepper spray is used.
Multiple organizers told Vox they try to protest with medical support directly on hand, to deal with both the exhaustion that protesters may experience and potential injuries that could result from police activity. “We now only do marches with medics present, and that’s been very helpful,” Abdullah, the Los Angeles BLM organizer, told Vox. As the New York Times reported, there’s been a surge of medical professionals and volunteers getting training to serve as “street medics” following the police violence at many demonstrations.
There have been some changes in how police have responded since the start of the protests more than two weeks ago. As cities have lifted curfews, and demonstrations have fluctuated in size, the police reaction has become less confrontational, in some instances. Protesters have speculated that this shift was due to the poor optics police had encountered, particularly when it came to high-profile incidents like the tear-gassing of peaceful demonstrators in front of the White House.
At the marches where law enforcement has taken a more aggressive approach, the escalation by police often came with little warning, protesters say. It can be chaotic, frightening, and overwhelming.
“There were many moments where we grabbed each other, where we pulled each other to safety. It’s a moment-to-moment reevaluation of the situation,” says Strong.
In some instances, protesters have called on white allies to put “white bodies to the front” when it appears that police are advancing on a crowd, because it’s less likely law enforcement will use fatal force on white activists. “I don’t think I was ready for how scared I felt,” said Steven, 25, a white protester in Washington, DC, who was tear-gassed and shoved by police multiple times on June 1.
Ultimately, many protesters note that they’ve been forced to deescalate police rather than the other way around — and they warn that activists should be ready to do just that. During a demonstration outside Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti’s house on June 2, for example, Abdullah says protesters were the ones who actually defused the tension.
“The protesters had to deescalate the police,” she said. “The protesters who were in front of the police began to just sit down to create almost a human fencing around the rest of us to prevent the police [from] being able to run in.”
Here's what I saw at Tuesday's top-secret @BLMLA action at Mayor Garcetti's house.
Protesters I talked to were young & sharp on issues like DA policy & city budgets. Heads up: a formidable generation is coming up. They're not satisfied to wait for change https://t.co/rWTuDets2E — Libby Denkmann (@libdenk) June 3, 2020
The actions protesters have witnessed have further confirmed their views of police
For many protesters, the treatment they’ve witnessed only reaffirms the views they held about police.
“For them to be so brutal and repressive and terrible at these marches just affirms to me that policing in this country can’t continue to exist in its current form. You can’t tinker around the edges; it’s in the DNA,” says Abdullah.
Activists say the protests have strengthened their resolve to hold police accountable and to push for policy changes that fundamentally upend the current system. A major rallying cry at many of these protests has been a call not simply to reform the police but to defund the institution. The justification for this effort is straightforward: States and cities can reduce funding for the police and instead transfer that money to social services programs like food aid and education — to better address the core causes of both inequities and crime.
“If I were the police, strategically I would say at a police brutality march, don’t be brutal. It’s just not smart; it’s bad optics.”
In Los Angeles, activists have urged officials to consider what they’re calling the “people’s budget,” which would reduce the allocation for law enforcement entities from roughly 54 percent of the city’s general fund budget to 6 percent.
The role that the protests have played in further highlighting police abuses has parallels in history: Nonviolent protest as a means to raise awareness of state violence was also a key goal of civil rights protests led by Martin Luther King Jr. and demonstrations against British rule by Mahatma Gandhi in India.
During the protests in the 1960s, the marches drew attention to police violence — as did the horrific treatment of protesters by police. “Aggressive dispersion tactics, such as police dogs and fire hoses, against individuals in peaceful protests and sit-ins, were the most widely publicized examples of police brutality in that era,” Katie Nodjimbadem writes for Smithsonian Magazine.
“Even back in the 1960s, when Dr. King was marching, part of the reason for the march was to expose the brutality,” Abdullah emphasizes.
There are legal actions protesters can take to hold police accountable
There is legal recourse for protesters who have suffered injuries at the hands of police, but there have historically been some pretty big obstacles to getting accountability.
Such barriers are largely due to the protections that police have in the case of civil lawsuits, because of a legal doctrine known as qualified immunity: In order to even go to trial with an allegation of police misconduct, an individual needs to show not only that it was a violation of their civil rights, but also that there’s precedent for that same action being considered unlawful in prior cases.
This shield has enabled police officers to avoid liability on many acts of misconduct in the past, including shootings, theft, and property damage.
