By Hannah Rose Williams
As nationwide protests continue in the wake of George Floyd’s killing by a Minneapolis police officer, high school students in Greater Morristown are struggling to process what the death says about the country they will inherit.
“The fact of the matter is, George Floyd’s murder was not an isolated case,” said Morristown High School junior Jordan Robinson, who is African American.
“George Floyd was yet another man murdered because of his skin color and this is the last straw. The black community will no longer stand for being antagonized as a result of our melanin.”
Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, was laid to rest Tuesday in Texas. He died in Minnesota on Memorial Day, unarmed and in handcuffs, after then-Police Officer Derek Chauvin used his knee to pin Floyd’s neck to the pavement for nearly nine minutes.
Chauvin, who is white, ignored Floyd’s pleas that he could not breathe. Chauvin and three other officers at the scene were fired, and they now face criminal charges: Murder and manslaughter for Chauvin, and aiding and abetting those crimes for the others.
The incident, captured on video seen around the world, has sparked demonstrations in all 50 states. Many have been peaceful; others, in Minneapolis, New York, Los Angeles, Trenton and elsewhere, have turned violent, with police vehicles being burned and stores being looted and destroyed.
Over eight days of demonstrations protesting Floyd’s death and race-based police practices, 62,000 National Guardsmen were deployed and more than 4,400 people were arrested, according to Forbes Billionaires.
In interviews via social media, eight local students of assorted ethnicities expressed feelings of sadness, anger, confusion and remorse as they
grappled with how to overcome racism in America.
Kristina LaMontagne, a junior at Morristown High who is white, said she was shocked to realize the power that police have.
“Then I realized that this is not the first time this has happened. Many other people of color have died from police brutality, but it was not as noticeable on the news and only an ‘event’ to people,” LaMontagne said.
“Because I am white and have privilege I will never understand the fear that people of color have, but I will stand and use my privilege so people of color can live in their country in peace.”
Another white student, Lindsay Mariono, a junior attending the Morristown- Beard School, said the killing of George Floyd was a wake-up call, “a huge realization point for me of how bad racism really is and how there needs to be a change.”
Courtney Kahn, described a similar reaction.
“Growing up in Florham Park, there is close to no diversity. I surrounded myself with mostly white kids and didn’t really ever think about the environment I was putting myself in.
“However I’ve come to realize that no one should ever let themselves lose sight of the value of another human. I can see the injustice and the inequality, and I am going to work every day to advocate for those who are oppressed, beaten down, and murdered because of the color of their skin,” Kahn said.
Another student from Morristown-Beard, Jess Patricia, has a different perspective of police.
“Hearing about George Floyd’s murder was upsetting and hard to comprehend. As a daughter of a police officer and being around law enforcement my whole life, it is hard to even imagine that a person with that power could do such a thing. I hope that officers learn from (Chauvin’s) mistakes and the world that we live in starts to change in a positive way from here on out.”
Ronak Shetty, a junior from Seton Hall Prep who is an Indian American, said people must make their voices heard on Election Day.
“I once did not fully understand the Black Lives Matter movement. I was ignorant, and I was not educated about the history of African Americans in this country,” Shetty said.
“America continues to make black people feel like they are ‘less than.’ The brutal murder of George Floyd serves as an example to how horrific the amount of hate is in our nation. In order for us to better the United States, we must realize that Black Lives Matter and we need to remember that this November is the time we all need to vote for big, bold, progressive change!”
Ximena Castro, a Latinx student from Morrisown High School, described the pain of watching video of George Floyd’s death.
“I remember when I first saw the video two days after it happened and it just broke me down, it ruined my whole day,” she said. “I don’t know how someone can put someone’s life at harm for no good reason and have no remorse. It disgusts me.”
At least 12 people have died at protests around the country, and nearly 20,000 National Guard troops have been deployed in 24 states, according to news accounts.
Erika Phanord, a junior at Morristown Beard who is African American, remembered the uproar when former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick took a knee during the National Anthem.
“This was a peaceful protest to highlight the inequalities in our country. Some would prefer all of this to disappear quietly. The truth is, we want peace, but not quiet,” Phanord said.
“We can’t be quiet because for any movement to gather momentum, we need people watching. Without the volume, nobody will want to listen because they would not want to admit that they are benefiting from the system.
“People are now watching because it is loud, and, in some instances, there has been financial hits. The rioting is unfortunate. However, anyone who brings up Martin Luther King quotes must remember that slavery, as despicable as we all agree today that it was, ended with the Civil War.”
Tomiwa Oluwasola, another African American student, said it’s important to be aware and not block out America’s problems.
“It’s sad to think I have been so accustomed and desensitized to the death, abuse, and maltreatment of Black people, that hearing another person speak of yet another death wasn’t enough to make me even Google it,” Oluwasola said.
“It took a few days before I was fully enraged at the death of George Floyd. The fact that these officers have been employed to be civil servants and to help people, but instead so many of them are hurting our people and constantly causing grief, is extremely upsetting.”
Robinson, the Morristown High School junior, said systemic racism and oppression have been swept under the rug for far far too long. Differences should be celebrated, not persecuted.
“Hear our voices,” he said.
To Breathe
Same story just a different name they say,
But country wide protests can’t take our pain away.
George Floyd fought and pled for nine minutes straight
Just for his last breaths to be cut off from a knee full of hate.
The three other officers didn’t step in
Accomplices to murder leaving an African American man dead due to the color of his skin.
When are we going to be able to step out of our houses without worry?
When will the fate of our perpetrators’ lives be decided by an unbiased jury?
All lives matter so protecting Black lives must be a priority
Together we can make change for the benefit of the minority.
Some say, in times of adversity… “just breathe”
But why is it that George Floyd’s last words were “I Can’t Breathe?”
And why is it that Eric Garner cried out “I Can’t Breathe?”
WE need answers!
They were denied the opportunity to “just breathe.”
At the root of hatred and racism is where we must go
To alleviate and prevent its constant grow
That way unity may be fostered and accountability may be expected
And it’s not the same story, or a different black life left unprotected.
—Jordan Greenaway, Morristown Beard ’21
