White Americans are guilty of manipulating and twisting current events to always point the blame (and the guns) at black and brown citizens. We, as white people, can use our skin color as protection and security, knowing that we will never be attacked, suspected or persecuted based on the color of our skin. In the worst cases, this knowledge is used against those who are oppressed, unintentionally creating the opportunity for police brutality and asserting white privilege within the justice system.

The Amy Cooper situation exemplifies the open racism and manipulation that is used against black and brown people every day. Her 911 call made her intentions clear: to put Christian Cooper in the wrong for being black and use her white privilege to play the victim. Amy Cooper managed to turn the law against him simply by emphasizing his race and she was the one breaking the rules. She even lied that her life was being threatened, prompting further police aggression. Even more so, she called in hysterics, urging and pleading to send officers, all while Christian Cooper calmly recorded the interaction. His reaction is a product of the systemic racism in America; if he reacted differently, who knows what the police would have done? That video most likely saved him from the unfortunate fate of so many others.

This type of white manipulation and oppression has been occurring for years with the cops being called on people of color for playing golf, having a barbecue, shopping, going home and operating businesses.

In the case of George Floyd, it’s clear the initial 911 call and murder were based on race. What has not been made apparent, however, is the white manipulation within the protests and looting, and the response of the police and president.

I think it’s important to acknowledge that looting is a form of protest that emphasizes money, corporations and objects are valued above human, civilian lives within the U.S. I don’t believe looting should have happened, as it served as an outlet for the oppressors to turn the fault back onto the oppressed. The message of the act has not been accepted by the intended audience because, instead, it has been projected as a crime against American values and companies with disregard for human life and livelihoods. The message has been manipulated and twisted by those who refuse to acknowledge why it is occurring.

It’s also very difficult to assess how the peaceful protests in Minneapolis and other cities across the U.S. ended in violence, arrests and destruction. Several videos exposed white antagonists that provoked the police to apply unnecessary force. One of such is of a white man who played gunshot audio from his phone during a peaceful protest. Obviously, the protest unraveled to chaos after people heard the fake shots being fired. He is guilty of intentionally using his race to manipulate the outcome in a fight for justice. More shocking still is the video of white men and women vandalizing a fire station, while a black protester pleads through a megaphone to stop. White manipulation during protests is undermining the goal of justice and destroying cities.

In several other videos, police response is not only inappropriate, but extremely appalling as the violence was initiated by unprovoked police. In the past four days, I have seen videos of police savagely beating protesters trying to run to safety, usually several officers against one protester. I have seen an officer open his car door as he drives by a protester, slamming it into his body. I have seen a large police officer violently push a protester to the ground and walk away while she cradles her head, which you can hear smack the cement. I have seen an officer trample a protester with the horse he was riding and give no reaction. I have seen officers spray tear gas and rubber bullets into gatherings of peaceful protesters. I have seen officers arrest a black CNN reporter on air while a white reporter two blocks away remained untouched. I have seen officers shoot rubber bullets at reporters authorized to cross police borders. I have seen two police cars accelerate into a crowd of protesters. I have seen an officer ignore the white protesters nearby to single out the black protester, pull down his face mask and spray Mace directly into his face. I have seen military tanks and officers march down Minneapolis neighborhood streets, screaming “Light ‘em up,” and shoot rubber bullets at the civilians standing on their balconies.

In every video mentioned above, the police acted without provocation.

It’s extremely difficult to accept the fact that our police forces are corrupt with racism and criminal acts that go ignored. More difficult still is the action of exposing the corruption, incarcerating officers who break the law and breaking apart the systematic racism that runs the justice system. However, it’s easy for people in power to manipulate the truth, leading you to see what they want you to see and hear what they want you to hear. 

For example, white government officials, such as Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and President Donald Trump have twisted the story, insisting that “…last night is a mockery of pretending this is about George Floyd’s death or inequities or historical traumas to our communities of color,” and the protesters are not people demanding justice but “THUGS [that are] are dishonoring the memory of George Floyd.” They undermine the legitimacy of all protesters and persuade the public that protesters are fighting to destroy communities. They do not address the peaceful protests met with police violence targeting people of color, which is the real dishonor to George Floyd. They do not address the actual cause of the escalating protests: protesters fighting for justice are met by tear gas, batons, tazors, handcuffs, rubber bullets, military tanks, oppression and discrimination. They do not address the crimes the police have committed to maintain “order.” Officers and government officials did not need a reason to attack. They only needed a victim to blame for disrupting the order that was a mirage in the first place. They will continue to warp the image of protesters until the truth is buried with George Floyd.

I would like to point out that Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz took full responsibility for the arrest of CNN reporter Omar Jimenez and his crew, which I believe is a step in the right direction.

The context of the current events is more than what you see on CNN or Fox News or hear from government officials. I have not been to the protests and I cannot pretend to comprehend the anger, loss and fear that black and brown Americans face every day, or the true chaos that cities nationwide are facing, but I am beginning to understand how white manipulation is used to continually oppress people of color in the U.S. 

Megan Hellman, sophomore in biological systems engineering.