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[VIDEOS] George Floyd Killing - 4 officers charged - Protests erupt across the United States

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Four Minnesota police officers have been fired after the death of a black man who was taken into custody and seen on video being pinned down by his neck.

Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo said the four officers were now "former employees".

Footage shows the man, George Floyd, groaning and repeatedly saying "I can't breathe" to the white officer.

The incident echoed that of Eric Garner, a black man who died being arrested in New York City in 2014.

The FBI has said it will investigate the Minneapolis incident, which took place on Monday evening.

Minnesota police said 46-year-old Mr Floyd, who had worked providing security at a restaurant, died after a "medical incident" in a "police interaction". They said he had been suspected of committing forgery.

On Tuesday afternoon, Mayor Jacob Frey confirmed the four officers involved in the incident had been "terminated".

"This is the right call," he tweeted.

At a press conference earlier, Mr Frey had described the incident as "completely and utterly messed up".

"I believe what I saw and what I saw is wrong on every level," he said. "Being black in America should not be a death sentence."

It is the latest accusation of US police brutality against African Americans. Recent high-profile cases include an officer in Maryland who fatally shot a man inside a patrol car.

The incident in Minneapolis began after officers located the man in his car, police said in a statement. They were told the man, who has not been identified, was "sitting on top of a blue car and appeared to be under the influence".

After being ordered to step away from the vehicle, the man physically resisted officers, according to police. "Officers were able to get the suspect into handcuffs and noted he appeared to be suffering medical distress," the statement added.

In the 10-minute video filmed by a witness, the man is kept on the ground by the officer and, at one point, says: "Don't kill me."

Witnesses urged the officer to take his knee off the man's neck, noting that he was not moving. One says, "His nose is bleeding", while another pleads, "Get off his neck."

The man then appears motionless before he is put on a stretcher and into an ambulance.

Police said no weapons were used during the incident and that body camera footage had been handed to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA), which is investigating the case.

After the video emerged, police said in a statement: "As additional information has been made available, it has been determined that the Federal Bureau of Investigation will be a part of this investigation."

Speaking to US media on Tuesday, Chief Arradondo said the force's policies "regarding placing someone under control" will be reviewed as part of the probe.

According to the Associated Press news agency, Minneapolis police officers are allowed under the department's use-of-force policy to kneel on a suspect's neck as long as they do not obstruct the airway.

Asked about the FBI's involvement, Chief Arradondo said he made the decision to include the agency after receiving "additional information" from a community source "that just provided more context".

In a statement, a spokesperson for the FBI Minneapolis division said the agency's investigation woud focus on whether the police officers involved "willfully deprived the individual of a right or privilege protected by the Constitution or laws of the United States".

When completed, the agency will present its findings to the Minnesota state's attorney for possible federal charges. The Minnesota BCA, which investigates most in-custody deaths, will continue to conduct its own investigation, focusing on possible violations of state laws.

Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar - who has reportedly been shortlisted as Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden's running mate - issued a statement calling for a "complete and thorough outside investigation".

"Justice must be served for this man and his family, justice must be served for our community, justice must be served for our country," she said.

"I can't breathe" became a national rallying cry against police brutality in the US after the July 2014 death of Eric Garner.

Garner, an unarmed black man, uttered the phrase 11 times after being detained by police on suspicion of illegally selling loose cigarettes. They were the final words of the 43-year-old, who died after a police officer placed him in a chokehold.

A city medical examiner ruled the chokehold contributed to Garner's death. The New York City police officer involved in Garner's deadly arrest was fired from the police force more than five years later, in August 2019. No officer was charged in that case.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-52806572
 
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Most Brutal video I have seen.. this is Police doing this on camera, what else so they do when its not on.

Black people have it really bad , just relieving of duty isn’t enough there needs to be a court case, and people saying this is not a race thing are nuts, this will never happen to a white person.
 
There have been violent clashes between police and protesters in the US city of Minneapolis following the death of an unarmed black man in police custody.

Police fired tear gas and protesters threw rocks and sprayed graffiti on police cars.

Video of the death shows George Floyd, 46, groaning "I can't breathe" as a policeman kneels on his neck.

Four police officers have been fired, with the mayor saying that being black "should not be a death sentence".

The incident echoes the case of Eric Garner, who was placed in a police chokehold in New York in 2014. His death became a rallying call against police brutality and was a driving force in the Black Lives Matter movement.

What happened at the protests?
They began in the afternoon on Tuesday, when hundreds of people came to the intersection where the incident had taken place on Monday evening.

Organisers tried to keep the protest peaceful and maintain coronavirus social distancing, with demonstrators chanting "I can't breathe," and "It could've been me".

Protester Anita Murray told the Washington Post: "It's scary to come down here in the middle of the pandemic, but how could I stay away?"

A crowd of hundreds later marched to the 3rd Precinct, where the officers involved in the death are thought to have worked.

Squad cars were sprayed with graffiti and protesters threw stones at the police building. Police fired tear gas, flash grenades and foam projectiles.

One protester told CBS: "It's real ugly. The police have to understand that this is the climate they have created."

Another said: "I got on my knees and I put up a peace sign and they tear-gassed me."

Police said one person had suffered non-life-threatening injuries after being shot away from the protest area but gave no further details.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-52817097
 
These officers have to face a murder charge. What could possibly be the defence? Were all 4 of these officers "fearing for their life" while they all had him pinned to the ground and one of them was kneeling on his neck for 10 minutes? I have never seen a more cut-and-dry case for a murder charge, given that the entire incident was FILMED for all to see.
 
Protests over the death of a black man who was killed after a white police officer pinned him to the ground have spread to Los Angeles - as Donald Trump said the FBI are investigating.

George Floyd died on Monday in Minneapolis, Minnesota, after police officer Derek Chauvin was filmed kneeling on the handcuffed man's neck for at least eight minutes while arresting him for allegedly using a counterfeit $20 note in a shop.

Mr Floyd, 46, who was shirtless and unarmed, can be heard in the widely-circulated mobile phone footage saying he could not breathe, before paramedics are seen lifting the limp man on to a stretcher and into an ambulance.

He was later pronounced dead in hospital.

Hundreds of protesters clashed with riot police firing tear gas for a second night in Minneapolis on Wednesday, in an outpouring of rage over his death.

Television news images from a helicopter over the area showed dozens of people looting a Target store, running out with clothing and shopping trolleys full of merchandise.

Fires erupted after dark at several businesses, including an auto parts store, with eyewitnesses claiming the fires appeared to have been started deliberately.

Police spokesman John Elder said: "Sure, we've had a number of fires set.

"We've had a good deal, a good amount of looting, or a bad amount of looting, actually, and just widespread civil disobedience.

"And it's unfortunate. It's sad if people are there, truly there to honour the memory of the dissident and their family, this isn't how you do it."

In a tweet, the Governor of Minnesota, Tim Walz, urged people to leave the area.

The protesters walked two miles to the police department's Third Precinct station, about half a mile from where Mr Floyd was arrested, and filled the streets surrounding it.

For two days they have been calling for Mr Chauvin and three other police officers - named by Minneapolis police as Thomas Lane, Tou Thao and J. Alexander Kueng - who were with him to be charged over Mr Floyd's death.

Another protest unfolded on the street outside Mr Chauvin's home, with red paint spilled on his driveway and "murderer" written in chalk on his driveway.

Police told protesters Mr Chauvin was not there and nobody answered the door to reporters.

Nearly 2,000 miles away in Los Angeles, several hundred protesters - nearly all in masks due to lockdown rules - marched in anger over his death from City Hall to a downtown freeway, blocking traffic and breaking windows on two California Highway Patrol vehicles.

The four police officers were fired on Tuesday but that has not stemmed the anger, with activists and celebrities joining locals in calling for criminal charges to be brought against the officers.

Donald Trump on Wednesday said the FBI and the Department of Justice are investigating Mr Floyd's death.

The president tweeted: "My heart goes out to George's family and friends. Justice will be served!"

Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey added to the calls for the police officers' arrest on Wednesday, saying: "I've wrestled with, more than anything else over the last 36 hours, one fundamental question: Why is the man who killed George Floyd not in jail?

"I saw no threat. I saw nothing that would signal that this kind of force was necessary."

The Floyd family's lawyer, Benjamin Crump, a prominent civil rights lawyer, called for peaceful protests.

"We cannot sink to the level of our oppressors, and we must not endanger others during this pandemic," he said.

"We will demand and ultimately force lasting change by shining a light on treatment that is horrific and unacceptable and by winning justice."

Minneapolis police chief Medaria Arradondo, who rose to the top job after his predecessor was forced out following the 2017 shooting of an unarmed white woman by a black officer, urged protesters to "be respectful".

He said he was working to change the department's culture, adding: "One incident can significantly bring people to doubt that."

Mr Arradondo defended the use of tear gas to break up protests on Tuesday, saying officers only used it after some people broke into a secure area that gave them access to police cars and weapons.

https://news.sky.com/story/george-f...o-la-as-trump-says-fbi-investigating-11995981
 
George Floyd: Minnesota sees second night of clashes over death in custody

Police and protesters have clashed for a second night in the US city of Minneapolis after an unarmed black man died in police custody.

Tear gas was fired by police, while protesters threw rocks and sprayed graffiti. Businesses were also looted.

George Floyd, 46, died on Monday and video showed him gasping for breath as a white policeman knelt on his neck.

Four police officers have been fired, with the mayor saying that being black "should not be a death sentence".

The renewed clashes on Wednesday came just hours after the city's mayor called for criminal charges to be brought against the policeman who was filmed holding Mr Floyd.

There was also looting and vandalism, with some buildings close to the demonstrations being destroyed by fire.

The incident echoes the case of Eric Garner, who was placed in a police chokehold in New York in 2014. His death became a rallying call against police brutality and was a driving force in the Black Lives Matter movement.

How have the protests unfolded?

They began in the afternoon on Tuesday, when hundreds of people came to the intersection where the incident had taken place.

Organisers tried to keep the protest peaceful and maintain coronavirus social distancing, with demonstrators chanting "I can't breathe" and "It could've been me".

A crowd of hundreds then marched to the 3rd Precinct, where the officers involved in the death are thought to have worked.

One protester told CBS: "It's real ugly. The police have to understand that this is the climate they have created."

On a second night of demonstrations on Wednesday, protesters pelted rocks and some threw tear-gas canisters back at the officers.

The crowd grew into the thousands as the evening went on, and there was a standoff outside the police station where officers formed a human barricade to prevent protesters gaining entry.

A nearby supermarket was vandalised, and people were seen fleeing the store with baskets of looted goods. Other businesses were seen in flames and some appeared to have been entirely destroyed.

"Tonight was a different night of protesting than it was just the night before," a police spokesman told the New York Times.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-52834685
 
Actor John Boyega has delivered an uncompromising message against racism after fielding praise and backlash for Twitter posts about the subject.

The Star Wars actor posted about his hatred of racists on Wednesday following the death of an unarmed black man in police custody in the US.

He added that "WHITE on BLACK racism" had "ruined the world", which sparked responses about other forms of racism.

He later doubled down against "racist white people" in an Instagram live.

His initial anger was sparked by the death of George Floyd in Minnesota, who was shown in a video groaning "I can't breathe" as a white policeman knelt on his neck.

Boyega tweeted his hatred of racists before replying to a Nigerian man who said he broke up with his girlfriend because she was racist against white people.

The actor replied: "I am talking about WHITE on BLACK racism. The kind that has ruined the world not caused a lil break up with your girlfriend."

Replying to someone else who wrote that "racism can come from anyone", he replied: "I don't care. That's not what I'm talking about."

In the impassioned Instagram live, he then explained: "There's no way that I have the opinion that there's no other forms of racism. Of course there's other forms of racism.

"But a black man was just murdered in cold blood in the street Stateside again, while saying he can't breathe. That's a continuous cycle going on. Although I don't live in the States, I'm black."

'You lot can't rattle me'
Boyega refused to back down, adding: "I said what I said."

He continued: "It's not about career, it's not about money, because a lot of people like to bring that up... That's got nothing to do with how you treat people. It's a madness.

"So when I say it, I mean it, and you lot can't rattle me. I'm not the guy to be rattled. I wasn't raised by no weak people, you understand?"

He received widespread support, including from Glee actress Amber Riley, who called him "a king"; actress Yvette Nicole Brown, from US sitcom Community; and Maze Runner star Dylan O'Brien.

After Mr Floyd's death, the four officers involved in the incident were fired, and there have been calls for them to face criminal charges.

The episode has also sparked clashes between police and protesters in Minneapolis.

Beside Boyega, celebrities including Beyonce, Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber and Cardi B have paid tribute to the 46-year-old and called for justice.

Cardi B wrote on Instagram: "Enough is enough! What will it take? A civil war? A new president? Violent riots? It's tired! I'm tired!"