Still, experts tell Vox that protesters have plenty of grounds to pursue legal action — and already, there have been multiple cases in the past month where the officer involved faces criminal charges.
“Police officers have the right to use force in a number of situations, but they never have the right to use excessive force or brutality. That is always illegal,” says University of Chicago law professor Craig Futterman, who founded the Civil Rights and Police Accountability Project.
Protesters have three avenues they can take, Futterman notes: They can file a civil lawsuit against a specific officer for violating their constitutional rights, they can register a complaint with the city or police station involved, or they can report the incident to a district attorney, who could then file a criminal lawsuit.
In recent weeks, there have been at least two cases where such legal recourse has been effective: In New York City, the district attorney has charged a police officer with assault for shoving a protester during a demonstration in Brooklyn, and in Buffalo, New York, the district attorney has charged two police officers, who were filmed pushing an elderly man to the ground, with assault. The ACLU and Black Lives Matter are among those working with protesters to advance legal actions on this front.
But while the outcome of a lawsuit could help increase police accountability, it doesn’t do much in the near term for protesters fielding medical bills and injuries.
“In terms of compensation from the city or the police department, the only way would be to file a lawsuit, which would take time,” University of Memphis law professor Steven Mulroy tells Vox. He notes that legal advocates could put pressure on police departments to more quickly cover these costs without going to court. “A lawyer could send a demand letter — if you provide this amount to defray the medical expenses, we’ll hold off on pursuing a lawsuit,” he says.
Such accountability, while important, isn’t enough to fix the systemic nature of these abuses, though. To do that, protesters emphasize that the demonstrations and the civic action must continue.


vox--2020-06-12--“Black Lives Matter” has become a global rallying cry against racism and police brutality

Thousands of protesters marched against police brutality and racism in Brussels , Belgium , on Sunday .
The demonstration was about George Floyd , the black man killed in Minneapolis , Minnesota , when a police officer pressed his knee on Floyd ’ s neck for eight long minutes .
But the protest was also about Belgium : its colonial history , its current inequities .
Demonstrators scaled a statue of King Leopold II , the Belgian ruler who killed millions of Congolese people , and hoisted the flag of the Democratic Republic of Congo below it .
It wasn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ erupted on nearly every continent , many defying coronavirus restrictions .
People took to the streets in London , in Seoul , in Sydney , in Monrovia , in Rio de Janeiro .
A mural honoring Floyd was painted amid the rubble in opposition-held Idlib , Syria .
The video of Floyd ’ s assault , shared widely on social media , made “ people think about how it was relevant where we were , ” Stephanie Collingwoode-Williams , a spokesperson for Belgian Network for Black Lives , a collective formed this week @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
When Americans went out on the streets to protest , and kept going out day after day after day , it sparked a movement around the world .
And , as in the United States , there are glimmers that , this time , it might be different .
Statues of figures from countries ’ colonial pasts are falling .
Governments are reexamining policies when it comes to policing .
Protesters worldwide are saying the name of George Floyd , but also Collins Khosa and Adama Traoré and Belly Mujinga , black @ @ @ @ @ @ @ died in police custody or whose deaths have not been fully investigated .
What comes next is uncertain — whether protests will continue , whether there will be real change .
At this moment , though , “ Black Lives Matter ” is a global rallying cry and a gut-punch reminder that this message still needs to be repeated everywhere .
The George Floyd protests went global and stayed that way .
Just look at the UK .
Solidarity protests cropped up around the world as uprisings enveloped the United States at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the police killing of Floyd .
Those have continued and expanded and have now become movements all of their own .
This is especially true in Western Europe , where many countries are still grappling with their colonial legacies and the systemic inequities minorities , including immigrants from Africa and the Middle East , face .
“ We stand alone in terms of creating our momentum — not just responding to what ’ s happening in the US , ” Alex , a 29-year-old organizer with Black Lives Matter UK , told me @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , obviously , solidarity is really , really important , and we operate under the same banner , ‘ Black Lives Matter.
’ ” “ I think that ’ s because we understand that what happens over there also happens over here , ” she added .
And US activists , she said , know that , as well .
“ And so we understand the connections there as well as the connections with other people and other parts of Europe .
So we ’ ve also connected with groups in Germany , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” Alex said .
“ There ’ s so much in common.
