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

Attorney General denies Lafayette Square was cleared for Trump photo shoot

US Attorney General William Barr has defended the clearing of mostly peaceful protesters from Lafayette Square on Monday, denying it was done for President Donald Trump to have a photo shoot in front of a local church.

Barr, in an interview on CBS's "Face the Nation" programme, insisted that, despite contradictory reports from many of those present, that protesters were "rowdy and non-compliant" and some had thrown projectiles, justifying the aggressive response.

He said the clearing was meant to increase the perimeter around the White House and was unrelated to Trump’s photo session.

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Trump wanted to deploy 10,000 troops in Washington, DC, official says

US President Donald Trump told his advisors at one point this past week he wanted 10,000 troops to deploy to the Washington, DC area to halt civil unrest over the killing of a black man by Minneapolis police,a senior US official told Reuters news agency.

The account of Trump's demand during a heated Oval Office conversation on Monday shows how close the president may have come to fulfilling his threat to deploy active duty troops, despite opposition from Pentagon leadership.

At the meeting, Defense Secretary Mark Esper, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, and Attorney General William Barr recommended against such a deployment, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The meeting was "contentious," the official added.
 
Romney becomes first known Republican senator to march in protest

Mitt Romney marched in a protest against police mistreatment of minorities in the nation's capital, making him the first known Republican senator to do so.

Romney, who represents Utah, posted a tweet showing him wearing a mask as he walked with Black Lives Matter protesters in Washington. Above the photo he wrote: Black Lives Matter.

Romney, who was walking with a Christian group, told NBC News that he needed to be there.

"We need a voice against racism, we need many voices against racism and against brutality," he said.

On Saturday, Romney tweeted a photo of his father, George, who was the governor of Michigan from 1963 to 1969, marching with civil rights protesters in the 1960s in a Detroit suburb.

Above the photo, Mitt Romney wrote: "This is my father, George Romney, participating in a Civil Rights march in the Detroit suburbs during the late 1960s — "Force alone will not eliminate riots," he said. "We must eliminate the problems from which they stem."
 
Allan Saint-Maximin: 'George Floyd death does not have to happen again'

Newcastle winger Allan Saint-Maximin says the issues and emotions raised by the death of George Floyd are ones that "touch everyone".

Protests have been held across the globe after Floyd, an unarmed black man, died after a white Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes on 25 May.

"It's a really difficult time because I know these things can happen to a lot of people," Saint-Maximin told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"If this happened to your mother or your sister or your father, you can feel like you want to die, you don't want to go to work, you don't want to do anything so people have to take this seriously and know that this does not have to happen again."

The 23-year-old spoke about the subject as part of a wide-ranging interview, during which he also discussed his childhood, his desire to be selfless both on and off the pitch and how his dog has been helping him stay sharp during lockdown.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/52941511
 
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US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi leads silence for George Floyd

Members of the US Congress went down on one knee in Emancipation Hall in the US Capitol building, in silence for eight minutes 46 seconds - the length of time that George Floyd spent pinned down by three police officers on a Minneapolis street corner. He was pronounced dead shortly afterwards.

Floyd's death has sparked worldwide protests that call for an end to police brutality and what many protestors call systemic racism in US police forces.

Demonstrators have been calling for the defunding or dismantling of police forces and a shifting of their budgets to community, education or other programmes.
 
The editorial page head of the New York Times has resigned after his decision to publish an op-ed - by a US senator who called for military force against anti-racism protesters - drew online fury and criticism from many of the paper's staffers.

James Bennet, the editorial page editor since May 2016, faced intense backlash after initially defending the column headlined Send in The Military by Republican US Senator Tom Cotton.

The hardline op-ed - which Bennet initially defended as an example of the newspaper's commitment to ideological diversity - was met with both internal and external outrage.

Cotton's essay encouraged an "overwhelming show of force to disperse, detain and ultimately deter lawbreakers" as anti-racism protests rage across the United States over the police killing of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man, on May 25.

Some 800 Times staffers signed a petition in protest, as many of the paper's employees tweeted: "Running this puts Black @NYTimes staff in danger."

The company's publisher, AG Sulzberger, also initially defended the decision to issue the column but later said the essay fell short of NYT standards.

Bennet also admitted he had not read the column before its publication.

On Sunday, Sulzberger dubbed Bennet "a journalist of enormous talent and integrity" in an NYT statement announcing the resignation.

The statement did not mention the op-ed controversy, but the paper quoted Sulzberger as saying in a note to staff: "Last week we saw a significant breakdown in our editing processes, not the first we've experienced in recent years."

"James and I agreed that it would take a new team to lead the department through a period of considerable change."

The paper named Katie Kingsbury, a Times staffer since 2017, the acting editorial page editor through the November election.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020...-resigns-backlash-column-200608101654356.html
 
A leader of the Virginia KKK has been arrested for driving into a group of demonstrators yesterday, who were protesting the killing of George Floyd in police custody.

Harry Rogers appeared in court in Henrico county this morning and was charged with attempted malicious wounding, felony vandalism, and assault and battery. No one was seriously injured in the attack.

“The accused, by his own admission and by a cursory glance at social media, is an admitted leader of the Ku Klux Klan and a propagandist for Confederate ideology,” Henrico county commonwealth’s attorney Shannon Taylor said in a statement.

Taylor said her office was investigating whether hate crime charges “are appropriate” in the case.

“While I am grateful that the victim’s injuries do not appear to be serious, an attack on peaceful protesters is heinous and despicable and we will prosecute to the fullest extent of the law,” Taylor said.
 
The man accused of murdering African American George Floyd, whose death sparked global protests, is to appear in court for the first time.

Derek Chauvin, a white policeman, knelt on Mr Floyd's neck for almost nine minutes while he was being arrested in Minneapolis on 25 May.

Mr Chauvin, who has since been sacked, will face a judge in Minnesota remotely on murder and manslaughter charges.

Three other officers were also fired and charged with aiding and abetting.

New charges brought over George Floyd's death
Mourners in Houston, Texas, where Mr Floyd lived before moving to Minneapolis, have been viewing his body, publicly on display for six hours at The Fountain of Praise church.

On Tuesday, a private funeral service will be held in Houston. Memorial services have already been held in Minneapolis and North Carolina, where Mr Floyd was born.

It is believed a family member escorted Mr Floyd's body on a flight to Texas late on Saturday.

Democratic US presidential candidate Joe Biden is expected to visit Mr Floyd's relatives in Houston to offer his sympathies. Aides to the former vice-president said he would also record a video message for Tuesday's service.

What are the accusations against Chauvin?

He faces three separate charges: unintentional second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter, for which the maximum penalties are prison terms of 40, 25 and 10 years respectively.

Further charges could be brought but it appears unlikely he will be accused of first-degree murder as prosecutors would have to prove premeditation, intent and motive, the Associated Press reports.

By bringing multiple charges, prosecutors give jurors a choice and increase the chances of a conviction.

Minneapolis city council has voted to ban chokeholds and neck restraints by police officers, and Democrats in Congress are expected to present sweeping legislation on police reform.

In France, which saw Black Lives Matter protests over the weekend, Interior Minister Christophe Castaner announced that police would no longer be allowed to use chokeholds to arrest people.

It is part of a policy of zero tolerance of racism within the French police. France's police watchdog has revealed that there were 1,500 complaints against officers last year, half of them for alleged assaults.

Masked and gloved mourners have been filing past Mr Floyd's coffin in line with coronavirus social distancing requirements, with only 15 guests allowed in the church at a time.

Anti-racism protests started by Mr Floyd's death are now entering their third week in the US. Huge rallies have been held in several cities, including Washington DC, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

With the rallying cries "Black Lives matter" and "No Justice, No Peace", the demonstrations are among the largest US protests against racism since the 1960s. Saturday's gatherings included a protest in the Texas town of Vidor, once infamous as a stronghold of the Ku Klux Klan white supremacist group.

Episodes of looting and violence have, however, been reported among the peaceful rallies, and President Donald Trump threatened to call up troops to quash the protests.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-52961599
 
Mourners in Houston pay their respects to Floyd

Mourners are paying their respects to George Floyd, whose body is on view in an open casket at a church in his hometown of Houston - a six-hour viewing will be held.

Many paused briefly to view Floyd’s body. Some made the sign of the cross as they observed. Several hundred people stood in line to enter the church before the start of the visitation, and all wore masks. Some people held umbrellas for shade as the sun beat down and temperatures rose about 32 degrees Celsius (90 Farenheit).

Those passing through the church were required to leave 6 feet between others in observe of social distancing guidelines to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
 
Judge sets $1-$1.25 million bail for Derek Chauvin

A judge has set a $1-$1.25 million bail for Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer who has been charged with second-degree murder in connection to the killing of George Floyd.

Chauvin virtually appeared in court today to face charges of murder and manslaughter after he was filmed keeping his knee on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes.

Judge Jeannice Reding granted the prosecutors’ motion to set unconditional bail at $1.25 million, or $1 million with conditions, which included being law-abiding, making future court appearances and surrendering firearms.
 
US Democrats in Congress have proposed sweeping legislation to reform American police, following weeks of protests against police brutality and racism.

The bill would make it easier to prosecute police for misconduct, ban chokeholds, and addresses racism.

It comes as Minneapolis lawmakers vowed to disband the city's police force.

The death of George Floyd at the hands of a white officer there sparked national pressure for change.

However, it was unclear whether Republicans, who control the US Senate, would support the proposed Justice in Policing Act of 2020.

US President Donald Trump wrote on Twitter that "the Radical Left Democrats want to Defund and Abandon our Police. Sorry, I want LAW & ORDER!"

Mr Floyd's brother is expected to testify to the House of Representatives later this week in a hearing on police reform.

What does the bill say?

The Justice in Policing Act of 2020 was introduced on Monday by top Democratic lawmakers House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, black senators Kamala Harris and Cory Booker and members of the Congressional Black Caucus.

As she unveiled the bill, Mrs Pelosi read the names of black men and women who have died at the hands of police in recent years.

The bill forces federal police to use body and dashboard cameras, ban chokeholds, eliminate unannounced police raids known as "no-knock warrants", make it easier to hold police liable for civil rights violations and calls for federal funds to be withheld from local police forces who do not make similar reforms.

"The martyrdom of George Floyd gave the American experience a moment of national anguish, as we grieve for the black Americans killed by police brutality," Mrs Pelosi said.

"Today, this movement of national anguish is being transformed into a movement of national action".

The bill makes lynching a federal crime, limits the sale of military weapons to the police and gives the Department of Justice the authority to investigate state and local police for evidence of department-wide bias or misconduct.

It would also create a "national police misconduct registry" - a database of complaints against police.

Some Republican leaders have said they would consider the possibility of writing their own bill, with a hearing scheduled in the Senate Judiciary committee next week.

However, members of President Trump's party have been largely reticent on signalling support for legislation.

In a break with his party, Republican Senator Mitt Romney on Sunday tweeted pictures of himself marching towards the White House with Christian protesters, with the caption "Black Lives Matter."

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-52969375
 
When George Floyd left Houston it was in search of a fresh start in life.

He returned to Texas in death, his name now the focus of a nationwide, a worldwide, call to action.

George Floyd's funeral at The Fountain of Praise Church will be attended, alongside his family and friends, by political, religious and civil rights leaders.

His death on a Minneapolis street two weeks ago, so public and so brutal, has sparked protests, marches and rallies. Millions are demanding America finally and properly address the age-old problem of inequality in the treatment of the African-American community.

On Monday, thousands queued in the heat and humidity of Houston to pay their respects at the final public memorial. In groups of 500, they filed past his open gold-coloured coffin.

"Change has come," said Jesse Holmes. What Martin Luther King had long sought, he said, George Floyd had delivered. "The world will never be the same. We're thankful. He sacrificed for the world."

At the same time, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden was meeting George Floyd's family. His compassion, the family's lawyer said, "meant the world to them".

The former vice-president has recorded a video message to be played at today's funeral service.

The reckoning in America following George Floyd's death has forced the issue on to the agenda of the nation's politicians. Mr Biden has described Donald Trump's response as "despicable", Mr Trump has retreated to a message of "law and order".

In Washington DC, Democrats on Capitol Hill knelt for 8 minutes and 46 seconds - the length of time Mr Floyd spent with a police officer's knee on his neck - to honour him and the campaign his death has reignited. The party also unveiled proposals to overhaul police procedures.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi called for "transformative structural change".

But across America there is a real determination to keep the pressure on those politicians, many of whom have been in office for decades, to demonstrate that serious change will take place this time.

Anger and outrage at deaths in the past has too often faded with little material change.

In Houston, as in his birthplace in North Carolina at the weekend, the memorials for George Floyd represent a sense of personal loss.

A highly-talented basketball and football player, known to friends and family by his middle name Perry, he was also a familiar figure on the city's hip hop scene. He moved to Minneapolis six years ago but two of his children still live in Texas.

There is a new mural in his memory near his old home in Houston's Third Ward.

"It is a watershed moment for the American people," said Houston's police chief Art Acevedo.

Following his funeral service, George Floyd will be laid to rest at a cemetery in the suburb of Pearland.

He will be buried next to his mother, the end of a life story that could reverberate for generations, in a legacy of real and lasting change.

https://news.sky.com/story/george-f...ack-man-who-sacrificed-for-the-world-12003217
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">George Floyd’s body arrives at a Houston church for his funeral, to be followed by burial, capping six days of mourning for the black man whose death inspired a global reckoning over police brutality and racial injustice. <a href="https://t.co/58Wu3DzrDP">https://t.co/58Wu3DzrDP</a></p>— The Associated Press (@AP) <a href="https://twitter.com/AP/status/1270388954869764099?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 9, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
The funeral is under way in Houston, Texas, for African American George Floyd whose shocking death in police custody caused global outrage.

His coffin will be taken from a church where it was on public display on Monday, to be buried beside his mother.

Mr Floyd died in Minneapolis last month as a white police officer held a knee on his neck for nearly nine minutes, his final moments filmed on phones.

Four police officers involved have been sacked and charged over his death.

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden visited the dead man's family to offer his sympathies on Monday.

Mr Floyd's death was "one of the great inflection points in American history", Mr Biden later told CBS news.

Mr Biden has sharply criticised President Donald Trump, who is standing for re-election as the Republican candidate on 3 November, accusing him at the weekend of making "despicable" speculative remarks about Mr Floyd.

The Democratic politician was himself recently accused of taking black American votes for granted when he said African Americans "ain't black" if they even considered voting for Mr Trump.

What are the funeral plans?

A service is being held at the Fountain of Praise church, attended by some 500 guests including politicians and celebrities, CBS News reports.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz called on people to honour the funeral by observing silence for eight minutes and 46 seconds, the time Mr Floyd was pinned to the ground before he died.

The coffin will then be taken to a cemetery in Pearland, south of Houston. For the last mile of the procession it will be conveyed in a horse-drawn carriage.

Barriers have been erected along the route to allow members of the public to pay their respects safely as the procession passes.

Mr Floyd will be buried in a private ceremony.

His body was on display at the church for six hours on Monday.
Memorial services were also held in Minneapolis and North Carolina, where Mr Floyd was born.

What did Biden say about Floyd's family?

"They're an incredible family, his little daughter was there, the one who said 'daddy's going to change the world', and I think her daddy is going to change the world," Mr Biden told CBS anchor Norah O'Donnell.

"I think what happened here is one of the great inflection points in American history, for real, in terms of civil liberties, civil rights and just treating people with dignity."

Floyd family spokesman Benjamin Crump, who tweeted a photo of the meeting said Mr Floyd's relatives welcomed Mr Biden's comments.

"That compassion meant the world to this grieving family," he added.

Aides to the former vice-president said he would also record a video message for Tuesday's service.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-52978803
 
Pentagon officials open to 'starting a discussion' about renaming Army bases named for Confederate icons

Officials at the United States Pentagon said on Tuesday signaled that they were open to starting a discussion about changing the names of 10 military bases named for Confederate generals from the US civil war era.

According to Stars and Stripes, both Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy want to have a "bipartisan discussion" about the topic.

The turnabout would mark a substantial change in the Army’s position on the naming of the 10 Army posts - Fort Lee, Fort Hood, Fort Benning, Fort Gordon, Fort Bragg, Fort Polk, Fort Pickett, Fort A.P. Hill, Fort Rucker and Camp Beauregard.