Bieber posted: "This makes me absolutely sick. This makes me angry this man DIED. This makes me sad. Racism is evil We need to use our voice! Please people."

https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-52833253
 
Pressure is mounting in the US state of Minnesota for prosecutors to bring charges against four Minneapolis police officers over the death of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man.

"What we saw was a public lynching without a rope," said Leslie Redmond, president of the Minneapolis chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).

"Enough is enough. We are done dying," Redmond told Al Jazeera. "We want to see them prosecuted."

In emotional appeals on US news channels, Floyd's family demanded justice.

"These officers, they need to be arrested right now, the people want justice right now," Philonese Floyd, George's brother, told CNN on Thursday morning.

"They need to be convicted and get the death penalty,” Philonese Floyd said.

Bridgett Floyd, George's sister, told ABC's Good Morning America programme on Wednesday that "those guys need to be put in jail".

"They murdered my brother," she added.

'I can't breathe'

Floyd died at the hospital late on Monday after a white police officer, knelt on the 46-year-old's neck for several minutes as Floyd moaned and yelled: "I can't breathe."

A video of the incident shows Floyd pleading with police and eventually appearing motionless as the officer's knee remained on his neck. Bystanders can be heard urging the officer to get off of Floyd.

In a news conference on Wednesday, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey joined calls for the officer who pinned Floyd down to be arrested, asking: "Why is the man who killed George Floyd not in jail?"

He added: "If you had done it, or I had done it, we would be behind bars right now."

Medaria Arradondo, the city's first Black police chief, swiftly fired the four officers involved, a move community leaders acknowledged as "a win", but said should only be the first step.

"I don't want to undermine how big of a win it was to Chief Arradondo to fire those four officers the same day the footage was shown to the public," the NAACP's Redmond said, highlighting that while it was only one officer who pinned Floyd to the ground "all of them were responsible and played a role".

"The next step," Redmond said, was criminal charges being brought against the four officers - identified by as Derek Chauvin, Thomas Lane, Tou Thao and J Alexander Kueng.

"What we are seeing is a violation of Black people's human rights," Redmond said. "Our humanity has always been denied on American soil."

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehensive (BCA) and the FBI are both investigating the incident.

The Hennepin County Attorney's Office, which will handle the case, said in a statement it was "shocked and saddened by what appeared in a recent video".

It added that after the BCA and FBI present their findings, it will make a decision on prosecution.

"We promise a thorough, expedited review consistent with our ongoing commitment to justice," the statement read. "Every person is entitled to fairness; no person stands above the law."

In a joint statement on Thursday, US Attorney Erica MacDonald And FBI Special Agent In Charge Rainer Drolshagen said that the US Justice Department has made the investigation into Floyd's death a "top priority".

"The federal investigation will determine whether the actions by the involved former Minneapolis Police Department officers violated federal law," the statement read.

Redmond said other Black leaders are pushing for resources to be poured into the community and for police officers to be trained by community members to help bridge the disconnect she says has long existed.

New security camera footage
The Minneapolis Police Department said on Tuesday Floyd "physically resisted officers".

Security camera footage, obtained by CBS News, shows Floyd sitting on the ground with his hands behind his back and then walking with police out of frame.

"Security cameras captured moments before the murder of #GeorgeFloyd," tweeted prominent civil rights lawyer, Benjamin Crump, who is representing the Floyd family. "He was clearly NOT RESISTING arrest... So WHY did Minneapolis Police officers use excessive force that ultimately resulted in his death?! WE DEMAND ANSWERS."

It is unclear what happens between the time Floyd and police walk out of the frame and the time when a bystander's video shows an officer pinning Floyd down to the ground with his knee.

The Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis issued a statement on Tuesday, saying its officers were cooperating with investigators and urged "now is not the time to rush to judgement".

'No justice, no peace'

Calls for justice for Floyd have reverberated across the country, with hundreds of protesters taking their demands to the streets of Minneapolis.

On Tuesday night, demonstrators filled the intersection where Floyd was pinned down, chanting "I can't breathe" and "no justice, no peace". Floyd's death has been compared to that of Eric Garner, an unarmed Black man who died in 2014 after being placed in a chokehold by New York City police and pleading: "I can't breathe."

Video from Tuesday's demonstration showed police using tear gas against some protesters who marched to a police precinct. There were also reports of non-lethal projectiles being fired by police. Authorities said some protesters destroyed a window of the precinct and sprayed graffiti on police vehicles. Three people were arrested, police said.

Riot police were seen using tear gas on protesters for a second night on Wednesday as protesters again took to the streets, calling for charges against the four officers involved in Floyd's arrest. Looting and vandalism were also reported with video showing some fires in the area of the demonstrations.

Hundreds also marched in Los Angeles, California, on Wednesday to demand justice for Floyd and the end to police brutality.

US President Donald Trump publicly addressed Floyd's death for the first time on Wednesday afternoon, calling it a "very sad event".

"We're going to look at it, and we're going to get a report tomorrow when we get back. And we're going to get a very full report," Trump said during a visit to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. "But a very sad day."

Floyd's death comes on the heels of several recent cases of a Black man or women being killed by police or former law enforcement.

The FBI are also involved in recent investigations in Louisville, Kentucky, and Glynn County, Georgia.

In Kentucky, 26-year-old Breonna Taylor was killed by police on March 13 as they served a warrant in a drug investigation. Police said they were returning fire from Taylor's boyfriend, who said he fired in self-defence, believing someone was breaking into the apartment. No drugs were found.

In Georgia, the US Justice Department is weighing hate crime charges in the February 23 shooting death of 25-year-old Ahmaud Arbery, a Black man killed while running in a predominantly white neighbourhood. It took more than two months and a viral video for police to arrest Gregory McMichael, a retired investigator for the local prosecutor's office, and his son, Travis, both of whom are white. The McMichaels claimed they believed Arbery was involved in a burglary and he was shot in a struggle for Travis McMichael's gun. Arbery's mother said she believes her son was just going on a jog.

According to the Washington Post Fatal Force database, more than 1,000 people have been shot and killed by police in the last year. According to the database, Black Americans are killed by police at a disproportionate rate.

African American adults are nearly six times as likely to be imprisoned or jailed than white adults, according to the Sentencing Project watchdog group.

These racial disparities have given rise to Black Lives Matter, which was founded in 2013 and seeks to end police violence and build local power to intervene in violence inflicted on Black communities.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020...-mounts-officers-charged-200528004535033.html
 
Minneapolis has called for help from the National Guard following riots over the death of George Floyd.

Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey confirmed during a press conference today that the National Guard has been requested.

"Yes I have made that phone call to the governor and it has been requested. The governor and the state have been very helpful," Mr Frey said.

"We are going to be conducting some strategizing sessions over the coming days. Obviously one of the difficulties we have is facing a $165 to $200 million revenue shortfall and then expenses that are resourced towards Covid-19. The monies that we have available are presently somewhat limited but this sort of calls the question of how much we do need assistance from the federal and state government now."

Minneapolis Police Chief Madaria Arradondo said that the "tenor" of protests changed on Wednesday night after a number of protestors not known to the local community took part in the destruction of property.

"Yes there were certainly people who were involved in the activities last night that were certainly not recognised as being here from the city," Mr Arrandondo said.

When asked how the protests got out of control, Mr Arrandondo said as the crowds got larger they became more mobile across the city.

"There was a core group of people that had really been focused on causing some destruction, certainly we saw that with some of the looting and setting fires," he said.

Mr Frey said he had authorised a unified command structure to allow Minneapolis Police Department to use resources and personnel from other jurisdictions.

"In the coming days we will have an all-out effort to restore peace and security in our city," he Frey said.

"This work is about protecting infrastructure needed to get through this pandemic together."

Singing Amazing Grace, city council vice president Andrea Jenkins said the community had the right to be upset and a "healing space" would be created for people to grieve.

"You have no right to perpetrate violence and harm on the very communities that you say that you are standing up for. We need peace and calm in our streets and I am begging you for that calm," Ms Jenkins said.

"We cannot allow outsiders, or our own Minneapolitan residents, to destroy our city, so we want to work together to ensure that people have their voices heard in a safe manner."

Minneapolis Fire Chief John Fruetel said they had 16 structural fires during the riots, plus additional non-structural fires.

Grocery stores and pharmacies were among dozens of local businesses damaged, looted or completely destroyed as the riots raged from late Wednesday into early Thursday morning.

Minor injuries were confirmed to some police and community members, although nothing considered significant according to Mr Arrandondo.

"Even prior to Mr Floyd's death, we have had a community that has been in trauma for quite some time and what I cannot allow as Chief is for others to compound that trauma," Mr Arrandondo said.

"If they are setting buildings and structures on fire that are harming the safety of our elderly and youth, I cannot allow that as Chief. I cannot allow criminal acts to occur and threaten the safety and compound the trauma that already exists."

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/...rek-chauvin-video-police-racism-a9537756.html
 
Oh, say can you see,
By the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hailed

IS JUST A EVIL, HEARTLESS SYSTEM
 
[MENTION=22846]Nostalgic[/MENTION] bhai thread is about incident in your area? how come you have not post here?
 
The US National Guard has been deployed to Minneapolis after violent clashes following the death of an unarmed black man in police custody.

George Floyd, 46, died on Monday and video showed him gasping for breath as a white policeman knelt on his neck.

Protests are now taking place for a third night in the city.

Reports say one police station has been overrun by demonstrators, and officers were seen abandoning the building that was set on fire.

This was the Minneapolis Police Department's 3rd Precinct, where the officers involved in the killing of George Floyd are believed to have worked.

On Wednesday, police fired tear gas at demonstrators as businesses were looted.

There have also been protests in Chicago, Los Angeles and Memphis.

The killing added to longstanding anger over the police killings of black Americans, including the recent case of Breonna Taylor in Kentucky.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz activated the state's national guard troops on Thursday at the request of the mayors of Minneapolis and nearby St Paul, declaring the situation a "peacetime emergency".

He said the looting, vandalism and arson of a night earlier had resulted in damage to many businesses, including ones owned by minorities.

"George Floyd's death should lead to justice and systemic change, not more death and destruction," he said in a statement calling on all protests to remain peaceful.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey called on Wednesday for criminal charges against the policeman who was filmed pinning down Mr Floyd. Four police officers involved in the arrest have already been fired.

The incident echoes the case of Eric Garner, who was placed in a police chokehold in New York in 2014. His death became a rallying cry against police brutality and a catalyst in the Black Lives Matter movement.

They began in the afternoon on Tuesday, when hundreds of people came to the intersection where the incident had taken place.

Organisers tried to keep the protest peaceful and maintain coronavirus social distancing, with demonstrators chanting "I can't breathe" and "It could've been me".

Media captionWatch protesters in Minneapolis following the death of George Floyd
During the second night of demonstrations on Wednesday, the crowd grew into the thousands, with protesters pelting rocks and some throwing tear-gas canisters back at police.

There was a standoff outside the police station where officers formed a human barricade to prevent protesters gaining entry.

What's the reaction?
Mr Floyd's brother, Philonise Floyd, told CNN on Thursday he hoped the officers involved got the death penalty.

"I'm never gonna get my brother back," he said. "We need justice."

Speaking through tears, he said the officers who "executed my brother in broad daylight" must be arrested and that he was "tired of seeing black men die".

He added that he understood why protesters were lashing out.

"I can't stop people right now because they have pain - they have the same pain that I feel."

Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo apologised for the "pain, devastation and trauma" caused by Mr Floyd's death and said his department had contributed to "a deficit of hope" in the city.

United Nations human rights chief Michelle Bachelet has also condemned Mr Floyd's death, saying the role of "entrenched and pervasive racial discrimination" must be recognised and dealt with.

She called for protesters to act peacefully, and for police to "take utmost care not to inflame the current situation even more".

President Donald Trump "was very upset" when he saw the footage of Mr Floyd's death, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany told reporters on Thursday.

"He wants justice to be served."

A number of celebrities and athletes, including John Boyega, LeBron James, Beyonce, and Justin Bieber, have also expressed outrage over the incident.

Officers responding to reports of the use of counterfeit money approached Mr Floyd in his vehicle on Monday.

According to police, he was told to step away from the car, physically resisted officers and was handcuffed. The police statement noted his apparent "medical distress".

A white officer can be seen using his knee to pin Mr Floyd to the ground by the neck as Mr Floyd groans "please, I can't breathe" and "don't kill me".

The city has identified the four officers involved as Derek Chauvin, Tou Thao, Thomas Lane and J Alexander Kueng.

Local media have named Mr Chauvin as the officer seen with his knee on Mr Floyd's neck.

The Minneapolis Police Officers Federation said the officers were co-operating with the investigation. In a statement to local media, the union said "now is not the time to rush to judgment".

"We must review all video. We must wait for the medical examiner's report."

