Fires. Looting. Tear gas. Rubber bullets. Stun grenades. More than four thousand people arrested. The National Guard deployed. At least five people dead.
That is a snapshot of the protests spreading across the United States right now.
They come in response to the death of 46-year-old George Floyd who was killed while in police custody. After being arrested for allegedly using a counterfeit bill, Floyd was restrained with force by a white police officer who pressed his knee against his neck. Floyd repeated the words “I can’t breathe” at least a dozen times before falling unconscious. He died later in hospital.
Watch: In Flint, Michigan, Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson put down his baton and joined protesters in a peaceful march. Post continues below.
While the protests are a reaction to the death of Floyd, they are more broadly about the violence inflicted on black communities by police and vigilantes. The Black Lives Matter movement was founded in 2013 and has been an ongoing protest against racially motivated violence, which has a long history in the United States (and here too).
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Top Comments
The whole system needs restructuring and both us and the USA need to look at what we want "law enforcement" to look like. Police are all part of a violent system based on oppression, if they really wanted change, they'd be handing their badges. There's lots of information out there about what is wrong with justice systems based around violence, punitive punishment and a lack of mental health professionals involved in reform, I suggest you go and have a look around for some information.