Black Lives co-founders spent millions buying properties

[Anthea]

Derek Chauvin charged
with Mr Floyd's murder

Minneapolis cop Derek Chauvin has been charged with George Floyd's murder as the criminal complaint reveals he kept kneeling on the black man's neck for almost 3 minutes after he fell unconscious and said 'you're talking fine' when he begged for air

Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman announced Chauvin was taken into custody by state investigators on Friday afternoon and was charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter following nationwide protests and riots demanding the white officer's arrest.

The charges come a day after prosecutors had warned there was 'evidence that did not support criminal charges' in the case, saying they needed to prove Chauvin had used 'excessive' force on Floyd.

A criminal complaint on Friday shed light on the moments leading up to Floyd's death, revealing he was 'non-responsive' for almost three minutes before Chavin released him from under his knee.

'The defendant had his knee on Mr Floyd's neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds in total. Two minutes and 53 seconds of this was after Mr Floyd was non-responsive,' the report states

It notes police officers are trained that this amount of time of restraint on a suspect in that position is in 'inherently dangerous.'

However, a preliminary autopsy did not find evidence of 'traumatic asphyxia or strangulation' and found Floyd may have died from being restrained as well as from underlying health conditions.

George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, died on Memorial Day as he was arrested by four police officers over allegedly trying to buy cigarettes with a counterfeit $20 bill. He was seen in a video pleading that he couldn't breathe as white officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee against his neck

Protests broke out outside a home owned by fired officer Derek Chavin in Windermere, Florida on Friday

Protesters held up signs reading 'Black Lives Matter' and 'Justice for George Floyd' outside Chauvin's home in Florida

This comes the same day Chauvin has been charged with George Floyd's murder as it's revealed the disgraced cop had knelt on his neck for nearly three minutes after he lost consciousness

Minneapolis cop charged with third-degree murder of George Floyd

George Floyd's heartbroken family called for the four cops involved in his death to be charged with murder

Cop presses knee on George Floyd's neck until he's motionless



THE CRIMINAL COMPLAINT

The timeline of events reveals that Officers Lane and Kueng arrived on the scene first after responding to a 911 call of a man using a counterfeit $20 bill to buy goods from Cup Foods Deli.

They were directed to Floyd's car around the corner from the store where Floyd was sat in the driver's seat, a man was sat in the passenger seat and a woman in the back seat, the complaint states.

It details that Lane pulled his gun on Floyd before putting it away when Floyd showed his empty hands on the steering wheel of the car.

Lane then pulled Floyd from the car and handcuffed him. The complaint states that Floyd 'actively resisted' being handcuffed but then became compliant and walked with the cop to the sidewalk where he sat for two minutes and had a conversation with him.

Lane and Kueng then tried to walk Floyd to their squad car but Floyd 'stiffened up, fell to the ground, and told the officers he was claustrophobic', the complaint says.

Chauvin and Thoa arrived on the scene and the four officers tried to get Floyd into the squad car, it states, adding that Floyd 'struggled with the officers by intentionally falling down, saying he was not going in the car, and refusing to stand still'.

Floyd began telling the officers he could not breathe while standing outside the car, the report states.

Chauvin then tried to get Floyd into the passenger side of the car before pulling him out of the car moments later.

'My. Floyd went to the ground face down and still handcuffed. Kueng held Mr. Floyd's back and Lane held his legs. The defendant placed his left knee in the area of Mr. Floyd's head and neck,' it reads.

Floyd is heard saying 'I can't breathe', 'Mama' and 'please' multiple times but Chauvin, Kueng and Lane maintain their positions on his body and tell him 'You are talking fine', the report notes.

Lane then suggests rolling Floyd onto his side but Chauvin says 'No, staying put where we got him'.

'Officer Lane said, 'I am worried about excited delirium or whatever.' The defendant said , 'That's why we have him on his stomach.' None of the three officers moved from their positions,' the report adds.

Floyd then stops moving at 8:24:24 and at 8:25:31 he appears to stop breathing and speaking, it notes.

Lane again suggests rolling Floyd onto his side but none of the cops move position. Kueng checked his right wrist for a pulse and said 'I couldn't find one' but all the officers maintained their position, the report adds.

Chauvin finally moved his knee from Floyd's neck at 8:27:24 and he was taken away in an ambulance, 8 minutes and 46 seconds after he first held it on his neck and two minutes and 53 seconds after Floyd became unresponsive, the complaint states.

Freeman on Friday highlighted the 'extraordinary speed' in charging the case just four days after Floyd died, but also defended himself against questions about why it did not happen sooner.

As for the other three officers who were fired alongside Chauvin over Floyd's death - J Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao - Freeman said the investigation is ongoing and prosecutors chose to focus on the 'most dangerous perpetrator'.

The criminal complaint details the events leading up to Floyd's death and lays out the charges that have finally been brought against Chauvin following four days of bubbling anger that the suspected murderer could walk free.

It reveals that Floyd had stopped struggling under the grip of the officers for more than a minute before he then stopped speaking and breathing.

It was then another two minutes later that Chauvin finally moved his knee from Floyd's neck.

At one point, when Floyd was still talking and breathing, one of the other officers suggested moving Floyd into a different position but Chauvin refused, telling them they were 'staying put', the complaint states.

It also says that after Floyd passed out, one of the officers checked and found no pulse, but still none of the three officers holding him down - Chauvin, Lane and Kueng - moved from their positions pinning him to the floor - or began giving him medical assistance.

The murder charge states that Chauvin caused Floyd's death 'by perpetrating an act eminently dangerous to others and evincing a depraved mind, without regard for human life'.

Chauvin also faces a second degree manslaughter charge citing that his 'culpable negligence' led to Floyd's death.

The preliminary results of the autopsy found 'no physical findings that support a diagnosis of traumatic asphyxia or strangulation' and that Floyd had underlying health conditions including 'coronary artery disease and hypertensive heart disease'.

It concludes that Floyd died from the 'combined effects' of him 'being restrained by the police, his underlying health conditions and any potential intoxicants in his system'.

Chauvin faces up to 35 years in prison if convicted - a 25 year maximum sentence for murder and a 10 year maximum sentence for manslaughter.

Calls are now mounting for the other three officers to be charged over Floyd's death, with protesters in Minneapolis taking to the streets chanting 'One down, three to go' and 'all four got to go' following the news.

In widely circulated footage, Floyd was seen on the ground with his hands cuffed behind his back as Chauvin pinned him to the pavement until he lost consciousness and later died.

Floyd family attorney Ben Crump, who was among the first to call for criminal charges to be laid against Chauvin in the wake of Floyd's death, said the move is 'a welcome but overdue step on the road to justice' and demanded he be tried for murder in the first degree.

Gov Walz called Friday for order to be restored in the streets after the third devastating night of protests Thursday left the city in ruin

National Guard on the streets of Minneapolis Friday. Chauvin was taken into custody by state investigators on Friday afternoon and was charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter following nationwide protests and riots demanding the white officer's arrest

A criminal complaint on Friday shed light on the moments leading up to Floyd's death, revealing he was 'non-responsive' for almost three minutes before Chavin released him from under his knee

A fatal shooting and lawsuit for excessive force: What we know about the four officers fired for George Floyd's arrest

Toles was wounded after police said he went for an officer's gun and Chauvin shot him.

That same year Chauvin was handed a medal of valor for 'his response in an incident involving a man armed with a gun.'

But in 2011 23-year-old Leroy Martinez was shot and injured during a chase given by officers including Chauvin.

Chauvin was arrested Friday - four days after Floyd's death - and charged with third degree murder and manslaughter.

Tou Thao

Tou Thao, was part of a $25,000 out of court settlement after being sued for using excessive force in 2017

A lawsuit obtained by the DailyMail.com shows Thao was sued for using excessive force in arrest where he was accused of punching and kicking a handcuffed suspect 'until his teeth broke'.

The remaining two officers have been identified as Thomas Lane and J Alexander Kueng.

Both were reportedly rookie cops who were still in their probationary periods.

Thao, Lane and Kueng do not currently face charges.

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

'We call on authorities to revise the charges to reflect the true culpability of this officer. The pain that the black community feels over this murder and what it reflects about the treatment of black people in America is raw and is spilling out onto streets across America.

'While this is a right and necessary step, we need the City of Minneapolis – and cities across the country – to fix the policies and training deficiencies that permitted this unlawful killing – and so many others – to occur.'

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, who had publicly called for Chauvin's arrest earlier this week, called the decision to charge him an 'essential first step.'

'For our black community who have, for centuries, been forced to endure injustice in a world simply unwilling to correct or acknowledge it: I know that whatever hope you feel today is tempered with skepticism and a righteous outrage,' Frey added.

US Attorney General William Barr meanwhile said he is 'confident justice will be served', calling the videos of Floyd's death 'harrowing to watch and deeply disturbing.'

