I Can't Breathe (BLM)?

[blameitonthecaffeine]

Okay, this is totally random and ultimately not that important. But I'm watching Dear White People on Netflix and they make a poster in protest of a black character having a gun pulled on him by the police which has a photo of another black character wearing a surgical face mask that has 'I Can't Breathe' written across it.

I thought the I Can't Breathe slogan came about because it's what George Floyd said as he was being murdered. But this show was made in 2017 - pre George Floyd and pre pandemic. I just found it really strange.

Does anyone know if it's a total coincidence or if 'I Can't Breathe' was already used by BLM or other activists as a slogan?

It was already in use following an earlier death. I just checked and it's the first result on google.

I cant remember the name of the victim who said it but I think Poussey's death in OITNB was inspired by it.

It was already in use following an earlier death. I just checked and it's the first result on google

Really? Wow, I feel stupid. I spent ages googling various wordings of 'how does Dear White People know about I Can't Breathe in 2017' but I got no results at all. Weird.

Thanks, though.

I should imagine it’s a pretty universal response to being suffocated.

It’s the last words of Eric Garner.

I just googled Eric Garner. I hadn't heard of him. Had no idea the police had suffocated other people to death too. Horrendous.

@blameitonthecaffeine

It was already in use following an earlier death. I just checked and it's the first result on google

Really? Wow, I feel stupid. I spent ages googling various wordings of 'how does Dear White People know about I Can't Breathe in 2017' but I got no results at all. Weird.

Thanks, though.

I googled 'i can't breathe' and it was the first result. Sounds like you've got it now.

I’m interested why you found it strange.

You didn’t think it might be that people being restrained by the cops might say this?

Can I ask what you thought was the explanation?

Why would it be a coincidence?

From Wikipedia…

"I can't breathe" is a slogan associated with the Black Lives Matter movement in the United States. The phrase originates from the last words of Eric Garner, an unarmed man who was killed in 2014 after being put in a chokehold by a New York City Police Officer. A number of other Black Americans, such as Javier Ambler, Manuel Ellis, Elijah McClain, and George Floyd, have said the same phrase prior to dying during similar law-enforcement encounters.[1][2][3]

According to a 2020 report by the New York Times, the phrase has been used by over 70 people who died in police custody.[4]

UK police also using chokeholds…

www.google.com/amp/s/www.elle.com/uk/life-and-culture/amp32767493/restraint-technique-killed-george-floyd-used-uk-police/

@StrictlyAFemaleFemale

I cant remember the name of the victim who said it but I think Poussey's death in OITNB was inspired by it.

I’d forgotten how Poussey died.

Pretty much the same, wasn’t it

MissTrip I didn't realised that the police often restrain people by the neck. I thought George Floyd was a horrific one off. Disgusted to find out how common it is.

I didn't really think it was likely to be a coincidence. It was just the combination of the surgical face mask and the slogan. It felt so incredibly 2020 that it really struck me to see it on an older programme.