2020 was a lot of things for a lot of us. It started with the Covid-19 surge which made the majority of us panic. A vi- rus that we knew very little about was spreading quickly globally and shutting down schools, churches, markets and businesses. It was caus- ing an appalling number of deaths worldwide and people were actually terrified. You could feel the fear and panic in the air and on social media.

With this new virus came social distancing, fear of hugging loved ones or even shaking hands. Buying food in bulk quantities became the new normal, all in a bid to avoid going outside fre- quently and putting oneself at an increased risk of contracting the virus. Panic buying became a thing, to the extent that one would enter super- markets and the shelves would be empty, even basic necessities were lacking. I’m sure we all re- member the toilet paper scarcity. Hand sanitiz- ers & nose masks became the new gold.
Coughing or sneezing anywhere became a ta- boo; if you did, you probably had COVID. Hell! In- viting friends over or any form of socializing was not even an option. But as we gradually got past that initial fear and panic, we started to under- stand the virus better. While getting used to the new Covid-19 protocols which came with a lot of mental health challenges, we were forced to get used to the new means of communication and connection.

While we were locked in our homes, there was not much to focus on other than our screens & all over the globe, people were becoming hyper aware due to the mass effect of social media. 2020 began to unfold. We began to hear stories of happenings around the world that, as human beings we couldn’t condone. Human rights were being violated and people were getting killed.

The world became agitated, we couldn’t keep quiet! Social media became our very voice; Ins- tagram, Twitter, you name it. Hashtags became of utmost importance while celebrities and social media influencers helped amplify our voices us- ing their various platforms; God bless them.
It got to a point where people couldn’t hold back anymore and the images of our brothers & sisters being knelt on, shot at & tear gassed fanned the flames even higher. Humanity had finally found her voice and she was ready to fight. As a chain reaction to the centuries of events leading up to where we are now, different protests erupted all around the world, even in the midst of the dread- ed Coronavirus.
No more! We had had enough and we demanded changes. From world governments, leaders and big corporations, to the movers and shakers of various industries were now being held account- able & asked to take a stand. No more turning a blind eye to the human rights violation, police brutality and blatant racism black people had to endure for generations. Covid-19 had already dealt the first blow, we had already lost too much during the pandemic including some of the ones we held dear.
2020 was indeed a dark year filled with a lot of emotional roller coasters but the one thing that seemed to be a looming constant was death. Watching videos of the violence & brutality black people faced during these protests sent cold chills down my spine and filled me with so much anger and pain, but I drew strength from the resilience of the black community.
The use of excessive and unwarranted force by law enforcement agents known as police brutali- ty isn’t just a civil rights violation, it also contra- dicts what the law enforcement stands for.
Going through the stories of Breonna Taylor (26), Atatiana Jefferson (28), Eric Garner (43), Tamir Rice (12), Ahmaud Arbery (25), Aura Ross- er (40), Stephon Clark (22), Botham Jean (26), Casey Christopher Goodson Jnr (23), Michael Ramos (42), Andre Maurice Hill (47), Carlos Carson (36), David McAtee (53), Angelo Quin- to (30), and Akai Gurley (28); may their gentle souls rest in peace, I couldn’t help but notice that a good number of them were in their homes when they got shot.

IN THEIR HOMES!

Where then is safe for the members of the black community if your safety isn’t even guaranteed in your own home? Being scared to get out of your vehicle when stopped by the police for fear of getting shot because of the colour of your skin shouldn’t be normalized. In a lot of cases we saw the police decide that they are the judge, jury and executioner!
This unfair and inhumane treatment by the po- lice towards the people who they swore to de- fend and protect was not limited to the U.S.