The Justice Department and FBI are investigating whether federal civil rights laws were broken.

The charges come after three days of riots and protests that erupted across Minneapolis - and several states - demanding justice for 46-year-old Floyd that have left the city in ruins and led the state of Minnesota to take over the response.

Protesters have been running rampant for the past three nights in a show of outrage that has seen a suspected looter shot dead in the street, a Minneapolis police precinct stormed and set alight, and the city up in flames as businesses and stores were looted and torched.

Amid fears that the chaos is entering a fourth night, the twin cities of Minnesota imposed curfews starting at 8p.m. tonight in efforts to bring the rioting and destruction under control.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey announced a nighttime curfew barring anyone other than essential workers and public safety personnel from being in public places across the city from 8p.m. through to 6 a.m. local time and lasting for the weekend.

St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter followed suit with a matching citywide curfew as he declared a state of emergency for the city, after 170 businesses were destroyed when protests turned violent Thursday night.

The city of Roseville - which shares borders with both of the twin cities - followed with its own emergency declaration and curfew.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz on Friday admitted an 'abject failure' by law enforcement in trying to control crowds Thursday night.

On Thursday, as tensions in the city boiled all day, the National Guard started putting in motion plans to intervene to help local law enforcement agencies that were struggling to cope with the mounting threat.

But they weren't given the order to act quickly enough, according to officials who spoke at a press conference on Friday, and it led to a night of chaos that climaxed with the Third Police Precinct being set on fire.

President Trump had threatened to 'assume control' of Minneapolis with military intervention, warning 'thugs' 'when the looting starts the shooting starts', in a tweet that was flagged by Twitter for 'glorifying violence.'

Trump tried to clarify his comments following Chauvin's arrest in another tweet saying he intended to call for peace on the streets to avoid further deaths.

'Looting leads to shooting, and that's why a man was shot and killed in Minneapolis on Wednesday night - or look at what just happened in Louisville with 7 people shot. I don't want this to happen, and that's what the expression put out last night means....

'It was spoken as a fact, not as a statement. It's very simple, nobody should have any problem with this other than the haters, and those looking to cause trouble on social media. Honor the memory of George Floyd!'

The message followed an earlier tweet in which Trump urged to 'REVOKE 230!' after signing an executive order Thursday seeking to strip social media giants of their legal protections, potentially exposing them to a flood of lawsuits.

Twitter would flagged the president's incendiary tweet hours after he announced the order.

Walz told reporters earlier that Trump's tweets were 'not helpful'.

'I did speak to the President. At that point in time, it was in the process where I said we were going to assume control of this and it was unnecessary,' he said.

Governor Walz said the state would take over the response and asked citizens to show respect and dignity to those who are suffering.

'Minneapolis and St. Paul are on fire. The fire is still smoldering in our streets. The ashes are symbolic of decades and generations of pain, of anguish unheard,' Walz said, adding. 'Now generations of pain is manifesting itself in front of the world - and the world is watching.'

The governor cited a call he received from a state senator who described her district 'on fire, no police, no firefighters, no social control, constituents locked in houses wondering what they were going to do. That is an abject failure that cannot happen.'

'We have to restore order...before we turn back to where we should be spending our energy - making sure that justice is served,' he said.

'We cannot have the looting and the recklessness that went on [last night].'

His comments came the morning after protesters torched a police station that officers abandoned during a third night of violence.

Livestream video showed protesters entering the building, where intentionally set fires activated smoke alarms and sprinklers.

The governor faced tough questions after National Guard leader Major Gen. Jon Jensen blamed a lack of clarity about the Guard´s mission for a slow response.

Walz said the state was in a supporting role and that it was up to city leaders to run the situation.

Walz said it became apparent as the 3rd Precinct was lost that the state had to step in, which happened at 12:05 a.m. Requests from the cities for resources 'never came,' he said.

'You will not see that tonight, there will be no lack of leadership,' Walz said

On Friday morning, nearly every building in the shopping district around the abandoned police station had been vandalized, burned or looted.

National Guard members were in the area, with several of them lined up, keeping people away from the police station.

Dozens of volunteers swept up broken glass in the street, doing what they could to help.

Protesters face off with Minnesota State Police officers on Friday in Minneapolis, Minnesota

The criminal complaint against Chauvin details how he pinned down Floyd by his neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds - 2 minutes and 53 seconds of which Floyd was already 'non-responsive'

'He sometimes had a real short fuse and he seemed afraid,' she said.

'When there was an altercation he always resorted to pulling out his mace and pepper spraying everybody right away, even if I felt it was unwarranted.'

The outcry has now reached his front door, as angry protesters drew in chalk on the road and sidewalk outside the couple's $260,000 home in Oakdale: 'A murderer lives here'.

On Thursday evening it was revealed Floyd had actually worked with Chauvin as security guards at the El Nuevo Rodeo club, the cub owner confirmed. 'Chauvin was our off-duty police for almost the entirety of the 17 years that we were open,' Maya Santamaria (pictured)

Santamaria said that she is not sure if the two men knew each other since there were some two dozen security guards, including off-duty officers, working at her club on any given night.

But she revealed there were occasions when they would have been working at the same event. 'They were working together at the same time, it's just that Chauvin worked outside and the security guards were inside.'

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articl ... stody.html

[Anthea]

Protests no longer about Floyd death

The mayor of Minneapolis said of the unrest: "This needs to stop"

Violent protests over the death of an unarmed African-American man in the hands of police officers in Minnesota "are no longer in any way" about his killing, the state's governor has said.

Tim Walz spoke after a night of unrest in several US cities over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

He said that as a result he was taking the unprecedented step of mobilising the state's entire National Guard.

There are also reports that military police units could deploy.

An ex-Minneapolis policeman has been charged with murder over the death of Mr Floyd, 46, in police custody on Monday.

Derek Chauvin, 44 and white, was shown in footage kneeling on Mr Floyd's neck for several minutes, even after he said he couldn't breathe. He and three other officers have since been sacked.

The video went viral online, reigniting US anger over police killings of black Americans, and reopening deep wounds over racial inequality across the nation.

On Friday night protesters clashed with police in cities including New York, Atlanta and Portland. In Washington DC, the White House was briefly locked down.

In Houston, where George Floyd grew up, a 19-year-old protester told the Associated Press: "My question is how many more, how many more? I just want to live in a future where we all live in harmony and we're not oppressed."

In Minnesota, "our great cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul are under assault," Governor Walz said. "The situation in in Minneapolis is now about attacking civil society, instilling fear and disrupting our great city."

He said violence on Friday night had made "a mockery of pretending this is about George Floyd's death, or inequities or historical traumas to our communities of colour".

He and other officials have suggested that many violent protesters came from outside the state to cause trouble, but did not give details.

On Saturday, President Donald Trump said 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.

The president denounced the actions of "looters and anarchists", saying that what was needed was "healing not hatred, justice not chaos".

"I will not allow angry mobs to dominate - won't happen," he added.

Mr Trump earlier praised the US Secret Service for securing the White House but said if protesters breached the perimeter they "would have been greeted with the most vicious dogs, and most ominous weapons, I have ever seen". He blamed violence on "organised groups".
What's the latest on the protests?

Minnesota remains the most volatile region, with curfews ordered for the Twin Cities of Minneapolis-Saint Paul from 20:00 to 06:00 on Friday and Saturday evening.

Protesters defied the curfew on Friday. Fires, many from burning cars, were visible in a number of areas and television pictures showed widespread looting.

Hundreds of troops from the National Guard, a reserve military force that can be called on by the US president or state governors to intervene in domestic emergencies, moved in late at night.

Minnesota officials said tens of thousands of people turned out on Friday and they are expecting more unrest on Saturday night.

As a result, Gov Walz said he was activating all National Guard troops available in the state - reportedly up to 13,000 - for the first time in history to respond to rioters. The Pentagon said some US military units were on alert to support Minnesota if asked.

There are long-standing tensions between the black community and police in Minneapolis. Another black man, Philando Castile, was shot and killed in 2016 during a traffic stop close to the epicentre of these protests in a case that gained international attention.

African-Americans also suffer significant socio-economic inequalities, entrenched segregation and a higher level of unemployment than the white community.

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

"It is your duty not to burn your own house down for anger with an enemy"

Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms issued an impassioned plea, saying: "This is not a protest. This is not in the spirit of Martin Luther King Jr. You are disgracing our city. You are disgracing the life of George Floyd."

In New York's Brooklyn district, protesters clashed with police, throwing projectiles, starting fires and destroying police vehicles. A number of officers were injured and many arrests made.

The mayor of Portland, Oregon, has declared a state of emergency amid looting, fires and an attack on a police precinct. An immediate curfew until 06:00 local time (13:00 GMT) was imposed and it will restart at 20:00.

How did the situation get here?

