By Wale Adele
With the aggressive progress of technology (ICT) around the world, especially in the western world and partially Asia, the rest peoples of the world had concluded that certainly all animals were not equal.
But the year 2020 has changed all that and actually convinced us that we all have red blood in our veins regardless of race, creed, colour or race. Two major events of global catastrophic proportions have left mankind with a subdued ego and brought us all to a leveller table.
When, in latter days of the year 2019, news broke out of a novel virus killing people in droves in a town named Wahun, China, little did anyone knew that it would soon become a global pandemic that would forever reshape the world we live.
Living in the United States of America (USA), and particularly under the type of leadership presently superintending over the affairs of the country that prides itself the number one in everything, could give one a false sense of immunity and shield from the impending doom. But, alas, America was caught pants down as it began to wail like a wailing woman beaten blue black by a monster husband. It did dawn on the citizens that they were as helpless as my African brothers under the pang of the ravaging coronavirus (COVID-19).
While still battling the problem of how to get out of the pandemic, 47-year-old George Floyd, a black American, Texan as they call themselves, was killed in broad daylight by four racist police officers in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Not that he died alone attracted global outrage, but the manner of his killing and the postures of those in government that suggested the killing was normal, instantly led to protests in the vicinity of the crime and later sparked a global protest against a terrible legal system that allows reckless killing of innocent people simply because of the color of their skin.
The entire media world was almost caught in the web of the western establishment as the initial reportage was taken from the government angle namely, that the man died in police custody, rather than saying he was murdered outrightly. But it didn’t take long before this was corrected and the world began to read the correct reports of the dastardly killings, no thanks to a courageous 17-year-old high school student who recorded the event and sent same to the internet.
While the state, MN, was trying to address the problem by ordering the arrest and prosecution of the officers, especially after its initial tongue-in-cheek had met a virulent opposition from the pro black group under the aegis of “BLACK LIVES MATTER”, the government at the centre felt otherwise and that led to further spread of the protests that today has redefined the relationship between the various peoples in America.
Until the killing of George, I never knew anyone could make a law preventing prosecution of any police officer no matter what crimes committed. I never knew that the repealed 1970 law that prevented any black from instituting a law suit against a white man was still in force in America. I never knew or ever thought a time like this would come when Americans will be so divided along the colour of their skin as we now have it today.
And it never crossed my wildest imagination that America, which prides itself as the leading light of democracy, can descend this low. I have my fears now heightened the more about the future of my country where a few people have never hidden their belief that they own the rest of us and the country. They now manifest this in the running of the affairs of Nigeria.
May God help us!!!
Quote:
“Until the killing of George, I never knew anyone could make a law preventing prosecution of any police officer no matter what crimes committed. I never knew that the repealed 1970 law that prevented any black from instituting a law suit against a white man was still in force in America.”
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