One of the ex-officers - Derek Chauvin, 44 - had previously been involved in three other police shootings and had 17 complaints filed against him over his 19-year career, according to the Associated Press.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-52844192
 
A police station in Minneapolis has been set alight during a third night of protests over the death of an unarmed black man in custody.

The unrest continued despite the governor of Minnesota ordering the deployment of hundreds of members of the National Guard to restore order.

President Donald Trump said "thugs" were "dishonouring the memory" of George Floyd, 46, who died on Monday.

Video showed him gasping for breath as a white policeman knelt on his neck.

Mr Floyd's family have demanded the four police officers implicated in his death face murder charges. But prosecutors have said they are still gathering evidence.

The incident has added to longstanding anger over the police killings of black Americans, including the recent case of Breonna Taylor in Kentucky.

Protesters have also taken to the streets in Chicago, Los Angeles and Memphis.

On Thursday, police officers fired tear gas and rubber bullets in an attempt to disperse a crowd outside the 3rd Precinct, the epicentre of the unrest.

But the cordon around the police station was eventually breached by protesters, who set fire to it and two other nearby buildings, as officers withdrew.

The Minneapolis Police Department said in a statement that the 3rd Precinct had been evacuated shortly after 22:00 "in the interest of the safety of our personnel".

Later, the city government tweeted that it had heard "unconfirmed reports that gas lines to the 3rd Precinct have been cut and other explosives materials are in the building". It urged people near the building to retreat for their own safety.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz activated the state's National Guard troops at the request of the mayors of Minneapolis and the neighbouring city of St Paul, declaring the situation a "peacetime emergency".

He said the looting, vandalism and arson of Wednesday night had resulted in damage to many businesses, including ones owned by minorities.

"George Floyd's death should lead to justice and systemic change, not more death and destruction," he said in a statement, calling on all protests to remain peaceful.

President Donald Trump blamed Thursday's violence on a "lack of leadership" in Minneapolis and warned that he would send in the National Guard and "get the job done right" if Mayor Jacob Frey failed to bring the city under control.

The White House press secretary said earlier that Mr Trump "was very upset" when he saw the footage of Mr Floyd's death, adding: "He wants justice to be served."

Mayor Frey called on Wednesday for criminal charges against the policeman who was filmed pinning down Mr Floyd. He and the three other officers involved in the arrest have already been fired.

The Minnesota police handbook states that officers trained on how to compress the neck without applying direct pressure to the airway can use a knee under its use-of-force policy. This is regarded as a non-deadly-force option.

The incident echoes the case of Eric Garner, who was placed in a police chokehold in New York in 2014. His death became a rallying cry against police brutality and a catalyst in the Black Lives Matter movement.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-52844192
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Minnesota police arrest CNN reporter and camera crew as they report from protests in Minneapolis <a href="https://t.co/oZdqBti776">https://t.co/oZdqBti776</a> <a href="https://t.co/3QbeTjD5ed">pic.twitter.com/3QbeTjD5ed</a></p>— CNN (@CNN) <a href="https://twitter.com/CNN/status/1266315061221613569?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 29, 2020</a></blockquote>
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sensible-indian-fan said:
Murica being Murica.

Superpower on the outside.

A broken nation on the inside.
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Well summed up. Are they the most dysfunctional society amongst advanced western nations ? From the gun culture to the lack of basic social protections to the broken political and judicial system, and of course racial tensions that've lasted for decades - yet despite all this they retain their economic and scientific dominance...for now.

Western European countries have had issues with race relations but nothing of this scale.
 
Markhor said:
Well summed up. Are they the most dysfunctional society amongst advanced western nations ? From the gun culture to the lack of basic social protections to the broken political and judicial system, and of course racial tensions that've lasted for decades - yet despite all this they retain their economic and scientific dominance...for now.

Western European countries have had issues with race relations but nothing of this scale.
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"when the looting starts, the shooting starts."

Any justification for what Trump put out on twitter and which the Whitehouse has just put up on their website?

To the usual Trump fans here on PP, how do you defend this?
 
IMMY69 said:
"when the looting starts, the shooting starts."

Any justification for what Trump put out on twitter and which the Whitehouse has just put up on their website?

To the usual Trump fans here on PP, how do you defend this?
Click to expand...

Don't bother [MENTION=491]IMMY69[/MENTION] if they'll defend Trump suggesting injections of cleaning fluid to combat coronavirus, they'll defend just about anything.

You cannot reason with cults.
 
IMMY69 said:
"when the looting starts, the shooting starts."

Any justification for what Trump put out on twitter and which the Whitehouse has just put up on their website?

To the usual Trump fans here on PP, how do you defend this?
Click to expand...

EZKckv6U8AQ__Tj
EZKckvwUYAA8N3x


Nothing more to be said.
 
Racially charged violence rages for third night in Minneapolis

MINNEAPOLIS (Reuters) - A third night of racially charged arson, looting and vandalism gripped Minneapolis as protesters vented rage over the death of an unarmed black man after a white police officer knelt on his neck as he lay on the ground following arrest.

The latest unrest in Minnesota’s largest city went largely unchecked late Thursday, with the mayor ordering a tactical police retreat from a police station that was set ablaze.

amir2.jpg

National Guard troops called out earlier in the day by the governor kept a low profile. Governor Tim Walz had ordered the Guard to help keep the peace after two previous nights of disturbances sparked by George Floyd’s death on Monday.

In a late-night Twitter message, President Donald Trump said he would send in National Guard troops to “get the job done right” if the “weak” mayor failed to restore order, suggesting lethal force might be needed.

“Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts,” Trump wrote.

The arrest of Floyd, 46, was captured by an onlooker’s cell phone video that went viral and showed a police officer pressing his knee into Floyd’s neck as he moaned: “Please, I can’t breathe.”

Four police officers involved in the arrest of Floyd, who was accused of trying to pass counterfeit money at a corner store, were dismissed on Tuesday, but unrest has continued unabated.

Sympathy protests erupted on Wednesday in Los Angeles and Thursday in Denver, with freeway traffic blocked in both cities. In Phoenix, protesters faced off with police in riot gear at City Hall, and a rally was held at the Arizona state Capitol.

Thursday night’s disturbances in Minneapolis also spread into adjacent city of St. Paul, the state capital, with fires and vandalism breaking out there.

In contrast with Wednesday night, when rock-throwing demonstrators clashed with police in riot gear, law enforcement in Minneapolis kept mostly out of sight around the epicenter of Thursday’s disturbances, the Third Precinct police station.

Protesters massing outside the building briefly retreated under volleys of police tear gas and rubber bullets fired at them from the roof, only to regroup and eventually attack the building, setting fire to the structure as police withdrew.

National Guard troops were absent, as were members of the fire department. Protesters were later observed on the roof, and a crowd of hundreds lingered around the building for hours, feeding flames with hunks of plywood and other debris.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...-for-third-night-in-minneapolis-idUSKBN23519M
 
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srh said:
[MENTION=22846]Nostalgic[/MENTION] bhai thread is about incident in your area? how come you have not post here?
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Thankfully I left the flatlands of the Midwest for the Mountains five years ago. That said, the MN twin cities may now have a reputation as a liberal bastion, mombut from I've heard and read, the police force has a history of this sort of behavior.
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">My statement on the death of George Floyd: <a href="https://t.co/Hg1k9JHT6R">pic.twitter.com/Hg1k9JHT6R</a></p>— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) <a href="https://twitter.com/BarackObama/status/1266400635429310466?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 29, 2020</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">BREAKING: Derek Chauvin, the ex-Minneapolis Police who killed George Floyd, has been arrested in Minneapolis, Minnesota Public Safety Commissioner John Harrington has announced.</p>— Mukhtar M. Ibrahim (@mukhtaryare) <a href="https://twitter.com/mukhtaryare/status/1266417544870666242?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 29, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Abdullah719 said:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">My statement on the death of George Floyd: <a href="https://t.co/Hg1k9JHT6R">pic.twitter.com/Hg1k9JHT6R</a></p>— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) <a href="https://twitter.com/BarackObama/status/1266400635429310466?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 29, 2020</a></blockquote>
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I didn't read the statement but Obama should be the last person to talk, Black Lives Matter movement started in his era so obviously there was injustice going on against African Americans that led to the creation of the movement. What did first and only black president do about it? Nothing.



It's like PML-N completely destroying the Pak economy and then cursing PTI for not fixing it.
 
There is no doubt real anger at this murder by the black community and it shouldnt be their problem alone, but I always find that most of the rioters never care for the dead, for most its an opportunity to steal and have a bit fun. I remember the London riots and most of the kids couldn't care less about the issues, it was a chance to be destructive.
 
Just saw that video for the first time. You would expect that sort of policing in some banana republic, not a first world superpower. America seems to be too large to control, maybe they should let each state become truly independent, that way they could take more control at the micro level.
 
Cpt. Rishwat said:
Just saw that video for the first time. You would expect that sort of policing in some banana republic, not a first world superpower. America seems to be too large to control, maybe they should let each state become truly independent, that way they could take more control at the micro level.
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USA maybe a superpower but culturally very backward society and people , a century behind the likes of Northern Europe. Nothing will change this as long as the Christian and White Extremists hold influence. Any nation which elects Trump cannot be advanced mentally.

I wrote this before, every black man (US) should carry a gun for self defence. I would.
 
Bewal Express said:
There is no doubt real anger at this murder by the black community and it shouldnt be their problem alone, but I always find that most of the rioters never care for the dead, for most its an opportunity to steal and have a bit fun. I remember the London riots and most of the kids couldn't care less about the issues, it was a chance to be destructive.
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Lets for focus on the systematic racism in the US police force, not start attacking black people.

I dont blame them, sure there are opportunists but the anger is real and justified even though looting isn't.

When the clown Trump makes threats to black people on twitter, they will think why the hell not, our President is racist and wont protect us.
 
I don't disagree but the bigger issues won't go away. As a community its easy to be suppressed by victim Hood and convince your children that nothing can be done to change their lives. White people won't and can't change the horrific violence within the black community, for example Chicago is a like a war zone.
 
Abdullah719 said:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">BREAKING: Derek Chauvin, the ex-Minneapolis Police who killed George Floyd, has been arrested in Minneapolis, Minnesota Public Safety Commissioner John Harrington has announced.</p>— Mukhtar M. Ibrahim (@mukhtaryare) <a href="https://twitter.com/mukhtaryare/status/1266417544870666242?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 29, 2020</a></blockquote>
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A police officer fired following the death of unarmed black man George Floyd in Minneapolis has been arrested and charged with murder and manslaughter.

Derek Chauvin is one of four police officers who were fired after Mr Floyd's death in custody on Monday.

There have been days of protests, looting and arson after Mr Chauvin and other officers were shown in a video kneeling on George Floyd.

The case has added to US anger over police killings of black Americans.

Hennepin County Prosecutor Mike Freeman said Mr Chauvin was charged with third degree murder and noted that the investigation of the other officers is ongoing.

Mr Freeman said his office "charged this case as quickly as evidence has been presented to us".

On Thursday, during the third night of protests over Mr Floyd's death, a police station was set alight. A number of buildings have been burned, looted and vandalised in recent days, prompting the activation of the state's National Guard troops.

Earlier on Friday, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz said he expected "swift and fair" justice for Mr Floyd's death.

George Floyd repeatedly told the police officers who detained him that he could not breathe
President Donald Trump said "thugs" were dishonouring Mr Floyd's memory and called on the National Guard to restore order.

Social media network Twitter accused Mr Trump of glorifying violence in a post that said: "When the looting starts, the shooting starts."
 
Markhor said:
Well summed up. Are they the most dysfunctional society amongst advanced western nations ? From the gun culture to the lack of basic social protections to the broken political and judicial system, and of course racial tensions that've lasted for decades - yet despite all this they retain their economic and scientific dominance...for now.

Western European countries have had issues with race relations but nothing of this scale.
Click to expand...

Undoubtedly.

Broken health care.

Broken pay scale where I am hearing Amazon & Walmart employees qualify for food stamps.

Broken education system where one degree can cripple you for life.

Broken judicial system where 20% of the world's prison population is from USA (heard many innocents are sent to prison where they get raped (dunno how widespread rapes are) - heard redditors mentioning how they stop fighting after the 10th or 20th time cos its easier to just let it happen)

Murica is an UGLY country if you peek behind the curtains.
 
Protesters have clashed with police in cities across the US over the killing of an unarmed African-American man at the hands of officers in Minneapolis.

Hundreds of people rallied outside the White House, which was briefly put under lockdown on Friday, demanding justice over the death of George Floyd.

Demonstrations have been taking place in Minnesota, New York and California.

A former Minneapolis police officer has been arrested and charged with murder over Mr Floyd's death in custody.

Derek Chauvin, who is white, was shown in footage kneeling on 46-year-old Mr Floyd's neck on Monday. He and three other officers have since been sacked.

Mr Chauvin, 44, is due to appear in court in Minneapolis for the first time on Monday.

President Donald Trump has described the incident as "a terrible, terrible thing" and said he had spoken with Mr Floyd's family, whom he described as "terrific people".

What happened during the protests?

On Friday evening, crowds gathered near the White House in Washington, DC, waving photographs of Mr Floyd and chanting "I can't breathe" - invoking his last words and those of Eric Garner, a black man who died after being held in a police chokehold in New York in 2014.

The White House was then temporarily placed on lockdown, with the US Secret Service closing entrances and exits.

Curfews were ordered for the Twin Cities of Minneapolis-Saint Paul, from 20:00 to 06:00 on both Friday and Saturday evening. But further gatherings of protesters were reported after the curfew had come into effect, and buildings and vehicles were later set alight.

There were violent clashes between protesters with police in several cities, including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Denver, Houston, Louisville, Phoenix, Columbus and Memphis.

In Atlanta, buildings were vandalised and a police vehicle was set alight as protesters gathered near the offices of news broadcaster CNN.

In Dallas, officers launched tear gas canisters after they were pelted with stones.

While Mr Chauvin has been charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter over his role in Mr Floyd's death, the protesters want the other officers involved to face justice.

The case has reignited US anger over police killings of black Americans, and the nationwide protests follow days of looting and arson in Minneapolis.

On Thursday, during the third night of protests, a police station was set alight. A number of buildings have been burned, looted and vandalised in recent days, prompting the activation of the state's National Guard troops.

What did the prosecutor say?

Hennepin County Prosecutor Mike Freeman said he "anticipates charges" for the three other officers but would not offer more details.

Mr Freeman said his office "charged this case as quickly as evidence has been presented to us".

"This is by far the fastest that we've ever charged a police officer," he noted.

According to the criminal complaint, Mr Chauvin acted with "a depraved mind, without regard for human life".

Read more on

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-52857334
 
The Associated Press is reporting that the Pentagon is ordering the Army to put several active-duty military police units on the ready to deploy to Minneapolis.

This comes after Donald Trump tweeted that he told Minnesota governor Tim Walz that “the Military is with him all the way”. Twitter hid that tweet behind a warning that it “glorifies violence” - Trump had ended that tweet with “when the looting starts, the shooting starts,” a nod to former Miami police chief Walter Headley, who in December 1967 promised violent reprisals to protests over stop-and-frisk tactics.

It’s incredibly rare for the Pentagon to order something of this sort, the AP noted.
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Here at the protest against police brutality at Detroit Police Deparment Headquarters. Protesters were yelling, “No justice, no peace. No racist police.” I’d estimate a good 100 or more people are here and more are walking up with signs. DPD is actually passing out PPE. <a href="https://t.co/jDkRJJjgBq">pic.twitter.com/jDkRJJjgBq</a></p>— Branden Hunter (@JustCallmeBHunt) <a href="https://twitter.com/JustCallmeBHunt/status/1266458537133252609?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 29, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">My phone has been dead for most the night, but this was the scene at the protest in Detroit about an hour ago. A lot of tear gas being used on protesters. <a href="https://t.co/TdWpJgAwfZ">pic.twitter.com/TdWpJgAwfZ</a></p>— Angie Jackson (@AngieJackson23) <a href="https://twitter.com/AngieJackson23/status/1266590305404555265?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 30, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">LIVE in front of the White House ... <a href="https://t.co/HIIStVuNWW">https://t.co/HIIStVuNWW</a></p>— Hunter Walker (@hunterw) <a href="https://twitter.com/hunterw/status/1266595984110309379?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 30, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
Twin Cities curfews fail to prevent looting, fires, protests

Heaping furious, violent contempt on an 8 p.m. curfew, rioters rampaged across much of Minneapolis for a fourth night Friday, setting towering fires, looting and vandalizing businesses and shooting at police officers, all in response to the death of a black man under a white police officer’s knee on Monday.

By all accounts, law enforcement presence was almost undetectable as the violence rapidly accelerated until just before midnight, when hundreds of police officers, state troopers and National Guard troops, many in armored vehicles, fanned out into troubled areas, confronting rioters with mass force, tear gas and orders to disperse.

And yet, those efforts had notably little effect for much of the night, and questions swirled about how such a dire situation has developed in a long peaceable city.

The fresh violence came even on the heels of charges against Derek Chauvin, the police officer suspected in the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man being detained on suspicion of passing a counterfeit bill.

The intense new violence occurred after many businesses and public structures had been boarded up and fortified in preparation for yet another night of violent demonstrations against police brutality.

At midnight, as helicopters rattled above Minneapolis and smoke blanketed the shellshocked city, major fires were reported near the Minneapolis Police Department’s Fifth Precinct headquarters at Nicollet Avenue and 31st Street, including one at the U.S. Post Office on Nicollet, a Wells Fargo Bank, a Stop-and-Go and at a Shell gas station on Park Avenue and Lake Street. There was concern that accelerants at the gas station could explode, and onlookers scattered and ducked. Fire officials said they could not get to many sites without security.

Cars and buildings burn in Minneapolis as thousands ignore curfew and law enforcement is not in sight along Lake Street on Friday night.

Authorities also reported that shots had been fired at officers in the area, but there were no reports of injuries.

Minneapolis police officer also fired into a car that barreled into a group of officers in downtown Minneapolis late Friday, but no one was hit.

Law enforcement moved en masse into the area just before midnight, trying to push back crowds of energetic protesters.

The continued destruction raised major questions about the presence and strategy of law enforcement and the National Guard, which Gov. Tim Walz called in Thursday to help keep the peace. Just before midnight Friday, far more Guard and police officers began to show up at hot spots.

Sen. Paul Gazelka, the state Senate’s majority leader, lambasted Walz anew for what he called a lack of leadership. He was among many GOP political leaders, including President Donald Trump, who have weighed in to decry the situation and the leadership of Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey.

Early Saturday, Gazelka told a Star Tribune reporter that he called the White House about the Minnesota riots, although he was not able to speak directly with President Donald Trump. “I said, ‘Minnesota needs you,’” Gazelka said. “‘Our governor is not able to keep the peace. And we need help before our city burns down.’”

Gazelka said he did not know if his call was what prompted the Pentagon to announce that it had put the military on alert in case it was needed in Minneapolis.

“This is a failure of leadership at the governor’s level,” Gazelka said. “He is the commander-in-chief. He controls the National Guard. He needs to lead.”

He said Walz should have called out 2,000 National Guard troops, not 500.

Walz tweeted late Friday that law enforcement was being deployed en masse to trouble spots. The Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association quickly replied that its members did not have nearly the amount of resources needed to address the severity of the crisis, and called for more leadership on his part.

At Minneapolis’ Third Precinct police headquarters, which was torched early Friday, State Patrol troopers fired tear gas at protesters just before the curfew took effect, but later, cars burned not far away and there appeared to be no presence of law enforcement or firefighters.

Downtown, a few officers on bicycles didn’t interfere with a roaming protest, which grew after the 8 p.m. curfew and passed the First Precinct police station without stopping before it made its way onto Interstate 35W. According to MnDOT traffic cameras, protesters later set a bonfire in the southbound lanes just south of Washington Avenue.

At the Fifth Precinct in south Minneapolis, 350 officers moved into the area just before midnight, pushing back demonstrators. Several officers stood on top of the building watching the mostly peaceful crowd, which was chanting and holding signs. Meanwhile, a nearby Sprint Store, Office Max and convenience store were looted. Near midnight, police officers and National Guard troops were moving into the area.

Late Friday, fires were also burning at businesses on W. Broadway. Smoke filled the North Side as firefighters extinguished a blaze at what was once a barbershop at the intersection of N. 26th Avenue. Onlookers watched calmly as police officers also stood by. The scene was peaceful, and at nearby Fourth Precinct headquarters, the site of many demonstrations in months past, things were peaceful.

Fire department assistant chief of operations Bryan Tyner said late Friday night that they were responding to fires throughout the city but “we are not able to respond to sites until the scene can be secured.” By early Saturday, firefighters were present at many of the raging fires, surrounded by Guard troops and police officers even as demonstrators hovered nearby.

According to emergency dispatch audio, shots were fired shortly after 8 p.m. at a group of law enforcement personnel on Hiawatha Avenue before two men in white shirts ran away on E. 32nd Street. It was unclear what authority reported the shots fired. They immediately began to retreat.

“Hey guys, east of us is starting to go,” a man said referring to a fire in the area. “We don’t have a lot of [expletive] out here. Let’s keep going. Grab you guys’ stuff, grab you guys’ people. Let’s get out of here.”

“Let’s get the [expletive] out of here. … If you don’t have a car, get in one. Let’s go. Right now.”

Some leaders had hoped for a reprieve from unruly demonstrations after authorities announced around midday that fired Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin had been arrested and was charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. Video taken Monday night showed Chauvin kneeling on Floyd’s neck for more than 8½ minutes, while Floyd fell unresponsive and was later pronounced dead.

Near the burned Third Precinct police building, many in a crowd of hundreds took a knee with their fists in the air. Some in the crowd said they wouldn’t abide by the curfew unless all four officers at the scene of Floyd’s death were arrested and charged.

“They can’t arrest us all,”some protesters said. But when the tear gas was launched, many fled the area.

Cousins Thomas Mante and DeWayne Counce, who are black, stood on the corner of Lake Street and S. 22nd Avenue on Friday evening as several demonstrators stood in front of a line of National Guardsmen and vehicles parked across Lake Street. “It’s a humanity thing,” Counce said. “People are fed up,” Mante said.

The two said they’re glad Chauvin was arrested and charged but said the third-degree murder count was too low. “They’re basically saying it wasn’t intentional,” Counce said. They want to see the other three former officers charged with murder, too.

As he urged peaceful protest earlier in the day, Gov. Tim Walz acknowledged Minnesota’s deep-rooted inequity and called for new measures to ensure change this time, after little changed so many times before.

“I’m asking you to help us, help us use a humane way to get the streets to a place where we can restore justice, so that those that are expressing rage and anger and demanding justice are heard,” he said. “Not those who throw firebombs into businesses.”

‘It’s not doing any good’

In north Minneapolis, James Clark was among the dozens who stood by as firefighters extinguished what was left of the Fade Factory, a small barbershop on W. Broadway that was fully engulfed. He is the father of Jamar Clark, the black man shot and killed during an encounter with police in 2015, whose death sparked weeks of protest and encampments outside the Fourth Precinct.

“It’s not solving anything, it’s not doing any good. It’s just putting all these different communities in a bad position. They can’t get food or prescription jobs,” he said. “It don’t make no sense.”

He urged protesters to send their message in a different way, but he understands the anger, and things will continue.

“This has been building up for over 400 years and it just got to the point where it exploded,” he said.

https://www.startribune.com/new-riots-looting-hit-mpls-after-curfew-ignored/570882282/
 
National Guard deploys to enforce Minneapolis curfew

Some 350 officers of the Minnesota National Guard and local police have deployed to enforce a curfew in Minneapolis, warning protesters they will be arrested if they refused to leave the city's Fifth Precinct area.


Police and protesters clash in New York City

Demonstrators took to New York City streets for a second day in protest over the death of Floyd, and invoked the names of other black people who died at police hands.

In Brooklyn, crowds of demonstrators chanted at police officers lined up outside the Barclays Center.
 
Demonstrations erupt in major cities as thousands defy Minneapolis curfew to protest against unarmed Black man's death.

Protests have broken out in cities across the United States calling for justice following the death of George Floyd in police custody when a white officer in Minneapolis pressed a knee into the unarmed Black man's neck for several minutes.

In scenes both peaceful and violent across the country, thousands of protesters on Friday chanted "no justice, no peace" and "say his name. George Floyd." They hoisted signs reading: "He said I can't breathe. Justice for George."

The demonstrations came as Derek Chauvin, the officer involved in Floyd's death, was arrested and charged with one count each of third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.

Graphic video footage taken on an onlooker's cellphone and widely circulated on the internet shows Floyd - with Chauvin's knee pressed into his neck - gasping for air and repeatedly groaning, "Please, I can't breathe," while a crowd of bystanders shouted at police to let him up.

The video reignited an outpouring of rage that civil rights activists said has long simmered in Minneapolis, the largest city in the state of Minnesota, and other towns and cities across the country over persistent racial bias in the US criminal justice system and the deaths of Black people in police custody.

Demonstrations for the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis

Peaceful demonstrators observe a moment of silence outside the US Bank Stadium during the fourth day of protests after the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota, US on May 29, 2020 [Nicholas Pfosi/Reuters]
The charges brought by Hennepin County prosecutors came after a third night of protests in which protesters set fire to a police station, and the National Guard was deployed to help restore order in Minneapolis.

Authorities had hoped Chauvin's arrest would allay public anger and avert continued unrest. But defying an 8pm curfew imposed by Mayor Jacob Frey, thousands took to the streets for a fourth night. A heavy contingent of National Guard, state troopers and police moved in, some on foot and some in vehicles.