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 responded and 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.

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 and their lawyer, Benjamin Crump, said that this was "welcome but overdue".

The 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.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-52863506

[Anthea]

America land of violence

If violence isn't the way to end racism in America, then what is?

When you are oppressed there is no acceptable way to fight against your oppression. You get branded “unpatriotic” for peacefully taking a knee to protest against police brutality. You get vilified for using boycotts as a non-violent tool of resistance. You get called “THUGS” when, after the murder of yet another unarmed black man by the police, you protest in the streets.

The sickening video of George Floyd being killed by a white police officer in Minneapolis, which followed the murders of Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia and Breonna Taylor in Kentucky, has sparked demonstrations across America. In Minneapolis some of the protests have turned violent: buildings (including a police precinct) have been set on fire and a Target store was looted.

Donald Trump reacted by promising bloody reprisal, tweeting: “When the looting starts, the shooting starts.” Others have reacted with hand-wringing. There have been a lot of cries that “violence is never the answer!” and “rioting is counter-productive!”

But if violent unrest isn’t the answer then what is? How exactly do you go about ending police brutality and systemic racism in America? Should protesters go home and write sternly worded letters to their representative? Should they emulate Madonna and post videos of their kids dancing in protest? Should they peacefully take a knee? Should Americans simply vote Trump out and vote Joe Biden in instead? You know, the guy whose 1994 crime bill significantly contributed to mass incarceration in America? Should people patiently wait for incremental change?

“A riot is the language of the unheard,” Martin Luther King Jr said in a 1967 speech that is currently reverberating through social media for obvious reasons. “And what is it that America has failed to hear? It has failed to hear that … the promises of freedom and justice have not been met. And it has failed to hear that large segments of white society are more concerned about tranquility and the status quo than about justice, equality and humanity.”

That speech was 53 years ago and America still isn’t listening. The uncomfortable truth is that, sometimes, violence is the only answer left. We like to pretend otherwise, which is why civil rights movements are often conveniently sanitized. The women’s suffrage movement, for example, is often celebrated as “non-violent”. It wasn’t: if went through a very militant phase.

“If men use explosives and bombs for their own purpose they call it war,” the British suffragette Christabel Pankhurst wrote in 1913, “and the throwing of a bomb that destroys other people is then described as a glorious and heroic deed. Why should a woman not make use of the same weapons as men?”

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not glorifying violence – that’s what the president of the United States is doing. And I’m certainly not calling for violence. I’m simply saying we must interrogate what we call “violence” and what we call “policy.”

Many of the people yelling “violence is not the answer” about the riots in Minneapolis are the same people who wholeheartedly support America’s endless wars. Many of the people condemning the looters in Minneapolis are the same people who venerate billionaires. Loot a TV and you’re a dangerous criminal; loot a country and you’re an enterprising capitalist.

America has no problem with riots or looting as long as it’s the “right” people doing it. And we’re all forced to pay for this worldview: American taxpayers have paid an average of $8,000 each and over $2tn in total for the Iraq war alone, according to a January report from the Brown University Costs of War project. Which raises the question: if violence is never the answer, then why does America spend so much money on it?

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfr ... d-protests

[Anthea]

Widespread unrest as
curfews defied across US

The mayor of Minneapolis said of the unrest: "This needs to stop"

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.

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.

In New York, video 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.

In Atlanta, protesters remained on the streets after the curfew began, damaging property and vehicles. Dozens of arrests were made.

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, although many were simply ignored.

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

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.

Minnesota 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.

Rapper 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.

Minnesota 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.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-52865206

The killing of Mr Floyd was frightening but the response, dismissal and charges against Mr Chauvin took place in record time cannot be faulted

The multiracial protests were a genuine outpouring of horror by the people of Minneapolis

Our sympathy goes out to the family and friends of Mr Floyd

We BEG that the many thousands of genuine protesters distance themselves from those who are using the protests as a cover for looting and violence

9 years ago parts of London (UK) suffered similar violent riots, destruction of property and looting. It later became obvious that much of the violence and destruction was a cover for the looting. Many homes and businesses were destroyed

In Croydon, South London, it was later discovered that more than 90% of the rioters had criminal records and many of the looters had cars and vans in which to take their ill gotten gains away

America is a violent country

I would suggest that instead of spending vast amounts of dollars on weapons, the US spend money on free healthcare, the removal of gun violence and drug gangs and the safety of people living in areas of extreme violence and drive by shootings

[Anthea]

Looters trash NYC's Soho:

Chanel and Bloomingdales ransacked

Soho in New York City was ravaged by looters on Sunday night who smashed the windows of luxury stores like Gucci, Chanel and Bloomingdales to steal goods in a wild night of riots that saw more than 250 arrests, cops being injured and one man being shot.

It remains unclear if those who smashed up the stores were part of protests against George Floyd's death, or if they belonged to different groups and were merely taking advantage of the chaos unfolding across the country.

Across New York City on Sunday night, more than 250 people were arrested. Six cops were injured, none seriously, and a man in his twenties was shot in the abdomen after an argument with a different group of young men.

There are growing calls for the National Guard to be mobilized amid increased fears that the violence will continue on Monday night.

Neither Bill de Blasio nor Gov. Cuomo have mobilized the military and say they've done enough to warn people of the danger. NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea on Monday defended the city's response and said implementing a curfew - as other cities have done - would be useless.

Similar scenes played out in cities across the country in a sixth night of riots and protests over Floyd's death. The unarmed 46-year-old black man died on Monday in Minneapolis after cop Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for more than eight minutes.

Chauvin has now been charged with his murder but three other cops involved are yet to face charges.

His death has sparked a national conversation about racism and police brutality amid a backdrop of a country that had already been shaken by economic uncertainty and public health fears caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

The looting in Soho happened on Sunday night as;

President Trump was whisked to a bunker while protesters descended on the White House, throwing Molotov cocktails and injuring 50 Secret Service agents

A protester was reportedly shot dead in Louisville, Kentucky

Mayor Bill de Blasio's daughter was arrested at a protest in New York City

An armed vigilante in California pulled a gun on rioters who tried to hold up a bank

Across the country, peaceful protesters tried to stop violent opportunists from ransacking stores

In Louisville, protesters formed a human chain to protect one cop who became separated from his unit and outnumbered by crowds

Other cops dropped to their knees in shows of solidarity with protesters and some abandoned riot gear to march with crowds peacefully

In Minneapolis, a tanker plowed through crowds of protesters on a highway; he was then pulled from the rig and beaten by crowds

The NYPD has resisted calls to bring in the National Guard or impose a curfew saying it wouldn't help

On Sunday night, President Trump was whisked to a bunker as protesters descended on the White House. More than 50 Secret Service agents were injured in the clashes.

'We don’t need the national guard. We could impose a curfew today and the problem is people need to listen to a curfew and that’s not going to happen,'

In New York City, the looters reportedly distributed goods to each other after smashing stores before police arrived.

Dozens were arrested on Sunday night and more were still being taken into custody on Monday morning.

Commissioner Dermot Shea said on Today that the entire weekend was 'incredibly challenging' for cops.

'Ninety percent of yesterday went very well. Five or six thousand protesters throughout New York City, less violence as the days before.

'When it got dark it got ugly and it got ugly quick. We had some violence, we had another incident of an individual with a Molotov cocktail in Brooklyn.

'We had an individual, two officers in a marked car in Queens, a bullet hit that car.

'That's clearly alarming to us. The looting. The looting turned very quickly in portions of the city, in Brooklyn, and primarily in Manhattan

'There were hundreds and hundreds of arrests in a very short time in that area and some are still going on. It was a very challenging time for police officers,' he said.

Commissioner Shea rejected claims that the National Guard needed to be brought in.

'We don’t need the national guard.

'We could impose a curfew today and the problem is people need to listen to a curfew and that’s not going to happen,' he said.

De Blasio on Monday said that the NYPD was taking tough enough action.

He called the looting 'unacceptable' but wouldn't take a tougher tone despite being pushed by reporters at a press conference.

Among the hundreds of people arrested over the weekend was his 25-year-old daughter Chiara.

He insisted she was protesting peacefully and is a 'very good human' who had done nothing wrong.

Chiara was arrested for allegedly not following police instructions to disperse on Saturday night.

De Blasio said on Monday: 'I trust my daughter. I've known her her whole life.

'She's an incredibly good human being, she cares for other people. She has also been an activist for years. This is not someone who would ever commit any violence.

Link to Article - Photos:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articl ... s-NYC.html

[Anthea]

Pallets of bricks used in looting

Videos from New York City, Kansas City, Dallas and Fayetteville in North Carolina all appear to show piles of bricks unattended in the middle of protests

The footage has led to suggestions the slabs were either planted by police or by extremists to overshadow peaceful protests following the death of George Floyd, a black man who pleaded for air as an officer pressed a knee into his neck.