All the bases in question are located in Southern states and most were named during the south’s Jim Crow era in the 1910s and 1940s.

In a statement issued by votevets.org, a former commanding general at Fort Benning in Georgia, retired Major General Paul D. Eaton, said he cannot fathom how Black soldiers must feel serving on bases named for a "traitor to the United States, a racist and an incompetent warfighter". He likened it to Jewish soldiers serving at bases named for Nazi leaders.

"If the Army is going to be true to the idea that it judges its people by their skills and qualifications, and not their race, having bases named after those who believed otherwise is incompatible with the Army itself," Eaton said. "The Secretary of the Army should order these bases renamed, today. This does not take an act of Congress. This does not require a conversation. It requires courage and action now."
 
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo 'disgusted' by Trump tweet about Buffalo protester

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Tuesday he was "disgusted" by President Donald Trump's claim that a 75-year-old man seen in video being pushed by a Buffalo police officer during a protest "fell harder than (he) was pushed".

"President Trump did a tweet today that surprises me even after all the tweets he has done," Cuomo said at his daily news briefing.

"You read his tweets, you get to a point where you say, 'Well, nothing could surprise me - I've seen it all,'" Cuomo added. "And then you get surprised again. You get shocked again. You get disgusted again."

Trump suggested that the protestor, Martin Gugino, had staged his fall at the hands of an officer during a protest last Thursday, and that he could be "an ANTIFA provocateur" who appeared to be trying to electronically black out police communications.

Two Buffalo officers were arraigned on assault charges on Saturday over the incident, which left Gugino hospitalized.
 
George Floyd's niece has asked "when has America ever been great?" at his funeral.

Brooke Williams spoke passionately about the injustice she said her uncle received when he was killed on 25 May after police officer Derek Chauvin placed his knee on the 46-year-old's neck for nearly nine minutes in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Her question echoed Donald Trump's presidential campaign slogan - make America great again - although she did not name the president.

At the funeral in Houston, Texas, Ms Williams, referencing her uncle's final words, said: "I can breathe and as long as I can breathe justice will be served.

"He always moved people with his words. The officer showed no remorse for watching my uncle's soul leave his body.

"He begged and pleaded for you to just get up.

"Why must this system be corrupt and broken? Laws were put in place for the African American system to fail. These laws need to be changed. No more hate crimes, please.

"Someone said make America great again. When has America ever been great?"

Speaking at the private funeral that was broadcast live, she called Mr Floyd's death "not just a murder, this is a hate crime".

Joe Biden speaks at George Floyd's funeral

Biden: 'Now is the time to listen and heal'
"America, it is time for a change, even if it begins with protests, no justice no peace," Ms Williams added.

"My brother and mum tells me this all the time - God says high, he lives low. Thank you Houston, he's always loving the hometown."

Ms Williams spoke after Mr Floyd's brother broke down in tears remembering his brother, and after others spoke about their time at school with him in Houston, most memorably for his basketball skills.

While Mr Floyd died in Minneapolis, he only lived there for a few years and grew up in Houston where he will be laid to rest next to his mother's grave.

Earlier in the funeral Democratic US presidential nominee Joe Biden also spoke to Mr Floyd's family and friends via a recorded message.

Mr Biden, who had a meeting with the family on Monday night, told mourners: "Now is the time for racial justice.

"That's the answer we must give to our children when they ask why.

"Because when there's justice for George Floyd we will truly be on the way to racial justice for America.

"And then, as you said Gianna, your daddy will have changed the world."
 
The funeral of George Floyd, an African American whose death in police custody spawned global outrage, has heard impassioned pleas for racial justice.

Speakers in the church in Houston, Texas, lined up to remember a man whose "crime was that he was born black".

Mr Floyd died in Minneapolis last month as a white police officer held a knee on his neck for nearly nine minutes, his final moments filmed on phones.

Four police officers involved have been sacked and charged over his death.

His coffin was taken from the church driven in a motorcade to the Houston Memorial Gardens where he was to be buried beside his mother.

One of Mr Floyd's nieces, Brooke Williams, called for a change in laws which, she argued, were designed to disadvantage black people.

"Why must this system be corrupt and broken?" she asked. "Laws were already put in place for the African-American system to fail. And these laws need to be changed. No more hate crimes, please! Someone said 'Make America Great Again', but when has America ever been great?"

Republican President Donald Trump's Democratic opponent in the November presidential election, Joe Biden, addressed the service in a video message, saying: "When there is justice for George Floyd, we will truly be on our way to racial justice in America."

Mr Biden has sharply criticised Mr Trump, accusing him at the weekend of making "despicable" speculative remarks about Mr Floyd.

But the Democratic politician was himself recently accused of taking black American votes for granted when he said African Americans "ain't black" if they even considered voting for Mr Trump.

What was said at the funeral?
The service was held at the Fountain of Praise church, attended by some 500 guests including politicians and celebrities.

"George Floyd was not expendable - this is why we're here," said Al Green, the local Democratic congressman. "His crime was that he was born black."

Veteran civil rights activist Reverend Al Sharpton told the service: "All over the world I see grandchildren of slave masters tearing down slave masters' statues."

Talking about Mr Floyd's difficult life, he said: "God took the rejected stone and made him the cornerstone of a movement that's gonna change the whole wide world."

In Minnesota, Governor Tim Walz called on people to honour the funeral by observing silence for eight minutes and 46 seconds, the time Mr Floyd was pinned to the ground before he died.

Mr Floyd's coffin was taken to a cemetery in Pearland, south of Houston, for a private burial ceremony. For the last mile of the procession it was conveyed in a horse-drawn carriage.

Barriers were erected along the route to allow members of the public to pay their respects safely as the procession passed.

His body was on display at the church for six hours on Monday.

Memorial services were also held in Minneapolis and North Carolina, where Mr Floyd was born.

What did Biden say about Floyd's family?

After visiting the family on Monday, the Democratic candidate told CBS: "His little daughter was there, the one who said 'daddy's going to change the world', and I think her daddy is going to change the world."

"I think what happened here is one of the great inflection points in American history, for real, in terms of civil liberties, civil rights and just treating people with dignity."

Floyd family spokesman Benjamin Crump, who tweeted a photo of the meeting, said Mr Floyd's relatives welcomed Mr Biden's comments.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-52978803
 
George Floyd has been buried in Houston, where he was born, two weeks after his death in Minneapolis police custody sparked worldwide protests.

Floyd's death, after an officer who has now been charged with second-degree murder knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes, has triggered a US-wide debate on the future of law enforcement.
 
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DC National Guards test positive for Covid after protests

Several members of the Washington, DC National Guard have tested positive for Covid-19 after being deployed to the Black Lives Matter protests sparked by the death of George Floyd, the military says.

The National Guard says it will not disclose the number of guardsmen infected due to "operational security".

The members were among the 1,300 troops sent to the US capital during mass demonstrations that began last weekend. They were joined by almost 4,000 additional National Guard troops from other states.

Meanwhile members of the White House coronavirus task force say they fear a spike in cases linked to nationwide civil unrest triggered by Floyd's death. Dr Deborah Birx advised state governors to ensure Covid tests are available in urban areas after 70 testing sites were destroyed in protests, US media report.
 
White House defends Trump's conspiracy theory tweet on Buffalo protester

The White House on Wednesday defended President Donald Trump's promotion of an unsubstantiated conspiracy theory about a 75-year-old protester injured by police in Buffalo, saying it was Trump's "prerogative" to raise questions about the incident.

The protester, Martin Gugino, was shoved by police and critically injured when he approached them during a march against racism and police brutality in an incident that was captured on video and led to criminal charges against the officers involved.

Trump, offering no evidence, tweeted on Tuesday that Gugino's fall could be a "set up" with ties to the anti-fascist movement antifa.

"The president was just raising some questions, some legitimate ones, about that particular interaction. And it's his prerogative to do so," White House spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany told Fox News on Wednesday.

A lawyer for Gugino called Trump's statement "dark, dangerous, and untrue," according to media reports. Gugino told USA TODAY he had "no comment other than Black Lives Matter" and that he has been released from intensive care and "should recover eventually."

Buffalo Police Officers Aaron Torgalski, 39, and Robert McCabe, 32, face felony assault charges over the incident.
 
Basketball team the Knicks issues statement on George Floyd's death

The New York Knicks and James Dolan, the executive chairman of the team's parent company, The Madison Square Garden Company issued a statement about the death of George Floyd after coming under fire for their delayed response to the incident.

While most NBA organizations were quick to issue public responses, the American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan, only issued a statement 15 days after Floyd's death.

Posting a statement on its social media accounts, the Knicks said: "Every one of us has a role to play in creating a more just and equal society, where there is no racism, bigotry, violence or hate. We stand with all who act for positive change."
 
One of four Minneapolis police charged over Floyd's death freed on bail

One of the four former Minneapolis police officers who were charged over the death of George Floyd has been released on bail.

The former police officer released, Thomas Lane, 37, had been held on $750,000 bail and was freed from Hennepin County jail, sheriff's office records showed.

He was one of three officers charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter in the 46-year-old Floyd's death on May 25.
 
George Floyd's brother decries 'a modern-day lynching' in testimony to U.S. Congress

George Floyd’s younger brother took his grief to the U.S. Congress on Wednesday with an impassioned plea that lawmakers not let his brother’s death be in vain, lamenting that he “didn’t deserve to die over $20” in a what he called a lynching.

The House of Representatives Judiciary Committee held the first congressional hearing to examine racial injustice and police brutality following George Floyd’s May 25 death after a Minneapolis policeman knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes. His death prompted a wave of protests in U.S. cities and abroad.

“They lynched my brother. That was a modern-day lynching in broad daylight,” Philonise Floyd, 42, of Missouri City, Texas, near Houston, told the committee, his voice breaking with emotion.

“His life mattered. All our lives matter. Black lives matter,” he added, wiping away tears.

The Democratic-led House is moving forward with sweeping reform legislation that could come to a vote by July 4, while Senate Republicans are crafting a rival plan.

George Floyd, a 46-year-old Houston native who had worked security at nightclubs, was unarmed when taken into custody outside a market where an employee had reported that a man matching his description tried to pay for cigarettes with a counterfeit bill.

“George wasn’t hurting anyone that day. He didn’t deserve to die over $20. I’m asking you, is that what a black man’s worth? $20? This is 2020. Enough is enough,” his brother said. “It is on you to make sure his death is not in vain.”

He buried his brother on Tuesday and described how they had not been able to say goodbye.

“I’m here to ask you to make it stop. Stop the pain,” Philonise Floyd testified. “George called for help and he was ignored. Please listen to the call I’m making to you now, to the calls of our family and the calls ringing on the streets of all the world.”

It is unclear whether Democrats and Republicans will be able to overcome partisan differences to pass legislation that President Donald Trump would be willing to sign.

Several Republicans pledged cooperation and voiced support for a pivotal provision that would scale back so-called qualified immunity protections that shield police from lawsuits by people suing for damages.

White House spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany, who said the Republican president may take policy action on race and policing through an executive order, called reduced qualified immunity a “non-starter.” McEnany said Trump’s administration has nearly finalized plans to address police brutality that could be made public within days.

Police officer Derek Chauvin was fired after the incident and charged with second- and third-degree murder and manslaughter. George Floyd and Chauvin worked as security personnel at the same nightclub.

Philonise Floyd said Chauvin knew his brother and killed him with premeditation “just because he didn’t like him,” adding that “it has to have something to do with racism.”

The emotionally charged hearing had lawmakers and witnesses including several civil rights advocates expressing sorrow over Floyd's death, the latest in a series of killings of African-Americans by police that have sparked anger on America's streets and fresh calls for reforms here

POLITICAL DIVIDE
The hearing highlighted divisions in Congress and the country between those who want broad changes to policing practices and those who defend the work of law enforcement and blame any problems on, as Republican Representative Mike Johnson put it, a “few bad apples.”

“The vast, vast majority of law enforcement officers are responsible, hard-working, heroic first responders,” added Representative Jim Jordan, the committee’s top Republican.

“While we hold up human rights in the world, we obviously have to hold them up in our country,” said Representative Karen Bass, chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, which crafted the legislation.

Angela Underwood Jacobs, a Republican witness whose police officer brother was slain during violent protests this month, urged lawmakers to promote a just society by investing in education, housing and job creation.

The Democratic legislation would ban police chokeholds and no-knock warrants, restrict the use of legal force, require police body cameras, make lynching a federal hate crime and take other steps to rein in misconduct.

https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-m...-testimony-to-u-s-congress-idUKKBN23H2PX?il=0
 
Seattle's mayor has told US President Donald Trump to "go back to your bunker", escalating a spat after the president threatened to intervene over a police-free autonomous zone protesters have set up in the western United States city.

The reference to a "bunker" was a nod to reports Trump was rushed by Secret Service agents to a secure area in the White House as demonstrations against racism and police brutality sparked by the death of George Floyd reached the president's residence.

Trump sparked the spat when he threatened to intervene in the neighbourhood in Seattle dubbed "Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone", or CHAZ, which was agreed upon by demonstrators and the city's police department.

"Take back your city NOW. If you don't do it, I will," Trump warned mayor Jenny Durkan and Washington state governor Jay Inslee - both Democrats - in a tweet late on Wednesday, calling the protesters "domestic terrorists" who have taken over Seattle.

"This is not a game. These ugly Anarchists must be stooped (sic) IMMEDIATELY. MOVE FAST," he said in another tweet.

Mayor Jenny Durkan replied on Thursday, urging Trump to "make us all safe. Go back to your bunker", with Inslee joining in the Twitter mockery of Trump.

"A man who is totally incapable of governing should stay out of Washington state's business. 'Stoop' tweeting," Inslee wrote.

Protests have taken place across the country following the death of Floyd, an unarmed Black man killed in police custody in Minneapolis on May 25.

Officials in Seattle have denied reports that left-wing activists are behind the setting up of the autonomous zone.
'Peaceful as hell'

In the CHAZ area on Thursday, there were tents with supplies for volunteer medics as well as food donated by local restaurants, along with fruit, snacks and water bottles.

At one point a crowd locked arms and prevented two police officers from reaching a boarded-up police station in the area. The officers failed to break in when they tried to enter through a different road.

"The scene here is peaceful as hell," said a demonstrator who identified herself as Jahtia B.

"This is our city. I was born and raised in this city. Let's give it to the people, the people who live in Seattle and have been thriving here," she told AFP news agency.

An African American demonstrator, Rich Brown, said he was scared on Sunday when police used tear gas and flash-bang grenades in an attempt to clear the area.

"Today I feel supported, welcomed," he said. "We're able to speak, it's what we've been wanting to do this whole time, without intimidation, without fear."

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/06/bunker-seattle-mayor-hits-trump-200612062032717.html
 
NASCAR's only current African-American driver, Bubba Wallace, says the confederate flag is a 'symbol of hate' and has backed the decision to ban it from all events.
 
US President Donald Trump has said the controversial chokehold method for restraining some suspects should "generally speaking" be ended.

Some US police forces have moved to ban chokeholds since the outbreak of anti-racism protests sparked by the death of George Floyd, an African American.

Mr Floyd died after a white officer knelt on his neck for nine minutes.

Mr Trump said it would be a "very good thing" to ban chokeholds but they may still be needed in some situations.

The president's comments come with Democrats and Republicans in the US Congress trying to hammer out the details of a police reform bill - the proposed Justice in Policing Act of 2020.

Mr Trump told Fox News that the concept of stopping police forces using chokeholds sounded "so innocent, so perfect".

But he continued: "If a police officer is in a bad scuffle and he's got somebody... you have to be careful.

"With that being said, it would be, I think, a very good thing that generally speaking it should be ended," he said, adding that he might make "very strong recommendations" to local authorities.

The police officer who knelt on Mr Floyd's neck has been sacked and charged with second-degree murder.

Mr Trump - who has faced criticism for his responses to the outbreak of the protests against racism and police brutality - said he wanted to "see really compassionate but strong law enforcement", adding "toughness is sometimes the most compassionate".

Challenged by interviewer Harris Faulkner to explain his tweet last month that "when the looting starts, the shooting starts", which was censored by Twitter for glorifying violence, the president said: "When the looting starts, it oftentimes means there's going to be... sure, there's going to be death, there's going to be killing. And, it's a bad thing."