” In the United Kingdom , anti-racism protests swept the country .
In Bristol , England , on Sunday , protesters brought down a statue of Edward Colston , a 17th-century slave trader , spray-painting the figure and throwing him into the harbor .
On Monday , according to Sky News , someone posted a sign on the now-vacant pedestal : “ This plaque is dedicated to the slaves that were taken from their homes.
” The downing of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or replace other monuments to controversial or racist figures .
Protesters with the Rhodes Must Fall campaign held a sit-in outside of Oxford University , demanding the removal of a statue of British imperialist Cecil Rhodes .
The group has been fighting this issue for years but has said the Black Lives Matter protests “ reignited ” the campaign , per the Guardian .
In London , a statue of former Prime Minister Winston Churchill was graffitied , calling him a racist .
Politicians across the political spectrum in the UK denounced the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the larger cause .
“ I don ’ t condone at all any attacks on our police or any disorder or criminal damage , ” London Mayor Sadiq Khan told Sky News , “ but we ’ ve got to recognize that our public realm , statues , squares , street names don ’ t accurately reflect our values , or London , in 2020.
” Khan has promised that a committee will review street names and landmarks in London , saying those with ties to slavery should be taken down or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Robert Milligan , another slave trader , was removed — this time by authorities — outside a London museum .
The UK protests have also focused on police brutality .
The protests have revived anger over the death of Mark Duggan , a 29-year-old black man killed by police in 2011 that set off riots in the United Kingdom .
Officers said they acted in self-defense because they believed Dugan was armed , and though an inquest found he was not , it still upheld the killing as lawful .
Protesters also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mujinga , a transit worker who died from Covid-19 after a man allegedly coughed on her , though the case was quickly closed .
And a well-known rapper in the UK shared a disturbing video of his 62-year-old father Millard Scott , a civil rights activist , who was tased and fell down stairs when the police entered his home .
Police have also used controversial tactics on protesters in recent days , including “ kettling ” — a crowd-control tactic used by police ( including in the US ) that corrals demonstrators @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t leave .
Police kettled demonstrators in London for six hours Sunday night , during which they were “ left without food , water or access to toilets , ” according to Sky News .
This is despite the fact that activists and those present said the protests were largely peaceful .
Emmanuel Onapa , a youth leader for social-justice group Hackney CVS , said the issues people are protesting in the US also translate to the UK .
Black and brown communities in the UK are more policed , more likely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the police , he and Alex of Black Lives Matter UK told me , is also becoming a rallying cry , similar to the US — an opportunity to reinvest in communities , especially social service and youth programs .
“ The police doesn ’ t keep us safe , it ’ s not made to keep us safe — and it ’ s not even trying to , ” Alex told me .
“ And there are loads of other ways the money can be used to make sure our communities are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also saw protests This sentiment has been repeated elsewhere in Europe , where protests stretched from Ireland to Italy .
About 10,000 people protested against police brutality and racism in Brussels , Belgium , on Sunday .
In April , when Belgium was under coronavirus lockdown , a 19-year-old man identified only as Adil died after his scooter crashed into a police van when he was at a police checkpoint .
The neighborhood Adil lived in , Anderlecht , is home to many immigrants , especially from the Middle East and North Africa @ @ @ @ @ @ @ April and has become a cause again during these protests .
Collingwoode-Williams told me that at protests in Brussels , in addition to calls of “ Black Lives Matter , ” thousands chanted to honor others who died after incidents with police in Belgium : Adil , but also Madwa , a two-year-old Iraqi Kurdish girl struck by police fire , and Mehdi , a teenager run over by a police car in Brussels .
Activists in Belgium have also targeted the country ’ s ubiquitous monuments and honorifics to King Leopold II @ @ @ @ @ @ @ landmarks , splashing some with red paint .
One in Antwerp was set on fire and has since been removed — though the right-wing mayor said he did so because it was a “ public safety issue , ” according to the New York Times .
More than 75,000 people have signed a petition asking all Leopold statues to be removed by June 30 , the anniversary of the Democratic Republic of Congo ’ s independence .
Leopold killed millions of Congolese in his exploits , forcing them to work under threat of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the statues up is saying that these , and other black lives , do not matter .
“ Sometimes it ’ s shocking to see that taking down a monument hurts people more than a death , ” she said .
