How the Story of Wright Encourages to Start Advocacy Towards African America

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Narrative Essay: Racism in the US
The issue of racism has been a significant problem in the US for a long time. The experiences of blacks are different from those of their white counterparts. It is disturbing to acknowledge that while slavery was abolished on January 31st, 1865, African Americans have continued to suffer in the US. Systematic discrimination has become common where whites openly look down upon the black population. In the end, racism has led to the death of African Americans in the hands of whites. The murder of an African American, Daunte Wright, 20 years, by a white female police officer in Minneapolis, Kimberly Potter, showed how white accords me with privileges that the black population dreams of getting. Racism is a dehumanizing phenomenon that denies dignity to African Americans (Goff et al., 527). The story of Wright is a wake-up call for whites to realize the need to end racism, a problem that has permeated to institutions.
On April 11th, 2021, a friend sent me a disturbing video that I later realized was circulating online. The footage was bodycam footage from the police showing the events leading to the killing of Wright. Around 2 pm local time, police pulled over Wright because he had an expired registration on his license place. The released footage starts minutes after the stop, and police walk into the car are seen stepping out of the vehicle. The officers try to have Wright into custody when they discover he has an outstanding arrest warrant. However, Wright, who was unarmed at the time, starts to protest while the police try to handcuff him. Wright slips and gets back into the vehicle. A police officer, Potter, discharges her firearm using the right hand. Wright drives away, and Potter is left shouting, "…I just shot him." After being shot, Wright drove off, where he collided with a vehicle at an intersection.
This is not the first time that African Americans have suffered as a result of police brutality. The clip reminded me of the events following the murder of George Floyd on May 25th, 2020, by a while white Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. The police officer knelt on the neck of Floyd, preventing him from breathing well. In the viral video, Floyd, 46 years, is heard shouting "I can't breathe," "Please," and "Mama." Floyd would be pronounced dead at 9:25 pm on the same day at the Hennepin County Medical Center. It was so sad that a police officer could shoot an unarmed 20-year-old Wright. The Brooklyn Center police Chief Tim Gannon would later hold a conference and release body camera footage, later circulated online. Gannon maintained that Potter intended to use a Taser but instead pulled a gun.
Following the murder of Wright, protesters and mourners called for justice for the victim. As the police attempted to control the crowd, some individuals became unruly and hurled rocks at the officers. Looting also started, as some protesters took advantage of the situation to loot nearby shops. At the same time, police vehicles were vandalized. The protests and riots opened my mind to the injustices that happened to the black community in Minneapolis and America. It had not hit me that I had ...