A perfect storm that was waiting to happen
The killing, racism, police brutality, Covid-19 and Trump factor sparked unrest
The US protests may have been sparked by the death of George Floyd, however, the nationwide demonstrations, which turned violent in some cities, are just the latest display of rage that has been simmering for decades over institutionalised racism, especially within the law enforcements agencies and the increasing distrust in the government, particularly among minorities in the US.
With President Donald Trump’s blatantly polarising tweets and the coronavirus pandemic in full swing, the world has gotten a probably prolonged ‘perfect storm’. Despite this, however, few believe that the protests will have a major impact on the 2020 presidential elections.
His rival, Democratic former senator Joe Biden, has been sympathetic towards the protesters hoping to capitalise on the all-important black vote.
Racism steeped in history
“We have a legacy of racism that goes back to the beginning of the country, hundreds of years ago,” said James Zogby, managing director of the Zogby Research, which specialises in opinion polling. “Even after these hundreds of years, our cities are still physically divided — you have white neighbourhoods and black neighbourhoods,” he told Gulf
News in an interview. Zogby, a well-known civil rights advocate, said racism among police forces in the US is endemic. “Floyd is not the first victim [of police brutality and racist practices] and won’t be the last,” he added, noting that there is “an increasing militarisation of the police force” in America.
Israeli training
He said a great number of the member of the police forces in the US have been trained by the Israeli army in Israel, under training tours organised by pro-Israel groups in the US. “Some of the police behave in black or minorities neighbourhood as they were in occupied territories,” he remarked.
In the past six years alone, dozens of black Americans have been shot dead by the police in different parts of the country. The current protests remind us of the May 1992 Los Angeles riots, a watershed moment that began in southcentral Los Angeles on April 29, after a court acquitted four officers of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) for brutality in the arrest and beating of a black man, Rodney King, which had been videotaped by a bystander and widely viewed in TV broadcasts. By the time the riots ended after the intervention of the National Guard, 63 people had been killed, 2,383 people injured and more than 12,000 had been arrested.
Police impunity
“The police enjoy some sort of impunity,” Zogby said. The powerful police unions protected those police officers who have in the past been accused of racism and brutality. “These officers know they will not be punished,” he added.
Virus and unemployment
The perception of institutionalised racism was also displayed during the coronavirus crisis, which led to unprecedented crunch in global economies. More than 40 million Americans lost their jobs in the past three months alone, according to official numbers by the Department of Labour. The rate of unemployment among blacks is twice that of white Americans.
In Washington, DC, the percentage of out-of-work black residents outpaces white residents at a rate of about 6 to 1, according to a report by the Washington Post on June 1.
Release of frustration
The high unemployment, because of the Covid-19 impact, may not be a key motive for the protests, but Zogby believes that the protests offered “a release” for those who have been sheltering at home without income for months. They may have seen the protests as a way to get back at a government that failed to protect their jobs.
When official institutions fail to “serve the people in the wake of coronavirus, more political unrest” is expected, said Milos Maricic, an expert on revolutions and a World Economic Forum contributor, as more people lose faith in the government.
We have a legacy of racism that goes back to the beginning of the country ... Even after hundreds of years you have white neighbourhoods and black neighbourhoods.”
Distrust of the government
The prevailing distrust, especially among the younger generation and minorities, specifically blacks and Hispanics, in the government’s ability to deal with the major issues plaguing US society is a key driver behind the rage displayed in the Floyd protests, he noted.
He pointed out recent studies, by Pew and Deloitte, that show more people in the US are losing confidence in their government’s ability or willingness to deal with such issues as racism.
The Pew survey, conducted late last year, shows that white Americans show high levels of trust in the government (27 per cent) that is twice as high as the share of black (13 per cent) and Hispanic adults (12 per cent).
“With minorities and young people, trust in government to ‘do the right thing’ is even lower,” Maricic told Gulf News.
The apparent poor initial response of the current administration to the coronavirus outbreak is another reason for the increasing mistrust. President Trump did little to bridge the gap. On the contrary, he initially dismissed Covid-19 as a ‘hoax’, the same way he has been dismissing the Floyd protesters as ‘thugs and lowlifes’.
James Zogby | Director, Zogby Research
40m Americans have lost jobs in the past three months
6 to1 ratio of out-of-work blacks to whites
Trump’s divisive tweets
Trump, supported by most white Americans, has poor record when it comes to issues relevant to minorities. That record may not be a factor in the current protests, but his tweets and statements in the past week “inflamed” the situation, Zogby contended.
“Racism predates Trump. But in these events, he put gasoline on the fire,” he noted, pointing to such statements as the “lowlifes” tweet.
These statements don’t make Trump look like the president of the nation, Zogby said, but “more like a white nationalist leader.”
However, Zogby and others don’t think protests and the president’s reactions would impact this year’s presidential elections. But they will likely add to the intensity of the polls.
“Those who support Trump, among the white population, will continue to support him and those who don’t will oppose him,” he explained. But his attitude will lead to more people voting — those who support him would insist to vote to keep him in office and those who oppose him to get him out.