In France , protesters are confronting racism and whether the country honors its commitment to equality .
“ Of course , France and America are very different countries , but they have a common enemy in racism , ” Maelle , a 23-year-old protester in Paris told France24 .
“ Nothing will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ racism.
” The protests have revived calls for justice for Adama Traoré , a 24-year-old French man of Malian descent who was killed in police custody , and many believe was killed by a police chokehold and also couldn ’ t breathe .
This week , the French government said police could no longer use chokeholds when arresting people .
Germany has also seen massive protests , some of the largest outside of the United States , as it reckons with anti-black racism that some activists say is discounted in the country that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Nazi past .
“ Germany is not innocent , ” protesters chanted .
The rest of the world is protesting during the pandemic , too Many countries outside of Europe have joined in , too .
The dynamics were the same in many places : solidarity with the United States , and calls for changes at home .
In Israel , protesters crowded around the US Embassy in Tel Aviv .
In 2019 , Black Lives Matter protests broke out in Israel over the police killing of Solomon Teka , an unarmed 18-year-old @ @ @ @ @ @ @ revived those calls .
In the West Bank , Palestinians also protested , carrying signs for George Floyd and opposing annexation .
In Nairobi , Kenya ’ s capital , hundreds marched against police brutality , which was particularly acute during the country ’ s coronavirus lockdown .
At least 15 people have died from police violence for allegedly breaking curfew ; Kenya ’ s Independent Police Oversight Authority also recorded at least 31 cases of torture or injury .
Boniface Mwangi , an activist , told ABC News that the curfew-related deaths @ @ @ @ @ @ @ showed the “ struggles against police brutality are the same everywhere.
” Protesters in South Africa , which has its own deeply fraught history of white supremacy , honored Floyd by demanding change at home .
The Economic Freedom Fighters ( EFF ) , a far-left opposition party , hosted rallies outside US embassies across the country , where protesters kneeled for eight minutes and 46 seconds , the length of time the Minneapolis police officer held Floyd pinned to the ground with his knee .
They also used the protests to demand @ @ @ @ @ @ @ allegedly beaten to death in April in Johannesburg by South African National Defence Force , its armed forces .
Soldiers allegedly accused Khosa of breaking lockdown rules after finding a half-finished glass of beer in his own yard , and , according to a report , they punched , choked , slammed him against a cement wall , hit him in the head with a machine gun , and poured beer all over him as police officers looked on .
Khosa died of blunt force trauma .
The South African National Defence Force @ @ @ @ @ @ @ soldiers , that there was no link between Khosa ’ s death and the encounter .
Some have pointed out the parallels between Floyd and Khosa : the slightness of the alleged offense and the brutality of the police ’ s response .
Brazil ’ s version of the George Floyd protests also decried police violence and the administration of Jair Bolsonaro , who has willfully ignored Brazil ’ s coronavirus disaster .
Brazil has its own complicated racial history , though the country is mostly black or mixed-race .
It also has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ last year , Rio de Janeiro had a record number of police killings : more than 1,800 , according to a New York Times analysis .
Police and military police often kill with impunity in Brazil ’ s favelas ; a Brazilian Senate report has said that “ the Brazilian state , directly or indirectly , perpetrates the genocide of the young black population.
” That same population is also most vulnerable to the coronavirus , and Bolsonaro , who has a history of racist remarks , is doing little to stop it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ South Korea , and the K-pop group BTS has raised more than $ 1 million for Black Lives Matter .
Protesters took to the streets in Tokyo and Osaka , in Japan , where the Black Lives Matter chapter of the Kansai region organized a protest in honor of Floyd and against racism and police brutality .
“ A lot of friends in the U.S. , and their families , are participating in the Washington , D.C. , protests .
Their power to come together gave those of us in Japan the power @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said Alyse Sugahara , a 33-year-old African American woman , according to the Japan Times .
A local incident also galvanized demonstrators : a video , a few weeks ago , of a Kurdish immigrant dragged from his van by police in Tokyo .
Canada , Australia , Argentina , Jamaica , and the Philippines also witnessed protests , both those that focused outward on the US , and those that looked inward at their own issues with police brutality and racism against brown , black , and indigenous communities .
The protests @ @ @ @ @ @ @ system has failed .
And although they ’ re taking place in different time zones and on different days , the demonstrations have become a global mass gathering at a time when many parts of the world are still in lockdown — or just easing out of it — because of the coronavirus .
