George Floyd passed away as a white police officer knelt on his neck, and he tried to convey that he couldn't breathe. Soon after, a video of the incident surfaced, triggering worldwide outrage, and large scale protests across America.
While the protests began in Minnesota, they have now spread across the country.
There have also been incidents of looting, arson and valdalism. Several people have died, and many, both civillians and police officials have been injured. Thousands have been arrested.
Against this backdrop, there emerged on Wednesday a video where one person can be seen filming people walking on the sidewalk. Partway through the video, an object comes flying at the videographer, shattering the window. A second projectile follows. The video ends as a second individual in the house continues to yell that "we're on your s
The video has left netizens divided. On one hand, it is much easier to be on one 'side' from the comforts of your own home as music plays in the background than out on the streets standing up for what you believe in. Taken by itself this incident seems to suggest armchair activism, or worse, lip service on the parts of those filming videos through their windows. As one Twitter user put it, "This is the real-life equivalent of posting a black screen on social media."
Now, to be fair, it can be said that not everyone who has joined the George Floyd protests seem to have his best interests at heart. After all, there are those walking into stores with the sole intent of stealing. And vandalism, whether provoked or not, is frowned upon by most people. In this sense, the ire of some on Twitter make sense.
To quote an user, "So you have to physically protest to show support? And if not our windows should be broken?"
Take a look at some of the comments:
