George Floyd death: Widespread unrest as curfews defied across US

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George Floyd death: Widespread unrest as curfews defied across US
Protesters took to the streets of many cities to voice their anger following the death of George Floyd
Curfews have been ordered in cities across the US to try to stem unrest sparked by the death of a black man in police custody.
But they have been defied in many areas, with shops looted, cars burned and buildings attacked. Riot police have used tear gas and rubber bullets.
President Donald Trump urged "healing" over the death of George Floyd but said he could not allow mobs to dominate.
A white ex-policeman is charged with murdering Mr Floyd, 46, in Minneapolis.
Derek Chauvin, 44, is due to appear in court on Monday.
In video footage, Mr Chauvin can be seen kneeling on Mr Floyd's neck for several minutes on Monday. Mr Floyd repeatedly says that he is unable to breathe.
Three other officers present at the time have also since been sacked.
The Floyd case has reignited US anger over police killings of black Americans. It follows the high-profile cases of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Eric Garner in New York and others that have driven the Black Lives Matter movement.
But for many it also reflects years of frustration over socioeconomic inequality and segregation, not least in Minneapolis itself.
A big anti-racism protest march also took place in London on Sunday, first in Trafalgar Square, then the crowd moved on to the US embassy.
What's the latest on the protests?
Huge demonstrations have taken place in at least 30 cities across the US. They were largely peaceful on Saturday, but violence flared later in the day.
One of the cities worst affected by unrest is Los Angeles. California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in the city and activated the National Guard - the reserve military force that can be called on to intervene in domestic emergencies.
The entire city is under a 20:00 to 05:30 curfew. Numerous shops have been looted, including on the famous retail avenues, Melrose and Fairfax, while overhead footage showed fires burning. Earlier police fired rubber bullets and hit protesters with batons. Hundreds of arrests have been made.
Mayor Eric Garcetti said this was "the heaviest moment I've experienced" since the riots in 1992 that were sparked by the acquittal of police over the beating of Rodney King.
Police are deployed as a fire burns in Los Angeles, which is under curfew
Image copyrightREUTERSImage captionPolice are deployed as a fire burns in Los Angeles, which is under curfew
In New York, some 20 police cars were burned and dozens of arrests made. Video also showed a police car driving into a crowd of protesters. Mayor Bill de Blasio said the situation was not started by the officers, but Congress Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said his comments were unacceptable and he should not be making excuses for the officers.
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot imposed a 21:00 to 06:00 curfew until further notice, saying she was "disgusted" by the violence.
"I've seen protesters hurl projectiles at our police department... bottles of water, urine and Lord knows what else," she said.
Although in most places curfews were observed by the majority, also in most places there was evidence of defiance.
In Atlanta, protesters remained on the streets after the curfew began, damaging property and vehicles. Dozens of arrests were made.
A firework explodes near a police line during a protest in Atlanta, Georgia, in response to the police killing of George Floyd, 30 May 2020
Image copyrightGETTY IMAGESImage captionA firework explodes near a police line during a protest in Atlanta
Minneapolis, where George Floyd died, has seen less violence overnight. Some 700 National Guard officers are aiding police and they acted quickly to enforce the curfew imposed there. The Star Tribune said the action had so far headed off the unrest of the previous night.
For the second day running, a large crowd of protesters taunted National Guard officers outside the White House in Washington, DC.
Indianapolis was one of the cities that had seen peaceful protests during the day turn violent later. At least one shooting death has occurred, but police said no officers had discharged weapons.
In under-curfew Philadelphia, 13 police officers were hurt and at least 35 arrests made as stores were looted, police cars torched and buildings defaced.
Overnight curfews have also been declared in Miami, Portland and Louisville, among other cities.
San Francisco is the latest to impose a curfew, announced by Mayor London Breed for 20:00 local time on Sunday, after looting and violence.
But amid the violence there were also moments of solidarity. In Flint, Michigan, Sheriff Chris Swanson took off the riot helmets of his men, laid down batons and asked protesters what they wanted. After hugs and high fives, they chanted "walk with us" and the sheriff did.
Skip Twitter post by @Goodable

Goodable@Goodable


Across parts of America, police and protesters have been clashing.

