The United Nations Human Rights Council​

 

Topic: the issue of police brutality in the United States of America and elsewhere. 

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On 25 May 2020 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, an African American man named George Floyd died during an excessively violent arrest by the police under accusations of using counterfeit money in a store. Although the policeman who knelt on Floyd's neck and caused his death was arrested and charged with murder, a wave of worldwide protests has arisen against racism and police brutality, accompanied by looting and arson attacks in Minneapolis. Over the years, there were many more cases where the US police used excessive violence, even including the use of firearms, against African Americans, including for example Michael Brown in 2014 or Trayvon Martin in 2012. In response to George Floyd's death, Burkina Faso has issued a request to the UN to discuss the allegations of brutality and racism shown by the US police, stating that “[t]his is a topic which is not just about one country, it goes well beyond that”. It is therefore imperative that a resolution on the situation is reached, but this is easier said than done. With a long history of first slavery, and then discriminatory laws that have only ended in the previous century, racism is still a prevailing issue in the US, and as such it is impossible to eliminate overnight. Moreover, the actions of individual police officers are difficult to control. Therefore, the present member states are encouraged to come up with new, innovative solutions to resolve this long-standing issue.

 

 

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