The Justice in Policing Act was proposed by the opposition Democrats who control the House of Representatives but in order to pass it must win the support of Mr Trump's Republicans who control the Senate.

There is potential for the two parties to reach agreement on banning chokeholds and no-knock warrants, like the one in the Breonna Taylor shooting.

Meanwhile, the city council in Minneapolis, where Mr Floyd died, passed a resolution on Friday to replace its police department with a community-led public safety system.

It comes days after the council voted to disband the police department.

According to the resolution, the city council will begin a year-long process of engaging "with every willing community member in Minneapolis" to come up with a new public safety model.

In New York, Governor Andrew Cuomo has ordered police departments to undertake major reforms, in response to the demonstrations.

Mr Cuomo said he would stop financing local authorities that failed to adopt reforms addressing excess use of force and bias in their police departments by next April.

He said he would sign an executive order for municipalities to "reinvent and modernize" their police departments to battle racism. Police disciplinary records would be publicly released and chokeholds would become a felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison.

"That should be done in every police agency in this country," Mr Cuomo was quoted as saying by Reuters news agency.
Sitting alongside the governor at the news conference were Gwen Carr and Valerie Bell, the mothers of Eric Garner and Sean Bell, two unarmed black men who died in incidents with police.

Mr Garner died when a white police officer used a chokehold on him while making an arrest in 2014.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-c...at-apps.in-app-msg.whatsapp.trial.link1_.auin
 
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed into law on Friday a sweeping package of police accountability measures, including one allowing the release of officers' long-withheld disciplinary records, that received new backing following protests over George Floyd's killing.

The measures were approved earlier this week by the state's Democratic-led legislature. Some of the bills had been proposed in years past and failed to win approval, but lawmakers moved with new urgency in the wake of massive, nationwide demonstrations over Floyd's death at the hands of police in Minneapolis.

"Police reform is long overdue, and Mr. Floyd's murder is only the most recent murder," Cuomo, a Democrat, said.

Cuomo was joined at the signing ceremony by the Reverend Al Sharpton, Valerie Bell, the mother of Sean Bell, who was killed by an officer in 2006, and Gwen Carr, the mother of Eric Garner, who was killed by police in New York in 2014.

"It was a long time coming, but it came," Carr said.

The laws will ban police chokeholds, make it easier to sue people who call police on others without good reason, and set up a special prosecutor's office to investigate the deaths of people during and following encounters with police officers.

"These bills mean some substantive change, so that we won't be sitting here going over this after the next funeral and after the next situation," Sharpton said.

Some bills, including body camera legislation, drew support from Republicans, who opposed legislation that repealed a state law long used to block the release of police disciplinary records over concerns about officers' privacy.

Eliminating the law, known as Section 50-a, would make complaints against officers, as well as transcripts and final dispositions of disciplinary proceedings, public for the first time in decades.

New York Police Department spokesperson Sgt Jessica McRorie said the department "will review the final version of the legislation and utilise it in a manner that ensures greater transparency and fairness".

The state's approximately 500 police departments will all have to come up with plans to address everything from use of force to implicit bias awareness training by next April under an executive order that Cuomo said he will issue Friday.

The governor said New York is the first to come up with such a plan and warned that police departments that fail to do so will not receive state aid.

Patrick Lynch, president of the Police Benevolent Association, New York City's largest police union, said in a news release that Cuomo and the legislative leaders "have no business celebrating today".

Lynch said police officers spend their days addressing the "failures" of elected officials. "Now, we won't even be able to do that," he said. "We will be permanently frozen, stripped of all resources and unable to do the job."

Cuomo has 10 days to act on other bills passed by state lawmakers this week, including legislation prohibiting police from using racial profiling and another bill ensuring that individuals under arrest or in police custody receive attention for medical and mental health needs.

Lawmakers also passed a bill to require New York to collect and report the race and other demographic details of individuals who are charged. The legislation says police departments must "promptly report" to the state the death of any people who die in police custody and in an attempt to establish custody, and provide a demographic breakdown.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020...ping-police-reform-bills-200612223544721.html
 
Atlanta police chief resigns less than 24 hours after Rayshard Brooks shot dead

The chief of Atlanta’s police department has stepped down less than 24 hours after a black man was killed in a late-night struggle with officers after he failed a field sobriety test and resisted arrest.

Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said during a news conference on Saturday afternoon that she had accepted the resignation of police chief Erika Shields.

“I do not believe that this was a justified use of deadly force and have called for the immediate termination of the officer,” Bottoms said. “What has become abundantly over the last couple of weeks in Atlanta is that while we have a police force full of men and women who work alongside our communities with honor, respect and dignity, there has a been a disconnect with what our expectations are and should be as it relates to interactions with our officers and the communities in which they are entrusted to protect.”

Police were called to the restaurant on a complaint that a man was sleeping in a car blocking the drive-thru lane as customers waited in line, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said. The agency identified the man who was fatally shot as 27-year-old Rayshard Brooks.

A crowd of demonstrators gathered Saturday outside the restaurant where Brooks was shot. Gerald Griggs, an attorney and a vice president of Atlanta’s NAACP chapter, estimated there were 150 people protesting at the scene as he walked with them Saturday afternoon.

“The people are upset,” Griggs said. “They want to know why their dear brother Rayshard Brooks was shot and killed when he was merely asleep on the passenger side and not doing anything.”
 
The Viper said:
Atlanta police chief resigns less than 24 hours after Rayshard Brooks shot dead

The chief of Atlanta’s police department has stepped down less than 24 hours after a black man was killed in a late-night struggle with officers after he failed a field sobriety test and resisted arrest.

Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said during a news conference on Saturday afternoon that she had accepted the resignation of police chief Erika Shields.

“I do not believe that this was a justified use of deadly force and have called for the immediate termination of the officer,” Bottoms said. “What has become abundantly over the last couple of weeks in Atlanta is that while we have a police force full of men and women who work alongside our communities with honor, respect and dignity, there has a been a disconnect with what our expectations are and should be as it relates to interactions with our officers and the communities in which they are entrusted to protect.”

Police were called to the restaurant on a complaint that a man was sleeping in a car blocking the drive-thru lane as customers waited in line, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said. The agency identified the man who was fatally shot as 27-year-old Rayshard Brooks.

A crowd of demonstrators gathered Saturday outside the restaurant where Brooks was shot. Gerald Griggs, an attorney and a vice president of Atlanta’s NAACP chapter, estimated there were 150 people protesting at the scene as he walked with them Saturday afternoon.

“The people are upset,” Griggs said. “They want to know why their dear brother Rayshard Brooks was shot and killed when he was merely asleep on the passenger side and not doing anything.”
Click to expand...

Well, he wasn't quite asleep.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">GBI released video that shows the moment Rayshard Brooks was shot and killed by an Atlanta Police officer at a Wendys on University Ave last night. Police say Brooks had taken an officer's taser and pointed it at the officer as he ran. <a href="https://t.co/1G8fn03gFV">pic.twitter.com/1G8fn03gFV</a></p>— Matt Johnson (@MattWSB) <a href="https://twitter.com/MattWSB/status/1271909804848623617?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 13, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Both sides aren't being honest.
 
Sirris said:
Well, he wasn't quite asleep.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">GBI released video that shows the moment Rayshard Brooks was shot and killed by an Atlanta Police officer at a Wendys on University Ave last night. Police say Brooks had taken an officer's taser and pointed it at the officer as he ran. <a href="https://t.co/1G8fn03gFV">pic.twitter.com/1G8fn03gFV</a></p>— Matt Johnson (@MattWSB) <a href="https://twitter.com/MattWSB/status/1271909804848623617?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 13, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Both sides aren't being honest.
Click to expand...

The story of what happen is already out.


Officers from the Atlanta Police Department first responded to the fast food restaurant off University Avenue around 10:33 p.m. Friday night. The GBI says officers received a complaint about a man sleeping in a car in the drive-thru and cars having to drive around him.


Officers performed a field sobriety test on Brooks. The GBI says he failed the test and officers started to place him into custody. He resisted and a struggle happened over a Taser, according to witness reports.


“During the arrest, the male subject resisted and a struggle ensued. The officer deployed a Taser. Witnesses report that during the struggle the male subject grabbed and was in possession of the Taser,” the GBI said. “It has also been reported that the male subject was shot by an officer in the struggle over the Taser.”


GBI Director Vic Reynolds said in a news conference Saturday afternoon that video corroborated the fact that Brooks grabbed an officer’s Taser, ran a few feet away and then pointed it at officers before he was shot.

“He’s fleeing from an Atlanta police officer, and as he’s fleeing he turns back over his shoulder with what appears to the naked eye to be this Taser,” Reynolds.

The GBI released surveillance videos showing the shooting Saturday night. You can watch the full video.


https://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/ma...r-wendys-gbi-says/25FF4PNJNBBA7MBKXBPA34ETUE/
 
Sad incident.

However, the victim pointed a taser at police. That was not very bright.

Both cop and victim were equally stupid.
 
sweep_shot said:
Sad incident.

However, the victim pointed a taser at police. That was not very bright.

Both cop and victim were equally stupid.
Click to expand...

He was not very bright, however I do not feel he should have been killed over this as tasers are not considered lethal weapons. This happen in a bad time when there were already protests going on around the country. It was certainly not needed.
 
Shazzam said:
He was not very bright, however I do not feel he should have been killed over this as tasers are not considered lethal weapons. This happen in a bad time when there were already protests going on around the country. It was certainly not needed.
Click to expand...

Yeah. That's why I also called the cop's action stupid.

People need to show common sense and cops also need to come up with better tactics.
 
sweep_shot said:
Yeah. That's why I also called the cop's action stupid.

People need to show common sense and cops also need to come up with better tactics.
Click to expand...

Agreed, Police need better training. It seems they struggle with people who are clearly not there mentally. In those situations they need better tactics in handling it.
 
Fox News apologises for running digitally altered images in Seattle protest coverage

Fox News has apologised for running digitally altered and misleading photos on stories about Seattle's Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ).

The zone had been taken over by protesters after Seattle police abandoned the East Precinct. Fox News website ran a photo of a man standing with an assault rifle in front of a smashed retail storefront, but the image was actually a mash-up of photos taken by different photographers from different days.

On Saturday, Fox issued an apology in an editor's note on its website, sayings its home-page photos "did not clearly delineate" the splicing together of multiple images from different locations. "Fox News regrets these errors," the note stated.
 
At least seven Minneapolis police officers have quit and another seven are in the process of resigning, citing a lack of support from department and city leaders as protests over George Floyd’s death escalated.

Current and former officers told The Minneapolis Star Tribune that officers are upset with Mayor Jacob Frey’s decision to abandon the Third Precinct station during the protests.

Demonstrators set the building on fire after officers left. Protesters also have hurled bricks and insults at officers, numerous officers and protesters have been injured and the state has launched a civil rights investigation into the department.
 

I found this video quite interesting. It seems like some blacks are speaking against the riots.
 
A police dispatcher who was watching George Floyd's arrest in real time became so alarmed that she called a supervisor, according to a recording of the call.

The unnamed female dispatcher is heard saying: "I don't know, you can call me a snitch if you want to, but we have the cameras up for [squad] 320's call, and… I don't know if they had to use force or not, but they got something out of the back of the squad, and all of them sat on this man."

She was in a 911 call centre at the time and was watching the video from there, a city spokesperson said.

The dispatcher continued: "So, I don't know if [the squad] needed you or not, but they haven't said anything to me."

"Yeah," the supervisor responded, "they haven't said anything. Unless it's a just takedown which doesn't count, but I'll find out."

The dispatcher then said: "No problem. We don't get to ever see it. So when we see it, we're just like 'Whoa, uh, well.'

"It's a little different. Ok thank you."

The police department's use of force policy states that supervisors must be notified if police officers use force that involves an injury or alleged injury - unless the use of force is a take-down technique.

According to the policy, the officer must stay at the scene and tell a supervisor about the force that was used so that a review can be conducted.

The recording was released by Minneapolis officials as protests continue over the killing of George Floyd on 25 May.

Mr Floyd, an unarmed black man, was pinned down by police officers for nearly nine minutes, despite saying he couldn't breathe.

The city has also released transcripts of two 911 calls from people who witnessed Mr Floyd's death.

One caller said: "Hello, I am on the block of 38th and Chicago and I literally watched police officers not take a pulse and not do anything to save a man, and I am a first responder myself.

"I just happened to be on a walk so, this dude, this, they f*****g killed him."

The other caller said an officer "pretty much just killed this guy that wasn't resisting arrest. He had his knee on the dude's neck the whole time."

They added: "I don't even know if he dead for sure but dude was not responsive when the ambulance came and got him, and the officer that was just out here left, the one that actually just murdered the kid in front of everybody."

Former officer Derek Chauvin, who was filmed with his knee on Mr Floyd's neck, has been charged with second-degree murder.

Three other officers who were at the scene have been charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and manslaughter.

Audio has also been released of a 911 call made shortly before 27-year-old Rayshard Brooks was killed by police in Atlanta, Georgia on 12 June.

The 911 operator had asked the caller "Is he black?", referring to Mr Brooks, to which the caller replied "He black".

Mr Brooks was shot dead by an officer after he took a Taser, ran a short distance through a car park and pointed it towards the officer

https://news.sky.com/story/george-f...ideo-of-arrest-and-called-supervisor-12007634
 
Narrated by Idris Elba

[utube]xvW6PLIDsbI[/utube]
 
U.S. President Donald Trump has signed an Executive Order aimed at reforming policing following the killing of George Floyd, with the order demanding police officers undergo training to improve treatment of African Americans
 
US Air Force sergeant charged in Boogaloo Bois murder

A US Air Force sergeant with links to the far-right Boogaloo Bois movement has been charged with the murder of a federal security officer in California, the FBI says.

Steven Carrillo is accused of killing David Patrick Underwood outside the courthouse in Oakland during Black Lives Matter protests last month.

He was already charged with the murder of another officer eight days later.

Damon Gutzwiller was killed in an ambush near Santa Cruz on 6 June.

Mr Carrillo, who is stationed at Travis air force base, was arrested during a subsequent confrontation.

He appears to have used his own blood to write various phrases on the bonnet of a car he stole, the FBI said, including "boog" and "stop the duopoly".

"Boogaloo" is a term used by extremists to reference a violent uprising or impending civil war in the US, the FBI said.

Adherents of the loose grouping known as Boogaloo Bois, which some liken to a militia, are anti-government and often carry assault weapons.

The Oakland victim, Mr Underwood, was killed in a drive-by shooting from a white van overnight on 29 May. There were large protests taking place in nearby streets over the death in police custody of George Floyd.

A colleague was also shot in the attack, and the accused is charged with his attempted murder.

A second man, Robert Alvin Justus, has confessed to driving the van, the FBI said, and has been charged with aiding and abetting the alleged murder.

In a comment on Facebook, Mr Carillo said the Black Lives Matter protests in downtown Oakland were a good opportunity. "Use their anger to fuel our fire. Think outside the box. We have mobs of angry people to use to our advantage," he allegedly wrote.

Announcing the charges at the same Oakland federal building where Mr Underwood worked, US Attorney David Anderson said many people would miss hearing the sound of his voice and laughter.

"Pat Underwood wore his uniform because it signified his authority to protect the courthouse where we are gathered here today," the attorney said. "This courthouse exists to administer justice, to uphold the rule of law, and to protect the freedoms that we all cherish."

A second deputy was injured in the attack in Santa Cruz county in which Sgt Gutzwiller lost his life.

The sheriff's office is holding a memorial event for Sgt Gutzwiller on Wednesday which will be broadcast online.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-53076159
 
The brother of George Floyd, whose death last month triggered mass anti-racism protests, has asked the UN to investigate the killing of black people at the hands of US police.

Philonise Floyd told the UN Human Rights Council the whole world saw how his brother was tortured and killed.

He said this proved that black lives did not matter in the US.

UN Human Rights chief Michelle Bachelet criticised the "gratuitous brutality" of Mr Floyd's death.

She said the protests were the "culmination of many generations of pain".

Ms Bachelet, a former president of Chile, also urged countries to confront the legacy of slavery and colonialism, and to make reparations.

Mr Floyd died after a white police officer in Minneapolis knelt on his neck for almost nine minutes. The killing spurred global protests led by the Black Lives Matter movement.

'Tortured and murdered'
George Floyd's brother called on UN officials to set up an independent commission to investigate the deaths of African Americans in US police custody, as well as violence against peaceful protesters.

