Post 4 - First Amendment, Free Expression, and Current Events

 I am a black woman who has had the pleasure of growing up in DC and living in DC during the 2020 summer protests against police brutality in the wake of the senseless murder of George Floyd. I also am someone who has been the victim and knows many other people who became victims of police brutality during peaceful protests. Since I am decidedly fed up with the only discussion about the protest of this past summer in this class being the villainization of the few violent protesters (many of whom were right wing plants) and how well the proud boys did protesting, I will be discussing the ways in which law enforcement and state government have undermined these laws over the course of the George Floyd protest. 

Note: Not all of the charges against the accused has reached a final verdict yet, however former Officer Derek Chauvin at this moment has been charged with second degree murder, second degree manslaughter and a recently reinstated charge of third degree murder as well. 

The murder of George Floyd happened on May 25 when police were responding to a report of a man using a counterfeit $20 bill. He was then arrested, pinned to the ground by his neck with excessive pressure then that resulted in the loss of his life. Fortunately, we live in the digital age and videos and photographs both from bystanders and the body cams the cops were wearing documented the incident and showed that George Floyd had not resisted arrest thus not requiring extra force to restrain him as well as the fact that he attempted to inform the officer that he was unable to breath via that method of restraint. The photos and videos of this tragedy consumed America and the rest of the world and sparked protests against police brutality and in favor of the Black Lives Matter movement; A movement meant to bring attention to the poor treatment of black people by the very people that are meant to protect us. 

My favorite thing about DC is how involved I get to stay in protest and social issues and being able to educate myself so quickly on information. So, when the protests began in DC, I attended them. My and my good friend were actually on Good Morning America and The Today Show leading a chant during the protests in DC by the White House because on of my friends social justice organizations received a permit to protest, the streets were shut down, and the most peaceful beautiful organized protest that I've attended in all my years of protesting in DC occurred. And thus one would presume that we were, in fact, protected by the first amendment. We practiced out right to speak out against the government (Thank you very much Virginia and Kentucky Resolution), we practiced our right to assemble, and our right to petition. 

What we were being most careful of was 1. that no protesters became violent lest someone god forbid see and the entire movement be condemned as left wing ANTIFA radicalism's instead of people that are upset about a system determined not to change despite the oppressive impact it is having on their citizens, and 2. that we dispersed by the curfew set because of covid. Despite these precautions while peacefully protesting outside the barricade fence of the whitehouse we were all treated to pepper spray and flash bombs which seems to me like an excessive use of force for a group of peaceful protesters. This excessive use of forth both violates our 8 values of free expression, encroached on my constitutional rights, as well as it being an action, not speech that I don't believe constitutes as expressive action which does fall under the unprotected category. 

To sit in a class and talk about everything my side did wrong and everything the other side did right is not only unfair but is pretty microaggressive. If we are going to discuss violations of the bill of rights, constitution, or bedrock principals what have you, then can we at least discuss ones the directly violate the rights and the validity of the individual instead of victimizing a government that caused the oppression we are still struggling to over come today?

Best

Nic Francis