Two police officers seen in a viral video shoving a 75-year-old man to the ground in Buffalo, New York, were charged with second-degree assault on June 6. The officers, Aaron Torgalski, 39, and Robert McCabe, 32, have pleaded not guilty and have been released without bail, but if convicted, they could face a maximum of seven years in prison.

The charges represent the latest of a number of cases in which viral videos showing evidence of police violence have led to disciplinary action. As Catherine Kim noted for Vox, since the police killing of George Floyd on May 25, countless videos have circulated on social media of officers beating, tasing, and violently arresting protesters — and in many of these cases, the officers have begun to face consequences.

In Chicago, the state attorney’s office has opened an investigation into a group of officers who were filmed swarming a car in a parking lot, breaking the car windows, and dragging people out. In Brooklyn, a police officer was suspended without pay after an officer pulled down the mask of a black protester and pepper sprayed him in the face.

What happened in Buffalo was one of the most graphic videos to come out of the current protests. On June 4, local NPR station WBFO tweeted a video showing a group of police officers walking toward an elderly man in the city’s Niagara Square while enforcing curfew. Two officers then push the man back, one using his baton, which causes him to stumble and hit his head on the sidewalk. Blood pours from his ear as dozens of police continue to walk past his unconscious body.

The video directly contradicted the Buffalo Police Department’s earlier statement that the man had been injured “when he tripped & fell,” a statement that neglected to mention any interaction with the police. Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown released a statement later that night, writing that he was “deeply disturbed” by the video, and that the two officers who pushed the man down had been suspended without pay. Brown also noted the victim, Martin Gugino, was taken to the hospital in “stable but serious” condition.

Gugino is a community organizer and longtime member of People United for Sustainable Housing Buffalo, whose deputy director, Harper S.E. Bishop, told the Washington Post, “Martin shows up for his people, our community, to dismantle systems of oppression. That’s what he was doing tonight at City Hall. He shouldn’t have been met with police violence for showing up and demanding accountability for the ongoing brutality and murder of Black lives.”

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo called the officers’ actions “utterly disgraceful,” while Erie County District Attorney John Flynn said in a press conference, “They’re not trained to shove a 75-year-old man with a baton and knock him to the ground.”

Despite public outcry, other police officers are standing by Torgalski and McCabe

Despite widespread condemnation from city and state officials and the general public, however, the entirety of Buffalo’s 57-person Emergency Response Team (ERT), of which Torgalski and McCabe were a part, “resigned in disgust” from the team after the two were suspended, “because of the treatment of two of their members, who were simply executing orders,” said John Evans, the president of the BPD union. Though they did not quit their jobs, the members have refused to participate in the crowd control duties of the ERT. And at the courthouse on Saturday where Torgalski and McCabe were charged, dozens of people gathered outside to cheer, many wearing “blue lives matter” T-shirts.

The solidarity from fellow police officers is indicative of a growing divide between people calling for restrictions on police power and budgets and those who are staunchly supportive of the current system. “Defund the police” has become a rallying cry among protesters, who argue that fewer public dollars should be allocated to a historically racist institution that continuously harms people of color. Instead, they argue, taxpayer money should go toward social work and less militarized forms of community safety measures.

Cities around the country are now evaluating the effectiveness of their forces and some, like in Minneapolis, are calling for a dramatic restructuring of public safety services. Meanwhile, police unions and city mayors have, for the most part, defended current police department budgets. President Donald Trump has also tweeted that he wants “a great and well paid LAW ENFORCEMENT,” while campaigning on promises of “law and order.”

That divide is one that can be seen at the protests themselves: As New York Times Magazine writer Carvell Wallace argued, “in a demonstration against police brutality, police are not law enforcement, they’re counter protesters.” Though ostensibly there to prevent violence or looting, videos like the one in Buffalo have shown that in policing protests against them, police officers can’t be considered neutral parties. “They are treating protesters like the enemy, lashing out violently, using disproportionate force, and attacking people who pose no threat to them,” write Vox’s Catherine Kim and Anna North.

The irony here is that the biggest threat posed to police officers by unarmed protesters is their ability to film that officer doing something unlawful. The support the officers in Buffalo have received from their colleagues reflects a history of police standing by one another even through indefensible acts of violence — one also seen in the cases of Sandra Bland and Eric Garner. But as recent arrests and suspensions have shown, as long as there’s video evidence and platforms on which to share it, the public will hold them accountable.


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Source Article from https://www.vox.com/2020/6/7/21283148/buffalo-officers-charged-torgalski-mccabe-protest-cops

Demonstrations were planned across the United States on Sunday to demand racial justice after George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis police custody, with weekend rallies spreading to smaller communities including an east Texas town once a haven for the Ku Klux Klan.

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Source Article from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoPr5C8OIoo

A female African American organizer strolled around in the middle of the circle, wielding a loudspeaker. “Earlier this week, they had tear gas, they had riot gear … and now,” she looked up at the crowd near Candace, smiling, “Look, it’s just us, family.”

Source Article from https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2020/06/07/dc-black-lives-matter-defund-police/

  • US President Donald Trump has ordered the withdrawal of National Guard troops from the streets of Washington, DC after days of protests over the police killing of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man who was killed by police in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on May 25. 
  • Protesters have taken to the streets across the world – in Hong Kong, Spain, Italy and the UK – as demonstrations against police brutality and racism entered their 13th day.
  • Saturday marked one of the largest mobilisations since the death of Floyd, with massive protests in Australia, Asia, Europe and across the US. While some clashes were reported, they remained mostly peaceful. 
  • Hundreds of mourners gathered in North Carolina on Saturday for a memorial service for Floyd, the second of three currently planned.

Sunday, June 7:

20:50 GMT – UK anti-racism protests ‘subverted by thuggery’: PM Johnson

Anti-racism protests in Britain have been “subverted by thuggery”, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said, warning those responsible would be held to account.

Tens of thousands took to the streets of London on Sunday, rallying for a second day running to condemn police brutality after the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. As numbers dwindled, some protesters tussled with police.

20:40 GMT – Washington protesters ask black Secret Service agent to ‘take a knee’

Peaceful protesters have gathered again near the White House in the 13consecutive day of protests in the country. 

In one instance, protesters implored a black US Secret Service officer to take a knee in solidarity with their demonstration against racism and brutality by law enforcement. 

“I appreciate all of this. … I’m still black. You see what I’m saying? You guys are still fighting for my rights,” the unidentified officer told the protesters through a fence outside the Treasury building in Washington, in an exchange captured by Reuters TV. 

“What I’m saying is, technically we just can’t do that,” he said.


20:30 GMT – Virginia officer charged in use of stun gun on black man

A white Virginia police officer was charged with assault and battery in connection with the use of a stun gun on a black man, authorities have announced.

Fairfax County police Officer Tyler Timberlake was trying to get the man into an ambulance to go to a detox centre on Friday, according to body camera video shown at a news conference late Saturday.

Timberlake is seen striking the man with a stun gun and then getting on top of him, along with the officer wearing the body camera. Once Timberlake is on top of the man, he presses the stun gun into the back of his neck and fires again.

20:10 GMT – Scuffles break out in central London

Scuffles have broken out between police and protesters in central London by the arches that effectively connect the Foreign Office and the Treasury. 

Objects were thrown at police lining up at the three arches that bridges the connection just off Whitehall, which is also near the offices of Prime Minister Boris Johnson. 

Many of the demonstrators, who gathered earlier Sunday outside the US embassy just south of the River Thames, have moved towards central London, where clashes also took place Saturday.


19:50 GMT – 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.


19:20 GMT – 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.


18:50 GMT – Serbian president gives Trump rare European support

Offering rare open support by a leader in Europe, Serbia’s president says US President Donald Trump faces “a serious and tough enemy” as he tries to quell massive protests over the violent death of George Floyd.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic told local Pancevo TV on Sunday, “I hope the US will come out of the crisis.” He also said he wishes Trump “the best of luck.”

Vucic, a populist and former ultra-nationalist, also addressed the release of Serbian soccer player Aleksandar Katai by the LA Galaxy soccer club after a series of social media posts by his wife in which she urged police to “kill” protesters and referred to protesters as “disgusting cattle.”

Vucic says the team’s decision “only speaks about the chase and chaos that has been conducted against President Trump.”

18:20 GMT – ‘You need to step in’: George Floyd police failed to intervene

Minneapolis was among several cities that had policies on the books requiring police officers to intervene to stop colleagues from using unreasonable force, but that could not save George Floyd.

Law enforcement experts say such rules will always run up against entrenched police culture and the fear of being ostracised and branded a “rat”.

Read more here


17:50 GMT- Chicago lifts 9 PM curfew

Chicago has lifted its 9 PM curfew, according to a tweet by the city’s mayor. 

The curfew was put in place on June 1 as protests began to sweep the country. 

“The curfew is lifted effective immediately and going forward,” Mayor Lori Lightfood wrote. “I know this time in our city and our country has been difficult for us all, and I’m grateful to our residents for working together to navigate this challenging time.”

17:15 GMT – Officials urge Floyd protesters to get coronavirus tests

 As New York City prepared to reopen after a more than two-month coronavirus shutdown, officials lifted a curfew that was put in place amid protests of police brutality and racial injustice – and urged demonstrators get tested for COVID-19.

“Get a test. Get a test,” New York Governor Andrew Cuomo urged.

He said the state planned to open 15 testing sites dedicated to protesters so they can get results quickly.

“I would act as if you were exposed, and I would tell people you are interacting with, assume I am positive for the virus,” Cuomo added.

16:40 GMT – Protesters in England throw slave trader statue into harbour

Anti-racism protesters in the southwestern England port city of Bristol have toppled the statue of a prominent slave trader and dumped it into the harbour.

Footage from local broadcaster ITV News West Country shows demonstrators attach ropes to the statue of Edward Colston before pulling it down on Sunday and eventually dumping it into the harbor. Images on social media show protesters appearing to kneel on the statue’s neck, recalling how a white Minneapolis police officer used his knee to pin down George Floyd’s neck before his death. 

Colston, who was born in 1636, has been a controversial figure in Bristol. Among efforts to “decolonise” the city have been calls to remove his name from its biggest music venue, Colston Hall.

16:10 GMT – Democratic US presidential candidate Joe Biden to meet Floyd family

Democratic US presidential candidate Joe Biden will travel to Houston and meet with the family of George Floyd, two weeks after Floyd’s death in police custody triggered nationwide protests over racial injustice, two senior aides said.

Biden is expected to offer his sympathies to Floyd’s relatives and record a video message for Floyd’s funeral service, which is taking place later in the day in Houston, the aides said. He is not expected to attend the service to avoid any disruption to mourners that could be caused by his Secret Service protective detail.

Floyd’s body arrived in Houston on Sunday, officials said. 

15:40 GMT – Protesters in Virginia toppled Confederate statue

US demonstrators toppled a statue of Confederate General Williams Carter Wickham from its pedestal after a day of mostly peaceful demonstrations across Virginia on Saturday.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported that most of the demonstrators had already dispersed when a rope was tied around the Confederate statue, which has stood since 1891 in Richmond’s Monroe Park. In 2017, some of Wickham’s descendants urged the city to remove the statue. 

Confederate monuments are a major flashpoint in Virginia and across the US.


15:15 GMT – Trump orders National Guard’s withdrawal from Washington

US President Donald Trump has ordered the withdrawal of National Guard troops from the streets of Washington after days of protests over the police killing of George Floyd.

“I have just given an order for our National Guard to start the process of withdrawing from Washington, DC, now that everything is under perfect control,” he tweeted.     

“They will be going home, but can quickly return, if needed. Far fewer protesters showed up last night than anticipated!”     


14:30 GMT – Trump has drifted from constitution, former military chief warns     

Colin Powell, who served as America’s top military officer and top diplomat under Republican presidents, has said he will vote for Democrat Joe Biden, accusing Donald Trump of drifting from the US constitution.     

In a scathing indictment of Trump on CNN, Powell denounced the US president as a danger to democracy whose lies and insults have diminished America in the eyes of the world.     

“We have a constitution. We have to follow that constitution. And the president’s drifted away from it,” Powell said.

A former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Powell was the latest in a series of retired top military officers to publicly criticise Trump’s handling of the protests.

13:45 GMT – Protests continue across Europe

Thousands of people took to the streets of Barcelona, Madrid and Rome in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, which has drawn large protests against racism and police brutality around the world.

The rally in Rome’s sprawling People’s Square was noisy but peaceful, with the majority of protesters wearing masks to protect against coronavirus.

More demonstrations were being held Sunday across the United Kingdom, including one outside the US Embassy in London.


13:15 GMT – Thailand holds Zoom protest 

Some 300 Thais and foreigners in Thailand and elsewhere joined an online protest against racism on Sunday, adding their voices to global calls for justice for Floyd.

With coronavirus restrictions, protesters with “I Can’t Breathe” messages on their arms and placards gathered on the video-meeting platform Zoom to emphasize the call in Thailand as they watched the video clip of Floyd’s last moments.

12:50 GMT – Dozens attend protest at US embassy in Hong Kong

A Black Lives Matter protest was cancelled due to coronavirus restrictions in Hong Kong, yet a group of demonstrators showed up in front of US embassy on Sunday.

“It’s a global issue,” Quinland Anderson, a 28-year-old UK citizen living in Hong Kong who was at the protest told The Associated Press news agency.

Hong Kong resident and protester Max Percy, 24, said no human should have “suffered” as Floyd did.

Protesters gathered in a group of eight, which is in accordance with the limit of people who are allowed to meet under current coronavirus restrictions, and took turns to give speeches outside of the embassy.

12:25 GMT – New York: Curfew lifted early after peace protests

New York City is lifting its curfew spurred by protests against police brutality ahead of schedule, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Sunday morning.

The 8pm citywide curfew, New York’s first in decades, had been set to remain in effect through to at least Sunday, with the city planning to lift it at the same time it enters the first phase of reopening after more than two months of shutdowns because of the coronavirus.

“Yesterday and last night we saw the very best of our city,” de Blasio tweeted in his announcement of the curfew’s end “effective immediately”. “Tomorrow we take the first big step to restart.”

The move followed New York City police pulling back on enforcing the curfew on Saturday as thousands took to the streets and parks to protest police brutality, sparked by Floyd’s death.

See the updates from Saturday here.

Source Article from https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/06/protests-police-brutality-continue-europe-live-200607132432534.html

Mayor Bill de Blasio on Sunday ripped cops for not wearing face masks while controlling the tens of thousands at George Floyd protests amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

“We’ve seen too many officers who just have [masks] off, and it’s painful to people because it feels like they’re flouting the rules,” he said during a press conference Sunday, calling it a “human decency thing” amid the ongoing threat from the contagion.

“It frustrates me to no end. We have to do better in the NYPD,” de Blasio complained, saying he had confronted NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea to insist his officers start adhering to the safety rules.

“I would say to all the officers out there, I know you have a hard job, but do unto others,” Hizzoner said at a virtual press briefing.

“If we’re asking everyone else to follow the rules — social distancing, wear a face covering — you should do it too,” he said.

Police previously ought with the de Blasio administration over the availability of masks — with health commissioner Oxiris Barbot reportedly telling NYPD chief Terrence Monahan that she didn’t give “two rats’ asses” about NYPD cops’ need for masks.

NYPD officers in Union Square monitor the scene after the 8pm curfew had gone into effect

Taidgh Barron/NY Post

NYPD officers oversee peaceful protests against police brutality in Washington Square Park

Taidgh Barron/NY Post

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She eventually apologized and hundreds of thousands of surgical masks were provided to the NYPD — though photos and witness reports indicate they rarely wore them during protest activity, including Monahan himself.

Hizzoner conceded that there may at times be a “legitimate, tactical reason” for officers having to temporarily remove their masks — ones the department had to fight to get in the first place.

“That’s not the only thing we’ve seen,” he stressed, noting that many were simply shrugging off safety because it was hot and the masks can be uncomfortable for long stretches of time.

“Too often it looks like it’s being ignored and that’s not acceptable,” he said.

“I’ve had this conversation with the commissioner — I expect to see improvement in this area.”

Source Article from https://nypost.com/2020/06/07/de-blasio-rips-nypd-cops-for-not-wearing-masks-to-protests/

A woman walks her dog through the French Quarter in New Orleans as Tropical Storm Cristobal reaches the U.S., on Sunday.

Sean Gardner/Getty Images


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A woman walks her dog through the French Quarter in New Orleans as Tropical Storm Cristobal reaches the U.S., on Sunday.

Sean Gardner/Getty Images

Tropical Storm Cristobal has reached the southeastern United States, bringing heavy rains and sustained winds of up to 50 mph.

Storm surge warnings have been issued for the southeast coast of Louisiana as well as the Mississippi coast for Sunday.

Cristobal is the third named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season. If the storm maintains its current track, Mississippi could be the state hardest hit, according to Gavin Phillips, a forecaster with the National Weather Service New Orleans.

“The biggest populated area that’s going to be most affected is the Mississippi coast,” Phillips said.

New Orleans and the areas to its immediate east should see the most rainfall, according to Phillips. Those areas should expect 7 to 10 inches of rain, he said. Areas to the west should only expect a few inches of rain, said Phillips, adding that he expects the city of New Orleans to remain safe.

On the Mississippi coast, reporters at the Biloxi Sun Herald have documented high water levels this morning and afternoon.

Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards declared a state of emergency on Friday ahead of the tropical storm and some communities in Mississippi and Louisiana have been ordered to evacuate.

In Louisiana, the barrier island of Grand Isle has seen major flooding due to Cristobal. Residents there have been urged to evacuate.

In New Orleans, crews have been responding to downed trees and power lines. Officials there are urging people who live outside of the levee flood protection system to evacuate the area.

Phillips said that as the storm moves inland, bayous and areas without levies will be the most vulnerable to flooding. He was quick to clarify that he doesn’t foresee any “life-threatening” flood events happening as a result of Cristobal.

Phillips said that winds will likely top out at around 50 miles per hour, with the strongest likely to come around the Mississippi coast.

He also noted that early June is an unlikely time for a tropical storm, with the peak season for tropical storms and hurricanes usually starting much later in the year.

“This is really early to get a storm. But typically July is quieter than June. Hopefully we don’t have anything between now and [mid-August].”

NPR’s Debbie Elliot contributed to this report.

Source Article from https://www.npr.org/2020/06/07/871676434/tropical-storm-cristobal-hits-louisiana-mississippi-coasts

“We praise you, in particular, today, Jesus, as this group, for taking the judgment we deserve,” Platt prayed, as the group of a few hundred, mixed in age and race, responded, “Mmm-hmm.”

Source Article from https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2020/06/07/dc-protests-sunday-george-floyd/

Minneapolis (CNN)Nine members of the Minneapolis City Council on Sunday announced they intend to defund and dismantle the city’s police department following the police killing of George Floyd.

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    Source Article from https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/07/us/george-floyd-protests-sunday/index.html

    People gather on June 3, at the site where George Floyd, an African-American man, was killed while in the custody of the Minneapolis Police Department.

    Jim Urquhart for NPR


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    Jim Urquhart for NPR

    People gather on June 3, at the site where George Floyd, an African-American man, was killed while in the custody of the Minneapolis Police Department.

    Jim Urquhart for NPR

    The corner of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue in south Minneapolis is the place where police brutality ended the life of a black man named George Floyd on May 25, 2020.

    It was here that police officers held down the 46-year-old man that people called Perry, until his pulse stopped. It was here where a passerby filmed his killing, shared it online and sparked an uprising that’s spread from this one corner to cities across the country, and now the world.

    And it’s here now where people gather every day to protest, to remember and to find comfort.

    “It’s a community,” said Nuny Nichols, 30, a youth facilitator for Minneapolis Public Schools. “I know it sounds weird, but it has really brought people together.”

    On this day Nichols has her trunk propped open and she’s passing out peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, making walking tacos mixed in a Doritos bag, giving out hand sanitizer and anything else that demonstrators who spend night and day in this spot might need.

    Nuny Nichols prepares free food for people who gather at the site where George Floyd was killed while in police custody.

    Jim Urquhart for NPR


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    Nuny Nichols prepares free food for people who gather at the site where George Floyd was killed while in police custody.

    Jim Urquhart for NPR

    She was drawn here on the first days of protests. On television she watched people breaking windows, setting fires and she decided she needed to see it for herself.

    What she found was something else: people who understood her pain, who were as exhausted as she was and who were ready to make things change. She’s been coming back to the intersection where Floyd was killed ever since.

    And Nichols is not alone. Scores of people who mourn Floyd come here to be together. At least temporarily this corner is transformed into a daily remembrance.

    The streets leading here are blocked off. A black and white portrait is the backdrop of documenting resistance. People pose for pictures with their fists in the air. On the ground, piles of bouquets are sprinkled with handmade posters. One asks, “How long must we wait for Justice?”

    Piles of flower bouquets lay at the site where George Floyd was killed while in police custody.

    Jim Urquhart for NPR


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    Piles of flower bouquets lay at the site where George Floyd was killed while in police custody.

    Jim Urquhart for NPR

    Signs are stapled to a nearby utility pole.

    “WANTED for MURDER Minneapolis Police Officers and Accomplices.”

    “We are the people of MINNEAPOLIS. We are hurting enough. We are struggling enough.”

    Some who visit knew him, but mostly it’s strangers who virtually witnessed his killing, an all too familiar scene for black Americans.

    “Being a black person in America, you know, it’s just constant trauma after trauma after trauma,” Nichols said. “And it’s like, when is it ever going to be time for us to breathe?”

    This past week a key demand of protestors was met. All four officers involved in Floyd’s killing are behind bars. Protestors and the Floyd family wanted a first-degree murder charge for Derek Chauvin, the white police officer who held his knee to Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes as he begged for breath and his late mother. A second-degree murder charge was added this week. The three other officers J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao were charged with aiding and abetting murder and appeared in court on Thursday.

    People gather at the site where George Floyd was killed while in police custody not to just to protest, but to see comfort in each other.

    Jim Urquhart for NPR


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    Jim Urquhart for NPR

    People gather at the site where George Floyd was killed while in police custody not to just to protest, but to see comfort in each other.

    Jim Urquhart for NPR

    But Nichols and her friend Shanay Oneal wonder if these charges would’ve even been brought if parts of the city and the country didn’t literally burn in an otherwise largely peaceful protest movement. If law enforcement weren’t witnessed pummeling peaceful demonstrators and journalists with tear gas, firing rubber bullets on them and using pepper spray.

    “That’s the only reason I feel like they’re even taking steps toward making it seem like they’re trying to help,” Oneal, 29, said. “If things wouldn’t have gone the way they went with all the chaos, I don’t feel like we would have gotten this far at all…But is this what it takes to get a response?”

    Nichols said she’s skeptical the charges will lead to real change.

    “If we actually can get a conviction and we actually can get some police reform, then I’ll feel a lot better,” Nichols said. “But right now, it’s kind of like a Band-Aid being put over a big gaping open wound.”

    That wound is why she comes to this place, to be with others who feel it and want to finally heal. The charges, she said, are a tiny step on a much longer path to change.

    “What else are we doing to make sure that this doesn’t happen again? And to make sure that the black people in this country feel safe? Because at this point, I don’t feel safe,” Nichols said.

    People gather at the site where George Floyd was killed while in police custody.

    Jim Urquhart for NPR


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    Jim Urquhart for NPR

    People gather at the site where George Floyd was killed while in police custody.

    Jim Urquhart for NPR

    Nearby a DJ has set up outside the gas station and music is blaring. There are sizzling burgers on charcoal grills. A food truck provides free sandwiches and people pass out food from tents that line parking lots and sidewalks.

    As day turns into night, chants of “say his name, George Floyd” echo and a megaphone gets passed around. The area is almost sacred ground. Here law enforcement largely stay away even when the curfew descended upon the city. Community groups provide security themselves, breaking up fights, cleaning up the area. They point to this as an example of how things could be if public safety were reimagined.

    Some here say they want reform, others want radical change: disbanding the police and starting over. The system, they say, was built on the racism that stole Floyd’s life. Either way, everyone here is trying to process the pain together.

    Taylor Winbush, 28, said he now comes to this place for solace.

    “This is the best I’ve felt in a couple days, coming out here,” Winbush said. “Every day I’ve come out here it grows a little bit. You see people from all over Minneapolis, but you [also] see people coming from the suburbs and the rest of the state. All different kinds of people.”

    Including people, he said, that don’t look like him. Maybe this time is different. But hope is hard when the long list of black people killed by police keeps growing. The amount of civil unrest it’s taken just to get here is exhausting, he said.

    “How do you spend your whole life seeing people like you die on the news, not facing consequences?” Taylor said. “My grandparents had the same thing, they marched in 1965 to Selma and we’re still here today marching for the same reason. It’s tiring.”

    Taylor Winbush becomes emotional as people gather.

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    Taylor Winbush becomes emotional as people gather.

    Jim Urquhart for NPR

    He stands just a few steps from the spray painted outline of a body on the ground. It marks the exact place Floyd was killed.

    Winbush stops speaking. He turns away, slips off his face mask and wipes away tears with his shirt. It’s the first time he’s cried since Floyd was killed.

    His friend, Aaron Leonard, 28, steps in to speak for him, and for himself.

    “This is why this place is so powerful,” Leonard said. “This is a place for the community to come and incite change, there needs to be a change…and until we have allies and other people that don’t look like us, that can come down and say, I see what you’re talking about. I understand what you’re talking about.”

    Only then, when the country faces it’s violent past can it rectify its future, he said.

    “People are now finally getting charged. Is that a step in the right direction? Yes,” Leonard said. “But we need to make sure that we take a step up from there and create overall change. So when he talks about his grandparents marching on Selma, we can tell our kids that we marched in Minneapolis.”

    NPR would like to hear about your reaction to the high-profile deaths of African Americans in recent months and your personal experience as a black person in America. Please share your story here or in the form below, and a reporter might contact you.

    Source Article from https://www.npr.org/2020/06/07/869949960/in-a-place-of-tragedy-people-resist-and-find-solace

    SANTA CRUZ, Calif. – A Northern California sheriff’s deputy was killed and two law enforcement officers wounded Saturday when they were ambushed with gunfire and explosives while pursuing a suspect, authorities said.

    The U.S. Air Force confirmed Sunday that the suspect was an active duty sergeant stationed at Travis Air Force Base.

    Sgt. Damon Gutzwiller, 38, was shot and killed in Ben Lomond, an unincorporated area near Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz County Sheriff Jim Hart said. A second deputy was injured, and a third officer from the California Highway Patrol was shot in his hand, Hart said.

    Gutzwiller “was a beloved figure here at the sheriff’s office,” the sheriff said.

    “Damon showed up today to do his job, to keep this community safe, and his life was taken needlessly,” a visibly shaken Hart said.

    Source Article from https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/06/07/santa-cruz-county-california-ben-lomond-rocked-shooting-deputy/3170467001/

    WASHINGTON — The latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll finds President Donald Trump in a familiar position as summer arrives, trailing by 7 points in a head-to-head matchup against presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden. But inside the poll are more concerning numbers for the president that suggest challenges with key voter groups.

    Comparing the new survey data to the numbers from the 2016 election exit poll shows Trump has lost ground with a wide range of demographic groups measured by educational attainment, gender and race. These are numbers he’ll need to address if he wants to be re-elected.

    Biden’s overall lead over Trump has been a consistent 7 points in the last two NBC News/WSJ polls. And that, in itself, is probably a concern for the Trump team.

    Remember that Trump lost the popular vote in 2016, but he lost it narrowly, by about 2 points. That closeness was what allowed him to win the Electoral College vote and the White House. A popular vote loss of 7 points would make such an Electoral College win extremely unlikely in 2020.

    But narrowing a 7-point deficit is not an easy task. And other numbers in the latest NBC/WSJ poll make clear just how complicated that challenge may be. Trump has lost ground with many different kinds of voters.

    Start with education. One of Trump’s key strengths among voters has been his support among blue-collar workers without a college degree. In 2016, he lost college graduates by about 9 points, but won voters without a degree by about 8 points. There was an “education gap” in the results, but Trump gained as much as he lost in it.

    But this week’s poll finds him leading among those without a degree by only about 3 points, while he is losing voters with a degree by 24 points. That’s a massive edge for Biden among voters with a degree and a much smaller edge for Trump among voters that are a big part of his base.

    And even if Trump can win back a chunk of his non-degree vote, the losses among those with a degree is sizable. He’d likely need to chip into that Biden’s college and graduate-degree edge to get a margin more to his liking.

    Gender poses a similar problem. Trump has always leaned on male voters and done worse with women. He won men by about 12 points in 2016 and lost women by the same amount, about 12 points.

    But in the new NBC/WSJ poll, his edge with men has eroded to about 8 points, and his deficit with women has exploded to 21 points.

    That’s a gender split that basically makes it impossible for Trump to win the popular vote. Women tend to make up more of the electorate than men.

    And a split like that would make an Electoral College win extremely unlikely for Trump. It would require swing states to have electorates or gender splits that look dramatically different from the overall national figures.

    But the most problematic number in the poll for Trump may be his standing with white voters in the head-to-head with Biden. In 2016, Trump won white, non-Hispanic voters by 21 points. It made up for the huge losses he faced with communities of color.

    In the new poll, Trump does better with African American and Hispanic voters than he did in 2016, though he still isn’t close to winning those groups. But his edge with white voters is down to just 6 points — 49 percent to 43 percent for Biden — and white voters still make up the overwhelming majority of the electorate.

    That 43 percent for Biden is an especially significant number.

    In 2008, when Barack Obama won the White House decisively, he won 43 percent of the white, non-Hispanic vote. And overall, he won the popular vote in 2008 by about 7 points, equal to Biden’s current lead in the poll.

    To be clear, Election Day is still five months away, which is a lifetime in politics, and several lifetimes in 2020 time. In a year marked by everything from a pandemic to protests across the country, there are almost certainly going to be more twists and turns to come.

    On Friday, a surprisingly strong job report had Trump heralding the good economic news and promising more good times ahead. And the poll shows the economy is still a point of strength for him.

    But the numbers here indicate that as of early June, the president has a lot of work to do with a lot of different kinds of voters if he wants to be re-elected.

    Source Article from https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/meet-the-press/poll-trump-loses-ground-key-2016-voters-n1226971

    Media captionProtesters in Bristol pull down a statue of slave trader Edward Colston

    A slave trader’s statue in Bristol has been torn down and thrown into the harbour during a second day of anti-racism protests across the UK.

    It comes after largely peaceful demonstrations in London on Saturday ended in some clashes with police.

    Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick urged protesters to find another way to make their views heard.

    But thousands of protesters massed for a second day outside the US embassy in London before moving towards Whitehall.

    Other protests have been taking place in Manchester, Wolverhampton, Nottingham, Glasgow and Edinburgh.

    Media captionAerials show thousands of protesters in London, from the US embassy to Parliament Square

    In Bristol, protesters used ropes to pull down the bronze statue of Edward Colston, a prominent 17th Century slave trader, who has been a source of controversy in the city for many years.

    Colston was a member of the Royal African Company, which transported about 80,000 men, women and children from Africa to the Americas.

    On his death in 1721, he bequeathed his wealth to charities and his legacy can still be seen on Bristol’s streets, memorials and buildings.

    After the statue was toppled, a protester posed with his knee on the figure’s neck – reminiscent of the video showing George Floyd, the black man who died while being restrained by a Minnesota police officer.

    Image copyright
    PA Media

    Image caption

    Protesters knelt on the neck of the bronze statue of Colston

    The statue was later dragged through the streets of Bristol and thrown into the harbour. The empty plinth was used as a makeshift stage for protesters.

    Home Secretary Priti Patel called the tearing down of the statue “utterly disgraceful”, adding that “it speaks to the acts of public disorder that have become a distraction from the cause people are protesting about”.

    “It’s right the police follow up and make sure that justice is undertaken with those individuals that are responsible for such disorderly and lawless behaviour,” she said.

    In a statement, Avon & Somerset police confirmed there would be an investigation into the “act of criminal damage”.

    Historian Prof David Olusoga told BBC News that the statue should have been taken down long before.

    He said: “Statues are about saying ‘This was a great man who did great things.’ That is not true, he [Colston] was a slave trader and a murderer.”

    Image copyright
    PA Media

    Image caption

    Thousands took part in a protest on College Green in Bristol city centre

    Image copyright
    AFP

    Image caption

    People also gathered in Edinburgh, with some describing racism as a “pandemic”

    Aerial footage in London showed thousands more protesters flooding the roads outside the US embassy in Vauxhall, south London before marching towards Parliament Square and Downing Street.

    They appeared to be ignoring warnings from both the police commissioner and Health Secretary Matt Hancock not to congregate and risk spreading the coronavirus.

    But free masks, gloves and hand gel were being handed out by volunteers.

    Labour’s Lisa Nandy backed the demonstrations, saying people “cannot be silent in the face of racism”.

    The shadow foreign secretary said young people were “right to raise their voices” but urged demonstrators to take precautions and socially distance amid fears that the mass gatherings could prompt another spike in coronavirus cases.

    Ms Nandy told the BBC’s Andrew Marr she was “proud” of young people demanding change following mass anti-racism protests across the UK on Saturday.

    “I think it’s one of the most important things about living in a free society is that people can go out and protest,” she said.