He was speaking by video link at a debate convened by African countries at the human rights council's headquarters in Geneva.

"The way you saw my brother tortured and murdered on camera is the way black people are treated by police in America," he said.

"You in the United Nations are your brothers' and sisters' keepers in America, and you have the power to help us get justice for my brother George Floyd.

"I am asking you to help him. I am asking you to help me. I am asking you to help us black people in America."
He also denounced police treatment of people involved in the protests which swept the US in the weeks after his brother's death.

"When people dared to raise their voice and protest for my brother they were tear-gassed, run over with police vehicles," he said.

The BBC's Imogen Foulkes in Geneva says it is unclear whether the demand for an official investigation will get enough support to be approved.

The Trump administration pulled the US out of the council two years ago and does not attend its meetings, but our correspondent says some countries are understood to be reluctant to back an inquiry which so clearly singles out the US.



https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-53082912
 
Alicia Keys, LL Cool J and the new wave of protest songs

The death of George Floyd has prompted one of the biggest movements against racism since the civil rights era.

Protests were held globally after video footage from Minneapolis showed a white police officer kneeling on Mr Floyd's neck for almost nine minutes.

The 46-year-old could be heard repeatedly telling the officer, "I can't breathe".

Around the world, music became a crucial way for people to express their grief and anger.

Bob Marley's Get Up, Stand Up and Bill Withers' Lean On Me soundtracked several protests, while streaming figures for songs that call out police violence soared: from Childish Gambino's This Is America and Kendrick Lamar's Alright to NWA's visceral hip-hop track [Expletive] Tha Police.

The latter was also used by hackers to disrupt police scanners in Chicago during the protests.

In a more unifying moment, protestors in Atlanta encouraged the National Guard to join them in performing the Macarena.

As the Black Lives Matter movement continues, the record industry has been paused to examine its own history of racial exclusion, and the inequity between black artists and the mainly white executives who profit from their work.

Meanwhile, artists have channelled their frustration and anger into a new wave of protest songs, directly inspired by Mr Floyd's death and its aftermath.

Here are some of the most striking examples - but please be aware that many of these songs contain explicit language: https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-53105702
 
US House passes 'George Floyd' police reform bill

The US House of Representatives has passed a sweeping police reform bill that currently has little prospect of becoming law amid partisan gridlock.

The Democratic-controlled chamber voted 236-181 for the measure mainly along party lines on Thursday night.

The legislation is named after George Floyd, the unarmed black man whose death in police custody last month ignited worldwide protests.

But US President Donald Trump has threatened to veto the measure.

And his fellow Republicans in the Senate are proposing their own, less far-reaching bill.

What's in the Democratic House bill?

The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act was passed exactly a month after the Minneapolis, Minnesota, man's death - at warp speed for a usually deliberative and ponderous legislative body.

The Democratic bill would hold police officers personally liable for damages in lawsuits, ban no-knock warrants often used by police in drug raids, and halt the flow of military surplus equipment to police departments.

Three Republicans crossed party lines to vote in favour.

But Senate Republicans have refused to take up the House version, arguing it is an overreach that would undermine law enforcement.

Is there scope for compromise?

Both the Republican and Democratic proposals would curtail police chokeholds, introduce new training procedures, seek to expand the use of body cameras and create a national registry for officers accused of misconduct.

However, Democrats say the Republican bill will not protect black Americans, arguing that it relies on data collection and financial incentives for state and local police departments to adopt reforms on their own.

On Wednesday, Senate Democrats denied Republicans the votes needed to open floor debate on their legislation.

President Trump said: "If nothing happens with it, it's one of those things. We have different philosophies."

Neither bill would defund the police, and divert that spending to other community services, as called for by Black Lives Matter activists.

What are Democrats and Republicans saying?

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi gathered with members of the Congressional Black Caucus on the Capitol steps on Thursday and said: "Exactly one month ago, George Floyd spoke his final words - 'I can't breathe' - and changed the course of history."

Hakeem Jeffries, a New York Democrat, said: "Here in America, every black mother and every black father has to have the talk with their child about what to do when approached by police.

But Debbie Lesko, an Arizona Republican, said: "All lives matter."

And Glenn Grothman, a Wisconsin Republican, was quoted by the Washington Post as saying of Democrats: "They don't want to talk about it when white people are killed."

Tim Scott, the Senate's only Black Republican and author of the chamber's failed police reform bill, accused Democrats of playing "pure race politics" ahead of November's general election.

"There will be blood on the Democrats' hands," Mr Scott of South Carolina told Fox News, if more black Americans died because of congressional inaction.

Earlier this week, Mrs Pelosi infuriated Republicans by accusing them of "trying to get away with murder, actually. The murder of George Floyd."
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-53188189
 
Authorities were investigating a fatal shooting on Saturday night at a park in the US state of Kentucky, where anti-racism demonstrators had gathered to protest against the death of a Black woman, Breonna Taylor.

Reports that shots were fired at Jefferson Square Park came in around 9pm, Louisville Metro police said in a statement, followed by calls that the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department was performing life-saving measures on a male who died at the scene.

Shortly after, police were told of a shooting victim across the street at the Hall of Justice. That person was hospitalised with non-life-threatening injuries.

Video posted on social media appeared to show a man opening fire into the park as people scrambled for cover. The footage later showed at least one person bleeding profusely on the ground.

Officers cleared the park and police "are trying to gather as much information as possible in order to identify all who were involved in the incident," the statement said.

No information about arrests, possible suspects and the victims' identities and ages was immediately released. Officials did not immediately release additional information.

"I am deeply saddened by the violence that erupted in Jefferson Square Park tonight, where those who have been voicing their concerns have been gathered," Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer said in a statement.

"It is a tragedy that this area of peaceful protest is now a crime scene."

The park has for weeks been the epicentre for anti-racism Black Lives Matter protests in the city after the police killings of Taylor and George Floyd.

The Saturday night shooting was at least the second during nearly a month of protests in Louisville over Taylor's death.

Seven people were wounded on May 28 when gunfire erupted near City Hall, prompting a statement from Taylor's mother asking people to demand justice "without hurting each other".

Taylor, a 26-year-old Black woman, was killed in her Louisville home in March by police who were serving a no-knock warrant. Protesters have been calling for the officers involved in her death to be charged. One of the officers was recently fired.

Kenneth Walker, Taylor's boyfriend, was originally charged with attempted murder after he fired a shot at one of the officers who came into the home. Walker has said he thought he was defending himself from an intruder.

The no-knock search warrant that allows police to enter without first announcing their presence was recently banned by Louisville's Metro Council.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020...ns-deadly-state-kentucky-200628044603563.html
 
Two teenagers shot in Seattle's Chop autonomous zone

A teenager has been killed and another critically wounded in a shooting in Seattle's autonomous zone.

One teenager, 16, was fatally shot and died after being taken to hospital. The other victim, 14, is in intensive care.

The zone, initially known as Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (Chaz) and now called Capitol Hill Occupied Protest (Chop), was set up amid protests over the killing of George Floyd.

As it is part of a protest against police brutality, it is self-policing.

In a statement, Seattle hospital Harborview Medical Center said one of the boys was brought in by a private vehicle at 03:15 local time, while the other was driven in by the Fire Department's medical team at 03:30 on Monday.

"The male shooting victim who arrived to Harborview... at 03:30 from the Chop area on Capitol Hill in Seattle has unfortunately died," the statement added.

Although the site was initially occupied by hundreds of peaceful protesters, this is the fourth shooting within the boundaries of Chop in the last 10 days.

In the first shooting, which happened in the early hours of 20 June, a 19-year-old man called Horace Lorenzo Anderson was killed and a 33-year-old man was injured.

A second shooting the next day left a 17-year-old boy injured, and another person was wounded in a third shooting two days later.

After the latest violence city officials have said they are considering dismantling Chop, and reopening a police station in the area that was abandoned by officers when the zone was first set up.

Chief Carmen Best, from the Seattle Police Department, said they had found a white Jeep "riddled with bullet holes" near one of the concrete barriers to Chop.

She also accused protesters and residents of "not being cooperative with our requests for help", and said the zone was now "not safe for anybody".

Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan, a Democrat who served as US attorney under former President Barack Obama, has also been facing calls to resign from people on both sides of the political divide over her handling of protests in the city and Chop.

Last week, she said she would work with protesters to bring an end to the protest zone. However, the barricades are still up.

Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-53224445
 
Elijah McClain: Denver officers fired for pictures mocking man's death

Three US police officers in Colorado have been sacked after they shared photos re-enacting a chokehold used on a black man who later died.

Elijah McClain, 23, died in August last year after being stopped by police.

Another officer resigned over the matter. A local police chief called the images "beyond comprehension".

Mr McClain's case attracted renewed focus in the wake of the death of George Floyd, another unarmed African-American who died in police custody.

The officers who were fired were named as Jason Rosenblatt, Erica Marrero and Kyle Dittrich. The fourth, Jaron Jones, resigned on Tuesday.

Vanessa Wilson, the acting police chief in the Denver suburb of Aurora, where the incident took place, called the images a crime against humanity and decency.

"We are ashamed, we are sickened, and we are angry about what I have to share," she told a news conference.

"While the allegations of this internal affairs case are not criminal, they are a crime against humanity and decency. To even think about doing such a thing is beyond comprehension and it is reprehensible."

One of the pictures shows former officers Dittrich and Jones imitating a neck hold, while Marrero smiles to their left.

Jason Rosenblatt was sent the photos by text and responded "ha ha".

Chief Wilson said she held off releasing the photos until she could share them with Mr McClain's family. Their lawyer called the images "appalling".

What happened to Elijah McClain?

Mr McClain was walking in Aurora on 24 August last year when he was stopped by three police officers.

A district attorney report later said there had been an emergency call about a "suspicious person" matching his description.

There was a struggle after Mr McClain resisted contact with the officers, who wanted to search him to see if he was armed, the report says. On body cam footage Mr McClain can be heard saying, "I'm an introvert, please respect my boundaries that I am speaking."

One of the officers then says "he is going for your gun", and they wrestle him to the ground and put him in a chokehold.

The report says Mr McClain lost consciousness, was released from the chokehold, and began to struggle again.

The officers called for assistance, with fire fighters and an ambulance responding. A medic injected Mr McClain with ketamine to sedate him.

Mr McClain was then put in "soft restraints" on a stretcher and put inside the ambulance. The medic who had administered the drug then noticed that Mr McClain's chest "was not rising on its own, and he did not have a pulse". He was declared brain dead on 27 August.

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Mr McClain's family allege that the officers used excessive force for about 15 minutes as Mr McClain vomited, begged for them to stop and repeatedly told them he could not breathe. The officers also threatened to set a police dog on him, the family said.

An coroner's autopsy found the cause of death to be undetermined.

Colorado Governor Jared Polis has appointed a special prosecutor to review the case. Earlier this month, Aurora police banned the chokehold used on Mr McClain. New rules also say officers must intervene if they see a colleague using excessive force.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-53287892
 
Seattle protest: Two women seriously injured by car

Two women have been seriously hurt after a car careered into a small group of protesters on a closed highway in Seattle, officials say.

The car "drove through the closure and struck multiple pedestrians", a Washington State Patrol tweet said.

One of the women reportedly has life-threatening injuries and a suspect has been arrested.

There has been unrest in Seattle since African American George Floyd died in police custody in Minneapolis in May.

Protests have been widespread across the US under the Black Lives Matter movement.

The incident with the vehicle occurred in the early hours of Saturday at a southbound section of Interstate-5 that had been shut ahead of a women's march.

Part of the protest had been live-streamed on social media under the headline "Black Femme March takes I-5".

Footage posted on Twitter showed a white car speeding along the highway, before swerving to avoid two stationary vehicles positioned as a roadblock, then hitting the two people.

Associated Press quoted Washington State Patrol Captain Ron Mead as saying a 24-year-old woman from Seattle had suffered life-threatening injuries and a 32-year-old woman from Bellingham had serious injuries.

He said the driver was a 27-year-old man from Seattle and it was unknown if it was a targeted attack.

The injured protesters were taken to Harborview Medical Center, the Seattle Fire Department said.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-53291289
 
The US police officer accused of George Floyd's murder told him to stop talking as he repeatedly gasped under the man's knee, according to court documents.

The unarmed black man cried out for his late mother and children as he said the Minneapolis policeman would kill him, transcripts from body-cam footage show.

They were disclosed in court by lawyers for one of the four officers involved.

The documents offer the clearest picture yet of Mr Floyd's last moments. His death in May sparked global uproar.

It led to a wave of anti-racism protests led by the Black Lives Matter movement, and stirred debate and reflection in the US over the country's history of slavery and segregation.

All four officers involved in taking Mr Floyd into custody were fired and arrested. Derek Chauvin, who knelt on his neck, faces several charges including second-degree murder, while the other three - Thomas Lane, J Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao - are charged with aiding and abetting murder.

The transcripts were made public on Thursday as Mr Lane's lawyers asked for the case against him to be dismissed.

Warning: Some readers may find the content below distressing.

Until now, eyewitness footage shared on social media revealed most of what was known about Mr Floyd's arrest and his final moments.

The new transcripts give a more detailed account, shedding light on significant parts of the encounter, from the time Mr Lane and Mr Kueng arrived at the scene, to the point where Mr Floyd was given CPR in an ambulance.

Transcripts of footage recorded by body cameras fitted to Mr Lane and Mr Kueng show Mr Floyd said more than 20 times he could not breathe as he was restrained by the officers in a Minneapolis street.

They confronted him outside a convenience store where he was suspected of having used a forged $20 note to buy cigarettes.

At one point, a handcuffed Mr Floyd, while pinned down on the road next to the police car, gasps that he cannot breathe, adding: "You're going to kill me, man."

Mr Chauvin, who is shown in bystander footage appearing to kneel on Mr Floyd's neck for nearly eight minutes, replies: "Then stop talking, stop yelling.

"It takes heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."

The transcripts show Mr Floyd appears co-operative at the beginning of the arrest, repeatedly apologising to the officers after they approach his parked car.

Mr Lane asks Mr Floyd to show his hands at least 10 times before ordering him to get out of the vehicle.

In response to one of the demands to see his hands, Mr Floyd says: "Man, I got, I got shot the same way, Mr Officer, before." It is not clear what he is referring to.

At one point Mr Lane says: "Why's he getting all squirrelly and not showing us his hands and just being all weird like that?"

The officers then handcuff Mr Floyd and try to put him into the back of their police car. As they do, Mr Floyd becomes agitated, repeatedly pleading that he is claustrophobic.

Mr Lane asks if he is "on something". Mr Floyd replies: "I'm scared, man."

According to another document, Mr Lane told investigators that once in the car, Mr Floyd began "thrashing back and forth"

Officers then pulled him out of the car and to the ground. Pinned on the floor, according to the transcript, Mr Floyd cries out a dozen times: "Mama."

He says: "Can't believe this, man. Mom, love you. Love you.

"Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."

At one point, when Mr Floyd continues to plead he can't breathe, Mr Lane asks Mr Chauvin: "Should we roll him on his side?"

The officer responds: "No, he's staying put where we got him."

Mr Chauvin's lawyers have not commented on the documents since they were made public.

Why are the transcripts coming out now?

The transcripts were released in support of a legal bid to dismiss the criminal charges against Mr Lane, a rookie officer who was days into the job when Mr Floyd's death happened.

Mr Lane's lawyer Earl Gray, who filed the documents, argued that it was "not fair or reasonable" for his client to stand trial on the charges.

The new court documents include a transcript of Mr Lane's interview with investigators from Minnesota's Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.

In the interview, Mr Lane talked through the first crucial moments of his encounter with Mr Floyd.

Mr Lane said he pulled his gun out and ordered Mr Floyd to show his hands after approaching his car and seeing him "sitting with his hands down below the seat".

Pictures from inside the car Mr Floyd was sitting in before his arrest show two crumpled $20 bills that, according to Mr Gray, were counterfeit.

At the end of the interview, one of the investigators asked Mr Lane if he felt either he or Mr Chauvin had contributed to Mr Floyd's death.

"I object to that. You're not going to answer that," Mr Gray said.

What has happened since Mr Floyd's death?

The incident and the bystander videos that exposed it highlighted deep wounds over racial inequality in the US. For many, the outrage over Mr Floyd's death also reflected years of frustration over socio-economic inequality and discrimination.

Protests erupted and have continued since, across many US cities and also internationally.

Police forces, governments and businesses pledged reforms in recognition of the racial inequality that fuelled the protests.

Monuments of historical figures with links to the slavery in the US and other countries were re-assessed. Some were toppled or vandalised, others were taken down by authorities and institutions.

Mr Floyd's death followed the high-profile cases of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri; Eric Garner in New York; and others that have driven the Black Lives Matter movement in recent years.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-53343967
 
Firebat said:
Seattle protest: Two women seriously injured by car

Two women have been seriously hurt after a car careered into a small group of protesters on a closed highway in Seattle, officials say.

The car "drove through the closure and struck multiple pedestrians", a Washington State Patrol tweet said.

One of the women reportedly has life-threatening injuries and a suspect has been arrested.

There has been unrest in Seattle since African American George Floyd died in police custody in Minneapolis in May.

Protests have been widespread across the US under the Black Lives Matter movement.

The incident with the vehicle occurred in the early hours of Saturday at a southbound section of Interstate-5 that had been shut ahead of a women's march.

Part of the protest had been live-streamed on social media under the headline "Black Femme March takes I-5".

Footage posted on Twitter showed a white car speeding along the highway, before swerving to avoid two stationary vehicles positioned as a roadblock, then hitting the two people.

Associated Press quoted Washington State Patrol Captain Ron Mead as saying a 24-year-old woman from Seattle had suffered life-threatening injuries and a 32-year-old woman from Bellingham had serious injuries.

He said the driver was a 27-year-old man from Seattle and it was unknown if it was a targeted attack.

The injured protesters were taken to Harborview Medical Center, the Seattle Fire Department said.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-53291289
Click to expand...

Even after almost two months since Floyd killing, they are still blocking roads for protests. They have blocked a Seattle freeway. My question is, why are they blocking important roads? Don't they have any concern for other people? What if there is a medical emergency?

Protesting is fine but blocking roads for months is not fine.
 
George Floyd's family has filed a lawsuit against the city of Minneapolis and the four police officers charged in his death, alleging the officers violated Floyd's rights when they restrained him and the city allowed a culture of excessive force, racism and impunity to flourish in its police force.

Wednesday's lawsuit seeks compensatory and special damages in an amount to be determined by a jury. The complaint also asks for a receiver to be appointed to ensure the city properly trains and supervises its police officers in the future.

"We seek to set a precedence to make it financially prohibitive that the police won't wrongfully kill marginalised people, especially Black people in the future," lawyer Benjamin Crump said at a news conference announcing the lawsuit.

The complaint, emailed to Al Jazeera by Crump's office, alleges the Minneapolis Police Department is at fault for Floyd's death, due to its ratification of "the culture of systemic racism and disparate treatment of the Black Community", vague and "unconstitutional" use of force policies and "Killology" training that "teaches officers to consider every person and every situation as a potential deadly threat and to kill 'less hesitantly'".

Crump said in a statement that accompanied the complaint: "The City of Minneapolis has a history of policies, procedures and deliberate indifference that violates the rights of arrestees, particularly Black men, and highlights the need for officer training and discipline."

Floyd, a Black man who was handcuffed, died on May 25 after Derek Chauvin, a white police officer, pressed his knee against Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes as Floyd said he could not breathe.

Chauvin has been charged with second-degree murder, third-degree murder and manslaughter. Three other officers at the scene - Tou Thao, Thomas Lane and J Kueng - have been charged with aiding and abetting both second-degree murder and manslaughter.

All four officers were fired the day after Floyd's death, which set off protests that spread around the world and turned into a national reckoning on race in the US.

Floyd's death also sparked calls to abolish the Minneapolis Police Department and replace it with a new public safety department. A majority of City Council members support the move, saying the department has a long history and culture of brutality that has resisted change.

A public hearing was planned later on Wednesday on the proposal, which requires a change in the city's charter that could go to voters in November.

The lawsuit came on the same day a court allowed public viewing by appointment of video footage from the body cameras of Lane and Kueng.

A coalition of news organisations and attorneys for Lane and Kueng has been advocating to make the videos public, saying they would provide a more complete picture of what happened when Floyd was taken into custody. The judge hasn't said why he's not allowing the video to be disseminated more widely.

According to documents in state probate court, Floyd is survived by 11 known heirs, including five children and six siblings. They live in Texas, North Carolina, Florida and New York. All but one of Floyd's children are adults. He has no living parents or grandparents.

The families of victims of other high-profile police shootings have received high payouts in Minnesota.

Last year, Minneapolis agreed to pay $20m to the family of Justine Ruszczyk Damond, an unarmed woman who was shot by an officer after she called 911 to report hearing a possible crime happening behind her home.

The settlement came three days after the officer, Mohamed Noor, was convicted of murdering her and is believed to be the largest payout ever stemming from police violence in Minnesota.

At the time, Mayor Jacob Frey cited Noor's unprecedented conviction and his failure to identify a threat before he used deadly force as reasons for the large settlement.

The mother of Philando Castile, a Black motorist killed by an officer in 2016, reached a nearly $3m settlement with the suburb of St Anthony, which employed the officer.

The officer, Jeronimo Yanez, was acquitted of manslaughter and other charges.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020...uit-minneapolis-officers-200715154317793.html
 
'I'm not a bad guy': New bodycam video of George Floyd's death emerges

Footage from body cameras worn by two police officers showing a panicked and scared George Floyd pleading with officers minutes before his death has emerged.

In the recordings from Minneapolis officers Thomas Lane and J Kueng, Mr Floyd can be heard telling them "I'm not a bad guy" as they try to wrestle him into a squad car.

"I'm not that kind of guy," Mr Floyd says as he struggles against the officers. "I just had COVID, man, I don't want to go back to that."

An onlooker can be heard pleading with Mr Floyd to stop struggling, saying: "You can't win." Mr Floyd replies, "I don't want to win."

A few minutes later, with Mr Floyd now face-down on the street, the cameras record his fading voice, still occasionally saying, "I can't breathe" before he goes still.

The recordings are part of the criminal case against them and two other officers over Mr Floyd's death on 25 May.

Derek Chauvin, who held his knee against Mr Floyd's neck for nearly eight minutes, is charged with second-degree murder.

Lane, Kueng and another officer, Tou Thao, are charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and manslaughter.

All four officers were fired the day after Mr Floyd died.

Journalists and members of the public were allowed to view the footage on Wednesday by appointment. Judge Peter Cahill has declined to allow publication of the video.

The video is the fullest public view yet of Mr Floyd's interaction with the officers.

It shows the officers' view of a death already widely seen on a bystander's phone video, which set off tumultuous protests in Minneapolis that quickly spread around the world.

Mr Floyd appears distraught from the moment officers ask him to step out of his vehicle near a south Minneapolis corner grocery, where he was suspected of using a counterfeit $20 note.

When Mr Floyd did not immediately display his hands, Lane pulled his gun, leading Mr Floyd to say he had been shot before.

Mr Floyd's hands are soon handcuffed behind his back, and he grows more anxious, telling the officers that he is claustrophobic and pleading with them not to put him in the back of a squad car.

In the struggle, he loses a shoe. What appears to be Chauvin's chest-mounted body camera falls underneath the squad car, and Mr Floyd eventually ends up on the pavement with the officers holding him down.

Chauvin and Kueng each grip one of Mr Floyd's handcuffed hands to hold them in position behind his back, with Kueng's knee appearing to press on Mr Floyd's bottom or just below. Lane is at Floyd's feet.

"I think he's passing out," one officer can be heard. "You guys all right, though?" someone asks. "Yeah - good so far," says one.

Another - apparently Lane - says: "My knee might be a little scratched, but I'll survive." Kueng reaches out with a free hand to pull a pebble from the police SUV's tire tread and toss it to the street.

Lee asks Chauvin whether they should roll Mr Floyd on his side and suggests that he might be in delirium.

People in the crowd can be heard expressing fear for Mr Floyd's condition, asking whether he had a pulse and was breathing.

A couple of minutes later, Lane asks again about rolling Mr Floyd onto his side.

The officers go quiet as Kueng checks for a pulse and says he cannot find one.

Lane's camera shows him following an unresponsive Mr Floyd on a stretcher into an ambulance, where paramedics instructed him to perform CPR.

The video shows Lane performing constant chest compressions by hand with no visible results.

The ambulance parks a few streets away from the store for several minutes while Lane and the paramedics work on Mr Floyd.

The viewing of the video took place on the same day the Floyd family's lawyer Ben Crump announced a lawsuit against the city and the police officers involved in his death.

https://news.sky.com/story/im-not-a...video-of-george-floyds-death-emerges-12029432
 
The attorney general for the US state of Oregon has filed a lawsuit against the federal government, accusing it of unlawfully detaining protesters.

There have been nightly protests against police brutality in Portland since the killing of George Floyd.

This week, federal officers in unmarked vehicles appeared to forcefully seize protesters from the streets and detain them without justification.

The federal government has said it is trying to restore order in the city.

Federal agents, deployed by President Donald Trump, have also fired tear gas and less-lethal munitions into crowds of demonstrators. Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf previously called the protesters a "violent mob".

Late on Saturday, protesters were seen dismantling a fence around the federal courthouse, hours after it was put up. The US Attorney's office in Oregon said on Twitter that the fence aimed to "de-escalate tensions between protesters and law enforcement officials and asked people to leave it alone.

Officers declared a riot outside the Portland Police Association building in the north of the city. It was set on fire but the blaze has now been put out, police said.

What does the lawsuit say?

In the lawsuit, Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum requested a restraining order to stop agents from the Department of Homeland Security, US Marshals Service, US Customs and Border Protection and the Federal Protection Service from making any more arrests in the city.

"These tactics must stop," Ms Rosenblum said in a statement. "They not only make it impossible for people to assert their First Amendment rights to protest peacefully, they also create a more volatile situation on our streets."

Their methods, she added, are "entirely unnecessary and out of character with the Oregon way".

"The federal administration has chosen Portland to use their scare tactics to stop our residents from protesting police brutality and from supporting the Black Lives Matter movement," she said. "Every American should be repulsed when they see this happening. If this can happen here in Portland, it can happen anywhere."

The lawsuit itself claims that these tactics prevent citizens, who are "reasonably afraid of being picked up and shoved into unmarked vans - possibly by federal officers, possibly by individuals opposed to the protests" from being able to exercise their constitutional First Amendment right to assembly.

It also accuses federal officers of violating the Fourth and Fifth amendment by seizing and detaining people without a warrant, and denying them due process.

Earlier this week, Oregon Governor Kate Brown also accused federal agents of a "blatant abuse of power".

What happened?
A report from Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) earlier this week contained detailed accounts of witnesses who had seen federal law enforcement officers dressed in camouflage emerge from unmarked vehicles, grab protesters without explanation, and drive off.

The last week has seen a violent escalation between protesters and federal agents, deployed two weeks ago by Mr Trump to quell civil unrest.

Since at least 14 July, OPB reports, federal agents have been jumping out of unmarked vehicles throughout the city, and grabbing protesters seemingly without cause.

Video checked by the broadcaster shows a protester, Mark Pettibone, describe how on 15 July he was "basically tossed" into a van containing armed people in body armour.

Mr Pettibone said he was taken to a holding cell in a federal courthouse, where he was read his arrest rights. After he declined to answer questions, he was released without any citation or arrest record.

According to OPB, federal officers have charged at least 13 people with crimes related to the protests so far.

Some have been detained around the federal courthouse that the agents were sent to protect, but others were seized streets away from federal property, reported the Associated Press.

What has the Trump administration said?
Arriving in the city on Thursday to meet federal law enforcement, the acting secretary of homeland security defended the agents against the assembled "anarchists".

In a nearly 1,700-word statement, Mr Wolf blamed state and city authorities for failing to "restore order". He said their response had "emboldened the violent mob as it escalates violence day after day".

"The city of Portland has been under siege for 47 straight days," he wrote.

"Each night the violent anarchists destroy and desecrate property, including the federal courthouse, and attack the brave law enforcement officers protecting it."

Mr Wolf's comments echo those of Mr Trump. This week, the president applauded the efforts of federal agents in Portland, saying officers had done a "great job".

"Portland was totally out of control, and they went in, and I guess we have many people right now in jail," he said at a press conference on Monday. "We very much quelled it, and if it starts again, we'll quell it again very easily."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-53460495
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Donald Trump has reiterated his opposition to sports stars kneeling during the American national anthem, as MLS and MLB players continue to show their support towards the Black Lives Matter movement.</p>— Sky Sports (@SkySports) <a href="https://twitter.com/SkySports/status/1285545060914716673?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 21, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
George Floyd: Memorial in Manchester daubed in 'utterly sickening' racist graffiti

A mural of George Floyd in Manchester has been defaced with racist graffiti.

Council bosses have branded the vandalism "utterly sickening" and are examining CCTV footage in an effort to single-out who daubed the mural in Manchester's Northern Quarter sometime between Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning.

The tribute to George Floyd, who was killed when a police officer knelt on his neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds in Minneapolis, was painted by local artist Akse.

It has since been boarded up so it can be repaired and a hand-drawn sign appeared underneath the graffiti, saying: "Black Lives Matter!

"The UK is not innocent!"

Nigel Murphy, deputy leader of Manchester City Council, said: "It is utterly sickening that this type of behaviour exists in our society.

"We are currently reviewing CCTV footage in the area and we will do everything we can to find out who committed this abhorrent crime.

"Manchester is a place that celebrates our diversity and we will not tolerate hate in our city.

"In the short term we have chosen to cover the mural because it's intolerable to see such language on our streets.

"It is possible to clean the graffiti from the wall, but this will most likely also remove part of the mural. Our preference is to work with the artist to paint over the offending graffiti and restore the mural of George Floyd as soon as possible."

Greater Manchester Police said: "At around 8.20am on Wednesday, officers were on a routine patrol in the Northern Quarter area of Manchester city centre when they found racially aggravated criminal damage in Stevenson Square.

"An investigation is under way. No arrests have been made."

https://news.sky.com/story/george-f...in-utterly-sickening-racist-graffiti-12033932
 
The former Minneapolis police officer accused of murdering African-American man George Floyd has been charged with multiple felony counts of tax evasion.

Derek Chauvin and his wife are accused of failing to report income from various jobs, and allegedly owe nearly $38,000 (£30,000) to Minnesota state.

The officer was filmed pressing his knee on Mr Floyd's neck for almost nine minutes before he died in May.

It sparked global protests and calls for police reform.

Mr Chauvin was fired from his job and now faces charges of second-degree murder and manslaughter. Three other officers were also fired and charged with aiding and abetting murder.

Mr Chauvin and his estranged wife, Kellie Chauvin, were each charged in Washington County on Wednesday with six counts of aiding and abetting filing false or fraudulent tax returns and three counts of aiding and abetting failing to file state tax returns.

They are accused of underreporting their joint income by $464,433 from 2014 to 2019. This includes money Mr Chauvin made doing off-duty security work and weekend shifts at a restaurant.

Prosecutor Imran Ali told the Associated Press news agency that the amount of unpaid taxes could increase as investigations continue.

Mr Chauvin is already in jail in connection with Mr Floyd's death but Ms Chauvin is not in custody. The Laos-born former Mrs Minnesota winner filed for divorce following Mr Floyd's death.

In a statement, County Attorney Pete Orput said failure to file and pay taxes was "taking money from the pockets of citizens of Minnesota."

"Whether you are a prosecutor or police officer, or you are doctor or a realtor, no one is above the law," he said.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-53508640
 
The United States city of Seattle has declared a riot following large demonstrations in its Capitol Hill neighbourhood, and police have deployed flash bangs and pepper spray to try to clear a weeks-olds "occupied protest zone" that stretches for several blocks.

Via Twitter, police said they had made at least 11 arrests and were investigating "possible explosive damage" to the walls of the city's East Precinct police station on Saturday.

Authorities said rocks, bottles and mortars were thrown at officers as they attempted to clear the area. One officer was hospitalised with a leg injury caused by an explosive.

Earlier, protesters in Seattle broke through a fence where a youth detention facility was being built, with some people setting a fire and damaging a portable trailer, authorities said.

Thousands of protesters had initially gathered peacefully near downtown Seattle on Saturday in a show of solidarity with fellow demonstrators in Portland, Oregon, where tensions with federal law enforcement have boiled over during protests stemming from the May 25 killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

Initially, there was no sign of law enforcement near the Seattle march.

Later, Seattle Police said via Twitter that about a dozen people breached the construction site for the King County youth detention facility. Also, police said protesters broke windows at a King County court facility.

Controversy over use of tear gas

Earlier this week, King County Executive Dow Constantine, in response to long-standing demands by community activists, said he would work to eliminate youth detention centres in the county by 2025.

After the fire at the construction site, authorities said they had ordered people to leave a different area, in a section of Capitol Hill, near downtown, where the East Precinct is.

Earlier this month, police cleared the "Capitol Hill Occupied Protest" zone after two fatal shootings.

A group had occupied several blocks around a park for about two weeks following standoffs and clashes that were part of the nationwide unrest over the killing of Floyd, a Black man who died in police custody.

Prior to Saturday's protests, Seattle Police Department (SPD) Chief Carmen Best had announced officers would be armed with pepper spray and other weapons, promising officers would not use tear gas and urging demonstrators to remain peaceful.

"In the spirit of offering trust and full transparency, I want to advise you that SPD officers will be carrying pepper spray and blast balls today, as would be typical for events that carry potential to include violence," Best said.

At an emergency hearing on Friday night, US District Judge James Robart granted a request from the federal government to block Seattle's new law prohibiting police from using pepper spray, blast balls and similar weapons.

The temporary restraining order puts a hold on the law that the Seattle City Council passed unanimously last month after confrontations that have largely been peaceful but were occasionally marked by violence, looting and highway shutdowns.

The law, intended to de-escalate tensions between police and demonstrators, was set to take effect on Sunday.

But the US Department of Justice, citing Seattle's longstanding police consent decree, successfully argued that banning the use of crowd control weapons could actually lead to more police use of force, only leaving them with more deadly weapons.

Meanwhile, a group of heavily armed Black protesters marched through Louisville, Kentucky on Saturday demanding justice for Breonna Taylor, a Black woman killed in March by police officers who burst into her apartment.

Scores of the demonstrators, carrying semi-automatic rifles and shotguns and clad in black paramilitary gear, walked in formation to a fenced off intersection where they were separated by police from a smaller group of armed counter-protesters.

The Black militia dubbed NFAC want justice for Taylor, a 26-year-old emergency medical technician who died in a hail of gunfire when drug investigators bearing a "no-knock" warrant entered her Louisville home four months ago.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020...seattle-protests-arrests-200726012001793.html
 
Have US protests led to a spike in cases?

At his news conference on Tuesday, US President Donald Trump said his administration was tracking "a significant rise in cases" in Portland and Seattle "because of what's been going on".

He was referring to protests over racial inequality and police violence. These have spread across the US, but the president singled out two cities on the west coast.

Looking at the data for the counties that include Portland and Seattle, there has been an uptick in reported coronavirus cases but the evidence linking this to the protests is weak.

Seattle's King county has seen a relatively modest increase in reported cases over the last few weeks, but Portland's Multnomah county has seen significant rise this month.

This increase in Portland, however, is similar to the trends being experienced in other parts of the US where protests have not taken place. Studies have shown there to be no significant link between the two.

Oregon's Health Officer, Dr Dean Sidelinger, said: "Protests and demonstrations may be a contributing factor, but evidence and case investigations just don't show that driving these large numbers." Plus, these protests are largely held outside where transmission is less likely.

We've also looked at the comment made by President Trump that "large portions" of the US are "corona-free".

There is not a single state that does not have a case of coronavirus and all states have registered new cases in the past week.

There are certainly parts of the country, particularly in rural areas, that have a much lower number of cases, but these are areas with very small populations.
 
A Minnesota court is investigating how a British newspaper obtained police body-camera footage showing the arrest and death of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man who died after an officer kneeled on his neck for nearly nine minutes in May.

The Daily Mail on Monday published parts of videos from cameras being worn by two now-former Minneapolis police officers involved in Floyd's arrest on May 25 in the United States.

A Hennepin County judge last month allowed journalists and members of the public to view the footage by appointment, but has not yet ruled on a motion by a coalition of news organisations seeking public access to the videos.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, whose office is leading the prosecution of the four fired Minneapolis police officers charged in Floyd's death, said he was not the source of the leak.

"We will continue to take the strictest precautions to ensure a fair trial," Ellison said in a statement.

The newspaper's article said the videos were leaked to DailyMail.com. The website shows about 10 minutes from former officer Thomas Lane's bodycam and about 18 minutes from former officer J Kueng's bodycam.

'Please don't shoot me'

Keung's body camera shows the officers walking into Cup Foods, where they speak to the owner, who had called them about being paid with counterfeit money.

The footage then shows two officers approaching Floyd's car.

One, officer Lane, goes to the driver's side, and the other, Keung, to the passenger's side.

Lane taps on the driver's side window - where Floyd is sitting - with a flashlight.

Floyd appears initially slow to comply, repeating "I'm sorry, I'm sorry".

Lane is heard yelling "Let me see your hands!" and "Put your [expletive] hands up!".

Within seconds, Lane draws his gun and points it at Floyd, eliciting a look of terror.

The officer tells Floyd to put his hands on the wheel. He is again slow to comply before saying "yes, sir" and placing his hands on the wheel.

Floyd is heard apologising and saying the situation reminded him of the "last time I got shot".

Floyd begins crying as Lane tells him to get out of the car.

"Please don't shoot me," Floyd repeats.

At one point he says "I just lost my mom, man".

The officers handcuff Floyd, who remains distraught.

'I am going to die in here'

Keung's footage shows a handcuffed Floyd sitting on the sidewalk as he asks him identifying questions and tells him that the officers reacted in the way they did because he did not immediately show his hands.

Floyd sobs at some points, but remains compliant.

Meanwhile, Lane's camera captures him speaking to the two passengers in the car, asking why Floyd was "being all squirrelly and not showing us his hands and just being weird like that".

Shawanda Hill responds: "Because he's been shot before".

"He's got a thing going on," she adds, pointing to her head and making a circular motion.

The officers then attempt to put Floyd into the back of a police car.

Floyd refuses, saying "I'm claustrophobic".

At one point he falls down to the ground, but gets back up and still refuses to get back in the car.

"Y'all, I am going to die in here," Floyd says. "I'm going to die, man. I just had COVID, man. I don't want to go back to that."

The officers finally move Floyd into the back of the vehicle and close the driver's side door, but Floyd emerges through the passenger side door.

'I can't breathe'

At this point, officers Derek Chauvin and Tou Thao have arrived at the scene.

Floyd tussles with officers on the passenger side. The struggle ends with him on the ground and officer Chauvin kneeling on his neck.

Floyd can be heard repeating, "I can't breathe" and calling out "Momma".

"Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead," he is also heard saying.

At one point, when Floyd says he can't breathe, an officer identified by the Daily Mail as Keung is heard telling him "You're fine. You're talking fine".

"I'm through ... I'm claustrophobic. My stomach hurts. My neck hurts. Everything hurts. I need some water or something, please," Floyd is also heard saying.

An officer identified by the Daily Mail as Chauvin replies: "Then stop talking. Stop yelling. It takes a lot of oxygen to talk."

'I am not a threat': Black people react on social media

At one point, an officer identified as Lane asks: "Should we roll him on his side?"

Chauvin responds: "No, he's staying where we've got him."

"Okay," Lane replies. "I just worry about the excited delirium or whatever."

Chauvin replies "Well, that's why we got the ambulance coming."

Floyd stops moving as Chauvin continues to kneel on his neck.

Several people are heard yelling from off camera, some calling for the officers to "check his pulse".

"You call what you're doing okay?" one man says from off camera.

Chauvin has since been charged with second-degree murder, third-degree murder and manslaughter.

Lane, Kueng and Thao are charged with aiding and abetting both second-degree murder and manslaughter.

All four officers were fired from the department after the incident.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020...video-george-floyd-death-200804175101825.html
 
MenInG said:
A Minnesota court is investigating how a British newspaper obtained police body-camera footage showing the arrest and death of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man who died after an officer kneeled on his neck for nearly nine minutes in May.

The Daily Mail on Monday published parts of videos from cameras being worn by two now-former Minneapolis police officers involved in Floyd's arrest on May 25 in the United States.

A Hennepin County judge last month allowed journalists and members of the public to view the footage by appointment, but has not yet ruled on a motion by a coalition of news organisations seeking public access to the videos.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, whose office is leading the prosecution of the four fired Minneapolis police officers charged in Floyd's death, said he was not the source of the leak.

"We will continue to take the strictest precautions to ensure a fair trial," Ellison said in a statement.

The newspaper's article said the videos were leaked to DailyMail.com. The website shows about 10 minutes from former officer Thomas Lane's bodycam and about 18 minutes from former officer J Kueng's bodycam.

'Please don't shoot me'

Keung's body camera shows the officers walking into Cup Foods, where they speak to the owner, who had called them about being paid with counterfeit money.

The footage then shows two officers approaching Floyd's car.

One, officer Lane, goes to the driver's side, and the other, Keung, to the passenger's side.

Lane taps on the driver's side window - where Floyd is sitting - with a flashlight.

Floyd appears initially slow to comply, repeating "I'm sorry, I'm sorry".

Lane is heard yelling "Let me see your hands!" and "Put your [expletive] hands up!".

Within seconds, Lane draws his gun and points it at Floyd, eliciting a look of terror.

The officer tells Floyd to put his hands on the wheel. He is again slow to comply before saying "yes, sir" and placing his hands on the wheel.

Floyd is heard apologising and saying the situation reminded him of the "last time I got shot".

Floyd begins crying as Lane tells him to get out of the car.

"Please don't shoot me," Floyd repeats.

At one point he says "I just lost my mom, man".

The officers handcuff Floyd, who remains distraught.

'I am going to die in here'

Keung's footage shows a handcuffed Floyd sitting on the sidewalk as he asks him identifying questions and tells him that the officers reacted in the way they did because he did not immediately show his hands.

Floyd sobs at some points, but remains compliant.

Meanwhile, Lane's camera captures him speaking to the two passengers in the car, asking why Floyd was "being all squirrelly and not showing us his hands and just being weird like that".

Shawanda Hill responds: "Because he's been shot before".

"He's got a thing going on," she adds, pointing to her head and making a circular motion.

The officers then attempt to put Floyd into the back of a police car.

Floyd refuses, saying "I'm claustrophobic".

At one point he falls down to the ground, but gets back up and still refuses to get back in the car.

"Y'all, I am going to die in here," Floyd says. "I'm going to die, man. I just had COVID, man. I don't want to go back to that."

The officers finally move Floyd into the back of the vehicle and close the driver's side door, but Floyd emerges through the passenger side door.

'I can't breathe'

At this point, officers Derek Chauvin and Tou Thao have arrived at the scene.

Floyd tussles with officers on the passenger side. The struggle ends with him on the ground and officer Chauvin kneeling on his neck.

Floyd can be heard repeating, "I can't breathe" and calling out "Momma".

"Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead," he is also heard saying.

At one point, when Floyd says he can't breathe, an officer identified by the Daily Mail as Keung is heard telling him "You're fine. You're talking fine".

"I'm through ... I'm claustrophobic. My stomach hurts. My neck hurts. Everything hurts. I need some water or something, please," Floyd is also heard saying.

An officer identified by the Daily Mail as Chauvin replies: "Then stop talking. Stop yelling. It takes a lot of oxygen to talk."

'I am not a threat': Black people react on social media

At one point, an officer identified as Lane asks: "Should we roll him on his side?"

Chauvin responds: "No, he's staying where we've got him."

"Okay," Lane replies. "I just worry about the excited delirium or whatever."

Chauvin replies "Well, that's why we got the ambulance coming."

Floyd stops moving as Chauvin continues to kneel on his neck.

Several people are heard yelling from off camera, some calling for the officers to "check his pulse".

"You call what you're doing okay?" one man says from off camera.

Chauvin has since been charged with second-degree murder, third-degree murder and manslaughter.

Lane, Kueng and Thao are charged with aiding and abetting both second-degree murder and manslaughter.

All four officers were fired from the department after the incident.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020...video-george-floyd-death-200804175101825.html
Click to expand...

Some points that were missed in this report.

Floyd complained that he couldent breathe whilst he was sitting in the back seat of the police car, officers told him they would roll down the windows for him. Floyd insisted on laying on the ground instead of sitting in the police car as instructed by the officers. Floyd had a lethal amount of drugs in his system which causes the muscles in the cheat to harden which is why an ambulance was called, one of the officers performed CPR on Floyd in the ambulance while the paramedics were treating him.
 
Violent clashes have erupted between left-wing and right-wing protesters in Portland, Oregon - prompting authorities to force them away from a plaza near a federal building.

The area, which has been the site of numerous recent protests, houses both county and federal buildings.

Protests against police brutality and racism began several months ago, in response to the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

Demonstrations kicked off around midday near the Multnomah County Justice Center in Oregon's biggest city, according to local media.

Fights quickly broke out with demonstrators hurling rocks and other missiles at one another.

Photos showed hundreds of people on the streets, many of them wearing helmets and carrying makeshift shields.

There was evidence that pepper spray was used, with some protesters flushing their eyes in the street.

Police warned they would use crowd control weapons if violence didn't end. Streets were closed as the demonstration moved into other areas during the afternoon.

There were reports that at least one person used a gun to threaten others, but no arrests were made.

The Justice Center has been the target of left-wing protesters over the last few weeks, leading to numerous clashes with federal agents.

It houses a police precinct, police headquarters, a county jail and courtrooms and is next door to a federal courthouse.

Saturday's rally attracted various groups from both sides of the political divide including the Proud Boys and QAnon right-wing groups, and left-wing protest groups Democratic Socialists of America and Popular Mobilization.

Portland Police put out a statement to explain their decision not to intervene, saying: "In this case there were hundreds of individuals and many weapons within the groups and an extremely limited amount of police resources actually available to address such a crowd.

"Additionally, [officers] have been the focus of over 80 days of violent actions directed at the police, which is a major consideration for determining if police resources are necessary to interject between two groups with individuals who appear to be willingly engaging in physical confrontations for short durations."

The clashes had followed an early morning confrontation between police and around 200 left-wing protesters in another area.

Nine people were arrested during that clash, with several police officers suffering minor injuries. One protester, who threw rocks at officers, was shot with a "sponge-tipped less-lethal round" according to a police statement.

In response to the clash, US President Donald Trump tweeted: "Another bad night of Rioting in Portland, Oregon."

Mr Trump has previously said these kind of demonstrations will be a sign of things to come if he loses the election coming up in November.
 
Kenosha shooting: Protests erupt after US police shoot black man

Protests have erupted in the US state of Wisconsin after police shot a black man many times while responding to what they said was a domestic incident.

The man, identified as Jacob Blake, is in a serious condition in hospital.

Video posted online appears to show Mr Blake being shot in the back as he tries to get into a car in the city of Kenosha.

Authorities in Kenosha declared an emergency overnight curfew after unrest broke out following the shooting.

Hundreds of people marched on police headquarters on Sunday night. Vehicles were set on fire and protesters shouted "We won't back down".

In a public safety alert, police urged 24-hour businesses to consider closing because of "numerous" calls about armed robberies and shots being fired.

Officers used tear gas to try to disperse hundreds of protesters who defied the county-wide curfew, which is in place until 07:00 on Monday (12:00 GMT).

Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers condemned the shooting of Mr Blake, who was reportedly unarmed.

"While we do not have all of the details yet, what we know for certain is that he is not the first black man or person to have been shot or injured or mercilessly killed at the hands of individuals in law enforcement in our state or our country," he said in a statement.

"I have said all along that although we must offer our empathy, equally important is our action. In the coming days, we will demand just that of elected officials in our state who have failed to recognise the racism in our state and our country for far too long."

Jacob Blake's name was trending on social media and thousands signed a petition calling for the officers involved to be charged.

The shooting comes amid heightened tensions in the US over racism and police brutality following the death of African-American man George Floyd earlier this year.

Read more:

What happened?

Kenosha Police Department said the "officer involved shooting" happened shortly after 17:00 on Sunday. It added that officers had provided "immediate aid" to Mr Blake, who was taken to a hospital in Milwaukee.

It said police had been responding to a "domestic incident" but gave no details about what led to the shooting.

The Wisconsin Department of Justice is investigating the incident. It said the officers involved had been placed on administrative leave.

In video footage shared on social media, three officers can be seen pointing their weapons at a man identified as Mr Blake as he walks around a parked SUV. As he opens the door and leans into the car, one officer can be seen grabbing his shirt and opening fire. Seven shots can be heard in the video, as witnesses shout and scream.

The officers involved have not been officially named.

Prominent civil rights lawyer Ben Crump told CNN that Mr Blake's family had reached out to him for assistance.

In a tweet, he said Mr Blake's three sons were in the car he was getting into when he was shot.

"They saw a cop shoot their father. They will be traumatized forever. We cannot let officers violate their duty to PROTECT us," he wrote.

He said the shooting happened after Mr Blake tried to break up a fight.

Witnesses also told local news site Kenosha News that Mr Blake had tried to break up a fight between two women and that police had attempted to use a Taser on him prior to the shooting.

Clyde McLemore, a spokesman with a nearby chapter of Black Lives Matter, told reporters "the frustration is boiling to the top and we're sick and tired".

Black Lives Matter protests were held across the US and around the world after African-American man George Floyd was killed in police custody in Wisconsin's neighbouring state of Minnesota in May.

A white police officer knelt on Mr Floyd's neck for almost nine minutes before he died. The officer, Derek Chauvin, has been charged with murder.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-53886070
 
Police in Washington, DC, on Thursday released body camera footage of the fatal shooting of a young Black man in the city's southeast, which ignited protests in the US capital.

The killing on Wednesday of 18-year-old Deon Kay prompted a late-night face-off between the police and dozens of protesters outside a city police station.

In the police footage, an officer can be seen exiting a vehicle and running between parked cars while shouting "Don't move". A single gunshot is heard and a man is then seen falling to the ground.

The police department said Kay had "brandished a firearm" at officers.

But protesters took to the streets again on Thursday morning to demand accountability for the shooting, which comes amid a nationwide protest movement decrying police violence against Black people and increased scrutiny over police tactics.

Chanting "say his name", "Deon Kay" and "no justice, no sleep", protesters marched to Mayor Muriel Bowser's residence, calling on her to fire the Washington, DC police chief, local television news station NBC4 reported.

In a news conference later on Thursday, Bowser offered her condolences to Kay's family and said an investigation was under way.

"Our community is hurting and we know that they want answers," she said. "We are still gathering all the facts and [the Metropolitan Police Department] and my administration will conduct a full investigation of this incident."

The chief of the MPD, Peter Newsham, on Thursday said Kay was one of two people who fled when approached by uniformed officers who were investigating reports of a man with a gun in the area.

"Two individuals fled on foot and officers pursued them, one of those men brandished a firearm from his waistband as he was fleeing," Newsham said during the news conference.

"In response, an MPD officer discharged his service weapon firing a single shot at the individual."

Police said the other man, who escaped from police, and Kay were taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.

In a statement on Wednesday, police included pictures of the handgun they said Kay had been carrying, as well as of the gun of another of his companions who was arrested.

The local Black Lives Matter affiliate called for immediate protests outside the MPD's 7th District headquarters, stating in a tweet: "DC police murdered a Black man today."

On Wednesday night, videos posted on social media showed dozens of enraged protesters jostling with a line of police officers, who used bicycles to help form a barrier in front of the station.

Police killings of Black people have sparked nationwide protests and calls for sweeping police reform, prompting local efforts by the DC Council to bring greater transparency to such incidents.

In June, following the killing of George Floyd by police officers in Minneapolis, the council passed emergency legislation requiring the MPD to release any body camera footage from fatal shootings or use-of-force incidents within five days. The department must also release the names of the officers involved.

In July, the city released body camera footage from three separate fatal incidents dating back to 2018.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020...ce-fatally-shoot-18-year-200903134001984.html
 
Officers charged in George Floyd killing seek to place blame on one another

Attorneys for four former Minneapolis officers charged in the killing of George Floyd say each should get his own trial, as the officers point fingers at one another.

Prosecutors say the officers should be tried together because the nature of the charges and evidence is similar and “it is impossible to evaluate any individual defendant’s conduct in a vacuum”.

The former officers appeared in court on Friday for a hearing on several issues, including the prosecution request to hold a joint trial. Other issues included defense requests to move the trial away from Minneapolis, to sequester the jury and keep jurors anonymous.

Before the hearing, several dozen protesters convened in front of the courthouse, chanting, “No justice, no peace.”

Judge Peter Cahill did not immediately rule on most of the issues before him. He did agree to a defense request, however, to remove one prosecutor from the case.

Floyd, who was in handcuffs, died on 25 May after Derek Chauvin pressed his knee against his neck for almost nine minutes. Floyd managed to say he couldn’t breathe and pleaded for mercy while onlookers begged the officer to stop.

The other officers variously assisted in restraining Floyd or warded off onlookers, one of whom was filming the incident, video that went viral and sparked mass protests.

Chauvin is charged with second-degree murder, third-degree murder and manslaughter. Thomas Lane, J Kueng and Tou Thao are charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and aiding and abetting manslaughter.

A trial is scheduled for March.

Chauvin, who is in state custody, made his first courtroom appearance, having attended previous hearings via videoconference. Rather than wearing an orange jumpsuit, as he had done in remote proceedings, he wore a gray suit. He was neither handcuffed nor shackled.

Chauvin did not make eye contact with any of his co-defendants as he walked into the courtroom. Kueng glanced at him and Lane looked over.

In a court filing, prosecutors wrote: “All four defendants worked together to murder Floyd: Chauvin, Kueng, and Lane pinned Floyd face-down, while Thao stopped the crowd from intervening, enabling the other defendants to maintain their positions. Defendants also discussed and coordinated their actions throughout the incident,”

Prosecutors say witnesses and family members would be traumatized by multiple trials. But defense attorneys are pushing for separate trials, saying they are likely to offer “antagonistic” defenses, and evidence against one officer could negatively affect another’s right to a fair trial.

Attempts at finger-pointing are prevalent throughout filings in the case. Attorneys for Lane and Kueng have argued that their clients were new officers, following Chauvin’s lead. Thao’s attorney, Bob Paule, has said his client’s role was “absolutely distinct”, because he was on crowd control, securing the scene, while the other three restrained Floyd.

Chauvin’s attorney, Eric Nelson, wrote that prosecutors must prove Chauvin intended to assault Floyd, but must also show the other officers knew of Chauvin’s intent.

“The other defendants are clearly saying that, if a crime was committed, they neither knew about it nor assisted in it,” Nelson wrote. “They blame Chauvin.”

Chauvin points fingers at the others. Nelson wrote that Lane and Kueng, the officers who responded to the initial call from a shop owner who suspected Floyd of trying to use forged money, initiated contact with Floyd before Chauvin and Thao arrived, and that Chauvin believed Floyd was overdosing on fentanyl.

Nelson wrote that while Lane and Kueng called for a paramedic and believed Floyd was “on something”, they did not elevate the call to one of more urgency or give medical assistance.

“Instead, they struggled to subdue Mr Floyd and force him into their squad car, likely exacerbating his condition considerably,” Nelson wrote, adding that Chauvin could reasonably argue that their inaction led to Floyd’s death.

“If EMS had arrived just three minutes sooner, Mr Floyd may have survived. If Kueng and Lane had chosen to de-escalate instead of struggle, Mr Floyd may have survived. If Kueng and Lane had recognized the apparent signs of an opioid overdose and rendered aid, such as administering naloxone, Mr Floyd may have survived.”

Attorneys for all four men have also asked that the trial be moved from Minneapolis, saying pre-trial publicity has made it impossible for them to receive a fair trial.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/sep/11/george-floyd-killing-death-officers
 
New York among three 'anarchist' cities named by White House to lose funds

The Trump administration has named three cities that could lose federal funding after the White House accused them of tolerating crime.

New York City, Portland and Seattle are on the list of "anarchist cities" that Trump officials say have failed to stem crime linked to a summer of protests.

It follows a memo from Mr Trump earlier this month, threatening the move.

The mayors of the cities have promised to sue, calling Mr Trump's move a political stunt.

A statement from the justice department on Monday laid out recent crime rates in the cities and how their police responded.

"We cannot allow federal tax dollars to be wasted when the safety of the citizenry hangs in the balance," Attorney General William Barr said in the statement.

He also called on Portland, Seattle and New York City to "reverse course and become serious about performing the basic function of government and start protecting their own citizens".

The department statement noted that these cities were highlighted as they meet key criteria, such as forbidding "the police force from intervening to restore order amid widespread or sustained violence or destruction", as well as seeking to disempower or defund police. Refusing to accept federal law enforcement assistance is also a factor.

All three cities have seen major protests since the death of unarmed black man George Floyd in May.

It remains unclear what federal funding may be cut from the cities. CNBC reports that some of the funds targeted by Mr Trump's memo comprise a large portion of New York City's annual budget, which has already been stretched thin by the pandemic.

In a joint statement, the mayors of Portland, Seattle, New York and Washington DC - which was on a shortlist of "anarchist cities" but was not included in Monday's decision - accused Mr Trump of "playing cheap political games with congressionally directed funds".

The mayors called the decision "thoroughly political and unconstitutional" and accused the Trump White House of "shirking responsibility and placing blame elsewhere to cover its failure".

Violent crimes have generally declined in US cities since the 1990s, but have risen steeply in the past year in several cities including Philadelphia, Chicago and New York.

What is happening in those cities?
The move comes amid a summer of unrest sparked by protests against the police killing of black Americans. Some of the protests have led to major police reforms around the country.

In New York City, the rate of shootings and murders has skyrocketed as youth programmes and other social organisations have been placed on hold due to the pandemic. Cases of looting and vandalism have also made national news as protests for racial justice have sometimes turned violent.

Reacting to the justice department announcement on Monday, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio called the decision "another one of President Trump's games", adding: "It's insulting to the people of New York City and his [Mr Trump's] effort to withhold our funding is unconstitutional."

Seattle permitted the establishment of a so-called "autonomous zone" where protesters forbade police from entering an area near the city centre for nearly a month. The zone was dismantled in early July after several shootings. Nightly protests have continued since.

Portland, Oregon, has often been invoked by Mr Trump as a "Democrat-run" city that has supposedly allowed violence. Protests have continued nightly there for over 100 consecutive days, sometimes devolving to violence and vandalism as protesters fight with police.
Click to expand...

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-54238101.
 
Breonna Taylor: Why it's hard to charge US police over shootings

Three officers were involved in the police raid that ended with Breonna Taylor shot dead in her home in Kentucky. Only one of them has been charged, but not in relation to her death. Why are so few police officers charged after fatal shootings in the US?

Brett Hankison faces three counts of "wanton endangerment" for firing into an adjacent apartment, putting Ms Taylor's neighbours at risk.

The other two officers involved were not charged - despite one of them firing the fatal shot - because Ms Taylor's boyfriend fired first, mistaking them for intruders.

It's a decision that has sparked some bewilderment and prompted hundreds to take to the streets of Louisville and elsewhere. But it's not the first time a fatal shooting by a police officer has made headlines but not made it to trial. The ones that do are a tiny fraction.

In 2020 so far there have been 10 officers charged, according to Dr Phil Stinson, a professor at Bowling Green State University in Ohio and a former police officer, who has been collecting data on police prosecutions since 2005.

The year with the most officers charged was 2015, when 18 law enforcement members faced murder or manslaughter charges.

The Washington Post estimates police shoot and kill about 1,000 people each year in the US. Most of those incidents do not rise to the level of controversy or scrutiny seen in Ms Taylor's case, and may have occurred when the officers were themselves fired upon.

But getting a charge or conviction for those tragedies that involve excessive use of police force is rare.

These are the factors that explain why.

The law over reasonable force
Although the language of laws that dictate what police may do vary from state to state, the most common standard officers have to abide by is that their use of force be "objectively reasonable".

That means the officer had a reasonable belief in the moment that he or she, or a bystander, were about to be harmed.

That standard has come under increased scrutiny for giving police too much leeway, particularly the flexibility of the word "reasonable" - it could be enough that an officer believed they were in danger at the time, even if hindsight showed they were not.

"In these cases, historically, the police have owned the narratives. Bystander accounts are discounted, oftentimes," says Dr Stinson."Written reports are sometimes factually inconsistent with the video evidence."

California changed its use of force law in August, swapping out the word "reasonable" for the word "necessary". It's probably one of the strictest laws in the country.

Local prosecutors also have nearly unlimited discretion on whether or not to bring charges against officers, and won't if they deem the shooting justified.

Some jurisdictions use a grand jury to make the determination on whether to charge, but these proceedings are secret.

Prosecutors work closely with police in their day-to-day caseload, which Kate Levine, an associate professor at the Benjamin N Cardozo School of Law, says could lead to more favourable treatment.

It could also be easier not to bring charges, she adds, if there are doubts they can prove a case.

"You want to think about it more cynically, it's very easy to say you can't prove a case when you don't want to."

Trust in police
Judges and juries may also have trusting feelings towards police, and be less likely to doubt their word, says Ms Levine.

"Part of their job is, in theory, putting themselves in dangerous situations with people who can cause harm to them or others.

"Social norms dictate that people tend to believe the police when they say they were in fear for their life. So it's hard to make a case that they weren't without evidence to the contrary."

The unions
Police unions are some of the strongest in the country, and over time some have written into officers' contracts various conditions that can slow the investigative process after a killing, such as giving the officer advance warning about an impending investigation.

The former police chief of Philadelphia, Charles Ramsey, openly complained that he could not fire officers who'd committed crimes because of the city's union-negotiated arbitration system.

Officers also benefit from qualified immunity, which means they can't be personally or monetarily held responsible in civil lawsuits. The thinking goes that with these kinds of protections, officers have little to fear of consequences for their actions.

Some cases where police charged:
Four officers in case of George Floyd, who was killed in May
Two officers in case of Rayshard Brooks, shot dead a few weeks later
Jason Van Dyke jailed over fatal shooting of teenager Laquan McDonald in 2014
Michael Slager jailed for shooting Derek Scott in the back in 2015

But Stinson cautions that police unions give the majority of officers important rights.

"The collective bargaining agreements provide due process protections more than anything else," he says. "And police officers don't shed their constitutional rights when they walk into a police station each morning."

Systemic changes
Some have cautioned that putting all the focus on charges and prison time for police officers who kill civilians gives a false sense that policing in the US is truly changing.

Ms Levine says looking at the procedures used by the officers in Ms Taylor's case is more important to lasting reform.

"We are really spending too much time focusing on prosecution and incarceration of individual police officers," she says, "and not enough time on big systemic changes that will stop police officers from being at Breonna Taylor's house in the early hours of the morning with a battering ram.".
Click to expand...

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-54285557.
 
A police officer charged with murder over the death of George Floyd has posted $1m (£775,000) bail.

Derek Chauvin was released from jail on Wednesday, according to court documents.

Mr Floyd died on 25 May, and his death sparked protests across the world after footage showing his last moments was posted online.

Chauvin was seen kneeling on Mr Floyd's neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds while Mr Floyd said he could not breathe.

Mr Floyd - who was black - was in handcuffs at the time while Chauvin - who is white - was kneeling on him.

Chauvin's bail posted a non-cash bond, which was backed by Allegheny Casualty Company, an insurance corporation.

His bail is conditional, and stipulates that he cannot work in law enforcement or contact Mr Floyd's family. He also has to give up any firearms licences or permits he holds.

Source SKY
 
George Floyd protests: 'Boogaloo' member held in precinct attack

A self-proclaimed member of a violent far-right anti-government group has been charged with rioting during the George Floyd protests in Minnesota.

Federal prosecutors said Ivan Hunter, a 26-year-old from Texas, opened fire on a Minneapolis police precinct to escalate the unrest back in May.

He was arrested in an FBI investigation into the Boogaloo Bois extremists.

Other far-right groups have also been suspected of trying to foment violence at recent racial justice protests.

The protests began after the death of George Floyd, a black man, in police custody. At times, the demonstrations turned violent.

The US Attorney's Office in Minnesota has charged Mr Hunter with one count of travelling across state lines with the intent to participate in a riot. Prosecutors allege Mr Hunter had travelled from Boerne, Texas, in an effort to incite unrest with other members of the Boogaloo Bois group.

Mr Hunter is accused of firing 13 rounds from an AK-47 style semiautomatic rifle into the police department on 28 May.

