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A Movement That Raised Public Awareness of the Devaluation of Blacks Essay

Updated September 13, 2022
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A Movement That Raised Public Awareness of the Devaluation of Blacks Essay essay

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African- American communities have been targeted, segregated, and disenfranchised throughout history so consistently that we are able to compare moments in history like the Tulsa Oklahoma Riots (1921), Rodney King Riots (1992), and the protest in response to the Trayvon Martin case (2012). In 1921 a middle class African American community in Tulsa Oklahoma was destroyed by white invaders due to Black WWI veterans of Greenwood attempting to protect a black male by the name of Dick Rowland, who was wrongfully accused of assaulting a white woman (Gilles 2018). March 3rd 1992 in Los Angeles California, a 26 yr. old by the name of Rodney King was beaten by four police officers with batons over 50 times, as 17 other officers witnessed the event. Despite the beatings, the four LAPD officers who were charged with the assault were initially acquitted, this resulted in riots erupting across the city and county of Los Angeles (Williams 2013). In 2012 a 17-year-old boy by the name of Trayvon Martin was shot and killed as a result of neighborhood watch George Zimmerman’s racial profiling. Due to the acquittal of Zimmerman, protest throughout the entire country broke out in support of Trayvon and his family; this was the catalyst for Black Lives Matter (Williams 2013).

Olivia Hooker who was six years old at the time of the Oklahoma riots describes the prestige of this middle class Black Community, Greenwood. “There were successful schools, lawyers, doctors, grocery shop owners and more” (Giles 2018). There were strict laws during that time that prevented blacks from finding jobs in the surrounding area due to Jim Crow laws (Greenwood). Many in this community were WWI veterans who felt that they deserved a job and had earned the right to live the American dream. Before his conviction, Dick Rowland had a job, and was known by Blacks and Whites as a hard working young man. Rowland had access around the area where he worked. In order to use the bathroom, he had to take the elevator that the young white woman serviced. In Dick Rowlands case, he was still held under the surveillance of law enforcement, the white female didn’t even press charges, and even though Dick Rowland was found innocent, there was still a mob of predominantly white men ready to lynch him” (Gilles 2018).

Semi- valley, where the trial of the four LAPD officers was transferred has a higher percentage of white officers and is a predominantly white area, which gave the officers who were accused a better shot at being acquitted (Abcarian 2017). This was a period in a time highly influenced by the “war on drugs” and “Reaganomics”. Semi Valley as well as parts of Lake View terrace where the beating of King happened was also affiliated with the John Birch Society, a “right wing political” group that had a large number of members in Southern California (Abcarian 2017). Before the riots, Semi valley was known for being a middle class White suburb and as a result of the original acquittals of the LAPD officers during King’s trial, Semi Valley continues to be labeled as a racist city (Abcarian, 2017).

When considering the lack of protection through our law enforcement for black and brown people, and a government that would rather protect law enforcement even when their service to black and brown communities is rooted in creating fear, not protection, this theme of racism and discrimination under the guise of law enforcement continues to cause distrust with the system that continues to sell us a false reality that law enforcement serves all people and communities equally. Dick Rowland was wrongfully accused, Rodney King was released with no charges and was forced to live within the economic systems that were never created for Black and brown people to succeed, and Trayvon Martin, simply trying to visit his father, lost his life. All three of these young men’s lives are under heavy surveillance by either White people in the neighborhood or white authority.

Either way, there is a theme that White civilians have authority over Black bodies no matter their economic level, which leaves Black communities in the hands of white destruction with minor consequences. The acquittals of both LAPD officers and Zimmerman, are examples of how laws and law enforcement support of “white superiority”. The support of Florida Governor Rick Spot for the “Stand your ground” law, which helped in the acquittal of George Zimmerman, shows the careless nature that public officials have taken throughout history for Black men (Williams 2013). President Obama made a statement that fits the reality of all three Black young men, even though there is almost 100 years between Dick Rowland and Trayvon Martin. Obama says, ‘There is a history of racial disparities in the application of our criminal laws, A lot of African-American boys are painted with a broad brush. If a white male teen was involved in the same kind of scenario … both the outcome and the aftermath might have been different.'(Williams, 2013).

When Black communities try to provide social welfare for their communities, it has always been met with opposition predominantly from White conservatives controlling the narratives and twisting the intentions of social justice movements. Olivia Hooker became a psychologist and helped form the Tulsa Riot commission which raised awareness of the Riot and made a case for reparations (Gilles 2018). Rodney King noticed the destruction happening in response to the acquittal of the officers. He made a public statement asking people to get along and be a better example for the young and old (Abcarian 2017). Peaceful Protest and the Black Lives Matter movement raised awareness that Black lives have a history of being devalued. As it relates to the Tulsa Riots, I would like to know more about the economy of the surrounding white neighborhoods, information on the man who made the phone call to report Dick Rowland to the police, statistics on the number of Democrats and Republicans in the area, and the placement of Native Americans in Oklahoma.

References

  1. Abcarian, Robin, (2017, May 7). An aggravating anniversary for Simi Valley, where a    not-guilty verdict sparked the ‘92 L.A. riots. LA Times, Retrieved September 31, 2018 from California Journal http://www.latimes.com/local/abcarian/la-me-abcarian-simi-valley-20170507-story.html.
  2. Gilles Nellie, (2018, May 31). Meet The Last Surviving Witness to The Tulsa Race Riot Of 1921. Heard on All Things Considered, Retrieved September 31, 2018. Radio Diaries. https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2018/05/31/615546965/meet-the-last-surviving-witness-to-the-tulsa-race-riot-of-1921.
  3. Greenwood cultural center: Tulsa Race Riot. Retrieved September 31, 2018. http://www.greenwoodculturalcenter.com/tulsa-race-riot
  4. Williams, Mat and Agencies, (2013, July 20). Trayvon Martin protests being held in more than 100 US cities. The Guardian. Retrieved September 31, 2018 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jul/20/trayvon-martin-protests-us-cities.
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