Comedian John Oliver made his point of the importance of tracing the origin of racist violence, specifically “white supremacist” in policymaking. Currently, he is working on his HBO show June 7 that tackles the racist violence of modern U.S. policing to its white supremacy origins wherein the preservation of power takes a toll. Dating back a few decades where injustices against the black community were more vicious and violent were used as a tool to preserve White power.
“It’s important to understand how deeply policing in this country is entangled with white supremacy,” he said during the 30-minute segment.
Oliver’s Last Week Tonight show aired that gives ample time to tackle the prevalent issue amid weeks of public uprising around the country in response to the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd. The infamous murder and among other examples of brutal and racist policing have erupted the dying patriotism of the Americans.
“Police have not just been just incidentally tainted by racism” Oliver added.
“Some of America’s first law enforcement units were the slave patrols charged with capturing and returning people who had escaped from slavery. And when slavery ended, White people had no intention of letting that be the end of White power.”
He also made his point the timeline of violence against the Black Community was neglected for decades but due to white supremacy. The policy maker seems dormant about the pressing issue. Everybody thinks that if Floyd’s death was not caught in tape, would it ring the loudest bell? The happenings clearly scream how the Government literally hustle down the issue, the obvious reason why people demands for justice for the Black Community who were inflicted with racism.
Quoting from Michelle Alexander’s 2010 book The New Jim Crow: “As one Alabama planter said, in the wake of emancipation, ‘We have the power to pass stringent police laws to govern the Negroes—this is a blessing—for they must be controlled in some way or white people cannot live among them.’”
“I know that’s uncomfortable to hear. It’s certainly uncomfortable for me to say. But if we want to talk about how we got here, it’s important to remember that we got here on purpose.”
“This clearly isn’t about individual officers,” Oliver said.
His statement strongly invokes that the injustices does not only played by the officers, clearly and obviously. It is like in the household, if the patriarch has failed to guide his kids, unfortunate things will happen. As they go out, menace will take place. Likewise, inhumane acts by the police officers or any people in authority exercises are not anymore surprising but it always gives us nothing except disappointment.
“It’s about a structure built on systemic racism that this country created intentionally, and now needs to be dismantled intentionally and replaced with one that takes into account the needs of the people that it actually serves.”
The accountability of unlawful acts must be sought and be the utmost concern. The privilege to commit crimes such as murder can be a no brainer for the people in authority to do so. This implies the lack of knowledge to promulgate order and humanity at the same time. But what can we expect? The executive is already a menace.
“That is the idea behind ‘defund the police,’ if you actually listen to it.”
Oliver stressed out the effectiveness of calm and sustainable protests nationwide. This embodies the dormant spirit that has been awakened by Floyd’s unlawful and untimely death. Artists and musicians are also joining the cause and using their voice to rapidly spread awareness and gather their followers to be part of the movement.