In Flint, Michigan, something else happened.

This is the exact moment when Sheriff Chris Swanson put down his helmet and baton — and joined protesters on their march.
Embedded video
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8:53 AM - May 31, 2020
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End of Twitter post by @Goodable
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What has the president said?
On Saturday evening, Mr Trump said that Mr Floyd's death had "filled Americans with horror, anger and grief".
"I stand before you as a friend and ally to every American seeking peace," he said in a televised address from Cape Canaveral in Florida, following the launch into orbit of two Nasa astronauts by billionaire Elon Musk's SpaceX company.
People arrange donations at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota, 30 on May 2020
Image copyrightGETTY IMAGESImage captionMinnesota residents arrange food and drink donations for those participating in peaceful protests
The president denounced the actions of "looters and anarchists", accusing them of dishonouring the memory of Mr Floyd. What was needed, he said, was "healing not hatred, justice not chaos".
"I will not allow angry mobs to dominate - won't happen," he added.
Mr Trump has blamed the mayor of Minneapolis - a Democrat - for failing to control the protests, which are the worst since the president took office.
The president's Democratic Party rival, Joe Biden, has accused him of giving oxygen to bigotry and said those responsible for Mr Floyd's death must be held accountable.
But he also condemned rioting, saying: "Protesting such brutality is right and necessary. But burning down communities and needless destruction is not."
Many mayors and local officials have been trying to separate the genuine protests over Mr Floyd's death from the violent unrest, often blaming "outsiders" for the looting and arson. There have been many reports of residents trying to stop acts of violence.
p08fmx7y.jpg



Media captionRapper Killer Mike: "It is your duty not to burn your own house down for anger with an enemy"What happened to George Floyd?
On Monday night, police received a phone call from a neighbourhood grocery store alleging that George Floyd had paid with a counterfeit $20 note.
Officers were attempting to put him in a police vehicle when he dropped to the ground, telling them he was claustrophobic.
According to police, he physically resisted officers and was handcuffed. Video of the incident does not show how the confrontation started.
With Mr Chauvin's knee on his neck, Mr Floyd can be heard saying "please, I can't breathe" and "don't kill me".
According to a preliminary autopsy by the county medical examiner, the police officer had his knee on Mr Floyd's neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds - almost three minutes of which was after Mr Floyd became non-responsive.
p08flb5t.jpg



Media captionMinnesota governor on George Floyd death: 'Thank God a young person had a camera to video it'
Nearly two minutes before Mr Chauvin removed his knee the other officers checked Mr Floyd's right wrist for a pulse and were unable to find one. He was taken to hospital and pronounced dead around an hour later.
The preliminary autopsy, included in the criminal complaint against Mr Chauvin, did not find evidence of "traumatic asphyxia or strangulation".
The medical examiner noted Mr Floyd had underlying heart conditions and the combination of these, "potential intoxicants in his system" and being restrained by the officers "likely contributed to his death".
Mr Chauvin was charged on Friday with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter over his role in Mr Floyd's death.
Mr Floyd's family said they wanted a more serious, first-degree murder charge as well as the arrest of the three other officers involved.
Hennepin County Prosecutor Mike Freeman said he "anticipates charges" for the other officers but would not offer more details.
 
The officers have been fired and are awaiting criminal prosecution, so what are they protesting about?
 
Well BLM are now protesting about this in Hyde Park in the UK now, and across Europe, making a nonsense of social distancing. JFC, if black lives really mattered to them they wouldn't be doing this. More black people are likely to die from the protests than the incident they're protesting.
 
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Whatever happen to floyd is very unfortunate. It should have not happened, and those who are guilty should be trialed. But any type of violence should also not to be supported from people. Such riots should be dealt with law!!
 
