george floyd

Frustrated individuals have been protesting all over the country in search of justice for George Floyd and other black victims of racist police departments. There have been numerous vigils and memorial services for both Floyd and Breonna Taylor in recent weeks, and it seems that House Democrats felt they should do something meaningful themselves. Unfortunately, their idea was to don Kente cloth stoles while taking a knee for the 8 minutes and change that Floyd had a knee to the neck - which ultimately killed him. 

The move, which was paired with the announcement of the  "Justice in Policing Act of 2020," has been dismissed by many as a shallow and empty PR display. Other people find it straight up disrespectful, with Obianuju Ekeocha dismissing the use of Kente as a prop in their virtue signalling. But most tweets focus on the absurd hilarity of dems playing dress up. And they're pretty damn funny.

As anti-racism protests continue to be held around the United States following the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, many people are receiving some serious education in the area of race relations and the way police treat people of color. Given the climate, comic Kenny DeForest thought it was the right time to share this story from 2015. Dave Chappelle was a surprise guest at one of DeForest's shows at the Knit in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and the crowd (who may have been hoping for a standard set) received a sobering and eye-opening story about the history of black people and police in the US. By the end, even people who initially made light of his tale were humbled and grateful for the experience. It feels very relevant right now, and is a testament to the fact that it is possible to change minds.

As the country nears a week of protests following the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor by police, there's been an influx of people and brands showing their support on social media. #BlackoutTuesday, which happened yesterday, was probably the largest show of virtual solidarity yet. The "movement," which was mostly on Instagram and Twitter, called for the "muting" of usual programming such as work promotions, art, and lifestyle posting. To show support, many people and brands began posting black squares to their timelines, as an attempt to highlight black voices and information regarding police brutality. Early in the day there was a backlash regarding the apparent censorship of these very voices - it seemed many social users were hashtagging #Blacklivesmatter and creating a literal blackout of important movement information. But as @RespectableLaw, a progressive lawyer who supports working families, pointed out in a fascinating Twitter thread, there are other problems with the squareposting.

Many big brands, from Nike to Microsoft, were eager to adopt the passive show of support. At first glance, it's nice to see corporations take the side of the people who make them profitable. @RespectableLaw, however, took to Twitter to show how many of these brands have extremely shady and inhumane business practices. Most of them have used child labor. There may not be such a thing as ethical consumption right now, but it's important to realize that brands are not your friends - and they have a lot of work to do before their passive shows of solidarity are taken seriously,.

As protests and riots rage in every corner of the United States, Youtuber Jake Paul apparently couldn't resist pulling some predictably heinous shit. The problematic 23-year-old (and millionaire) was filmed among a group of looters in an Arizona mall - even caught on camera accepting stolen vodka from a looted P.F. Chang's. The videos, which were filmed by his photographer and videographer Andrew Blue, were not received well by the internet. 

Much of the backlash involves the immense insensitivity of hijacking what is supposed to be a peaceful protest regarding the treatment of Black Americans, and specifically last Monday's murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis by police officers. Many people feel that Paul, and other people who are using the protests as an excuse to loot and set things on fire, undermine the the purpose of the demonstrations and shows of support. In response to the backlash, Jake Paul released at statement on social media, claiming he took no part in the looting - and that he and his friends were there to share the experience. 

The apology is definitely garnering some violently rolled eyes, especially considering the footage that is public for the world to see. It wouldn't be the first time that Jake, or his equally dense brother, Logan, seemed to use a tragic and serious situation to boost their clout. Sadly, it probably won't be the last.