Amber Ruffin claims that the response to police violence is more violence to the peaceful protestors and the journalists; and that the black’s lives matter. Ruffin claims that the police kneeling is a kind gesture but proposes that instead, they should stand up and make a move to help the victims of police violence. She agrees that acting in collaboration with the blacks is encouraging, but it can’t help as long as their corrupt colleagues don’t stop their poor habits. In her claim, Amber stresses that the police are not only harassing the protestors but also the innocent journalists who are playing their roles without taking sides. She puts this across using a clip in which press personnel is shot using a rubber-bullet while on air. Amber argues that people want leaders who can help, either by action or words. She states that instead of any leader, saying anything that may widen the racial rifts, they would rather keep quiet as she says, at the beginning of the video, that Joe Biden should stop talking and wait for his votes.
I agree with Amber Ruffin in her claim that the president is doing nothing in helping the protesting blacks and their allies. She states that people need leaders who have the guts to stay put for the people’s safety, both whites and blacks, Americans, and non-Americans. A lot was indeed going on when the police killed George Floyd. It was the time when the Covid-19 was seriously spreading and killing many Americans. It means that protests, whether violent or peaceful, could aid the spread of the virus, and therefore, it needed an urgent solution than the pandemic itself. However, the president, Donald Trump, does not respond appropriately; he instead mobilized all the local and federal resources, military and civilian, to stop rioting and looting and to protect the one unifying law uniting the Americans. In the video, he further reacts by opening the online churches without really tackling the main issue, that is, the violence of the police.
As the president, his actions gave the violent cops the courage to further harass the black even during the peaceful protests; and the journalists who were innocently on their job duties. He encouraged the police to stop the riots using tear gas and rubber bullets, and these actions angered the Protestants, even more, it called more days in the streets. Generally, angry souls need consolation, comfort, some healing words and actions, and an assurance that it shall not happen again. These steps are what the blacks and their allies wanted, not more wounds and harassments, not forced silence, and every leader who wants to lead a local or federal community should consider this factor. That is why Joe Biden towards the end of the video states that he wants to heal the racial wounds, narrow the gaps between the social units and not to blame anyone. This statement does not mean that Joe is an outstanding leader, but it gives hope that he can do something like the father of the states to unite the people, albeit small, reduce the police violence and minimize racism.
I can’t entirely agree with Amber Ruffin when she says that kneeling was a kind gesture, but it wasn’t enough. Police violence and racism are not current issues in the United States; they have an extensive history that the police or the president cannot solve all at once. The cops come from different cultural backgrounds; they are raised by different parents (some racists while some are not), and they have different personalities. Again, a cop can advise and counsel a counterpart, but he/she cannot change them. Change is a personal initiative, and humanity is natural and innate; it is a move one takes on his/her own with or without influence. The kneeling officers have authorities over them, and as much as they would like to help, they could not fight their colleagues; they demonstrated their remorsefulness and support by kneeling and attacking no one. This action was not enough, I agree, but it was better than picking fights with the peaceful protestants, throwing tear gas at them, or even using rubber bullets on the innocents. Amber says that they should stand up and help the protestants, but this seems provocative and personal because, according to the situation that they were in, that was the best they could do. Their action was just a confirmation that all are human beings; still, not all human beings are human, and Amber Ruffin, in her minute of fury, did not appreciate their humanity correctly.
I also agree with Amber when she says, “stop carrying black people so easy.” In this case, she is addressing the cops and the racists. All human beings are equal irrespective of age, sex, or cultural backgrounds. As long as it is breathing, that life needs love, care, and protection from family or non-family. Furthermore, according to the human rights, locally or globally, the government has to protect the lives of its people. A person may seem useless to someone but to his family, friends, or relatives; he/she is their world, their bread-winner, or essential in many other ways. In most cases, historically and currently, human life is sacred, and everyone gives it a unique dignity. It is a wonder why in most white countries such as America, this rule does not apply to blacks. For example, the police killing George Floyd, he is not scared in any way; he knelt on his neck until George could not breathe anymore as he begged for the chance to do so. It seemed that he didn’t care at all about his life just because George was black while he was a black cop on the contrary. If it was about making mistakes, he had eighteen cases to answer, which may be, were overlooked because he is a white cop serving in America. To make matters worse, the president takes no serious action to deal with the same when the blacks are protesting and receiving further humiliations and harassments. I agree with Amber Ruffin that blacks are people, and they deserve better treatment as much as the whites. The police or the racists should not treat the citizens based on color or origin; human life should have immeasurable value, and police violence should stop in America.
She makes her claim crazily, using provocative languages, for example, referring to the police as idiots and the president as a fool. She mocks the leaders who are doing nothing to help the situation, and the police who act like everything is ordinary after hurting the blacks. She delivers her message through a beautiful fury that is attractive and educative at the same time. I agree with how she conveys her message. She uses brief clips as pieces of evidence without any propaganda. She has solid proof for her statements, and therefore, no one can accuse her of fueling wrong information or falsely inciting the public. I also agree with the type of language that she uses because she can’t lie that she is a black who is not happy about how the police use too much force on her counterparts. Being a victim of the same, though she survived, Floyd’s death makes her furious; in the video, she wonders why the president can’t do anything and why the officers still serve even when they have cases to answer to. For example, she says, “these idiots, currently spacemen, they got to leave the planet, I can’t even leave my house because of the Corona Virus and curfew.” She earlier refers to the president as a fool because of the anger she has at him for not acting. It is not only valid that her language is provocative but also angry about everything. Generally, Amber Ruffin is confident in her delivery; she risks harassment from the government and the police for speaking for the oppressed and yet, still insists and uses the provocative language. Her minute of fury is a voice for the oppressed, a strong message to the leaders, and the violent cops.