The officers have been fired and are awaiting criminal prosecution, so what are they protesting about?
Thats the problem, whites like you deliberately downplay it and just brush it aside as a law & order problem. There is serious amount of discrimination & abuse in US against colored ppl. Weeks back a black guy was shot & killed by a white guy who passed by his house while jogging.
The current incident just happened to be the breaking point. Its not just killing but discrimination , abuse, lack of opportunities , stereotyping , poverty....etc every thing combined has made it a potential mixture. (republican party was even gerrymandering to ensure non-whites become minority and in some areas removed/moved voting booths altogether to make voting difficult........welcome to white democracy)

On the other side recently armed "WHITE" men stormed the local legislative assembly with guns but guess what nothing happened.........................................bcos they happened to be white.

Wright-CivilWar.jpg
 
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Thats the problem, whites like you deliberately downplay it and just brush it aside as a law & order problem. There is serious amount of discrimination & abuse in US against colored ppl. Weeks back a black guy was shot & killed by a white guy who passed by his house while jogging.
The current incident just happened to be the breaking point. Its not just killing but discrimination , abuse, lack of opportunities , stereotyping , poverty....etc every thing combined has made it a potential mixture. (republican party was even gerrymandering to ensure non-whites become minority and in some areas removed/moved voting booths altogether to make voting difficult........welcome to white democracy)

On the other side recently armed "WHITE" men stormed the local legislative assembly with guns but guess what nothing happened.........................................bcos they happened to be white.

View attachment 16314

It's a combination of whites being uncaring and blacks repressing themselves. They prefer not going to school while repressing themselves to the point of having to take up crime in order to compensate. So it's a massive failure of black culture.

12% of the population makes up 50% of the prison population. That's a serious problem and has less to do with racism and more to do with culture. Many of them are in for violent crimes. There's also a massive problem of abandonment, where black fathers leave behind their wife and child to fend for themselves. So the black child ends up growing up in an environment which is entirely not conducive to child rearing.

We know the statistics – that children who grow up without a father are five times more likely to live in poverty and commit crime; nine times more likely to drop out of schools and twenty times more likely to end up in prison. They are more likely to have behavioral problems, or run away from home, or become teenage parents themselves. And the foundations of our community are weaker because of it.

Combine that with the famed gun culture they have over there, it becomes very easy to commit crimes.

Of course, if the whites start caring that becomes racist. The same story with Islamophobia in India.

So the only thing acceptable to the blacks from the whites is the whites should continue supporting their broken culture in order to not be called a racist, and that only makes the situation for the blacks even worse.

In the end, all you need is one "actually racist" cop to put the country on hold due to his antics.
 
It's a combination of whites being uncaring and blacks repressing themselves. They prefer not going to school while repressing themselves to the point of having to take up crime in order to compensate. So it's a massive failure of black culture.

12% of the population makes up 50% of the prison population. That's a serious problem and has less to do with racism and more to do with culture. Many of them are in for violent crimes. There's also a massive problem of abandonment, where black fathers leave behind their wife and child to fend for themselves. So the black child ends up growing up in an environment which is entirely not conducive to child rearing.

We know the statistics – that children who grow up without a father are five times more likely to live in poverty and commit crime; nine times more likely to drop out of schools and twenty times more likely to end up in prison. They are more likely to have behavioral problems, or run away from home, or become teenage parents themselves. And the foundations of our community are weaker because of it.

Combine that with the famed gun culture they have over there, it becomes very easy to commit crimes.

Of course, if the whites start caring that becomes racist. The same story with Islamophobia in India.

So the only thing acceptable to the blacks from the whites is the whites should continue supporting their broken culture in order to not be called a racist, and that only makes the situation for the blacks even worse.

