Over the past year here in the U.S, racial tensions have been rising due to police shootings of unarmed citizens. This has caused riots, police brutality and multiple state of emergencies issued. Places like Ferguson, Missouri, Baltimore, Maryland and Cincinnati, Ohio have had the most destruction and police brutality because of these shootings.

Ferguson, Missouri caused the most outrage. On August 9, 2014, Caucasian officer, Darren Wilson, shot an unarmed African American 18-year-old, Michael Brown. He was shot six times. In the year to follow, the citizens of Ferguson rioted, causing the burning of businesses; one man was killed and a state of emergency was issued back in August. The National Guard was sent to control the rioters. On November 24, 2014, the grand jury decided not to press any charges towards Darren Wilson, which caused a massive amount of riots.

In Baltimore, Maryland, 25-year-old Freddie Gray was arrested in Baltimore on April 12 by police. Later, on April 19, he died in police custody due to a spinal injury. On April 27, teenagers started throwing bricks and other objects at police, starting riots. It soon spread to other neighborhoods, complete with looting, stabbings, burnings of buildings and anger towards police. From these riots, the famous video of the “Baltimore Mom” emerged, thanks to social media. A state of emergency was declared. A curfew was set for the city a week after the riots to keep the citizens under control.

In Cincinnati, Ohio, another incident occurred, sparking outrage. On July 19, Officer Ray Tensing made a traffic stop at the University of Cincinnati for a missing front license plate on the car of 43-year-old Samuel Dubose. Dubose claimed that he was being dragged by his vehicle and acted in self-defense. His body cameras proved that he was guilty. He shot Dubose. The officer was charged with murder. Instead of violent riots like in other cities, citizens held peaceful riots to protest. At his memorial, Dubose’s mother said, “I just want justice for my son”.

The hashtag #BlackLivesMatter arose after these recent events on social media. One tweet by PP Black Community says, “We are joining #Ferguson organizers and protesters in DC today- standing in solidarity with you!#HandsUpWalkOut#BlackLivesMatter”.