"We saw a confrontation between a number of demonstrators and state police ... [that] ended with tear gas," Al Jazeera's John Hendren, reporting from Minneapolis, said.

Protester Naeema Jakes told AFP news agency she needed to be on the streets so she could verbally confront officers.

"I need you to look in my eyes and feel me," Jakes said. "This is pain, this is hurt."

Some cars were set on fire in scattered neighbourhoods, while a pair of restaurants and a Wells Fargo branch were also set ablaze.

Among the cities with larger protests on Friday were Atlanta, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles and Louisville.

After hours of peaceful protest in central Atlanta, some demonstrators turned violent, smashing police cars, setting one on fire, spray-painting the logo sign at CNN's headquarters and breaking into a restaurant. The crowd pelted officers with bottles, chanting "quit your jobs".

Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms pleaded with the crowd to go home.

"This is not a protest," she said. "You are disgracing our city. You are disgracing the life of George Floyd and every other person who has been killed in this country. We are better than this."

But the violence continued, prompting Georgia's Governor Brian Kemp to declare a state of emergency to "protect people & property in Atlanta".

Kemp said 500 members of the state National Guard would be deployed to quell the unrest.

Protesters also gathered outside the White House, with President Donald Trump inside, and some tried to push through barriers set up by the US Secret Service along Pennsylvania Avenue.

In New York City, an initially peaceful demonstration spiralled into chaos as night fell. Protesters skirmished with officers, destroying police vehicles and setting fires.

In Brooklyn, activists who had marched from Manhattan chanted slogans against police brutality and pelted officers lined up outside the Barclays Center with water bottles. Police sprayed an eye-irritating chemical into the largely diverse crowd multiple times, then cleared the plaza.

Numerous people were arrested and police brought in buses to carry them off.

"We have a long night ahead of us in Brooklyn," Mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted. "Our sole focus is deescalating this situation and getting people home safe. There will be a full review of what happened tonight. We don't ever want to see another night like this."

In Houston, where Floyd grew up, several thousand people rallied in front of City Hall. Among them was 19-year-old Jimmy Ohaz, who came from the nearby city of Richmond, Texas.

"My question is how many more, how many more? I just want to live in a future where we all live in harmony and we're not oppressed," he told The Associated Press news agency.

In Detroit, a 19-year-old man was killed after someone in a vehicle fired shots into a crowd of people protesting Floyd's death. Police said an officer was not involved in the shooting and the suspect had pulled up in a Dodge Durango and opened fire at the protesters.

Tensions also rose in several cities on the US's west coast as night fell and protesters blocked highways in Los Angeles and Oakland. Demonstrators in Los Angeles scuffled at times with police, with a few protesters arrested and one officer receiving medical treatment, police said.

The unrest was the worst the US has seen in years. The AP news agency, citing three anonymous sources said the Pentagon ordered the army to put military police units on alert to head to Minneapolis on short notice at Trump's request.

Trump said on Friday he had spoken to Floyd's family and "expressed my sorrow".

He called the video of the arrest "just a horrible thing to witness and to watch. It certainly looked like there was no excuse for it".

Earlier in the day, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman said a key piece of evidence in the case against Chauvin was the video clip showing Floyd lying face down in the street, with the officer kneeling on the back of Floyd's neck - Chauvin had his knee on Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes, according to an autopsy report.

"We have evidence, we have the citizen's camera's video, the horrible, horrific, terrible thing we have all seen over and over again," Freeman said.

He added the investigation into Chauvin, who faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted, was ongoing and he anticipated also charging the three other officers, identified by the city as Thomas Lane, Tou Thao and J Alexander Kueng.

All four were fired from the police department on Tuesday after the video surfaced of Monday's arrest.

The 46-year-old Floyd's relatives welcomed the news of Chauvin's arrest as a "step on the road to justice". But they said they hoped for tougher charges and action against the other officers involved in Floyd's detention and death.

"We want a first-degree murder charge. And we want to see the other officers arrested," they said in a statement.

"The pain that the Black community feels over this murder and what it reflects about the treatment of Black people in America is raw and is spilling out onto streets across America."

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/05/protests-cop-charged-murder-george-floyd-200530074749991.html
 
Who was George Floyd? The 'gentle giant' who was trying to turn his life around

George Floyd's death has sparked protests across the US, with demonstrators desperately calling for an end to police violence.

Mr Floyd was an unarmed black man who died after a Minneapolis police officer kneeled on his neck for more than eight minutes as he told them "I can't breathe".

He moved to Minneapolis after being released from prison and was known as a "gentle giant" who was trying to turn his life around.

The 46-year-old was born in North Carolina and lived in Houston, Texas, when he was younger but moved to Minneapolis several years ago to find work, according to his lifelong friend, Christopher Harris.

He was known to loved ones as "Big Floyd" and was the father to a six-year-old daughter who lives in Houston with her mother, Roxie Washington.

Ms Washington told the Houston Chronicle he was a good father while they were raising their daughter, Gianna, together.

He also left behind a girlfriend, Courteney Ross, who said she was "heartbroken" over his death.

"Waking up this morning to see Minneapolis on fire would be something that would devastate Floyd," she told the Star Tribune.

"He loved the city. He came here [from Houston] and stayed here for the people and the opportunities."

Mr Floyd was a talented athlete who particularly excelled in football and basketball at school.

One of Mr Floyd's former classmates, Donnell Cooper, said he had a "quiet personality but a gentle spirit".

According to Ms Washington, he did not finish school and began making music with a hip-hop group called the Screwed Up Click.

After he struggled to find work in Houston, he left the city for Minneapolis.

There, he worked two jobs, one driving trucks and another as a security guard at Latin American restaurant Conga Latin Bistro.

A Conga customer, Jessi Zendejas, said in a Facebook post that Mr Floyd "loved his hugs from his regulars", according to the Star Tribune.

"[He] would be mad if you didn't stop to greet him because he honestly loved seeing everyone and watching everyone have fun," she said.

In a post on a GoFundMe page, Mr Floyd's sister, Bridgett, said he would "give you the shirt off his back".

His friend, Oscar Smallwood, wrote on Facebook: "The gentle giant has gained his wings, didn't get that chance to say I Love you!"

According to court documents, Mr Floyd was charged in 2007 with armed robbery in a "home invasion". He was sentenced to five years in prison after a plea deal in 2009.

In a recent video on social media, he spoke out against gun violence, saying: "Our young generation is clearly lost".

On Monday, he was pinned to the ground by police officer Derek Chauvin while being arrested for allegedly using a fake $20 note in a shop.

In footage of the arrest, Mr Floyd can be heard saying he could not breathe, before he is seen being lifted on to a stretcher and into an ambulance.

He died in hospital.

Chauvin has been charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter, while three other officers involved in the incident were sacked.

A former owner of Minneapolis's El Nuevo Rodeo bar said both Mr Floyd and Chauvin had been employed as security guards at the venue at the same time.

Maya Santamaria told KSTP-TV the police officer worked off-duty outside the club and does not know if the pair knew each other, but there would have been occasions when they were working on the same night.

She claimed Chauvin often overreacted and used pepper spray on people, saying "he had a real short fuse and he seemed afraid".
https://news.sky.com/story/who-was-george-floyd-the-gentle-giant-who-loved-his-hugs-11997206
 
George Floyd death: Rapper Killer Mike's plea to protesters in Atlanta

Rapper Killer Mike has delivered an impassioned plea to protesters in Atlanta, after clashes spread across the US over the killing of an unarmed African-American man at the hands of officers

He told those who were angry to plot, plan, strategise, organise, and mobilise, and hold their politicians to account.

<iframe width="400" height="500" frameborder="0" src="https://www.bbc.com/news/av/embed/p08fmvzl/52860643"></iframe>
 
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio announces an independent investigation into protests in Brooklyn on Friday night

The promise for a review comes after videos shared on social media showed police officers using batons and shoving protesters.

Meanwhile, protesters were spotted rocking a police van before setting it alight and covering it in graffiti.

Mr De Blasio said "a lot happened" during Friday's protest as he promised to "get to the bottom of exactly what happened".

"There's a poison of structural racism," he said. "It haunts the lives of people of colour every day in this country, in this city, every day.

"And I want to speak as someone who acknowledges my own reality as a white male, acknowledges that privilege, acknowledges that I can only understand so much."
 
The full Minnesota National Guard was activated for the first time since World War Two after four nights of sometimes violent protests that have spread to other US cities following the killing of a black man by a white Minneapolis police officer who knelt on his neck.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz said the deployment was needed because outsiders were using the demonstrations over the death of George Floyd to spread chaos, and that he expected Saturday night's protests to be the most intense so far.

Walz said he also considering the potential offer of federal military police, but he warned that even that might not be enough.

"We do not have the numbers," Walz said. "We cannot arrest people when we are trying to hold ground."

Walz blamed much of the destruction in Minneapolis on Friday night on well-organised, out-of-state instigators whose goal was to "destabilise civil society".

He said he believed a "tightly controlled" group of outside agitators, some white supremacist groups and drug cartels were to blame for some of the violence in Minneapolis, but he did not give specifics when asked by reporters. He said as many as 80 percent of those arrested were from out-of-state.

Minnesota National Guard General Jon Jensen said all the state's guardsmen had been activated, and that 2,500 of them would be mobilized by noon. "It means we're all in," Jensen said.

Meanwhile, the Pentagon on Saturday ordered the army to put military police units on alert to head to the city on short notice at President Donald Trump's request, according to the Associated Press news agency, citing three people with direct knowledge of the orders who did not want their names used because they were not authorised to discuss the preparations.

The death on Monday in Minneapolis of George Floyd has sparked demonstrations, some peaceful and some of them violent, in many cities across the nation, including one in Washington DC, on Friday.

From Minneapolis to New York City, Atlanta and Washington, angry protesters took to the streets over the treatment of minorities by law enforcement.

The demonstrations broke out for a fourth night despite prosecutors announcing on Friday that the policeman involved in Floyd's death, Derek Chauvin, had been arrested on third-degree murder and manslaughter charges.

Graphic video footage taken on an onlooker's cellphone and widely circulated on the internet shows 46-year-old Floyd - with Chauvin's knee pressed into his neck - gasping for air and repeatedly groaning, "Please, I can't breathe," while a crowd of bystanders shouted at police to let him up.

Three other officers have been fired and are being investigated in connection with Monday's incident, which reignited rage that civil rights activists said has long simmered in Minneapolis and cities across the country over persistent racial bias in the US criminal justice system.

In Detroit late on Friday, a 19-year-old man was shot dead at a demonstration by a suspect who fired from a sports utility vehicle then fled, local media reported. Police made no immediate comment.

Many of the protesters chanted, "No justice, no peace," and some carried signs that read, "End police brutality" and "I won't stop yelling until everyone can breathe".

Thousands of demonstrators also filled the streets of New York City's Brooklyn borough near the Barclays Center arena. Police armed with batons and pepper spray made scores of arrests.

In lower Manhattan, demonstrators at a "We can't breathe" rally demanded legislation to outlaw the chokehold used by a city police officer in the 2014 death of Eric Garner, who was also Black.

In Washington DC, police and secret service agents deployed in force around the White House before dozens of demonstrators gathered across the street in Lafayette Square.

President Donald Trump said early on Saturday that he had watched the protest from his window, and, if the demonstrators had breached the fence, "they would have been greeted with the most vicious dogs and most ominous weapons, I have ever seen."

"That's when people would have been really badly hurt, at least," Trump wrote on Twitter. "Many Secret Service agents just waiting for action."

Trump accused Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser of refusing to send police to help the US Secret Service, although the Washington Post reported that city officers did help control the later gathering.

The mayor's office and the DC police did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

On Friday, Trump drew a warning from Twitter and condemnation from Democrats after posting a comment that "looting leads to shooting," suggesting protesters who turned to looting could be fired upon.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020...-mobilise-national-guard-200530153859966.html
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Incredible scene at Colorado’s Capitol right now. Thousands of protesters are lying face down with their hands behind their backs chanting “I can’t breathe.” They’re doing this for 9 mins. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/copolitics?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#copolitics</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/denverprotest?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#denverprotest</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GeorgeFloyd?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GeorgeFloyd</a> <a href="https://t.co/PaABvp8ZoM">pic.twitter.com/PaABvp8ZoM</a></p>— Colorado Times Recorder (@COTimesRecorder) <a href="https://twitter.com/COTimesRecorder/status/1266815884737249280?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 30, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The situation on the ground in Minneapolis & St. Paul has shifted & the response tonight will be different as a result. The coordinated <a href="https://twitter.com/MNNationalGuard?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MNNationalGuard</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/MnDPS_MSP?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MnDPS_MSP</a>, & law enforcement presence will triple in size to address a sophisticated network of urban warfare. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MACCMN?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MACCMN</a></p>— MnDPS_DPS (@MnDPS_DPS) <a href="https://twitter.com/MnDPS_DPS/status/1266865889552588801?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 30, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Happening now near the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WhiteHouse?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WhiteHouse</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DCProtests?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DCProtests</a><a href="https://t.co/RgCCSJP4Ki">https://t.co/RgCCSJP4Ki</a></p>— Disclose.tv 🚨 (@disclosetv) <a href="https://twitter.com/disclosetv/status/1266934960377729024?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 31, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BREAKING?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BREAKING</a><br><br>Military being called in as riots spiral out of control in Washington DC. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WhiteHouse?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WhiteHouse</a> <a href="https://t.co/IzUIWysEgV">pic.twitter.com/IzUIWysEgV</a></p>— Mr. S Occultist (@FreedomError404) <a href="https://twitter.com/FreedomError404/status/1266897676907483137?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 31, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Armed soldiers ready to roll on <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GeorgeFloyd?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GeorgeFloyd</a> protestors at the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WhiteHouse?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WhiteHouse</a>: <a href="https://t.co/E4ebrJQPSI">pic.twitter.com/E4ebrJQPSI</a></p>— MK-Ultra News (@mkultranews) <a href="https://twitter.com/mkultranews/status/1266918063091314690?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 31, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Destruction across the country tonight in ongoing protests. Here is a dumpster fire on H Street outside of the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WhiteHouse?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WhiteHouse</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DCProtests?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DCProtests</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BlackLivesMatter?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BlackLivesMatter</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GeorgeFloyd?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GeorgeFloyd</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/USARevolts?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#USARevolts</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Riots2020?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Riots2020</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/JusticeForGeorgeFloyd?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#JusticeForGeorgeFloyd</a><br> <a href="https://t.co/W9uZUWv6mV">pic.twitter.com/W9uZUWv6mV</a></p>— Gabriel Schray (@schrayguy) <a href="https://twitter.com/schrayguy/status/1266943966823489536?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 31, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">BREAKING: man critically injured at Dallas riots <br><br>It appears he attempted to defend a shop with a large sword <br><br>Looters ran at him, then he charged rioters <br><br>They then beat him with a skateboard and stoned him with medium sized rocks <br><br>I called an Ambulance and it’s on the way <a href="https://t.co/kFxl3kjsBC">pic.twitter.com/kFxl3kjsBC</a></p>— BREAKING RIOT UPDATES - BLAZE TV (@ElijahSchaffer) <a href="https://twitter.com/ElijahSchaffer/status/1266925493384736769?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 31, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Who is this serving?<br><br>Who is this protecting? <a href="https://t.co/IK8DkwLLUT">pic.twitter.com/IK8DkwLLUT</a></p>— jordan (@JordanUhl) <a href="https://twitter.com/JordanUhl/status/1266917228752056320?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 31, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">BREAKING: Police shoot non-lethal rounds at people as they stand on their porch in Minneapolis <a href="https://t.co/j0aIACIRwE">pic.twitter.com/j0aIACIRwE</a></p>— BNO News (@BNONews) <a href="https://twitter.com/BNONews/status/1266942896659406848?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 31, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Breaking: Protests have turned violent in the Union Square area of Manhattan, New York. Multiple police vehicles have been destroyed and trash cans have been set on fire. <a href="https://t.co/fmde03lkVa">pic.twitter.com/fmde03lkVa</a></p>— PM Breaking News (@PMBreakingNews) <a href="https://twitter.com/PMBreakingNews/status/1266932752529719296?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 31, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="ur" dir="rtl">نیویارک کی مہذب قوم،،، ❤️ <a href="https://t.co/4c9XsyFwWN">pic.twitter.com/4c9XsyFwWN</a></p>— ☪ محمد طلال (@mohammedtalal15) <a href="https://twitter.com/mohammedtalal15/status/1266933585854058498?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 31, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Nothing says "We Demand Justice" like looting a Nike store and running out screaming with joy. <a href="https://t.co/ISlgPTbocx">pic.twitter.com/ISlgPTbocx</a></p>— Steven Souness (@StevenSouness) <a href="https://twitter.com/StevenSouness/status/1266901861350727683?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 31, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

I wonder how many of these truly have sympathy for the victim and how many are letting out their frustrations after days of lockdown.
 
Curfews have been ordered in cities across the US in an attempt to stem the violent clashes between protesters and police over the death of George Floyd.

Widespread demonstrations have taken place, with riot police using tear gas and rubber bullets after their vehicles were set alight in several cities.

President Donald Trump blamed "looters and anarchists" for the violence.

Mr Floyd, a 46-year-old African American, was killed while in police custody in Minneapolis on Monday.

Former policeman Derek Chauvin, 44 and white, has been charged with his murder and is due to appear in court on Monday.

In footage that went viral online, Mr Chauvin can be seen kneeling on Mr Floyd's neck for several minutes. Mr Floyd repeatedly says that he is unable to breathe.

Three other officers present at the time have also since been sacked.

What's the latest on the protests?
Large demonstrations have taken place in at least 30 cities across the US.

In Chicago, protesters threw stones at riot officers, who responded by launching tear gas canisters. Several people were arrested on Saturday.

Police in Los Angeles fired rubber bullets as they tried to disperse crowds who threw bottles and set fire to their squad cars. Images later showed people standing on police vehicles that had been damaged.

For the second day running, a large crowd converged on the White House in Washington, DC.

In Atlanta, Georgia, where buildings were vandalised on Friday, a state of emergency was declared for some areas to protect people and property.

Thousands of people also marched through the streets of Minneapolis, New York, Miami, Atlanta and Philadelphia.

Overnight curfews have been now been declared in Minneapolis, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Portland and Louisville - among other cities.

However, protesters in several cities continue to defy the curfews and widespread looting has been taking place.

In Minnesota, hundreds of troops from the National Guard - a reserve military force that can be called on by the US president or state governors to intervene in domestic emergencies - were brought in late on Friday.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-52865206
 
Last edited:
ManFan said:
Correction: The Electoral College chose.

He lost the popular vote by three million.
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Can't really blame electoral college when Democrats haven't really fixed the system they use to choose party nominee for presidential elections. They should start by fixing their own system before blaming the electoral college for Hilary's over-confidence. I can go on and on the Democratic party's hypocrisies, but that's really not the topic of this post.
 
Another round of protests is gripping major cities across the United States against police brutality and violence, especially against unarmed Black people.

Several states have called in National Guard troops to help quell the protests, with some turning violent with fires and looting. Cities nationwide have also implemented curfews, but protesters appear undeterred.

Protesters in Minneapolis, Minnesota, have pledged to stay in the streets until all four officers involved in the death of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man, are charged. Floyd died on Monday after a white officer pinned his neck to the ground. The officer - Derek Chauvin has been charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter. The other officers have not been charged.

Trump orders Pentagon to put military police on alert, saying they may be deployed to Minnesota.
 
MAGA people, right wingers, and most Republicans have no right to say anything about these riots and looting. Colin Kaepernick tried to protest peacefully and tried to bring attention to this subject, but instead they made it an issue of patriotism.

African Americans deserve equal blame for how bad the issue of police brutality and racism has become for them. They should be asking themselves, have they really used their power (power of voting) to put right people in offices? The answer is No, but they keep voting for same people who have only taken advantage of them to win elections. Riots will not change anything, but voting can bring change that we need to see in America.
 
Police and protesters across the US are clashing again on the fifth straight day of unrest as anger intensifies over the death of George Floyd.

The protests marked by chants of "I can't breathe" - a rallying cry echoing the dying words of Mr Floyd - have spread to more than 30 cities, with cars and buildings burned, shops looted, and at least two people dead.

Governors in several states have called in National Guard troops after President Donald Trump warned state authorities they needed to adopt tougher tactics, or federal government would step in.

Curfews have been imposed in several cities, including Atlanta, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Denver, but they have largely gone ignored, with tens of thousands of people spilling on to the streets.

In Washington DC, hundreds of demonstrators assembled near the Justice Department headquarters and later moved to the White House, where they faced off with shield-carrying police, some mounted on horseback.

President Trump tweeted that if protesters who gathered the night before in Lafayette Square, across from the White House, had breached the fence, "they would have been greeted with the most vicious dogs, and most ominous weapons, I have ever seen".

He also vowed that "radical left criminals, thugs and others" would not be allowed to set communities ablaze.

Speaking in Florida after watching the SpaceX launch, Mr Trump said: "I will not allow angry mobs to dominate. Won't happen."

The full Minnesota National Guard was activated for the first time since World War Two after several nights of arson, looting and vandalism in parts of Minneapolis, the state's largest city.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz said the deployment was necessary because "outside agitators" were using protests over Mr Floyd's death to create chaos.

"We are under assault," Mr Walz said on Saturday. "Order needs to be restored."

In Minneapolis, which has been the epicentre of protests since Mr Floyd's death there, officers fired tear gas and moved in to push away throngs of demonstrators who were gathering around the city police's 5th Precinct.

Several protesters were knocked to the ground after police cars were driven into them in New York City.

Video posted to social media showed officers using batons and shoving protesters down as they made arrests and cleared streets.

A man stands on top of a burning police car during a protest over the Minneapolis death of George Floyd while in police custody outside CNN Center on May 29, 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images)

Fires and looting as protests rage across US

Another video showed two New York Police Department vehicles driving into protesters who were pushing a barricade against a police car and pelting it with objects, knocking several to the ground.

"Our country has a sickness. We have to be out here," said Brianna Petrisko, among those at lower Manhattan's Foley Square, where most were wearing masks amid the coronavirus pandemic.

"This is the only way we're going to be heard."

Police officers detain a man during an "I can't breathe" vigil and rally in the Brooklyn borough of New York, NY, U.S., following the death of African-American George Floyd who was seen in graphic video footage gasping for breath as a white officer knelt on his neck in Minneapolis

Mr Floyd died on Monday in Minneapolis after a police officer put his knee on the unarmed black man's neck for more than eight minutes.

The officer, Derek Chauvin, was arrested on Friday and charged with third-degree murder, but the arrest has done little to quell protests across the country.

https://news.sky.com/story/more-nat...otests-grow-over-george-floyds-death-11997797
 
Abdullah719 said:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">BREAKING: Derek Chauvin, the ex-Minneapolis Police who killed George Floyd, has been arrested in Minneapolis, Minnesota Public Safety Commissioner John Harrington has announced.</p>— Mukhtar M. Ibrahim (@mukhtaryare) <a href="https://twitter.com/mukhtaryare/status/1266417544870666242?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 29, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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This cop along with his partner (the asian cop) should both receive murder sentence...they all were accomplices if they were with him and didn’t stop the fellow cop. This cop was actually enjoying the killing, and u can tell from his face and expressions.
 
Syed1 said:
I didn't read the statement but Obama should be the last person to talk, Black Lives Matter movement started in his era so obviously there was injustice going on against African Americans that led to the creation of the movement. What did first and only black president do about it? Nothing.



It's like PML-N completely destroying the Pak economy and then cursing PTI for not fixing it.
Click to expand...

100% agree. Obama didn’t fix the issue, he should be last person to be talking about it. He has 8 years to fix the system. The pmln or ppp example given is perfect.
 
Biden: We must not allow this pain to destroy us

Joe Biden, the presumptive US Democratic presidential nominee, said in a statement early on Sunday that "we are a nation in pain, but we must not allow this pain to destroy us".

"These last few days have laid bare that we are a nation furious at injustice. Every person of conscience can understand the rawness of the trauma people of color experience in this country ... like the horrific killing of George Floyd," the former vice president said.

"Protesting such brutality is right and necessary ... But burning down communities and needless destruction is not. Violence that endangers lives is not. Violence that guts and shutters businesses that serve the community is not."
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="und" dir="ltr">***!!! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BlacklivesMaters?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BlacklivesMaters</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/brooklynprotest?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#brooklynprotest</a> <a href="https://t.co/S1oet8JC0x">pic.twitter.com/S1oet8JC0x</a></p>— Pierre G. (@pgarapon) <a href="https://twitter.com/pgarapon/status/1266885414016688134?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 31, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
There is another angle. For last 3 months, people have been stopped from even playing sports in cities (every single public basketball court had hoops removed in some cities), lot of them lost jobs

A lot of these protestors would have been doing other stuff if some cities did not over react for political reasons.
But now you could young people who have been locked up for months with no real thing to do, and now that there is an outlet, they are acting with some violence.
(some of them)
 
The US has been convulsed by nationwide protests over the death of an African-American man in police custody.

George Floyd, 46, died after being arrested by police outside a shop in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Footage of the arrest on 25 May shows a white police officer, Derek Chauvin, kneeling on Mr Floyd's neck while he was pinned to the floor.

Mr Chauvin, 44, has since been charged with murder.