The pandemic was supposed to be the “ great equalizer ” ; no one immune , everyone vulnerable .
Instead , it laid bare the inequities .
In how lockdown and curfew laws were applied .
In who could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not .
In who got help and who got left behind .
Who got sick and who died .
The violence of George Floyd ’ s death occurred against this backdrop of discontent , in a world that is unrecognizable in a lot of ways — but one that has also amplified inequities .
“ The people knew racism is also like a virus that we ’ ve been dealing with longer , ” Collingwoode-Williams said .
Every day at Vox , we aim to answer your most important questions and provide you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , with information that has the power to save lives .
Our mission has never been more vital than it is in this moment : to empower you through understanding .
Vox ’ s work is reaching more people than ever , but our distinctive brand of explanatory journalism takes resources — particularly during a pandemic and an economic downturn .
Your financial contribution will not constitute a donation , but it will enable our staff to continue to offer free articles , videos , and podcasts at the quality and volume that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a contribution to Vox today .

Thousands of protesters marched against police brutality and racism in Brussels, Belgium, on Sunday. The demonstration was about George Floyd, the black man killed in Minneapolis, Minnesota, when a police officer pressed his knee on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes.
But the protest was also about Belgium: its colonial history, its current inequities. Demonstrators scaled a statue of King Leopold II, the Belgian ruler who killed millions of Congolese people, and hoisted the flag of the Democratic Republic of Congo below it.
It wasn’t just Brussels. Protests have erupted on nearly every continent, many defying coronavirus restrictions. People took to the streets in London, Seoul, Sydney, Monrovia, Rio de Janeiro. A mural honoring Floyd was painted amid the rubble in opposition-held Idlib, Syria.
The video of Floyd’s assault, shared widely on social media, made “people think about how it was relevant where we were,” said Stephanie Collingwoode-Williams, a spokesperson for Belgian Network for Black Lives, a collective formed this week to bring activist organizations together in Belgium.
When Americans went out on the streets to protest, and kept going out day after day after day, it sparked a movement around the world.
And, as in the United States, there are glimmers that, this time, it might be different.
Statues of figures from countries’ colonial pasts are falling. Governments are reexamining policies when it comes to policing. Protesters worldwide are saying the name of George Floyd, but also Collins Khosa and Adama Traoré and Belly Mujinga, black men and women in other countries who died in police custody or whose deaths have not been fully investigated.
What comes next is uncertain — whether protests will continue, whether there will be real change. At this moment, though, “Black Lives Matter” is a global rallying cry and a gut-punch reminder that this message still needs to be repeated everywhere.
The protests went global and stayed that way. Just look at the UK.
Solidarity protests cropped up around the world as uprisings enveloped the United States at the end of May and into June following the police killing of Floyd.
Those have continued and expanded and have now become movements of their own. This is especially true in Western Europe, where many countries are still grappling with their colonial legacies and the systemic inequities minorities, including immigrants from Africa and the Middle East, face.
“We stand alone in terms of creating our momentum — not just responding to what’s happening in the US,” Alex, a 29-year-old organizer with Black Lives Matter UK, told me. “But at the same time, obviously, solidarity is really, really important, and we operate under the same banner, ‘Black Lives Matter.’”
“I think that’s because we understand that what happens over there also happens over here,” she added. And US activists, she said, know that, as well. “And so we understand the connections there as well as the connections with other people and other parts of Europe. So we’ve also connected with groups in Germany, in France, and in Belgium recently,” Alex said. “There’s so much in common.”
In the United Kingdom, anti-racism protests swept the country. In Bristol, England, on Sunday, protesters brought down a statue of Edward Colston, a 17th-century slave trader, spray-painting the figure and throwing him into the harbor. On Monday, according to Sky News, someone posted a sign on the now-vacant pedestal: “This plaque is dedicated to the slaves that were taken from their homes.”
The moment #BlackLivesMattterUK pulled down the statue of merchant slave trader Edward Colston in #Bristol
Epic. pic.twitter.com/fU0BToyLNI — Sam (@SamuelLiddell) June 7, 2020
The downing of the Colston statue has reignited calls to nix or replace other monuments to controversial or racist figures.