He was filmed high-fiving others and shouting "Justice for Floyd", according to the criminal complaint announced on Friday. Officials also said another person involved in the incident told authorities Mr Hunter was the one who fired the shots.

The police building was eventually set on fire by protesters.

Prosecutors say when he returned to Texas, Mr Hunter referenced participating in violence in Minneapolis on social media, allegedly messaging someone saying that he "set fire to that precinct with the black community".

He was stopped by police in Austin, Texas, on 3 June, as the vehicle he was in had traffic violations. He was one of three individuals in the vehicle, and he had loaded magazines for an assault rifle on his person, officers said.

There were three semi-automatic rifles in the vehicle and two loaded pistols.

Following the traffic stop, federal agents learned of his connections to the Boogaloo Bois, a loosely organised extremist group that wants to overthrow the government.

Mr Hunter had an online affiliation with Steven Carrillo, another Boogaloo Bois member accused of murdering a federal officer in California.

A statement from the Minnesota US Attorney's office said Mr Hunter was arrested on 21 October in San Antonio, Texas, and appeared in court on 22 October.

Some are capitalising on the protests to engage in acts of violence against authorities. Three Boogaloo members were charged with terrorism offences in Nevada in June for alleged attempts to "spark violence" in protests.
Click to expand...

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-54670557.
 
George Floyd trial: Why is it so important?

Jury selection is about to start in the trial of Derek Chauvin, the police officer accused of killing George Floyd.

Onlookers in the US city of Minneapolis recorded Chauvin - who's white - kneeling on the neck of Floyd, who was black. The incident sparked protests in the US and across the world against police brutality and racism.

What happened to George Floyd?

The 46-year-old bought a pack of cigarettes at a convenience store in South Minneapolis on the evening of 25 May 2020.

A shop assistant believed he used a counterfeit $20 bill and called the police after Mr Floyd refused to give the cigarettes back.

Officers arrived and handcuffed him, but when they tried to put him into the squad car he resisted, and a struggle ended with Mr Floyd face-down on the street.

That's when onlookers began filming.

Mr Chauvin, 44, placed his left knee between Mr Floyd's head and neck, and kept it there for seven minutes and 46 seconds, according to prosecutors. Two other officers helped pin him down, while another prevented witnesses from intervening.

More than 20 times Mr Floyd said he could not breathe. The video shows him go limp and get carried away by police.

He was pronounced dead in hospital an hour later.

When is the George Floyd trial?

The weeks-long process will begin on Monday 8 March with jury selection. Arguments are due to start on 29 March and are expected to take at least one month.

The contentious process will see lawyers for both sides question dozens - or possibly hundreds of candidates - and eventually choose 16 people.

Twelve jurors will be seated to decide the case, with four other alternates chosen as backups.

Potential jurors have already submitted questionnaires, describing their existing knowledge of the case, any previous contact with police and their media habits.

Each side can remove a potential juror from the panel, but if either side believes a juror has been relieved due to discrimination based on race, ethnicity or sex, opposing lawyers can issue a "Batson challenge".

The judge then decides whether the juror stays or goes.

How did the US react to Floyd's death?

The four police officers at the scene were fired the following day as crowds took to the streets of Minneapolis to protest. The station where they worked was set ablaze and protests quickly spread to other cities.

By the sixth night, there were protests in 75 cities across the US - some violent - and a national debate about police brutality against African-Americans was reignited.

An anti-racism movement created in 2013 after the killing of teenager Trayvon Martin, Black Lives Matter, was re-energised by the protests.

Even very white, small towns in rural parts of the US held protests to remember Mr Floyd and take a stand against racial injustice.

Reforms were introduced by lawmakers to change the way some police forces make arrests and detain suspects.

But the conversation soon widened from policing to issues such as workplace equality, unconscious bias and the legacy of slavery.

What happened outside the US?

Anti-racism protests were held in countries across the world in response to the death.

Many focused on their own victims of alleged police violence.

In Australia, the focus was on the indigenous community, while in the UK, a statue of a 17th Century slave trader was torn down and thrown into Bristol harbour.

Many corporate brands also expressed support for Black Lives Matter, while many athletes now "take the knee" in solidarity before events.

What is second-degree murder?
Mr Chauvin is charged with second-degree murder, which means causing death without intent. The maximum sentence is 40 years.

It is rare that police officers in the US are charged, let alone convicted, for use of lethal force. This is partly because they can often successfully argue that they feared for their lives.

Mr Chauvin is standing trial separately from the other three police officers, due to Covid restrictions on space.

The others are charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and will come before the courts in August.

What are the rules in court?

The entire trial will be streamed online - unusually for a US murder case.

The judge has ruled that only one member of the Chauvin and Floyd families can be in court at any one time.

Face masks with slogans are banned in the courtroom.
Click to expand...

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-56270334.
 
George Floyd death: How will jurors be selected in Derek Chauvin trial?

It was video footage seen across the world - Derek Chauvin with his knee pressed on the neck of George Floyd for about nine minutes before he died.

Now the former US police officer faces trial on second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter charges.

Three other dismissed officers will stand trial together later this year but proceedings in Chauvin's trial will start Monday, when jury selection begins.

How will the jury be picked?

A pool of eligible local citizens have been called to appear by Hennepin County in Minnesota. From them, a jury of 12 and four alternates will be selected.

Potential jurors will be questioned to determine if they'll be able to judge Derek Chauvin fairly. Each will have already received a 16-page questionnaire asking about their familiarity with the case, their news habits and their own interactions with law enforcement.

It includes direct questions about how many times they saw the video of George Floyd's death and if they participated in, or had property damaged during, the subsequent protests.

Starting Monday, four potential jurors will appear each morning and afternoon to be individually questioned to assess their suitability.

The prosecution and defence can both ask Judge Peter Cahill to dismiss a potential juror "for cause" if they perceive a bias or conflict under questioning.

They can also use a limited amount of "peremptory challenges" to strike that person from the pool without giving a reason - the prosecution has nine of these and Chauvin's defence team 15.

If either side suspects someone has been discriminated against because of something like sex or race - their dismissal can be objected to.

Once 16 people have been approved, the jury can be seated. This process may take weeks and we already know the trial itself will not begin until 29 March.
Click to expand...

What are the challenges with picking the jury?

George Floyd's death inspired weeks of protests against racial injustice in cities across the world.

The trial will be watched closely and local officials have fortified security around the courthouse and other government buildings ahead of the trial.

Given the extent of graphic evidence in the public eye, Chauvin's trial is considered a real test for a US justice system which faces consistent accusations of racial basis and leniency toward law enforcement.

It'll be highly unlikely that potential jurors will be coming in without any prior knowledge of Floyd's death and each has been asked if they can put previous perceptions aside to decide in a fair and impartial manner.

Professor Valerie Hans, a jury researcher based at Cornell Law School, says the pre-trial questionnaire in this case is more detailed and personal than most.

While in other cases lawyers may only know basics like marital status and occupational information - she says potential jurors in the Chauvin cased are being asked their "deepest attitudes about some of the most important political and social topics of the day".

One example she points to is them being asked about how favourable they view causes like Black Lives Matter and Blue Lives Matter. She says knowing these attitudes may be even better indicators than demographic characteristics, like gender and age, in predicting how a jury will view evidence.

"I think what each side is hoping to get out of the questionnaire, is a sense of whether or not a prospective juror will be open to the kinds of arguments that they intend to make over the course of the trial," she says.

Will race be a factor in jury selection?

Patterns of extreme responses to the questions will provide opportunity for both sides to raise objections on the basis of fairness.

"Each side, if people are filling out this questionnaire completely, will have a sense going in about who they think would be a relatively favourable juror for them and perhaps not so favourable that the other side would want to strike them."

Despite a body of law affirming that peremptory challenges on the basis of race are unconstitutional, Prof Hans says the judge will need to keep a close eye on patterns emerging with dismissals.

"I think because attitudes about the police do differ by race. And so many of the jury selection questions involve views and perceptions about the fairness of the police - it's inescapable," she says, when asked if race could become a factor in selection.
Click to expand...


Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-56287265.
 
George Floyd death: How will jurors be selected in Derek Chauvin trial?

It was video footage seen across the world - Derek Chauvin with his knee pressed on the neck of George Floyd for about nine minutes before he died.

Now the former US police officer faces trial on second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter charges.

Three other dismissed officers will stand trial together later this year but proceedings in Chauvin's trial will start Monday, when jury selection begins.

How will the jury be picked?

A pool of eligible local citizens have been called to appear by Hennepin County in Minnesota. From them, a jury of 12 and four alternates will be selected.

Potential jurors will be questioned to determine if they'll be able to judge Derek Chauvin fairly. Each will have already received a 16-page questionnaire asking about their familiarity with the case, their news habits and their own interactions with law enforcement.

It includes direct questions about how many times they saw the video of George Floyd's death and if they participated in, or had property damaged during, the subsequent protests.

Starting Monday, four potential jurors will appear each morning and afternoon to be individually questioned to assess their suitability.

The prosecution and defence can both ask Judge Peter Cahill to dismiss a potential juror "for cause" if they perceive a bias or conflict under questioning.

They can also use a limited amount of "peremptory challenges" to strike that person from the pool without giving a reason - the prosecution has nine of these and Chauvin's defence team 15.

If either side suspects someone has been discriminated against because of something like sex or race - their dismissal can be objected to.

Once 16 people have been approved, the jury can be seated. This process may take weeks and we already know the trial itself will not begin until 29 March.
Click to expand...

What are the challenges with picking the jury?

George Floyd's death inspired weeks of protests against racial injustice in cities across the world.

The trial will be watched closely and local officials have fortified security around the courthouse and other government buildings ahead of the trial.

Given the extent of graphic evidence in the public eye, Chauvin's trial is considered a real test for a US justice system which faces consistent accusations of racial basis and leniency toward law enforcement.

It'll be highly unlikely that potential jurors will be coming in without any prior knowledge of Floyd's death and each has been asked if they can put previous perceptions aside to decide in a fair and impartial manner.

Professor Valerie Hans, a jury researcher based at Cornell Law School, says the pre-trial questionnaire in this case is more detailed and personal than most.

While in other cases lawyers may only know basics like marital status and occupational information - she says potential jurors in the Chauvin cased are being asked their "deepest attitudes about some of the most important political and social topics of the day".

One example she points to is them being asked about how favourable they view causes like Black Lives Matter and Blue Lives Matter. She says knowing these attitudes may be even better indicators than demographic characteristics, like gender and age, in predicting how a jury will view evidence.

"I think what each side is hoping to get out of the questionnaire, is a sense of whether or not a prospective juror will be open to the kinds of arguments that they intend to make over the course of the trial," she says.

Will race be a factor in jury selection?

Patterns of extreme responses to the questions will provide opportunity for both sides to raise objections on the basis of fairness.

"Each side, if people are filling out this questionnaire completely, will have a sense going in about who they think would be a relatively favourable juror for them and perhaps not so favourable that the other side would want to strike them."

Despite a body of law affirming that peremptory challenges on the basis of race are unconstitutional, Prof Hans says the judge will need to keep a close eye on patterns emerging with dismissals.

"I think because attitudes about the police do differ by race. And so many of the jury selection questions involve views and perceptions about the fairness of the police - it's inescapable," she says, when asked if race could become a factor in selection.
Click to expand...


Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-56287265.
 
George Floyd: Chauvin trial delayed over possible new charge

A US judge has delayed jury selection in the case of an ex-Minneapolis police officer accused of killing George Floyd, an unarmed black man, last May.

Derek Chauvin faces murder charges for kneeling on Mr Floyd's neck for over seven minutes in a widely-viewed video that sparked protests worldwide.

The delay came as the judge awaits an appeals court decision on whether a new murder charge can be added.

Jury selection is expected to resume on Tuesday morning.

Mr Chauvin is accused of second-degree unintentional murder and manslaughter in the 25 May death of Mr Floyd. The maximum sentence he faces on that count is 40 years.

The less severe charge of third-degree murder was initially dismissed last year, but prosecutors have requested to reinstate it.

Legal experts say that adding a third-degree charge could make it easier for prosecutors to get a conviction.

Jury selection is expected to take about three weeks, with trial arguments due to begin on 29 March.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-56325773
 
George Floyd: Chauvin trial delayed over possible new charge

A US judge has delayed jury selection in the case of an ex-Minneapolis police officer accused of killing George Floyd, an unarmed black man, last May.

Derek Chauvin faces murder charges for kneeling on Mr Floyd's neck for over seven minutes in a widely-viewed video that sparked protests worldwide.

The delay came as the judge awaits an appeals court decision on whether a new murder charge can be added.

Jury selection is expected to resume on Tuesday morning.

Mr Chauvin is accused of second-degree unintentional murder and manslaughter in the 25 May death of Mr Floyd. The maximum sentence he faces is 40 years.

The less severe charge of third-degree murder was initially dismissed last year, but prosecutors have requested to reinstate it.

Legal experts say that adding a third-degree charge could make it easier for prosecutors to get a conviction.

Jury selection is expected to take about three weeks, with trial arguments due to begin on 29 March.

More than 370 potential witnesses could be called to testify.
Click to expand...

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-56325773.
 
George Floyd: First jurors for Derek Chauvin trial chosen

The first jurors have been picked in the trial of former police officer Derek Chauvin over the May 2020 killing of George Floyd, an unarmed black man.

On Tuesday, two men and one woman were selected for the 12-member jury.

Mr Chauvin, 44, is accused of second-degree unintentional murder and manslaughter in the death of Mr Floyd on 25 May last year.

The less severe charge of third-degree murder was dismissed last year, but prosecutors have asked to reinstate it.

The maximum sentence he faces is 40 years.

Despite the dispute over the additional charge, Judge Peter Cahill moved forward with jury selection on Tuesday, after a one-day delay.

The first juror selected, a chemist in his 20s or 30s, described himself as "logical" and passionate about his work. He had not seen the video of Floyd's death, he said.

The second juror, a biracial woman in her 20s, said she had seen the video only once and was eager to hear all the evidence as a juror.

The third juror, an auditor, said that he would also examine guilt or innocence only from what is presented in the trial. All three swore to keep an open mind and weigh all the proof presented in determining the outcome of the high-profile case.

The trial is scheduled to begin on 29 March. Jury selection continues on Wednesday. A total of 14 jurors are needed to make up the panel and alternates. George Floyd death: How will jurors be selected?
Click to expand...

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-56341895.
 
Minneapolis City Council will pay George Floyd's family $27m (£19.4m) to settle a civil lawsuit over his killing in police custody.

The settlement includes $500,000 for the neighbourhood where Mr Floyd was arrested, the council said.

Mr Floyd's family filed the federal civil rights lawsuit against the city last July, alongside ones against police officer Derek Chauvin and three others that were fired and criminally charged over his death.

The civil dispute is separate from the ongoing criminal trial, where Chauvin is charged with third and second degree murder as well manslaughter.

Mr Chauvin, who is white, pressed his knee into the back of Mr Floyd's neck for more than eight minutes, prompting cries of "I can't breathe, I can't breathe" from him before he died.

The civil case alleged that Chauvin and the other three officers officers violated Mr Floyd's rights when they restrained him, and that the city allowed a culture of excessive force, racism and impunity to flourish in its police force.
 
Interesting!
Chauvin still wont be found guilty, I can guarantee you that. He will walk at the end of this. He might not keep his job but he wont be going to jail
 
Minneapolis to pay murdered George Floyd family $27m

The city of Minneapolis has reached a $27m (£19m) settlement with the family of George Floyd, the unarmed US black man whose death last May sparked protests worldwide.

Mr Floyd's death after being trapped under the knee of police officer Derek Chauvin was captured on camera.

Lawyers for the family said the footage created "undeniable demand for justice and change".

Jury selection for Mr Chauvin's murder trial is currently under way.

Six out of 12 jurors have been selected for hearings beginning on 29 March.

The Minneapolis City Council voted unanimously to approve the pre-trial settlement, the largest ever awarded in the state of Minnesota.

"That the largest pre-trial settlement in a wrongful death case ever would be for the life of a black man sends a powerful message that black lives do matter and police brutality against people of colour must end," said Floyd family attorney Ben Crump.
Click to expand...

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-56381722.
 
Floyd's family are Millionaires!

If they wanted justice they'd have fought for it, but instead opted for blood money.

Hope they spend it wisely.
 
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