Cleaning Up After a Night of Protests

Whatever this evening brings, these essential workers will be there the next day to clean up. They also bear the brunt of the relentless forces of American inequality at the root of all this. If you have trouble reading this message, view it in a browser.       Someone Does Have to Clean It Up   The morning after a weekend in New York City that saw widespread protests, and violence, over the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Esquire's Jack Holmes spoke with the people cleaning up. "Almost everyone I spoke with was black or Latino, because that's who often does these jobs—the ones we lately have decided are 'essential,' the ones you have to show up every day to do, even in the age of pandemic disease," he writes. "They will bear the brunt of this now, sweeping glass and removing graffiti and boarding up windows with plywood. There may well be a repeat tomorrow. But they also bear the brunt of the relentless forces of American inequality at the root of all this." Read More           How You Can Take a Stand for George Floyd Right Now   Aside from joining a protest, there are ways you can show allyship with Floyd and his family, and protest police violence. Many grassroots campaigns have fought for justice, providing everything from bail to medical supplies for protestors. There are petitions you can sign, too, demanding additional penalties for the four cops involved. Here's a list of ways you can join in the fight. Read More           The President* Has Failed to Lead   During a historic weekend, in which the nation seemed to come apart, Donald Trump either fanned the flames on Twitter or took shelter in a bunker below the White House, the lights of which had gone dark. About this stunning lack of leadership, Esquire's Charles P. Pierce writes: "He has shirked his duties as president* in a thousand ways, most recently by huddling in a bunker inside a darkened White House. (At the height of the antiwar protests, Richard Nixon at least bestirred himself to visit the protestors in a bizarre expedition in the middle of the night.) And now he's doling out lectures to people who are holding local government together with their teeth." Read More           A Very Brief History of the Destruction of Black Neighborhoods   People are very concerned about the destruction of private property amid the protests gripping American cities. But, as Esquire's Gabrielle Bruney points out in stark detail, Americans rarely concerns themselves with black neighborhoods--unless they're actively destroying them. She takes us on a shocking trip through history. Read More           10 Books About Anti-Racism   If the nationwide uprising following the horrific murder of George Floyd has left you eager to actively dismantle racism in your community and learn more about the idea of antiracism, one of the best things you can do is crack open a book. You'd be forgiven if you're unsure of where to start, since there are truly hundreds of compelling books available on the subject. Here are a few books we deem essential reading on this subject, from memoirs to essay collections to poems. Read More           Celebrities Joining George Floyd Protests Offer More Than Empty Social Media Posts   Some celebrities have joined thousands of other Americans in showing up to protests, putting their brands and their bodies on the line. With police across the country showing themselves willing to pepper spray, drive cars into, and fire rubber bullets upon even journalists and the most peaceful of protestors, the risks these people are taking is real. (Insecure star Kendrick Sampson, for instance, was hit by rubber bullets seven times, and sustained truly painful looking injuries.) Here are some more celebrities who've been out in the streets. Read More         Read More on Esquire.com       Follow Us     Unsubscribe  Privacy Notice   esquire.com ©2020 Hearst Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved. Hearst Email Privacy, 300 W 57th St., Fl. 19 (sta 1-1), New York, NY 10019