Summary Of The Case Of Akat Gurley's A Generation Waking Up

Police officers shoot unarmed African Americans out of fear from an untrue generalization that all African Americans are dangerous. After multiple shooting of unarmed black men by police officers, one case had been publicized in the media repeatedly. As opposed to the other shooting of unarmed black men, in the case of Akai Gurley the officer did not even see Gurley. He blindly shot Gurley, while having his gun drawn in an open stairwell. This case brought to light the fear and prejudice that even non racist and fair police officers have for African Americans. The magazine The Atlantic described the tragedy while placing emphasis on how unnecessary, Gurley’s death was. In 2014, an unarmed black man, Akai Gurley, was killed in the stairwell

The fear of losing one’s body, steals energy and time from an African American’s life. Britt Bennett author of the article, “ A Generation Waking up” discusses defining features in his life when he realized how easily his black body could be taken away from. He elaborates on the vulnerability of the black body, and attempts to answer the most important question “how to live free in a black body?”. Black people hold a constant fear of losing their bodies. However trying to figure out how to control that fear and prevent it from taking over one’s life is difficult to do (Bennett). To be black in American society is to live in constant fear of disembodiment. A defining feature of black life is that one’s body can be taken away very easily, and with little consequence. Every time the police guns down an unarmed man and no one is held accountable, this feature becomes a reality. Possession of one’s body is a life long war for black people. Violence stems from the fear of disembodiment. Some African Americans respond violently out of fear, this is a reason as to why so many African American men are incarcerated yearly. This fear of losing one’s body steals energy, time and