I believe the rioters/looters themselves put the the bricks there, had it of been anyone else I have no doubt someone would have videoed the bricks being left there

Videos from New York City, pictured, Kansas City, Dallas and Fayetteville in North Carolina all appear to show piles of bricks in the middle of protests

In Dallas, Instagram user RuebenGotSoul documented a large pile of bricks stacked up in front of the city's courthouse. 'The Dallas protest was a lot of things. But I was very disappointed to see this RANDOM stack of bricks in front of the courthouse. #setup,' he remarked

Police in Kansas City said in a tweet Sunday that they had discovered large piles of bricks and rocks in and around the Country Club Plaza and Westport that had been placed strategically to ‘be used in the riot’.

‘If you see anything like this, you can text 911 and let us know so we can remove them. This keeps everyone safe and allows your voice to continue to be heard,’ the Kansas City Police Department wrote.

Similarly, in New York City, video captured the moment rioters in Manhattan chanced upon a cache of bricks between St. Marks Place and Seventh Street on Sunday evening, though no construction site appeared to be nearby.

The account that uploaded the clip remarked that ‘videos continue to surface showing protesters stumbling upon pallets of bricks or pavers in areas with no construction taking place.’

In Dallas, Instagram user RuebenGotSoul documented a large pile of bricks stacked up in front of the city's courthouse.

Sharing a video of yet more piles of bricks nearby protesters @right2073 commented: 'This is supposed to be Fayetteville, NC.'

Another user, @FunnyHusband, commented: 'That's the third "well placed bricks" video I've seen. Previous 2 had no construction anywhere near and bricks didn't match any of the structures.'

George Floyd was accused of trying to pass a counterfeit $20 bill at a grocery store after he was laid off in the pandemic. Disturbing video showed him prone on the street, while a white police officer (Derek Chauvin, right) pressed his knee into Floyd's neck even as he cried he couldn't breathe

I doubt George Floyd even knew it was a counterfeit $20 bill

Sharing a video of yet more piles of bricks nearby protesters @right2073 commented: 'This is supposed to be Fayetteville, NC'

On social media, users participating in the protests have reported large stashes of bricks randomly appearing at rallying sites

The discovery of the piles of bricks and rocks have prompted a number of theories online about their origin, with some believing them to have been planted by police so rioters could be issued more severe charges, to outside agitators attempting to stir up more trouble.

‘Looks like a set up to me,’ tweeted protest supporter ICE T, who has often spoken out against police brutality. ‘There’s ALWAYS more than meets the eye,’ he continued.

It comes as U.S. officials say they are investigating whether extremist groups have infiltrated police brutality protests.

Authoirites are said to be looking into whether these groups deliberately tipped the demonstrations towards violence after chaos erupted in dozens of American cities this weekend.

In Washington, where protesters raged outside the White House, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said the groups seemed, at the least, organized to destroy with tools to break windows and distribute materials.

John Miller, the NYPD's deputy commissioner of intelligence and counterterrorism, said the NYPD has a 'high degree of confidence anarchist groups planned violent interactions and vandalism'.

'Complex network of scouts were in place to direct breakaway groups to commit vandalism with rocks and accelerants,' he said.

And in tweets Sunday, Trump blamed anarchists and the media for fueling violence. Attorney General William Barr pointed a finger at 'far left extremist' groups. Police chiefs and politicians accused outsiders of coming in and causing the problems.

Tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets across America again Sunday, with peaceful demonstrations against police killings of black people overshadowed by unrest that ravaged cities from Philadelphia to Los Angeles and flared near the White House.

City and state officials deployed thousands of National Guard soldiers, enacted strict curfews and shut down mass transit systems to slow protesters' movements, but that did little to stop parts of many cities from again erupting into mayhem.

Protesters in Philadelphia hurled rocks and Molotov cocktails at police, officials said, while thieves in more than 20 California cities smashed their way into businesses and ran off with as much as they could carry — boxes of sneakers, armloads of clothes, and cellphones, TVs and other electronics.

In Minneapolis, where Floyd died, a tanker truck driver drove into a massive crowd of demonstrators, and the driver was arrested.

Tensions spiked outside the White House, the scene of three days of demonstrations, where police fired tear gas and stun grenades into a crowd of more than 1,000 chanting protesters across the street in Lafayette Park.

Meanwhile, experts who track extremist groups also reported seeing evidence of the far-right at work.

Investigators were also tracking online interference and looking into whether foreign agents were behind the effort.

Officials have seen a surge of social media accounts with fewer than 200 followers created in the last month, a textbook sign of a disinformation effort.

The investigations are an attempt to identify the network of forces behind some of the most widespread outbreak of civil unrest in the U.S. in decades.

Link to Article - Photos:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articl ... lence.html

[Anthea]

NYC has been lost to
looters and lowlife scum

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is refusing to call in the National Guard and claims the NYPD can handle the escalating chaos in the city if it does its job properly after being criticized by Trump for his 'weak' response to riots and looting



Monday night brought yet more looting across the city with crowds seizing on stores along Fifth Avenue, Herald Square, Astor Place, Soho, Union Square and Flatiron to steal goods.

Since the rioting began in New York City, more than 700 people have been arrested, according to NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea on Tuesday morning. A citywide curfew from 8pm until 5am is in place until Sunday.

Six people were injured last night including a police officer who was run over in the Bronx and there were a dozen shootings but none were involving police.

President Trump on Tuesday called on Cuomo to take tougher action and send in the National Guard, saying the city had been lost to 'lowlife scum' and 'thugs'.

The decision to send in the Guard rests with Cuomo and de Blasio but both are refusing to do it, saying the NYPD is better equipped to handle the situation even though they have lost control to crowds in the last 48 hours.

On Tuesday, Cuomo said neither the NYPD nor the Mayor did their job last night and that the result was a 'disgrace' but he believes the situation will improve if the cops are deployed 'properly'.

De Blasio has not said how many extra cops he will put on the streets, if any. On Tuesday he just said he would deploy 'additional resources' where they are needed. NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea said on Tuesday: 'They are doing the best they can under incredibly difficult circumstances. We will not allow this city to regress.

'We will protect all citizens of this city. You can have faith in us.' He said cops were 'putting their lives on the line so people could protest against them.'

In the meantime, stores that were not targeted on Monday night have been boarding up their windows and doors in anticipation of more carnage.

The unrest comes just days before New York City's long-awaited planned reopening after spending three months in strict lockdown to battle coronavirus.

Camera and Computers on 34th Street was looted last night after crowds seized on Macy's in Herald Square and other stores in the iconic shopping district

Workers survey the damage inside Camera and Computers on 34th Street after the looting on Monday night

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Luxury stores on Fifth Avenue were boarded up on Tuesday morning in anticipation of more chaos after another violent night

Cartier and Versace had all been entirely boarded up on Tuesday morning. Stores further down Fifth Avenue were ransacked

Valentino was boarded up on Tuesday morning as the curfew across New York City was brought forward from 11pm until 8pm and extended until Sunday

On Tuesday morning, luxury stores further along Fifth Avenue boarded up their windows in anticipation of more violence

A broken off piece of a souvenir Statue of Liberty after looters ransacked the store at Times Square on Monday night

The Puma store on Fifth Avenue was being boarded up on Tuesday morning

Stores near Rockefeller Center, which saw large crowds gather last night but largely avoided looting, boarding up windows on Tuesday morning

The looters targeted stores all over Manhattan, ransacking several retailers in each location, before police arrived. These are just some of the known locations they targeted

Urban Outfitters was one of several stores his at Herald Square. Shown, the aftermath on Tuesday morning

Inside Urban outfitters at Herald Square after it was trashed by looters on Monday night despite a city-wide curfew

Smashed windows outside Duane Reade on Tuesday morning after another night of violence. Pictured, Duane Reade on Broadway between 35th and 36th street
CUOMO AND DE BLASIO: WE CAN HANDLE IT

Both Gov. Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio claimed that they do not need to send in the National Guard because the NYPD can handle the escalating chaos across the city.

De Blasio said on Tuesday at his press conference: 'We do not need nor do we think it's wise, for the National Guard to be deployed in NYC because they're not trained for the dynamic here.'

He also said that New Yorkers and NYPD were 'one' and that anyone who attacked cops would be punished.

Cuomo took a tougher stance, saying the NYPD did not do its job last night or the night before and that it had to change its tactics.

He wants to see more of them on the streets.

'They have protected the city before in these situations, I've seen them do it before so I know they can do it because I have seen them do it.

'They did not do it last night, that is true, but I believe in the inherent capacity of the NYPD if managed and if deployed.

'That's what hasn't worked and that has to be fixed today. Stop the looting. I do believe the NYPD well deployed, wouldn't need the National Guard. They are trained to do this.'

Commissioner Dermot Shea defended his officers, saying: 'They are doing the best they can under incredibly difficult circumstances. We will not allow this city to regress.

'We will protect all citizens of this city. You can have faith in us.'

'The Mayor of New York City says he doesn't need the National Guard or think they'll be helpful and he can do it with the NYPD.

'First, the NYPD and the Mayor did not do their job last night.

'Look at the videos. It was a disgrace.

'I believe the Mayor underestimates the scope of the problem, the duration of the problem and I don't think they've used enough police to address the situation.

'It is inarguable that it was not addressed last night,' Cuomo said.

He went on: 'The Mayor has said he can handle it with the NYPD.

'My option is to displace the Mayor of NYC and bring in the National Guard, in a state of emergency, and basically take over.

'You would have to take over the Mayor's job. I don't think we're at that point.

'That would be such a chaotic situation in the midst of an already chaotic situation.

'I don't think that makes any sense,' he said, adding that it hadn't been done in 100 years.

Instead, he said, the NYPD had to change tactics. 'You have 38,000 NYPD.

'They have protected the city before in these situations, I've seen them do it before so I know they can do it because I have seen them do it.

'They did not do it last night, that is true, but I believe in the inherent capacity of the NYPD if managed and if deployed.

'That's what hasn't worked and that has to be fixed today. Stop the looting.

'I do believe the NYPD well deployed, wouldn't need the National Guard. They are trained to do this.'

De Blasio earlier said: 'We do not need nor do we think it's wise, for the National Guard to be deployed in NYC because they're not trained for the dynamic here.'

Cuomo also said they did not have the right training and that the NYPD was better suited to the job.

In his tweet, Trump said: 'The Governor refuses to accept my offer of a dominating National Guard.

'NYC was ripped to pieces. Likewise, Fredo’s ratings are down 50%!'

His reference was not just to Gov. Cuomo but to his younger brother, CNN Anchor Chris Cuomo, too.

Gov. Cuomo is in charge of enlisting the National Guard if needed, not Trump. Yesterday, Cuomo said 13,000 troops were on standby but they had not yet been mobilized. Twenty other states have put theirs in action.

Mayor Bill de Blasio has extended New York City's curfew to last through the week from 8pm until 5am.

The carnage at nightfall came after a day in which thousands protested peacefully across the city over the death of George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man who was killed in Minneapolis last Monday when a police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes.

Kmart at Astor Place was looted on Monday night

Warehouse Wines and Spirits at Broadway and Astor Place boarded up its doors and windows after being looted

CVS at 51 Astor Place boarded up its windows in anticipation of more riots

The Adidas store in Broadway, Soho, on Tuesday

The inside of a Verizon store that was ransacked on Tuesday morning

Looters stuck political stickers demanding that Trump and Pence be ousted to the cashier of the Verizon store

A discarded pair of shoes in the street from a shoe store in Union Square that was looted on Monday night

Stores along Fifth Avenue were trashed including some between 18th and 25th Street in the Flatiron district

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Macy's had been entirely boarded up by Tuesday afternoon to prevent further looting

Ann Taylor on Fifth Avenue between 21st and 22nd Street on Tuesday morning after a violent night of looting

Another store boarded up near Union Square on Tuesday morning

Zara on Fifth Avenue in Flatiron was boarded up on Tuesday morning

Saks Fifth Avenue, the iconic department store, was boarded up entirely on Tuesday morning

In the week since, distress has erupted across America as Black Lives Matters protesters fend off violent responses from police forces trying to disperse them and looters and rioters cash in on the chaos.

President Trump has only inflamed tensions by threatening to deploy the military across the country unless state governors crack down further.

On Monday night, he finally emerged from the White House after keeping himself hidden away over the weekend to walk to a church for a photo-opp with a bible.

In order for him to get there, police rained tear gas and rubber bullets on a crowd of peaceful protesters.

New York City's 11pm curfew was announced yesterday afternoon by Gov. Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio. It is the first time the city has imposed a curfew since the 1940s but it did little to stop the looters.

Sephora on Fifth Avenue on the Flatiron District of New York City on Tuesday after being ransacked

The Staples on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan's Flatiron District was also smashed up by looters

Looters descended on Herald Square on Monday night to steal from Macy's among other stores in a second night of unrest

A man could be seen running out of Paul & Shark on Madison Avenue and 61st Street clutching piles of clothing. Smashed glass covered the floor after the storefront was smashed

The Lego Store next to Madison Square Park was also hit. One person could be seen running out with large boxes last night

An AT&T store on Tuesday morning after being ransacked by looters

A Duane Reade Express in Midtown on Monday night in the second night of looting in New York City

Nordstrom Rack at Union Square was also ransacked by looters

A CVS on Monday night after being looted

A man hands out shoes taken from the Ugg Store in Soho on Monday night

NYPD officers arrested more than 200 people across the city on Monday night

Long before 11pm, crowds were smashing store fronts along Fifth Avenue.

NYPD CHIEF WHO TOOK KNEE WITH PROTESTERS SAYS GOOD COPS ARE 'PAYING THE PRICE' FOR OTHERS' RACISM

NYPD Chief of Department Terence Monahan has said that good cops were 'paying the price' for others' racism and that bigotry had no place in the NYPD.

Monahan yesterday took a knee with protesters in Union Square Park after they asked him to join them.

'There's not a police officer here that thinks Minnesota was justified. We stand with you,' he said.

NYPD Chief of Department Terence Monahan on Monday in Union Square

He later hugged protesters and told them to 'be safe'.

In an interview with CBS This Morning on Tuesday, he said: 'What happened in Minnesota was an outrage, completely and totally.

'But 800,000 law enforcement officers around this country are paying the price for what that guy did in Minnesota'.

He went on to say he understands the protesters' anger.

'Protest, yell, scream, let your rage out, but don't take your rage out on the community, destroy the businesses that actually employ members of this community.'

Upmarket fashion store Michael Kors on Fifth Avenue was among the luxury outlets hit, along with Nike and Lego.

Groups of young people moved from block to block around the district - usually bustling with tourists but deserted due to the coronavirus - with entire streets blocked by police.

On Tuesday morning, Mayor de Blasio extended the curfew in New York City to be in effect until Sunday morning.

He fumed at 'criminals' who had attacked NYPD officers and also said he had 'faith' in the city to overcome the crisis but that there were bad actors trying to 'divide' it.

De Blasio - whose own daughter was arrested on Saturday night at one protest - also said that he had concerns of a second wave of coronavirus cases with so many people gathering.

In an interview with NY1 at 9.40pm, Mayor Bill de Blasio claimed in the same breath that while the city had a 'real problem', it was 'fully under control'.

'We have a small situation with a small number of people doing looting, trying to take advantage of what they see around the country and this moment, and we're doing a defense against it and a very strong one – thousands of police officers and now we’re going to impose the curfew earlier.

'But I’m not just going to accept a misunderstanding of what’s happening in the city.

'The city is fully under control and overwhelmingly calm and peaceful. That's just reality. I'm seeing it with my own eyes,' he said.

Pictures and videos taken across the city tell a different story.

An NYPD official told DailyMail.com on Tuesday morning that there were more than a dozen shootings around the city last night.

Six people were hospitalized but he would not give a breakdown of how many were cops and how many were civilians.

Tuesday night's strategy, the mayor said, is to impose a curfew before it gets dark.

'He said he and Cuomo - who were criticized for making the curfew so late to begin with - wanted to give people an opportunity to get home on Monday night.

'Except for a few hours last night, we had not seen any of this kind of activity of large-scale breaking into stores – again, not something we've historically seen in New York City – and we wanted to give people time to get home, we wanted to bring it in in a manner that certainly did not disrupt people in communities, and that we thought would be an effective tool.

'But it’s just, we're seeing too much of this activity tonight.

'So, the idea of going to 8:00 PM is it’s still light out.

'And that's really what we saw this evening and last night, is when it got dark is when people attempted to do this kind of activity.

'So, we're going to just take the next obvious steps and have a curfew that begins while it's still light out at 8:00 PM tomorrow,' he said.

Looters break into Macy's in Manhattan before stealing items

One person is lead away by police officers wearing helmets on the seventh night of unrest sparked by the death of George Floyd

One man is held down on the floor by police officers who arrested those who broke New York City's 11pm to 5am curfew last night

Looters ransacked Manhattan's designer stores overnight as New York City's 11pm curfew failed to stop people smashing windows and running off with hundreds of dollars of merchandise. Pictured: Looters raid a Balenciaga store in Manhattan last night

A man is arrested by cops after curfew in New York City during protests over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis

Flagship Macy's department store was also targeted despite having been boarded up. Pictured: The store bordered up

Police arrested numerous people for breaking curfew in New York City last night during a protest demanding justice of George Floyd

Video showed alleged looters being lead out of Macy's in Herald Square on the seventh night of unrest in the US

A man was lead away by police after he was arrested during the protest last night. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio imposed a curfew on all residents apart from essential workers, anyone seeking medical attention and the homeless yesterday

A protester is arrested by police officers for breaking curfew on Eight Avenue in New York City last night

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The glass windows at G-Star Raw in Manhattan were seriously damaged in the looting last night on the seventh night of unrest

Horrific moment looters plow straight into a NYPD officer with their SUV in Greenwich Village after ransacking cell phone store amid George Floyd protests

An NYPD officer was left injured on Monday morning after he was run over by an SUV driven by looters who had just ransacked a Manhattan cell phone repair store, authorities have said.

Surveillance video shows a group of seven assailants running along Fifth Avenue and 8th Street in Greenwich Village at 3:30am, carrying various items in their arms having just broken into the I Fix Screens cell phone store nearby.

Some of the assailants then jump into a red Ford Explorer that had been waiting for them in the street. An NYPD van monitoring the situation from behind then speeds towards the SUV, before pulling alongside it to try and box it in.

An NYPD officer is seen getting out from the passenger side of the marked vehicle when the SUV drives away, running over the officer in its path and hauling him onto the hood of the car.

Shocking moment looters run over cop trying to stop them fleeing

The assailants then fled the scene. Meanwhile, paramedics were called and the officer was taken to Bellevue Hospital Center in stable condition with injuries to his legs, authorities said.

The brazen crime came during a night of looting and protests in the city over the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police last week.

Surveillance footage also shows the group of young men kicking in the front door of the I Fix Screens store, ransacking the stockroom and shelves before fleeing.

No arrests have been made and the incident remains under investigation.

The SUV that struck the officer was a late model Ford Explorer with temporary Wisconsin plates, police have said. Another car, a late model Honda Accord with New Jersey plates, was seen fleeing from the scene.

The NYPD released the surveillance images of the looters on Tuesday in the hope that members of the public will help to identify them, offering a reward of up to $2500 for any information that leads to their arrests.

Anyone with information regarding the identity of the suspects or their whereabouts are urged to contact NYPD Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS.

Cop is beaten by rioters on the streets of New York as looters defy curfew to ransack Manhattan stores again and another officer is run over on seventh night of unrest sparked by the killing of George Floyd

A police officer was brutally beaten by protesters on the streets of New York City as unrest sparked by the killing of George Floyd continues.

Shocking footage shows the NYPD cop being held down on the sidewalk as a man repeatedly hits him with a large object.

An onlooker - who is filming the attack in the Bronx - yells 'f*** 12', slang criticising the police's drug enforcement unit.

A second video, which was also taken in the Bronx last night, appears to show a cop being hit by a car as it charges straight into him before rapidly driving away.

The cop can be seen lying on the floor before an ambulance quickly pulls up.

It came on the same night that looters ransacked Manhattan's designer stores as New York City's 11pm curfew failed to stop people smashing windows and running off with piles of merchandise.

White police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on Floyd's neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds last week. Floyd passed out and later died.

His death is seen as a symbol of systemic police brutality against African-Americans sparking outrage and largely-peaceful protests country-wide.

But looters hit New York City again last night in what that many have labelled an opportunistic grab for goods at a time of national crisis.

It follows similar scenes on Sunday night in which people ransacked Soho and stores on Fifth Avenue in an orchestrated attack.

In response to Sunday's unrest, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio imposed a curfew on all residents apart from essential workers, anyone seeking medical attention and the homeless.

But the measures did not quell the violence last night and, as a result, the curfew will start three-hours earlier at 8pm on Tuesday.

NYPD officer gets attacked by protestors in the Bronx

Link to Article - Lots of Photos:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articl ... ciaga.html

[Anthea]

Looting is a well organised business

Looters in New York City were dropped off in luxury cars with power tools and suitcases before being picked up and driven to next location, according to eyewitnesses

Police are said to be looking into numerous reports the rioters were organized and are now checking license plate numbers of vehicles that dropped groups off. Some are even said to have used a stolen U-Haul to carry out their crimes.

One witness to the 'organized looting was Carla Murphy, who lives in Manhattan. She told ABC: 'Cars would drive up, let off the looters, unload power tools and suitcases and then the cars would drive away.'

Protests were largely peaceful Tuesday and the nation's streets were calmer than they have been in days since the killing of George Floyd set off sometimes violent demonstrations against police brutality and injustice against African Americans.

Murphy added: 'Then the cars would come back pick them up and then drive off to the next spot. They seemed to know exactly where they were going.

'Some of the people were local, but there were a lot of out-of-towners.'

NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea said Wednesday that police are 'up against organized looters' who are 'strategically placing caches of bricks & rocks at locations throughout NYC'.

He added: 'The U-Haul truck, that did happen. We see a number of vehicles to transport stolen property, to scout out locations, to transport people to commit these crimes.'

Local leaders and business owners in Washington, California and Chicago have also suggested the looters were part of organized crime rings there.

One photo shows a trunk full of Nike trainers after looters raided a Foot Locker store in New York City Monday

Organized looters have strategically placing rocks throughout NYC

Videos from New York City, pictured, Kansas City, Dallas and Fayetteville in North Carolina all appear to show piles of bricks placed in the middle of protests

Another eyewitness, Jarrod Jordan, told The New York Post: 'This is a real business. This isn’t angry protesters in any way shape or form. This is organized crime happening really, really well.'

Jordan says he has witnessed Bentleys and Mercedes arriving on the scene to scout out areas to target; the return later with tools and people to loot.

He added: 'When the looters looted, they filled up the cars and the cars drove so the looters have their hands free to go on to the next place. The looters are just a bunch of young kids recruited to do the boss’ work.'

An NBC producer filmed men pulling up luxury cars before they appeared to ransack stores in Manhattan during a fifth night of rioting after the killing of George Floyd.

Keith Feldman posted a video on Twitter of men getting out of expensive cars, one of which was claimed to be a $500,000 Rolls Royce.

They were then seen running through the smashed-in door of a store in Soho - where outlets have been plundered of designer goods in recent days - and emerging with armfuls of products.

The thefts took place despite an 8pm curfew which was in place in Manhattan.

Feldman wrote above his Tweet: 'Looters are literally pulling up in nice cars and cleaning out stores in #Soho. What #Curfew?'

Another user then retweeted his video and said: 'That's a $500,000 Rolls Royce on the right, incredible.'

NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea said Wednesday that police are 'up against organized looters' who are 'strategically placing caches of bricks & rocks at locations throughout NYC'

Shea added: 'The U-Haul truck, that did happen. We see a number of vehicles to transport stolen property, to scout out locations, to transport people to commit these crimes'

Local leaders in Washington, California and Chicago have also suggested the looters were part of organized crime rings.

Bellevue’s Police Chief Steve Mylett said Monday: 'There are groups paying these looters money to come in and they’re getting paid by the broken window.'

In Santa Monica, California,restaurant owner Jeffrey Merrihue, told CBS: 'They were very well organized, they came with duffel bags, SUVs.

'They went from shop to shop. They went in, cleared out with full duffel bags, another SUV would pull up. It was very impressive actually, to be honest.'

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said the looting there was 'organized and choreographed'.

In one video, two men in hooded tops and masks are seen getting out of a luxury SUV in front of the Rolls Royce, which has its door open

An NBC producer filmed men pulling up luxury cars before they appeared to ransack stores in Manhattan during a fifth night of rioting after the killing of George Floyd

Looters ran over a New York Police Department officer in Greenwich Village trying to stop them driving away after robbing a store

And pallets of bricks have also 'randomly' appeared during protests across the US this weekend, sparking theories they were planted to stoke violence.

Videos from New York City, Kansas City, Dallas and Fayetteville in North Carolina all appear to show piles of bricks in the middle of protests.

NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea said Monday 'there is evidence of an organization at times behind some of these activities'.

And US Officials had already said they were investigating whether extremist groups have infiltrated police brutality protests.

Authorities are said to be looking into whether these groups deliberately tipped the demonstrations towards violence after chaos erupted in dozens of American cities this weekend.

John Miller, the NYPD's deputy commissioner of intelligence and counterterrorism, said the NYPD has a 'high degree of confidence anarchist groups planned violent interactions and vandalism'.

'Complex network of scouts were in place to direct breakaway groups to commit vandalism with rocks and accelerants,' he said.

As demonstrations spread from Minneapolis to the White House, New York City and overseas, federal law enforcement officials insisted far-left groups were stoking violence.

Meanwhile, experts who track extremist groups also reported seeing evidence of the far-right at work.

Officials have seen a surge of social media accounts with fewer than 200 followers created in the last month, a textbook sign of a disinformation effort.

The investigations are an attempt to identify the network of forces behind some of the most widespread outbreak of civil unrest in the U.S. in decades.