IN FRANCE,
we had cases like that of Cedric Chouviat & Mi- chel Zecler. Chouviat was pinned to the ground with his helmet on during a traffic check on Jan 5 2020 with one of the 4 police officers’ hand around his neck. Chouviat said “I’m suffocating” 7 times but the police officers still held him to the ground. Chouviat suffered a heart attack and died 2 days later. Autopsy showed asphyxia with a fracture of the larynx.
Michel Zecler, a music producer was kicked and punched in his studio by 4 police officers for 6 minutes, for not wearing a mask in the surround- ings of his studio. He was also racially abused during the beating after which the police officers lied about the abuse while making accusations of Zecler inflicting violence against them and re- sisting arrest. He was released after the security camera in his studio contradicted the testimony of the police officers. He suffered a torn tendon in his arm, a head wound and bruises all over his face and body.
Yet, the government of France is still trying to push a bill that would restrict the filming of the police. Is the government of France directly or indirectly encouraging police brutality? Legis- lating this bill will impede transparency in cases of police brutality especially in cases where the statement of police officers involved differs from the videos released like in the case of Michel Zecler. I would definitely argue that this bill is a shield for brutality.
In the first four months of 2020 in Rio de Janei- ro, a popular city in Brazil, over 600 people were killed by the police. And research shows that at least three quarter of the many people killed by Rio police were black men.
On the 18th of May 2020, 14 years old Joao Pe- dro Matos Pinto who dreamed big of becoming a lawyer someday was shot in his own home, where he gathered to play with his unarmed cousins.
Still in Rio, on the 21st of May 2020, 19 years old Rodrigo Cerqueira who was among the teachers, students and volunteers sharing food packages to hungry families hit hard by the economic fall- out due to Covid-19 was shot in a so called “po- lice operation”. The Favelas in Rio whose major residents are blacks or biracial people have been neglected for so long and killed in great numbers by Rio police and they cry out “ vidas negras im- portan” (Black lives matter!).
IN NIGERIA,
for as long as I can remember, police brutality has been a problem especially in the southern region of the country. Police officers are known to regularly extort young people popularly termed as the “youth”.
The Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) was created in 1992 as a division of the Nigerian Po- lice Force to combat armed robbery and other serious crimes but since the beginning of 2020, they have become a cancer and a serious threat to the future of Nigeria.
The Nigerian youths have been profiled based on irrelevancies such as hair style/colour, phone type, mode of dressing, method of transporta- tion & even for owning a laptop. We live in a so- ciety where young men and women are living in valid fear of extortion, kidnapping & death in the hands of the Nigerian Police Force.

“I would prefer to be attacked by armed robbers than to encounter SARS officers.”
– Abdul Abdulkareem

Abdul and his friends were dragged into a van by SARS officers on their way home without any explanation or charges made against them. Anyone who dared to ask questions got slapped. They were thrown into a cell and released in the morning after paying the sum of 20,000 naira without being charged for any crimes. These of- ficers laughed about their actions & told them this was a normal routine.

Ayoola Otori was returning to the village for the New Year around 10am when he got stopped by SARS officers. “I think they stopped me be- cause I fit the stereotype of a ‘yahoo boy’. They asked for the receipt for my laptop; I didn’t get a chance to explain myself when they threw a slap my way,” he said. He was assisted by a well- known businessman who recognized him as he was driving by and begged the officers on his behalf and they “released him”.
Abdul and Ayoolas’ stories are not one-offs, they are just a few of the thousands of other Nigerian youths that have been abused by the SARS unit of the Nigerian Police Force.
After years of enduring these wrongful treat- ments, Nigerian youths took a stand, to pro- test against the SARS unit, demanding for their rights to be respected. Hence the popular hashtag #EndSARS.
The #EndSARS movement dates back to 2017 when the hashtag was used by young Nigerians especially on twitter to voice their experiences on violence and assault by the SARS officers. The hashtag #EndSARS began trending again in October 2020 after a video of SARS officers shooting a young man, pushing his body out of the car and driving away with the victim’s car went viral. This led to a series of protests and the subject matter began gaining international sup- port when the hashtag became the top trending topic on Twitter with support from Twitter CEO, Jack Dorsey.
20th October, 2020. Black Tuesday, the day Nigeria lost heroines & heroes, people who dared to question the system. Our flags soaked with blood, as Nigeria killed its own!
“Arise, o compatriots...” they sang, with their flags up as gunshots were heard at Lekki Toll gate.

WHO GAVE THE KILL ORDER?!
Despite the major occurrences of Covid-19 and the protests which already caused a cloud of im- pending doom and chaos, 2020 was not done.
Throughout the year, a series of events occurred one after the other that caused any forms of hope to dissipate. The world unexpectedly lost a lot including icons and historic figures; Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, Chadwick Bose- man, Ruth Bader Gingsburg, John Lewis, Irrfan Khan, Pop Smoke & Naya Rivera to name a few.
In early 2020, the Australian bush fires got worse causing a lot of death and destruc- tion leaving people homeless while also caus- ing the endangerment & extinctions of species. We saw one of the world strongest Monarchies challenged & questioned. Prince Harry and the Duchess Meghan, moved out of the palace and to another continent due to harassment, bullying and racism faced by the duchess.
A huge milestone for the #MeToo movement as Harvey Winstein was found guilty of first-de- gree criminal sexual act and third-degree rape. Although, women everywhere especially black women still suffer from harassment & assault especially in the workplace.
I look forward to a day when we can all see our- selves as one, consisting of the same compo- nents, regardless of our colour, race, gender or ethnicity. I look forward to a day where the rule of law is applicable to all regardless of socio-eco- nomic status and justice finds its perpetrators. A day where we can all breathe in true freedom.

- DENWIGWE-AGGREY BLESSING CHINAZAEKPERE.