    Image copyright
    Reuters

    Image caption

    Protesters chant “Black Lives Matter” and “no justice, no peace”

    Image copyright
    PA Media

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    George Floyd’s death in May has sparked worldwide anti-racism protests

    Image copyright
    Joey Kong

    Image caption

    Thousands of protesters have made their way to the US Embassy near Vauxhall, south London

    Protesters tear down statue amid anti-racism demos

    Officers injured

    Authorities are hoping that the clashes, which broke out near Downing Street on Saturday evening between police and protesters, will not be repeated.

    Missiles and fireworks were aimed at police and bikes were also thrown by some demonstrators.

    The Metropolitan Police said 14 officers were injured, including a mounted officer who came off a horse as it bolted down Whitehall, with a further 13 hurt during demonstrations earlier in the week.

    Dame Cressida said she was “appalled” by the scenes of unrest on Saturday night, which led to 14 arrests.

    In a statement on Sunday, she added: “There is no place for violence in our city. Officers displayed extreme patience and professionalism throughout a long and difficult day, and I thank them for that.

    Image copyright
    Press Association

    Image caption

    A police officer who fell from a horse was treated on Whitehall on Saturday evening

    “I would urge protesters to please find another way to make your views heard which does not involve coming out on the streets of London, risking yourself, your families and officers as we continue to face this deadly virus.”

    Ms Patel condemned the actions of those involved and said there was “no excuse for violent behaviour”.

    “These protests should stop, they should not go ahead and people must be mindful and stick with the rules that have been put in place.

    “We have guidelines that basically say it is illegal for gatherings of more than six people to get together…. It is not in the interest of public health and it is certainly not going to assist the NHS or protect lives.”

    Image copyright
    Reuters

    How George Floyd’s death resonated in the UK

    Source Article from https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-52954305

    The death of George Floyd, a black man who died on Memorial Day after he was pinned down by a white Minnesota police officer, has sparked outrage and protests in Minneapolis, across the United States and around the world.

    Second-degree murder, third-degree murder and manslaughter charges have been filed against Derek Chauvin, the ex-officer who prosecutors say held his knee on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes. The three other officers have been charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and aiding and abetting manslaughter. All four officers have been fired.

    Governors in 32 states have activated more than 32,400 members of the National Guard.

    Today’s biggest developments:

  • Minneapolis mayor booed after saying he does not support abolishing police
  • Virginia officer charged with 3 counts of misdemeanor assault and battery involving man in crisis
  • St. Louis-area officer suspended after video shows him hitting man with unmarked patrol car
  • Several officers injured due to improvised explosives in Seattle
  • This story is being updated throughout the day. Please check back for updates. All times Eastern.

    1:33 p.m.: National Guard prepares to leave Los Angeles

    The National Guard is leaving Los Angeles after their presence was requested to handle protests.

    The National Guard was activated in Los Angeles and neighboring communities on May 30 after a request from Gov. Gavin Newsom. He had proclaimed a statement of emergency in Los Angeles County amid the protests.

    12:48 p.m.: NYC mayor says NYPD funds will be shifted to youth, social services

    New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a wave of police reforms, including shifting funds from the police department to youth and social services.

    The other measures include reforming 50-A, the state law that keeps police behavior from public scrutiny; move vendor enforcement out of the police; and bring community voices into the senior level of the police.

    “The details will be worked out in the budget process in the weeks ahead. But I want people to understand that we are committed to shifting resources to ensure that the focus is on our young people,” de Blasio said.

    A summary of the New York City budget plan showed that for the 2021 fiscal year, the police department had a budget of $5.6 billion, while the Dept. of Youth and Community Development had a budget of $598 million. The summary showed that the Dept. of Social Services budget for the 2021 fiscal year was $9.6 billion.

    The mayor also highlighted Saturday’s tens of thousands of peaceful protesters who took to the streets across the city.

    12:18 p.m.: Protesters in UK tear down statue of 17th century slave trader

    Protesters against systemic racism in Bristol, United Kingdom, tore down a statue of 17th century slave trader Edward Colston. The protests in the United Kingdom are in response to protests that have erupted in the United States.

    Demonstrators were seen pulling down the statue with a rope before jumping on it.

    The statue was then dragged through the streets of Bristol, according to local media reports, and eventually tossed in the river.

    Historian David Olusoga said that the problem with the statue has long been “that it has not been seen as a problem.” It was erected in 1895, nearly two centuries after he died in 1721.

    “What it shows is that 17th century London and Bristol were involved in the slave trade, but that 19th century Bristol didn’t care that it was honoring a man who had been involved in the slave trade,” Olusoga told the BBC. “This is a city that is 14% BAME (black, Asian and minority ethnic) with a statue that of somebody who was not just a slave trader, he was involved in the Royal Africa Company, the company that trafficked more people into slavery than any in British history.”

    Colston’s company transported more than 100,000 slaves from West Africa to the Caribbean and the Americas between 1672 and 1689, according to the BBC.

    However, it was only until the 1990s that Colston’s involvement in the slave trade, the source of much of the money which he gave to Bristol, gained more publicity, according to Historic England, a body of the British Government.

    Statues that symbolize the Confederacy, for many a symbol of racism and oppression, in the U.S. have also come down in the wake of the protests that are spreading worldwide.

    10:07 a.m.: Trump says National Guard will withdraw from DC

    President Donald Trump tweeted that the National Guard will begin to withdraw from Washington, D.C. “now that everything is under perfect control.”

    “I have just given an order for our National Guard to start the process of withdrawing from Washington, D.C., now that everything is under perfect control. They will be going home, but can quickly return, if needed. Far fewer protesters showed up last night than anticipated!” Trump tweeted.

    However, thousands of protesters still stepped out in Washington, D.C. on Saturday.

    8:03 a.m.: Portland Police Department arrest 50 protesters in late night demonstrations

    Portland, Oregon, experienced another evening of protests and demonstrations that began much the same as the last several nights with separate groups of demonstrators taking to the streets.