Looters broke into Zara near the World Trade Center, Nordstrom Rack on 6th Avenue, fought with Guardian Angels at Foot Locker in the East Village and stores were also targeted in Soho again.

People are arrested for looting in New York City last night as police swooped on people who broke the city's curfew

A man could be seen running out of Paul & Shark clutching piles of clothing. Smashed glass covered the floor after the storefront was smashed

Looters were seen piling into a Coach store in Manhattan's Fifth Avenue on the seventh night of unrest sparked by the killing of George Floyd

There was a marked quiet compared with the unrest of the past few nights, which included fires and shootings in some cities. Many cities intensified their curfews, with authorities in Washington also ordering people off streets before sundown.

Trump, meanwhile, amplified his hard-line calls from Monday, when he threatened to send in the military to restore order if governors didn't do it.

'NYC, CALL UP THE NATIONAL GUARD,' he tweeted. 'The lowlifes and losers are ripping you apart. Act fast!'

The great NYPD round-up: Cops hold 5,000 Brooklyn protesters on Manhattan Bridge and make 280 arrests in no-nonsense crackdown - but Saks takes matters into own hands with private security, guard dogs and RAZOR WIRE to stop looters

The NYPD cracked down on Tuesday night by arresting more than 280 people and blocking 5,000 protesters from entering Manhattan by holding them up on the Manhattan Bridge while enforcing the 8pm curfew.

It remains unclear if all 280 were arrested for breaking the curfew or if other offenses, like looting, were included in that number but it is a drastic reduction from the 700 that were arrested by Tuesday morning after a frightening 48-hour period that saw entire shopping districts in the city ransacked and ruined.

The curfew was brought forward from 11pm to 8pm on Tuesday and has been extended until Monday morning - when New York City begins its phase 1 of reopening after recovering from being the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic.

In response to the chaos that unfolded across Manhattan on Sunday and Monday night and growing criticism over the city's handling of it.

President Trump was among critics who said the city was 'totally out of control' and claimed the National Guard needed to be brought in.

After scrambling to keep up with looters on Monday night, NYPD officers - who all had their leave canceled on Tuesday - were seen arresting protesters for breaking curfew on Tuesday all over Manhattan.

They blocked a huge protest on the Manhattan Bridge, stopping some 5,000 marchers who planned to enter the city from Brooklyn.

After holding the protesters on the bridge for more than two hours in a tense stand-off, the protesters retreated peacefully back into Brooklyn.

Some businesses, still unwilling to put their faith in the NYPD, have hired private security.

Saks Fifth Avenue on Wednesday was surrounded by a militia of private, armed guards. They held dogs on leashes and stood in front of plywood walls that had been reinforced with razor wire to protect the luxury department store.

'Anyone who is out and cannot prove they are there for essential reasons can be detained,' Mayor de Blasio said on Wednesday morning, warning against anyone who thinks they can flout the curfew.

Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Wednesday that the situation overnight was a vast improvement on the previous 48 hours.

Trump claimed on Tuesday that the city was 'totally out of control'. On Wednesday, he said the National Guard was 'ready'.

Gov. Cuomo was hesitant to call in the Guard as was de Blasio. They both said the NYPD could handle it in a better way.

Dozens of people were seen being taken away in paddy wagons as NYPD cracked down on curfew-violators

On Wednesday, Cuomo said: 'New York City last night was much better. The police officers had the resources and capacity to do their jobs. The results last night were much, much better than the night before.

'The people of New York City should feel much better today than they did after the night of looting.'

Ten protests are scheduled to take place across the city between 1pm and 7pm, including one at Gracie Mansion, where de Blasio lives.

The calmer scenes in New York City were echoed across much of America where protesters once again turned out in force but the confrontations with police were subdued and widespread rioting was limited.

Link to Article - Photos:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articl ... ation.html

Did anyone doubt looters were organised

[Anthea]

New charges over George Floyd's death

Floyd's death has sparked huge protests against racism and the police killings of black Americans

Sadly, nobody seems to care about all the black children killed or seriously injured by other black children

New charges have been announced against all of the sacked police officers present at the death of African American George Floyd in Minneapolis.

The charge against Derek Chauvin has been elevated to second-degree murder, court documents show.

The other three officers, previously uncharged, face counts of aiding and abetting murder.

Floyd's death has sparked huge protests across the US against racism and the police killings of black Americans.

The vast majority of demonstrations over the past eight days have been peaceful, but some have turned violent and curfews have been imposed in a number of cities.

Announcing the new charges, Minnesota's Attorney General Keith Ellison said that they were in the interests of justice.

Derek Chauvin had initially faced charges of third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. These will stay on his charge sheet.

The other three sacked officers are Thomas Lane, J Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao. They all face charges of aiding and abetting second-degree murder, and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter.

Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar said on Twitter that the latest charges were "another important step for justice".

Floyd family lawyer Benjamin Crump said in a statement: "This is a significant step forward on the road to justice and we are gratified that this important action was brought before George Floyd's body was laid to rest."

But he later told CNN that the family believed the charge against Derek Chauvin should be first-degree murder and that they had been told that the investigation was ongoing and the charges could change further.

At a press briefing, rights activist Rev Al Sharpton said that the Floyd case must lead to a national federal act.

He said: "If we come out of all this and do not have federal legislation where we can protect citizens from local policing... then all of this is drama to no end. Drama in the street must be geared to fundamental legal change."

What did the attorney general say?

Mr Ellison said he was under no illusion that bringing a successful prosecution against the former police officers would be difficult.

"Winning a conviction will be hard. History does show there are clear challenges," he said.

Only one officer in Minnesota has been convicted of killing a civilian while serving in the role.
Attorney General Keith Ellison spells out the charges Image copyright Reuters

Mr Ellison said George Floyd was "loved by his family, his life had value" and that "we will seek justice for you and we will find it".

He said bringing justice to society more generally would be slow and difficult work and that Americans did not have to wait for the end of the Floyd case to start that work.

"We need to rewrite the rules for a just society now," he said.

What do the charges mean?

First- and second-degree murder under Minnesota law require proof that the defendant intended to kill. First-degree in most cases requires premeditation, with second-degree more related to crimes of passion.

A third-degree murder conviction would not require proof that the defendant wanted the victim to die, only that their actions were dangerous and were carried out without regard to human life.

A second-degree murder conviction can carry a sentence of up to 40 years, 15 longer than for third-degree.

What's the background?

George Floyd, 46, was stopped by police investigating the purchase of cigarettes with counterfeit money on 25 May in Minneapolis.

A video showed Floyd being arrested and a white police officer continuing to kneel on his neck for several minutes even after he pleaded that he could not breathe.

Protests erupted and have continued since, across many US cities and also internationally, with rallies on Wednesday in Australia, France, the Netherlands and in the UK, where thousands gathered in central London.

The Floyd case follows 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.

For many, the outrage over Floyd's death also reflects years of frustration over socio-economic inequality and discrimination.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-52915019

[Anthea]

Too many protests with little or no social distancing

[Anthea]

Time to face facts

The main cause of deaths among young black men in both the UK and the US, is young black men

The US has a really long term problems with racism, the UK does not

In the US things came to a head during World War 2 when American troops were divided along racial grounds and had to be retrained to deal with UK multi cultural troops and society

By the time of the Vietnam war, the US armed forces had been desegregated, though in actual fact 96% of the Navy and Air force troops were white

Whereas, 96% of young black men were on the front line, sharing accommodation; food; social life; fighting and dying alongside young white men in the Army and Marines

However, when returning to the US many white men were treated as heroes, black returnees rediscovered segregation

Though they were deemed good enough to fight and die alongside their white counterparts, they were not able to obtain jobs or accommodation

The above caused a great deal of resentment and I believe the main reason for the growth of Black Power movements

Many soldiers, both black and white, brought weapons back with them as souvenirs

Drugs became a feature within the black neighbourhoods

Come forward to 2020

The US has many black neighbourhoods where people live in fear, much worse than anything we have in the UK

Areas where the inhabitants live with the daily sound of gunshots and drive-bys are a regular occurrence, children cannot play outside, everyone lives in fear, armed gangs are in total control

Almost everyone carries a gun and there is excessive violence from both the police and black males

BUT black males are not the only one killed by the police, white males have also been killed but not such a high percentage

People shot to death by US police

2017
457 white
223 black

2018
399 white
209 black

2019
370 white
235 black

As you see a much higher percentage of black people are killed

We need to get guns off the streets

I believe that there should be a law prohibiting the carrying of weapons outside the home and all those protesting should start the ball rolling by giving up their weapons and protest against the carrying of weapons

[Anthea]

Why We Never Talk About
Black-on-Black Crime:

An Answer to White America’s Most Pressing Question

You’ve heard it before. It is the most frequent response to any accusation of police brutality. It is the repeated sleight of hand used to distract and drown out the voices of Black Lives Matter. It is an oft-used “alt-right” refrain and a sincere query from curious white questioners. It is the weapon of choice for the black practitioners of respectability politics and the favorite follow-up for people who frame their arguments with the preamble, “Not all white people ... ”

Why don’t black people ever talk about black-on-black crime?

