Intersections of Multiple Oppressions: Racism,Sizeism, Ableism,and the “Illimitable Etceteras” in Encounters With Law Enforcement,

This think piece on the intersectionality of multiple oppressive markers incorporates critical race feminism, fat studies, body/embodiment studies, and dis/ability studies. It discusses the cases of two African Americans deemed irresolvable nuisances, treated as threats to police, and dealt with, with undue force, resulting in their untimely deaths. Eleanor Bumpurs, 66, was a black female of older age, ample size, with physical and mental disabilities; she was arthritic, fighting off hallucinations, and was economically disadvantaged. Eric Garner, 43, was a black male of ample size, with physical disabilities; he was diabetic, asthmatic, with sleep apnea and a heart condition, all of which made employment difficult for him. Intersectional identities determined what happened when each crossed paths with law enforcement. Intersecting oppressions of racism/classism/fat hatred/ageism/ableism/healthism resulted in the murder of Bumpurs in 1984 and Garner in 2014. Following Garner's execution, police supporters used multiple, intersecting forms of discrimination to sidestep the brutality: “Garner would've died going up a flight of stairs—he died because of preexisting medical conditions.” This article argues that besides perpetuating the long history of portraying African American men as hulking brutes or as genetically inferior, such justifications aim to divert attention away from structural racism, cloaking it in sizeism/ableism/healthism.