The key events that led to Mr Floyd's death happened within just 30 minutes. Based on accounts from witnesses, video footage and official statements, here's what we know so far.

It began with a report of a fake $20 (£16.20) bill.

A report was made on the evening of 25 May, when Mr Floyd bought a pack of cigarettes from Cup Foods, a grocery store.

Believing the $20 bill he used to be counterfeit, a store employee reported it to police.

Mr Floyd had been living in Minneapolis for several years after moving there from his native Houston, Texas. He had recently been working as a bouncer in the city but, like millions of other Americans, was left jobless by the coronavirus pandemic.

Mr Floyd was a regular at Cup Foods. He was a friendly face, a pleasant customer who never caused any trouble, the store owner Mike Abumayyaleh told NBC.

But Mr Abumayyaleh was not at work on the day of the incident. In reporting the suspicious bill, his teenage employee was just following protocol.

In a call to 911, made at 20:01, the employee told the operator he had demanded the cigarettes back but "he [Floyd] doesn't want to do that", according to a transcript released by authorities.

The employee said the man appeared "drunk" and "not in control of himself", the transcript says.

Shortly after the call, at around 20:08, two police officers arrived. Mr Floyd was sat with two other people in a car parked around the corner.

After approaching the car, one of the officers, Thomas Lane, pulled out his gun and ordered Mr Floyd to show his hands. In an account of the incident, prosecutors do not explain why Mr Lane thought it necessary to draw his gun.

Mr Lane, prosecutors said, "put his hands on Mr Floyd, and pulled him out of the car". Then Mr Floyd "actively resisted being handcuffed".

Once handcuffed, though, Mr Floyd became compliant while Mr Lane explained he was being arrested for "passing counterfeit currency".

It was when officers tried to put Mr Floyd in their squad car that a struggle ensued.

At around 20:14, Mr Floyd "stiffened up, fell to the ground, and told the officers he was claustrophobic", according to the report.

Mr Chauvin arrived at the scene. He and other officers were involved in further attempt to put Mr Floyd in the police car.

During this attempt, at 20:19, Mr Chauvin pulled Mr Floyd out of the passenger side, causing him to fall to the ground, the report said.

He lay there, face down, still in handcuffs.

That's when witnesses started to film Mr Floyd, who appeared to be in a distressed state. These moments, captured on multiple mobile phones and shared widely on social media, would prove to be Mr Floyd's last.

Twitter hides Trump tweet for 'glorifying violence'
Mr Floyd was restrained by officers, while Mr Chauvin placed his left knee between his head and neck.

"I can't breathe," Mr Floyd said repeatedly, pleading for his mother and begging "please, please, please".

For eight minutes and 46 seconds, Mr Chauvin kept his knee on Mr Floyd's neck, the prosecutors' report says.

About six minutes into that period, Mr Floyd became non-responsive. In videos of the incident, this was when Mr Floyd fell silent, as bystanders urged the officers to check his pulse.

Kueng did just that, checking Mr Floyd's right wrist, but "couldn't find one". Yet, the officers did not move.

At 20:27, Mr Chauvin removed his knee from Mr Floyd's neck. Motionless, Mr Floyd was rolled on to a gurney and taken to the Hennepin County Medical Center in an ambulance.

He was pronounced dead around an hour later.

On the night before his death, Mr Floyd had spoken to one his closest friends, Christopher Harris. He had advised Mr Floyd to contact a temporary jobs agency.

Forgery, he said, was out of character for Mr Floyd.

"The way he died was senseless," Harris said. "He begged for his life. He pleaded for his life. When you try so hard to put faith in this system, a system that you know isn't designed for you, when you constantly seek justice by lawful means and you can't get it, you begin to take the law into your own hands."

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-52861726
 
Last edited:
MenInG said:
Biden: We must not allow this pain to destroy us

Joe Biden, the presumptive US Democratic presidential nominee, said in a statement early on Sunday that "we are a nation in pain, but we must not allow this pain to destroy us".

"These last few days have laid bare that we are a nation furious at injustice. Every person of conscience can understand the rawness of the trauma people of color experience in this country ... like the horrific killing of George Floyd," the former vice president said.

"Protesting such brutality is right and necessary ... But burning down communities and needless destruction is not. Violence that endangers lives is not. Violence that guts and shutters businesses that serve the community is not."
Click to expand...

Looks like a lot of the burners and looters are white antifas, making things worse for the black community.
 
MenInG said:
Biden: We must not allow this pain to destroy us

Joe Biden, the presumptive US Democratic presidential nominee, said in a statement early on Sunday that "we are a nation in pain, but we must not allow this pain to destroy us".

"These last few days have laid bare that we are a nation furious at injustice. Every person of conscience can understand the rawness of the trauma people of color experience in this country ... like the horrific killing of George Floyd," the former vice president said.

"Protesting such brutality is right and necessary ... But burning down communities and needless destruction is not. Violence that endangers lives is not. Violence that guts and shutters businesses that serve the community is not."
Click to expand...

Biden, tu rehnde tujse na ho paayega
 
Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA - Protesters in at least 12 United States cities defied curfews on Saturday night as outrage over police brutality and the death of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man, escalated.

Hundreds of protesters were still out in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where Floyd died in police custody on Monday, amid heavy police and US National Guard presence as an 8pm curfew began on Saturday.

"We don't need a curfew, we need change," said Mia, a 20-year resident of Minneapolis.

Going home would "[send] the wrong message that they can shut us up when they want to, and that's not the case here", Mia, who requested her surname be withheld, told Al Jazeera.

Protesters have promised to remain in the streets at least until all four officers involved in Floyd's death have been charged.

So far, only one officer - Derek Chauvin - has been arrested in connection to Floyd's death.

Chauvin, who is white, knelt on Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes, even as Floyd pleaded "I can't breathe" and bystanders urged him
On Friday, he was charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter. The three other officers involved - identified as Thomas Lane, Tou Thao and J Alexander Kueng - have not been charged, angering protesters who say they all must be held accountable.

Saturday night's protest started peacefully with protesters chanting "I can't breathe", and "no justice, no peace" as they marched down the city's streets.

Meme Green was handing out water, chips, apples and other snacks to protesters with her young son.

"He is a Black boy who is going to be a Black man," Green told Al Jazeera. "He needs to see the protest in a positive way."

But as the curfew began, smoke started appearing on the horizon, with some confrontations between police and protesters.

National Guard fully mobilised

For the first time in state history, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz fully mobilised the National Guard earlier on Saturday in an effort to quell protests which had rocked the city since Tuesday.

The National Guard said more than 4,100 citizen-soldiers and airmen had been deployed to the Twin Cities area, which includes Minneapolis.

"We are fully-integrated and unified with law enforcement, fire, Emergency Management Systems, and all state agencies to ensure the safety of our citizens," Major General Jon Jensen said at a news conference late on Saturday.

In addition to the National Guard, there was an increased law enforcement presence. Police used tear gas to disperse the crowds, and several arrests were made.

But protesters remained undeterred.

"It's absolutely critical that we come together to try to make sure that our babies can grow up in a world where they can walk outside or simply breathe without having to worry about dying," said Minneapolis resident Ashley Paulson.

Similar scenes were seen nationwide and officials called in the National Guard and implemented curfews in an effort to quell protesters.

In New York City, several groups of protesters rallied throughout the city. While the protests remained mostly peaceful throughout the day, as the sun set, there were periodic scenes of violence. Police used tear gas and videos showed some protesters being thrown to the ground by officers.

Elsewhere, police vehicles and some buildings were set on fire following largely peaceful, but angry protests.

Demonstrators are angry not just over Floyd's death, but years of police killings and violence against unarmed African Americans. That especially rings true in Minnesota.

In 2015, protesters rallied for more than two weeks following the police killing of 24-year-old Jamar Clark in Minneapolis. No charges were filed against the officers involved.

The next year, 32-year-old Philando Castile was killed by police during a traffic stop in a suburb of Saint Paul, which neighbours Minneapolis. Castile's girlfriend streamed the aftermath of the shooting live on Facebook. The officer involved was acquitted of manslaughter.

Paulson said she has had to have some hard discussions with her five-year-old daughter.

"I had to have a conversation with my daughter about the fact that the very people that I was taught were supposed to protect and serve and keep me safe are the very people that she has to be sceptical of," Paulson said. "I had to teach [that to] my daughter, and it devastated me."

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020...esters-don-curfew-change-200531064102073.html
 
BoomBoomCricket said:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="und" dir="ltr">***!!! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BlacklivesMaters?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BlacklivesMaters</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/brooklynprotest?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#brooklynprotest</a> <a href="https://t.co/S1oet8JC0x">pic.twitter.com/S1oet8JC0x</a></p>— Pierre G. (@pgarapon) <a href="https://twitter.com/pgarapon/status/1266885414016688134?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 31, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Click to expand...

Didn't lives of "white" people get endager in this clip atleast?
 
ahmedzee said:
100% agree. Obama didn’t fix the issue, he should be last person to be talking about it. He has 8 years to fix the system. The pmln or ppp example given is perfect.
Click to expand...

The POTUS doesn’t really have that much power, but he got America out of two ruinous wars, rebuilt international trust lost under Bush 43, and recovered faster from 2008 than any country.

What would you have done differently?
 
Tense protests over the death of George Floyd and other police killings of black men spread across the US on Saturday night as mayors around the country imposed curfews and several governors called in the national guard amid scenes of violence, injuries and unrest.

After a Friday night that saw anger at police brutality erupt into rioting and unrest in cities across the country, authorities appeared intent on re-establishing order through increased shows of force.

Governors of six states, including Minnesota, where Floyd died on Monday, called out national guard troops. Many cities including Atlanta, Los Angeles, Louisville, Columbia, Denver, Portland, Milwaukee and Columbus, imposed curfews in anticipation of a restless night ahead.

“We are in a position of strength tonight significantly greater than we were last night,” said Major General Jon Jensen of the Minnesota national guard at a briefing Saturday evening. As of Saturday evening, police had arrested nearly 1,400 in 17 cities since Thursday, according to a tally by the AP.

Saturday’s demonstrations had started early but as the night drew on sporadic violence broke out again, seeing businesses torched, police cars set on fire and protesters injured and arrested.

The violence happened across America from coast to coast and from big cities to small ones. Beyond the major metropolitan areas, protesters clashed with police in cities including Tulsa, Oklahoma; Little Rock, Arkansas; Albany, New York; Fargo, North Dakota; and Raleigh, North Carolina.

Near Union Square, in the heart of Manhattan, a police vehicle was on fire, sending plumes of black smoke into the air. In Brooklyn, protesters and police clashed for hours in Flatbush. In Los Angeles, a police post was burned in a shopping mall while nearby shops were looted. In Nashville, Tennessee, a historic courthouse was set on fire and in Salt Lake City, Utah, vehicles were burned and a man with a bow and arrow was arrested after he aimed it at protesters.

Protests continued in Minneapolis on Saturday night. There were running confrontations with police who seemed to adopt a much harder line to enforce a curfew than they had during the violence on Friday. After breaking up a march of several hundred people and dispersing protesters into residential neighborhoods off the main drag, officers pursued and fired baton rounds at both protesters and residents who had set up barricades to defend their streets. By the early hours of Sunday officials in Minneapolis said they had succeeded in stopping the violence.

“I don’t like the police and I don’t like the protesters,” one Latino resident said. “The police abandoned us for days and now they’re here shooting at us defending ourselves.”

Numerous media outlets, including CNN and MSNBC, reported that their staff covering protests in the city had been hit by rubber bullets fired at them. Media outlets and journalists in numerous cities reported being targeted by police with chemical agents or less-lethal rounds, and several reporters were arrested.

The Department of Defense took the rare step of putting military police units on alert to go to Minneapolis. The Minnesota governor, Tim Walz, had not requested such assistance, and said he had already ordered the largest deployment of state national guard troops since the second world war.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump ignited tensions, lashing out at “anarchists” he blamed for stoking the deadly unrest and urging the Minneapolis mayor to act more forcefully against demonstrators there.

Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden struck a different tone, calling protests against police brutality “right and necessary” but urging an end to violence. “The act of protesting should never be allowed to overshadow the reason we protest,” he said in a statement.

In Los Angeles, a protest started out peacefully in Pan Pacific Park before small groups of protesters set police cars on fire, and police fired rubber bullets in return. After the 8pm curfew, but before darkness had fallen, Mayor Eric Garcetti of Los Angeles asked the governor to send up to 700 members of the national guard, according to the AP.

In New York, bottles were hurled at police officers attempting to push back marchers in Times Square, while hundreds more protesters gathered in the East Village. Protests had broken out in different neighborhoods across New York, fires were set on streets and police were seen beating protesters with batons.

“We will not tolerate actions like these against New York City police officers,” the city’s police department said in a tweet announcing the arrest of “multiple people” for throwing molotov cocktails at police vehicles. The US attorney’s office subsequently announced that it had filed federal charges against three people over the incidents.

