Racial tensions are on the rise as controversial police shootings and use of force have occurred in the United States. This major social unrest started on May 25, 2020, when a man named George Floyd was killed by a police officer after the officer kneeled on his neck for eight minutes and forty-six seconds. Protests in the name of the Black Lives Matter movement led to riots in major cities of the United States which caused even more racial turmoil. With more of these unjustified acts by police, it grows more obvious that change is needed expeditiously. 

Black Lives Matter is a social movement established in 2013 that specifically confronts police brutality, violence and inequalities in the justice system against the Black race. There has been a rise in the activity of this movement due to the recent events of the excessive use of force by police officers against African-Americans. But these events aren’t anything new. Black people are killed by police officers at a disproportionate rate when it comes to police shootings. According to the most recent census data, there are nearly 160 million more white people in America than there are black people. Black people only make up 13% of the US population, but make up 25% of citizens killed by police. White people only make up 47% of police killings while making up 62% of the population. According to an analysis done by the Washington Post, Black people are 2.5 times more likely to be shot and killed by police officers than white people are. These numbers are examples of why the Black Lives Matter movement exists. 

Black Lives Matter also protests against the injustices within the judicial system of the United States. There are a lot of disparities in treatment between Black people and white people within the justice system. While making up 13% of the population, Black people make up 47% of exonerations according to a study done by the University of Michigan’s law program. Not only that, but Black people are also seven times more likely to be wrongfully convicted of murder than white people, 3.5 times more likely to be wrongfully convicted of sexual assault than white people, and 12 times more likely to be wrongfully convicted of drug possession than white people according to that same study done by the University of Michigan’s law program. These disparities shouldn’t exist when it comes to the livelihood of US citizens. These numbers show why there are protests in the United States because people are fed up with these inequalities, and change needs to come.

Even with these numbers, some people still refuse to acknowledge the inequality in America. They hear the cries of Black Lives Matter and respond with “All Lives Matter” or with “Blue Lives Matter.” As social media takes a part in broadcasting these events, it’s even turned political with liberals backing the Black Lives Matter Movement and conservatives backing the blue (police officers). Black Lives Matter continues to reiterate that their intent was never to act as if Black lives matter more than others, but to show the inequalities in the US. Being treated equally shouldn’t be a political opinion; it is a human right. 

These protests and riots aren’t because of recent events. They are because of tolerance boiling over. They are because of patience coming to an end. Black Lives Matter is fighting for a group of people who don’t feel safe where they stay and for a group of people who just want to be treated equally.