Political Effects of the Racial Protests in Texas
Following the murder of African American George Floyd, there have been a lot of protests on Black Lives Matter all around the world. In Texas, the protests have been even more intense with Floyd being a native of Houston, Texas. Many whites and blacks have flooded the streets despite the fear of the fatal coronavirus pandemic, to express their rage about the inhuman treatment of blacks in the country.
President Donald Trump responded to these protests by urging governors of every state to control the protests that were becoming common in every state. In a press conference held in early June, he went as far as threatening to deploy military groups to end the protests. Texas Governor, George Abbott, reacted to this by sending police officers in the streets to prevent the demonstrations from becoming violent, but not ending the protests. He feels that the death of George Floyd was inhuman, and is also in full support of the on-going demonstrations. The article by Texas tribune (2020) explains that the governor hopes that the demonstrations will finally bring a change in the treatment of the Black Community. He is strongly against Trump’s decision to disperse the protests through military groups and has made it clear that the state officers will only look out for the violence perpetrators.
Politically, these events have led to a decrease in the opinion polls in favour of Trump and his supporters, which means a completely different face of the elections set for November this year. Many people feel that the president is downplaying the mistreatment of blacks in the country and is doing very little to put an end to it. In conclusion, relating to Harold Lasswell’s definition of politics, the protests mean fewer votes for Trump supporters in the upcoming elections.