Daylight turned to Darkness
By Ashley Tribble, Wisteria Magazine
On May 30, 2020, 16-year-old Sophia Borth decided to participate in her first protest demanding justice throughout America against the mistreatment of African Americans. Like many other protestors, she wanted to speak out of a place of passion and hurt for the black community. This particular protest was held in Charlotte, North Carolina, and was labeled a peaceful protest to promote a nonviolent outcry for change, which proved to be a successful demonstration after protestors were able to convince several police officers to take a knee in support of the movement. However, as daylight turned into darkness, peace turned into conflict. Sophia began to notice a shift in mood between the police and the activists. The cry for Black Lives Matter was beginning to be met with tear gas and rubber bullets.
Sophia serves as an eyewitness of this turn of events and states that she saw violence escalate to the point where police officers were utilizing their physical strength to dominate the protestors. This included pushing and shoving of protestors, as well as “throwing down people.” As fear began to resonate within many protestors, Sophia felt the need to do something to protect those who felt most vulnerable. Using her privilege as a white individual, she began to interlock arms with other white protestors to create a human shield as a form of protection. Unfortunately, this act of courage was also met with rubber bullets, one of them striking Sophia.
Similar stories of peaceful protests "gone bad" continue to emerge every single day. The continued use of tear gas and rubber bullets to control these nonviolent demonstrations that pose no threat is now begging the recurring question, “Why are Cops doing this?” These instances of brute force are the very reason people continue to have negative perceptions of police officers. The continued patterns of aggression without cause explain the growing movement that advocates for questioning and reform. At what point will these actions be condemned?
Even with protests sparking nationwide, these cries for justice seem to continue without any answers.