Protesters with the Rhodes Must Fall campaign held a sit-in outside of Oxford University, demanding the removal of a statue of British imperialist Cecil Rhodes. The group has been fighting this issue for years but has said the Black Lives Matter protests “reignited” the campaign, per the Guardian. In London, a statue of former Prime Minister Winston Churchill was graffitied, calling him a racist.
Politicians across the political spectrum in the UK denounced the vandalism, even as many expressed solidarity with the larger cause. “I don’t condone at all any attacks on our police or any disorder or criminal damage,” London Mayor Sadiq Khan told Sky News, “but we’ve got to recognize that our public realm, statues, squares, street names don’t accurately reflect our values, or London, in 2020.”
Khan has promised that a committee will review street names and landmarks in London, saying those with ties to slavery should be taken down or changed. On Tuesday, a statue of Robert Milligan, another slave trader, was removed — this time by authorities — outside a London museum.
The UK protests have also focused on police brutality. The protests have revived anger over the death of Mark Duggan, a 29-year-old black man killed by police in 2011 that set off riots in the United Kingdom. Officers said they acted in self-defense because they believed Dugan was armed, and though an inquest found he was not, it still upheld the killing as lawful.
Protesters also refocused attention on the death of Belly Mujinga, a transit worker who died from Covid-19 after a man allegedly coughed on her, though the case was quickly closed. And a well-known rapper in the UK shared a disturbing video of his 62-year-old father Millard Scott, a civil rights activist, who was tased and fell down stairs when the police entered his home.
Police have also used controversial tactics on protesters in recent days, including “kettling” — a crowd-control tactic used by police (including in the US) that corrals demonstrators into a confined space so they can’t leave. Police kettled demonstrators in London for six hours Sunday night, during which they were “left without food, water or access to toilets,” according to Sky News. This is despite the fact that activists and those present said the protests were largely peaceful.
Emmanuel Onapa, a youth leader for social justice group Hackney CVS, said the issues people are protesting in the US also translate to the UK. Black and brown communities in the UK are more policed, more likely to be stopped and searched.
“Defund the police,” he and Alex of Black Lives Matter UK told me, is also becoming a rallying cry, similar to the US — an opportunity to reinvest in communities, especially social service and youth programs.
“The police doesn’t keep us safe, it’s not made to keep us safe — and it’s not even trying to,” Alex told me. “And there are loads of other ways the money can be used to make sure our communities are safe and thriving.”
Much of Europe also saw protests
This sentiment has been repeated elsewhere in Europe, where protests stretched from Ireland to Italy.
About 10,000 people protested against police brutality and racism in Brussels, Belgium, on Sunday.
In April, when Belgium was under coronavirus lockdown, a 19-year-old man identified only as Adil died after his scooter crashed into a police van when he was at a police checkpoint. The neighborhood Adil lived in, Anderlecht, is home to many immigrants, especially from the Middle East and North Africa. His death set off riots in April and has become a cause again during these protests.
Collingwoode-Williams told me that at protests in Brussels, in addition to calls of “Black Lives Matter,” thousands chanted to honor others who died after incidents with police in Belgium: Adil, but also Madwa, a two-year-old Iraqi Kurdish girl struck by police fire, and Mehdi, a teenager run over by a police car in Brussels.
Activists in Belgium have also targeted the country’s ubiquitous monuments and honorifics to King Leopold II. Protesters across the country defaced the landmarks, splashing some with red paint.
One in Antwerp was set on fire and has since been removed — though the right-wing mayor said he did so because it was a “public safety issue,” according to the New York Times. More than 75,000 people have signed a petition asking all Leopold statues to be removed by June 30, the anniversary of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s independence.
Leopold killed millions of Congolese in his exploits, forcing them to work under the threat of cruel violence. Collingwoode-William said to keep the statues up is saying that these, and other black lives, do not matter.
“Sometimes it’s shocking to see that taking down a monument hurts people more than a death,” she said.
In France, protesters are confronting racism and whether the country honors its commitment to equality. “Of course, France and America are very different countries, but they have a common enemy in racism,” Maelle, a 23-year-old protester in Paris told France24. “Nothing will ever change until people are educated about racism.”
The protests have revived calls for justice for Adama Traoré, a 24-year-old French man of Malian descent who was killed in police custody, and many believe was killed by a police chokehold and also couldn’t breathe. This week, the French government said police could no longer use chokeholds when arresting people.
