A Downturn in U.S. Race Relations
After reflecting on the remarks of the keynote speakers this past MLK day, it is clear that there is still much work to be done to bring true equality to people of all ethnicities. The need for everyone to work towards this goal was clearly demonstrated by the events of Tuesday, Jan. 3. That day, four black friends attacked a white special needs man in Chicago, torturing him and streaming it over Facebook live. They tied him up, cut his head with a knife and proceeded to use his wound as an ashtray for their cigarettes. One of the kidnappers reportedly knew the victim, using their acquaintance to convince his parents to drop him off for a supposed sleepover. The man was later reported missing and forced to live in his captors’ stolen van. In addition to being bound, gagged and beaten, the four black suspects pictured in the live stream. 18-year-old Brittany Covington, 24-year-old Tanisha Covington, 18-year-old Tesfaye Cooper and 18-year-old Jordan Hill, forced the man to drink water from a toilet.
"This latest conflict marks a new downturn in U.S. race relations. These show no sign of improvement; the issue is not highly placed on the new administration’s agenda."
Nonetheless, the Chicago police spokesman declared that the hate crime was not racially motivated, yet, by the suspects’ own admission, they did make “terrible racist statements.” The denial that race was a factor in any way has since been seconded by President Obama. Instead, they used the victim’s mental disabilities as an excuse for motive; they said that the attack is not a reflection on worsening race relations, despite blinding evidence to the contrary. The four perpetrators now face charges of aggravated kidnapping, aggravated unlawful restraint, aggravated battery and hate crime, and Hill faces charges for the stolen van.
While tortured, the unnamed victim made enough noise to alert neighbors, who called the police. Three of the four attackers left the room to break into the neighbor's apartment, allowing the victim to escape. A nearby police officer noticed the bloodied and bruised victim looking out of place in shorts and a t-shirt in the middle of winter. He walked over to ask what was wrong. The victim was then delivered to a hospital, and has since then been reunited with his family. The four attackers were taken into custody, where they admitted to all wrongdoing, but they expressed no remorse. Not only the public was sickened by the video, but the actions depicted in the video abhorred Supt. Eddie Johnson and the White House press secretary, who described the video as depicting “a level of depravity that is an outrage to a lot of Americans.” The response to the beating has also been racially charged, with many falsely describing it as a Black Lives Matter kidnapping, using the hashtag #BLMKidnapping on social media.
The video was originally posted to Facebook, but has since been removed by the company. Still struggling with the implications of regulating their site more heavily, Facebook was at the center of the recent fake news controversy. Now, they must decide how to go about staying true to their users while using their influence carefully. The same is shown in their recent actions, deciding if removing videos, although they may violate site guidelines, is an infringement on the rights of their users.
This latest conflict marks a new downturn in U.S. race relations. These show no sign of improvement; the issue is not highly placed on the new administration’s agenda. The country seems more polarized now than in recent years, not solely due to the presidential race. The divide extends further than just Republicans and Democrats; it includes conflicts between police officers and the communities they are tasked with keeping safe. Furthermore, it plainly illustrates the need for both sides of any given issue to work together towards a solution, rather than creating movements around placing blame or turning to radical world views purely because they are different.