    “At about 10:50 p.m. an unlawful assembly was declared,” the Portland Police Department said in a statement. “The crowd was given ample opportunity to disperse and were warned if they did not do so, they were subject to arrest or force. Officers began dispersing the crowd just after 11:30 p.m. Portland Police, assisted by outside agency mutual aid partners, arrested at least 50 subjects for criminal activity.”

    Information on arrests is still being compiled and an updated release will be published when this information becomes available.

    7:13 a.m.: NYC mayor lifts curfew

    New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has lifted the curfew that had been imposed on the city amid the protests and demonstrations after the death of George Floyd.

    “We are lifting the curfew, effective immediately. Yesterday and last night we saw the very best of our city,” the mayor said in a tweet on Sunday. “Tomorrow we take the first big step to restart. Keep staying safe. Keep looking out for each other.”

    4:21 a.m.: Virginia officer charged with 3 counts of misdemeanor assault and battery involving man in crisis

    The Fairfax County Police Department called a late press conference Saturday night to release details surrounding the arrest of one of the department’s own officers.

    The white officer, Tyler Timberlake, faces three counts of assault and battery related to an on-duty incident that happened Friday.

    Body camera video played at the press conference shows an officer deploying his stun gun on a black man, who was walking away from him at the time. The man seems in the footage to be suffering from some kind of medical episode.

    The man falls to the ground, where the officer proceeds lean on his back with his knees. The officer appears to deploy the stun gun on him again, this time while he’s already face down on the ground. At this point, other officers join the initial officer in pushing the man into the ground, where they force handcuffs onto him.

    At one point, the victim yells: “I can’t breathe.”

    Col. Edwin C. Roessler Jr., the county’s chief of police, said the man “is alive and resting at home with his family.”

    Roessler also says Timberlake, an eight-year veteran of the department, has been relieved of duty. Other officers who were present have also been relieved of duty pending the result of both criminal and administrative investigations.

    Timberlake faces up to 36 months of incarceration.

    2:57 a.m.: St. Louis-area officer suspended after video shows him hitting man with unmarked patrol car

    An officer was suspended and two others were placed on leave after a Ring video camera caught an officer driving into a man and then struggling with him on the ground multiple times.

    Florissant Police Chief Timothy Fagan said the incident happened on June 2 but he only learned about it and saw the video on Saturday. The chief said the FBI and the St. Louis County Police Department are investigating the incident.

    “My gut reaction was I talked to three different agencies to take a look at it because I do have some concerns about it,” Fagan said.

    The man seen being hit in the video was approached because he was in a vehicle matching the description of another car in connection with shots fired outside the Ferguson Police Department.

    Police said no weapons were found on the man and he is facing pending charges for carrying drugs and resisting arrest.

    The man suffered an ankle injury.

    “I’ll tell you what I believe I see in the video which is that the male then gets up and tries to run and then officer tries to take the male into custody and from my view looks like he struck the individual at least two times, he looks like he kicks him and then hits him with a forearm,” Fagan said.

    The incident happened on June 2 around 11:30 p.m. in the 9800 block of Eastdell Drive in the City of Dellwood.

    St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell will not be looking into the case as his spokesperson’s son, an officer, was in the backseat of the car the detective was driving when he hit the man, creating a conflict of interest for Bell.

    The case was turned over to St. Charles County Prosecuting Attorney Tim Lomar as a result.

    Fagan said there is no body or dash camera footage to review.

    The officer that was suspended had been with the department for nine years.

    12:42 a.m.: Several officers injured due to improvised explosives in Seattle

    The Seattle Police Department confirmed that several of their officers were injured after people at a demonstration began throwing rocks and bottles at officers and by setting off improvised explosives.

    The incident occurred at approximately 7:30 p.m. according to the Seattle Police Department, when demonstrators outside the East Precinct began moving barricades without permission and the police asked them multiple times to stop.

    The condition of the officers is not currently known.

    11:14 p.m.: Minneapolis mayor booed after saying he does not support abolishing police

    Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey was booed out of a protest after he said he did not support abolishing the police department.

    A protester asked Frey if he supported defunding the police department, however, he did not answer that question and instead said he “did not support the full abolition of the police.”

    Boos quickly permeated through the crowd and protesters chanted, “Go home Jacob! Go home!”

    Activists have called for defunding police departments in the U.S., often meaning taking money out of the police budget and putting it toward the community. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti announced such a measure earlier this week.

    ABC News’ Courtney Pomeroy, Alexis Zotos, Abigail Shalawylo, Ahmad Hemingway, Alexandra Faul, Joshua Hoyos and Rashid Haddou-Riffi contributed to this report.

    Source Article from https://abcnews.go.com/US/george-floyd-protest-updates-cop-arrested-video-shows/story?id=71118017

    Thousands of anti-racism protesters rallied in the heart of London on Saturday to support the U.S. protests against police brutality.

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    Source Article from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mB1Nlo8jo4

    WASHINGTON – Thousands of protesters from all walks of life – black, white, young, old, straight, gay – poured into downtown Washington Saturday to demand an end to police violence against African Americans. 

    It was the ninth – and by far the largest – day of demonstrations demanding justice for George Floyd, the black Minneapolis man who died after a white police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes, and the many other black victims of police abuse.

    Protesters gathered peacefully across Washington at the city’s most iconic sites – the Capitol, the Lincoln Memorial and near the White House – for simultaneous marches and mass demonstrations.

    “It’s awesome – it’s a long time coming,” said Stefani Jackson, 52, a psychotherapist and social worker from Rockville, Maryland. “People have had enough – black, white and brown.”

    Source Article from https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2020/06/06/george-floyd-protests-crowds-gather-washington-dc/3162838001/