On May 25, George Floyd died in Minneapolis after officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds. Floyd was in police custody due to an allegation of handling a counterfeit $20 bill at a local convenience store.
Throughout the Bay Area, University of South Florida students are taking a stand through campaigns on social media and attending protests calling for justice for Floyd.
“I can’t breathe” is cried out as protests and demonstrations have flooded streets all over the nation. People begging for justice to be served with signs raised above heads calling attention to the Black Lives Matter movement.
Students such as Henry Burrows, USFSP senior and education major, described these protests as a place where people just want to take care of each other. Burrows said he felt pride in protesting, continuing to explain that the reason for being so involved is to practice what he plans to teach.
“I want to become a teacher and I want to have kids of my own. I decided that when those future kids look up at me and ask ‘What did you do for my rights? Did you fight for me and for the right thing?’ I wanted to be able to say ‘Yes,’” said Burrows.
And Burrows is not the only student enacting for change. Caitlyn Roland, a junior in biology, shared the same frustrations as Burrows. When asked about their reaction to hearing about Floyd’s death, they both said they were not surprised.
Roland explained that this happens every day, and the only difference is that those officers were being filmed.
“Every time I see something like this circulating around, all I can think about are my two brothers and how something as simple as the color of their skin could cost them their lives,” said Roland.
Her drive to attend protests is sparked from her own experiences. Her goal in sharing her involvement with the movement on social media is to show people how easy it is to get out and support something bigger than themselves and encourage individuals to act.
“These times have revealed many people that I considered friends who were so ignorant on the subject of systemic racism and the meaning of these protests. So many people post hashtags and do nothing at all,” said Roland.
Similar to Roland and Burrows, marine biology junior, Frankie Vasic, is marching as well. Vasic stated that she began questioning the validity of the country as an institution since the events of Floyd’s death, forcing her to act and call for justice.
“I was at first outraged and shocked at the brutality of the situation and the injustice of minorities in America,” said Vasic.
Throughout her protesting in Hixon Park, Vasic described the experience to be peaceful until police increased and became hostile towards the crowds. She described the experience of being contained by police, even though the crowd was not violent or “getting out of hand.”
Vasic included that the marching did not stop just because there were officers present, however she did at times feel unsafe and uncomfortable.
After several weeks of protests, with more continue, those interested in getting involved can donate, volunteer, and protest to help the Black Lives Matter movement.