Elsewhere in the city, a video of two police vehicles driving through protesters blocking a road quickly went viral. Mayor Bill de Blasio defended the action of the police driving the cars, further angering New Yorkers. “If those protesters had just gotten out of the way we wouldn’t be talking about this situation,” he said. “I’m not going to blame officers who were trying to deal with an absolutely impossible situation.”

In Atlanta, where three officers were injured and 71 people arrested in violence early Saturday, up to 1,500 national guard troops were deployed throughout the city at the order of the governor, Brian Kemp.

Social media posts showed flames and thick black smoke billowing from a fire in downtown Philadelphia, where an earlier peaceful protest ended with cars being set ablaze, and law enforcement vehicles came under attack in and Chicago.

In Washington DC, protesters clashed with the Secret Service and police outside the White House for the second successive day. Chanting “I can’t breathe”, “Black Lives Matter” and “**** Donald Trump!”, hundreds of demonstrators circled the White House grounds. Tensions intensified throughout the evening. A car and a dumpster near the White House were set on fire.

Trump announced on Saturday that the justice department was conducting a civil rights investigation in the death of George Floyd.

But the president also stirred controversy by labelling the protesters as “anarchists”, and claiming, without evidence, that political opponents were orchestrating the scenes of violence.

“The memory of George Floyd is being dishonored by rioters, looters and anarchists,” Trump said, speaking at Florida’s Kennedy Space Center after watching the launch of the historic SpaceX mission.

“The violence and vandalism is being led by Antifa and other radical leftwing groups who are terrorizing the innocent, destroying jobs, hurting businesses and burning down buildings. We cannot and must not allow a small group of criminals and vandals to wreck our cities and lay waste to our communities. I will not allow angry mobs to dominate.”

The comments matched his incendiary rhetoric of earlier in the day, when he threatened protesters who gathered at the White House with “vicious dogs and ominous weapons”.

His words drew an immediate rebuke from Muriel Bowser, the mayor of Washington DC, for their perceived racial undertones.

“To make a reference to vicious dogs is no subtle reminder to African Americans of segregationists who let dogs out on women, children and innocent people in the south,” Bowser said.

George Floyd’s brother, Philonise, said Saturday he had briefly spoken to Trump about the death of his brother. “It was so fast. He didn’t give me the opportunity to even speak. It was hard. I was trying to talk to him but he just kept like pushing me off like, ‘I don’t want to hear what you’re talking about,’” Philonise told MSNBC.

In Minneapolis on Friday, thousands of people had ignored a curfew, with crowds overwhelming law enforcement, taking over a police station and smashing and burning shops.

In Atlanta, people set a police car ablaze and broke windows at CNN’s headquarters. In Oakland, San Jose and Los Angeles, protesters blocked highways and police fired teargas. In Louisville, Kentucky, police fired projectiles at a reporter and her cameraman during a live shot. Protests over police brutality and the death of George Floyd ignited once again on Friday, as Minneapolis faced another night of chaos and demonstrators clashed with police in cities across the US.

In Detroit, Michigan, a 21-year-man was shot and killed during protests on Friday night when an unknown person fired into a crowd from a vehicle.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news...ests-saturday-curfews-minneapolis#maincontent
 
Robert said:
The POTUS doesn’t really have that much power, but he got America out of two ruinous wars, rebuilt international trust lost under Bush 43, and recovered faster from 2008 than any country.

What would you have done differently?
Click to expand...

Which two wars? The US Army's presence is Iraq and Afghanistan was not ended during his tenure.
 
A growing chorus of celebrities, including former US President Barack Obama, have called for justice for George Floyd, the African-American man who was killed in police custody in Minneapolis on Monday.

In a tweet, Mr Obama said for millions of Americans, being treated differently on account of race was the norm.

The US is reeling from the aftermath of the death, which was filmed by a passer-by and has sparked protests and riots in several states.

The full Minnesota National Guard has been activated for the first time since World War II after days of peaceful protests and destructive riots.

Governors in several other states also called in National Guard troops as protests over repeated police killings of black people grew on Saturday from New York to Tulsa to Los Angeles, where police fired rubber bullets to scatter crowds and at least one police car burned.

On Friday, the officer who held his knee to Mr Floyd's neck was arrested and charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter — but protesters are calling for the other three officers to be arrested.

Former First Lady Michelle Obama also joined the fray, saying she was "exhausted by the heartbreak that never seemed to stop".

Thousands of people are shown with their fists in the air as they face the opposite direction to the camera.
Protesters have taken to the streets in Minnesota for the fifth consecutive day.(AP: John Minchillo)
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump has been criticised for promoting violence after tweeting that the rioters who looted Minneapolis stores should be shot dead.

"These THUGS are dishonouring the memory of George Floyd, and I won't let that happen. Just spoke to Governor Tim Walz and told him that the Military is with him all the way. Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts. Thank you!"

In response, Twitter hid Mr Trump's tweet, saying it violated the social network's rules about glorifying violence, though it was still viewable behind the notice.

Former US vice-president Joe Biden, who is the presumptive Democrat presidential nominee, lashed out at Mr Trump accusing him of fanning bigotry with his comments.

He later tweeted in support of the protesters, saying "we are all obliged to speak out".

"If we are complacent, if we are silent, we are complicit in perpetuating these cycles of violence. None of us can turn away. We all have an obligation to speak out," Mr Biden tweeted.

Television personality Oprah Winfrey tweeted a statement saying that George Floyd's name would not become just a hashtag, but will be a cry for justice.

Actor Jamie Foxx spoke to a local television channel saying it was hard for a black man to raise his children in the current environment and that "we are not afraid to stand".

Singer Rihanna tweeted, querying what would be the fitting punishment for those who murdered George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, a black woman fatally shot in her apartment in March.

On Friday, seven people were shot, with one at least reported to be in critical condition, after protests in Louisville, Kentucky for the 26-year-old emergency medical technician, who was shot eight times after Louisville narcotics detectives knocked down her front door.

No drugs were found at the house.

The Floyd case was reminiscent of the 2014 killing of Eric Garner, an unarmed black man in New York City who died after being put in a banned police chokehold as he, too, was heard to mutter, "I can't breathe".

Mr Garner's dying words became a rallying cry for the Black Lives Matter movement that formed amid a wave of killings of African-Americans by police.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-05-31/obama-oprah-celebs-call-for-justice-for-george-floyd/12305112
 
Syed1 said:
I didn't read the statement but Obama should be the last person to talk, Black Lives Matter movement started in his era so obviously there was injustice going on against African Americans that led to the creation of the movement. What did first and only black president do about it? Nothing.



It's like PML-N completely destroying the Pak economy and then cursing PTI for not fixing it.
Click to expand...

Lol when Obama criticised the policeman who arrested a black professor who was simply trying to enter his own home, or when he said Trayvon Martin could've been his son - his poll ratings amongst white voters FELL.

The right wing trashed him for showing bias to his own community, being anti-white etc. So there was no winning.

You cannot fix a 400 year old problem in 8 years in a country founded on racial supremacy.
 
Hundreds gather in Trafalgar Square to show solidarity with US protesters following death of George Floyd

stream_img.jpg


Hundreds of people have gathered in Trafalgar Square to show solidarity with protesters in the US who are demonstrating following the death of a man during an arrest, as well as alleged police brutality in the UK.

At 1pm, those gathered in central London knelt in tribute to George Floyd, a black man who died in Minneapolis on Monday after a police officer knelt on his neck for more than eight minutes while arresting him.

Those unable to attend the Black Lives Matter demonstration were urged to kneel in solidarity wherever they could.

Derek Chauvin, who was sacked along with three other officers following the incident has been charged with murdering Mr Floyd, 46, and is due to appear in court on Monday.

Protesters in Trafalgar Square could be heard chanting "black lives matter", in reference to the campaigning civil rights group.

Others held up placards saying "Racism has no place" and "I can't breathe" - words Mr Floyd told the police officer who was restraining him.

The protesters then left Trafalgar Square and walked to the gates of Downing Street to continue with their protest, while others walked to the American Embassy in Battersea where they staged a sit-in on the road.

More protests in the capital are scheduled for the coming week.

Reverend Sally Hitchiner, associate vicar at St Martin-in-the-Fields church on Trafalgar Square, said she could see hundreds gathered for the protest from her workplace.

The 40-year-old said: “I’m very sympathetic to the issue but also surprised to see the strength of emotion that has gathered people together.

“It’s showing there are people in the UK who care passionately about the situation in the US.

“Clearly they’re not following lockdown and social distancing, but I think there’s a huge amount of passion there and that’s overriding their concerns.

“It’s an issue that requires passion but at the same time there’s a huge amount of risk in what they’re doing.”

She said police appeared to be moving the crowd on from the square by early afternoon.

Earlier on Sunday, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said video footage of Mr Floyd’s death was “very distressing”, but he would not comment on President Donald Trump’s response to the widespread protests sparked by the killing.

Following Mr Floyd's death, protests began in Minneapolis and have spread to cities across America.

The demonstrations have morphed into wider anger over police killings of black men.

In Washington DC, two protesters told ITV News they were demonstrating about "racism, hypocrisy, dividedness" and "racial inequality" in the US.

Governors in several US states called in National Guard troops as protests intensified on Saturday.

Many protests were peaceful, but violence erupted at others, leading to the mayors of many US cities bringing in curfews.

In Washington, President Donald Trump sent tweets ridiculing protesters outside the White House who were among thousands nationwide incited by the death of Mr Floyd, who died after a policeman pressed his knee onto his neck for more than eight minutes.

The demonstrations have become a national phenomenon, with protesters decrying years of deaths at police hands.

In Tulsa, Oklahoma’s Greenwood District, the site of a 1921 massacre of black people that left some 300 dead, protesters blocked intersections and chanted the name of Terence Crutcher, a black man killed by a police officer in 2016.

Other peaceful protests were being held in California, Delaware, Florida, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and South Carolina.
https://www.itv.com/news/2020-05-31...s-protesters-following-death-of-george-floyd/
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Generations of pain. <a href="https://t.co/rs16sHhs6m">pic.twitter.com/rs16sHhs6m</a></p>— Antonio French (@AntonioFrench) <a href="https://twitter.com/AntonioFrench/status/1266960975124717568?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 31, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
Markhor said:
Lol when Obama criticised the policeman who arrested a black professor who was simply trying to enter his own home, or when he said Trayvon Martin could've been his son - his poll ratings amongst white voters FELL.

The right wing trashed him for showing bias to his own community, being anti-white etc. So there was no winning.

You cannot fix a 400 year old problem in 8 years in a country founded on racial supremacy.
Click to expand...

Exactly, the system is so inefficient at reform it's almost impossible for anything to change in a presidency. Obama had a black attorney general and secretary of homeland security. You think all thes black people in powerful positions just didn't care about their fellow black people getting murdered and abused at the hands of police. The problem is far far more deeply rooted than just saying "he was president he should have just changed the laws".
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Hundreds of people demonstrate outside US Embassy in London against death of unarmed black man George Floyd in Minneapolis<a href="https://t.co/p7Td5zzOkz">https://t.co/p7Td5zzOkz</a> <a href="https://t.co/zK10XuRLJ3">pic.twitter.com/zK10XuRLJ3</a></p>— BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) <a href="https://twitter.com/BBCNews/status/1267085795925659650?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 31, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
Markhor said:
Lol when Obama criticised the policeman who arrested a black professor who was simply trying to enter his own home, or when he said Trayvon Martin could've been his son - his poll ratings amongst white voters FELL.

The right wing trashed him for showing bias to his own community, being anti-white etc. So there was no winning.

You cannot fix a 400 year old problem in 8 years in a country founded on racial supremacy.
Click to expand...

I didn’t expect you to be an Obama sympathizer
 
aliasad1998 said:
I didn’t expect you to be an Obama sympathizer
Click to expand...

Didn't know pointing out facts would trigger the hard left. You Bernie or Busters are beginning to sound like the Trump cult.

Then again I'm speaking to someone who thinks there's no difference between Biden and Trump. 100,000+ dead Americans disagree with you.
 
Firebat said:
Exactly, the system is so inefficient at reform it's almost impossible for anything to change in a presidency. Obama had a black attorney general and secretary of homeland security. You think all thes black people in powerful positions just didn't care about their fellow black people getting murdered and abused at the hands of police. The problem is far far more deeply rooted than just saying "he was president he should have just changed the laws".
Click to expand...

Just like IK cannot fix the problems of 70 years in a term or two, same Obama couldn't have eliminated the injustice faced by the African American community. However, what he could have done is atleast make some effort even a little bit to try and address the issue. Maybe it is my ignorance or maybe it is a fact, but I do not know of a one single measure taken by Obama to atleast take the first step in fixing this issue. He was too busy in bombing unarmed civilians, women and children in foreign countries.
 
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