Germany has also seen massive protests, some of the largest outside of the United States, as it reckons with anti-black racism that some activists say is discounted in the country that has strict anti-hate laws because of its Nazi past. “Germany is not innocent,” protesters chanted.
The rest of the world is protesting during the pandemic, too
Many countries outside of Europe have also joined in. The dynamics were the same in many places: solidarity with the United States, and calls for changes at home.
In Israel, protesters crowded around the US Embassy in Tel Aviv. In 2019, Black Lives Matter protests broke out in Israel over the police killing of Solomon Teka, an unarmed 18-year-old Ethiopian Israeli. This week, they revived those calls. In the West Bank, Palestinians also protested, carrying signs for George Floyd and opposing annexation.
In Nairobi, Kenya, hundreds marched against police brutality, which was particularly acute during the country’s coronavirus lockdown. At least 15 people have died from police violence for allegedly breaking curfew; Kenya’s Independent Police Oversight Authority also recorded at least 31 cases of torture or injury.
Boniface Mwangi, an activist, told ABC News that the curfew-related deaths, and Floyd’s killing, showed the “struggles against police brutality are the same everywhere.”
Protesters in South Africa, which has its own deeply fraught history of white supremacy, honored Floyd by demanding change at home. The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), a far-left opposition party, hosted rallies outside US missions across the country, where protesters kneeled for eight minutes and 46 seconds, the length of time the Minneapolis police officer had Floyd pinned to the ground with his knee.
They also used the protests to demand justice for Collins Khosa, who was allegedly beaten to death in April in Johannesburg by the South African National Defence Force, part of the country’s armed forces. Soldiers allegedly accused Khosa of breaking lockdown rules after finding a half-finished glass of beer in his own yard, and, according to a report, they punched, choked, slammed him against a cement wall, hit him in the head with a machine gun, and poured beer all over him as police officers looked on.
Khosa died of blunt force trauma. The South African National Defence Force said it found no wrongdoing by its soldiers, that there was no link between Khosa’s death and the encounter. Some have pointed out the parallels between Floyd and Khosa: the slightness of the alleged offense and the brutality of the police’s response.
Brazil’s version of the George Floyd protests also decried police violence and the administration of Jair Bolsonaro, who has willfully ignored Brazil’s coronavirus disaster.
Brazil has its own complicated racial history, though the country is mostly black or mixed-race. It also has a troubled present with police violence; last year, Rio de Janeiro had a record number of police killings: more than 1,800, according to a New York Times analysis.
Police and military police often kill with impunity in Brazil’s favelas; a Brazilian Senate report said that “the Brazilian state, directly or indirectly, perpetrates the genocide of the young black population.” That same population is also most vulnerable to the coronavirus, and Bolsonaro, who has a history of racist remarks, is doing little to stop it.
Protests also erupted in Seoul, South Korea, and the K-pop group BTS has raised more than $1 million for Black Lives Matter. Protesters took to the streets in Tokyo and Osaka, in Japan, where the Black Lives Matter chapter of the Kansai region organized a protest in honor of Floyd and against racism and police brutality.
“A lot of friends in the U.S., and their families, are participating in the Washington, D.C., protests. Their power to come together gave those of us in Japan the power to come together as well,” said Alyse Sugahara, a 33-year-old African American woman, according to the Japan Times. A local incident also galvanized demonstrators: a video, a few weeks ago, of a Kurdish immigrant dragged from his van by police in Tokyo.
Canada, Australia, Argentina, Jamaica, and the Philippines also witnessed protests, both those that focused outward on the US, and those that looked inward at their own issues with police brutality and racism against brown, black, and indigenous communities. The protests also became memorials to all those the system has failed.
Although they’re taking place in different time zones and on different days, the demonstrations have become a global mass gathering at a time when many parts of the world are still in lockdown — or just easing out of it — because of the coronavirus.
The pandemic was supposed to be the “great equalizer”; no one immune, everyone vulnerable. Instead, it laid bare the inequities. In how lockdown and curfew laws were applied. In who could afford to stay home and who could not. In who got help and who got left behind. Who got sick and who died.
The violence of George Floyd’s death occurred against this backdrop of discontent, in a world that is unrecognizable in a lot of ways — but one that has also amplified inequities. “The people knew racism is also like a virus that we’ve been dealing with longer,” Collingwoode-Williams said.