In the end, all you need is one "actually racist" cop to put the country on hold due to his antics.
You are right. I would add that White Americans framed policies and culture in such a way to benefit themselves and it has nothing to do with them being racist but everything to do with White's trying to preserve there lifestyle, culture and race which they feel is threatened and one should not blame them for that....every community bound by ethnicity, race, religion does that including blacks in Africa , Han Chinese in China, Japanese in Japan , upper cast hindus in India, Punjabi Muslim in Pakistan and so on. That's why nation States exist.
for all the s*** white westerners receive they are quite open minded compared to all other races. I think recent surge in we wuz Aryan and S**t! in west and rise of right wing across the globe is a factor of many things from people suffering from mid Life crisis, fake feminism, rise in degeneracy , non stop immigration threatening one self of belonging or identity , rising inequality within countries despite surge in global trade. , unfulfillment of desires. sense of entitlement which was threatened due to globalization and open competition to name a few. Politician and there rich corporate billionaire backers played with fire and now when hands are burned they are clueless what to do.
 
They prefer not going to school while repressing themselves to the point of having to take up crime in order to compensate. So it's a massive failure of black culture.

12% of the population makes up 50% of the prison population. That's a serious problem and has less to do with racism and more to do with culture. Many of them are in for violent crimes. There's also a massive problem of abandonment, where black fathers leave behind their wife and child to fend for themselves. So the black child ends up growing up in an environment which is entirely not conducive to child rearing.
did you miss the word stereotyping? He has a beard so he must be a terrorist. There might be problem with some section of the blacks but to generalize that is not right. Generally when violence takes place it is more or less happens to select few places where where blacks are concentrated or say like slums. But here that is not the case, it is across the country. To top that this is not the first time it is happening.

You want to just cherry pick only those points that makes one section saints and others sinners. This is a classic western technique which has been followed for ages, they are savages we are civilizing them. Of course we will not disclose that conditions that led to it is our own actions.


For argument sake let me agree with your rubbish broken self satisfying argument. I posted that very image to show how discriminating US policing is , why dint police take no action against white supremacists who tote their guns in assembly but go onto use disproportionate amount of force against unarmed individuals. As I said this is not one incident it is just pent up fury against the system.

Its just not few impoverished blacks who are out against it , even the well paid NFL players did the same thing long time back. Obviously they were roundly criticized and thrashed by white extremists as show off. Things have now come full circle. Of course nothing is going to change, there will be few speeches and then after another 5 years it crop up again.
 
US has huge Faultlines
Racial , Economic and Political

The Democrats and Republicans will definitely kill each other , one fine day

And that when there is just a small Muslim Population
 
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You are right. I would add that White Americans framed policies and culture in such a way to benefit themselves and it has nothing to do with them being racist but everything to do with White's trying to preserve there lifestyle, culture and race which they feel is threatened and one should not blame them for that....every community bound by ethnicity, race, religion does that including blacks in Africa , Han Chinese in China, Japanese in Japan , upper cast hindus in India, Punjabi Muslim in Pakistan and so on. That's why nation States exist.
for all the s*** white westerners receive they are quite open minded compared to all other races. I think recent surge in we wuz Aryan and S**t! in west and rise of right wing across the globe is a factor of many things from people suffering from mid Life crisis, fake feminism, rise in degeneracy , non stop immigration threatening one self of belonging or identity , rising inequality within countries despite surge in global trade. , unfulfillment of desires. sense of entitlement which was threatened due to globalization and open competition to name a few. Politician and there rich corporate billionaire backers played with fire and now when hands are burned they are clueless what to do.
You are partly right every one looks after themselves there is no denying that. We dont blame saudis or chinese for repression, bcos their system is already biased or benefits select few that is a know fact. But that is not the case with US. US proclaims its free........blah...blah.......etc But when deeply introspected it is no different from other. Its just one states it explicitly and whereas other implements it subtly without acknowledging it.

For example segregation was openly followed in US till 1955 despite their constitution blowing trumpets about being equals. More than saying they are open, we can say they are more calculated and smart than rest of the ppl. Its not just blacks US has serious history of racial discrimination right from chinese, italians, irish..etc. They are open when they feel secure and benefit but when they find others are getting better they just revert to their original self.

By the way how do you define a nation state? how do you apply that to US?