Instead of rejecting the entire notion as a method of deflection and privilege, we will attempt to formally dismiss the conversation forever by laying out the facts about why white America never hears us talk about black-on-black crime.

It’s not a thing.

According to the FBI’s uniform crime-reporting data for 2016, 90.1 percent of black victims of homicide were killed by other blacks, while 83.5 percent of whites were killed by other whites. While no life is inconsequential, the statistical evidence shows that—just as for blacks when it comes to black-on-black crime—whites are mostly victimized by other whites, with the vast majority of white murders committed by whites. This is because most victims of crime personally know their assailants. And while this is a truth across racial boundaries, no one ever talks about “white-on-white crime.”

Imagine the head of Homeland Security walking up to the microphone to hold a press conference after a horrific terrorist attack, but when reporters start asking him about stopping terrorism and catching the culprits, he begins talking about texting and driving.

Sounds stupid, right?

But distracted driving kills more Americans each year than terrorism (and black-on-black crime), according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, so, according to the advocates of conversations about black-on-black crime, we should be discussing this first.

It is true that the vast majority of black murders are committed by black men, and we should do something to combat that statistic (we will get to that later, I promise), but that fact has nothing to do with state violence. When anyone interrupts a discussion about Black Lives Matter by bringing up black-on-black crime, it sounds as stupid as if a doctor addressed a cancerous brain tumor by asking about domestic violence, or if America’s highest-ranking government official addressed white supremacist Nazi-palooza by talking about the so-called alt-left and the “very fine” tiki-torch carriers.

No one would ever be that stupid.
We actually do talk about it ... all the time.

It is perfectly understandable why white America assumes that black people don’t talk about black-on-black crime. However, the reason they make this assumption dates to a quote found in recently uncovered papers from an unnamed woman archaeological and historical researchers refer to as “Grandmama”:

“It ain’t none of their damn business.”

The reality is, in neighborhoods and cities across America, there are countless organizations, activists and movements dedicated to curbing violence in black communities. The number of “Stop the Violence” marches dwarfs the demonstrations against police brutality.

Unity rallies and peace picnics happen every day. Scared Straight programs for at-risk youths, gang counseling, neighborhood watches, intervention specialists, youth counselors, and too many other people and groups to name all lead the charge against crime and violence.

But those efforts don’t make the evening news because they aren’t as salacious as people blocking traffic and protesting; nor do they serve the preconceived white confirmation bias. Besides, there’s no way white people would know about this unless they stopped deflecting with trite questions and instead actually went into a minority neighborhood to selflessly join the effort to address the problems plaguing ...

OK, you can stop laughing now.
OK, let’s talk about black-on-black crime.

Both sociologists and criminologists agree that violent crime is a complex socioeconomic phenomenon. Generally speaking, research shows that poor people commit the most crime: According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, during the period from 2008 through 2012, “persons in poor households at or below the federal poverty level (FPL) (39.8 per 1,000) had more than double the rate of violent victimization as persons in high-income households (16.9 per 1,000) ... The overall pattern of poor persons having the highest rates of violent victimization was consistent for both whites and blacks.”

Knowing this, the small difference in crime rates can easily be explained by income disparity. Maybe the question should be why are such a large percentage of black people poor?

As a matter of fact, if we are going to derail a conversation about black lives to talk about black-on-black crime, there are a few other questions we should answer first:

Why is the rate of violence actually higher among poor, urban whites? Why don’t we ever discuss the economic impact of redlining and segregation on rates of violence?

If we are going to discuss the number of black people killed by blacks, should we discuss the number of white people murdered, raped and assaulted by fellow whites? Will this conversation include a debate about how blacks are arrested, incarcerated and sentenced for longer periods than whites for committing the same crimes?

Are you willing to detour into a brief explanation of why schools with large percentages of blacks are underfunded even though they have the same tax base and incomes? Do you have time to talk about the wage gap? Unemployment disparities?

All of these factors contribute to crime rates. So if you want to have a conversation about black-on-black crime, you should be careful, because, like most conversations about race, it will end up back in the same place:

theroot.com

[Anthea]

UK anti-racism protests

Thousands of people have joined anti-racism demonstrations across the UK

The protests, sparked by the death of George Floyd in the US, are being held in cities including London, Manchester, Cardiff, Leicester and Sheffield.

In London, protesters knelt for a minute's silence before chanting "no justice, no peace" and "black lives matter".

The protests went ahead despite officials advising against mass gatherings due to coronavirus.

Home Secretary Priti Patel said the social distancing advice was "for the safety of all of us", while Met Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick said the protests were "unlawful".

The vast majority of the day's protests were peaceful.

But later in the evening, as demonstrators dispersed in London, there were disturbances outside Downing Street.

Earlier thousands of people gathered in the capital, the majority donning face coverings and many with gloves.

Some held signs making reference to coronavirus, including one which read: "There is a virus greater than Covid-19 and it's called racism".

Meanwhile, in Northern Ireland, police said they had issued "a significant number" of fines given the dangers of crowds in the pandemic.

Protests began in the US after a video emerged of Mr Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, being arrested by four officers on 25 May in Minneapolis.

Videos showed Mr Floyd, who was unarmed and in handcuffs, dying after a white policeman knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes. The footage - seen all around the world - showed him gasping that he could not breathe.

An officer has been charged with murder while three of his colleagues stand accused of aiding and abetting the killing.
Protesters hold up placards in Cardiff Image copyright Getty Images
Image caption In Cardiff, black protesters held up placards saying "my life matters" and "I can't breathe"
Boxer Anthony Joshua joined protesters in Watford Image copyright Reuters
Image caption Boxer Anthony Joshua joined protesters in Watford, Hertfordshire

At a protest in his hometown of Watford, Britain's world heavyweight champion boxer Anthony Joshua told the crowds: "We can no longer sit back and remain silent on this senseless, unlawful killing and sly racism on another human being."

In central London, protesters dropped to one knee and raised their fists in the air outside the US embassy amid chants of "silence is violence" and "colour is not a crime".

Sarah Law, a 27-year-old train manager, said there was a "great atmosphere" at the protest in London. She said: "I don't want my future children to experience what I have. It's time for us all to unite together regardless of our race and stand up for what is right."

Meanwhile, in Glasgow, anti-racism campaigners renamed streets that have links to the slave trade, replacing street signs with the names of enslaved Africans, black activists and victims of police brutality. Demonstrations are scheduled in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen on Sunday.

In Manchester about 15,000 protesters gathered at Piccadilly Gardens in the city centre, clapping in unison and holding placards bearing the initials BLM.

They gathered despite warnings from Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham that mass gatherings were "high risk" after fears coronavirus may be spreading rapidly again.

Elsewhere, several hundred people marched in Newcastle, while many more took part in an online protest organised in the north-east of England.

More protests took place across Europe on Saturday and others have begun in the US capital of Washington DC.

How Floyd's death resonated in the UK

As London's demonstration thinned out in the early evening, BBC correspondent Chi Chi Izundu said some demonstrators started throwing bottles outside Downing Street and a riderless police horse bolted, trampling a demonstrator.

Police said four people were arrested at the protest over the day.

In a tweet, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan told the protesters "I stand with you and I share your anger and your pain" and said the small minority of people who became violent "let down this important cause".

Meanwhile, police in Northern Ireland said organisers of the protests in Belfast and Londonderry will be reported to the Public Prosecution Service with a view to prosecution.

Organisers in Belfast had marked out social distancing measurements. PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Alan Todd said regulations must be adhered to as "these are not ordinary times".
Hundreds have attended protests in Cardiff to show their support with many wearing masks

O'Neall Rawle, a 27-year-old teacher from Leicester, said he was protesting "to hopefully spark some change".

"I'm protesting because I'm exhausted," he said. "Exhausted of having to 'accept' this way of life. Exhausted of being treated as a second class citizen. Exhausted of being portrayed as aggressive, loud and lazy. Exhausted of inequality."

'Knife edge'

Earlier, the home secretary said she understood people's views and why they wanted to protest but said public health took priority.

And speaking on LBC, Dame Cressida said she understood the strength of feeling but urged protesters to find a way of expressing themselves that did not involve mass gatherings.

She also said that police officers should not "take the knee" in solidarity with protesters.

What does the law say about protests?

Analysis by Reality Check

Coronavirus regulations for England don't specifically mention protests but do restrict "public gatherings" to no more than six people - that would make large protests illegal.

Police officers can hand out fixed-penalty notices (starting at £100) to people who won't follow the health regulations. They can also arrest and charge someone with an offence.

Whether they do this in practice is another matter and policing large protests during the coronavirus pandemic presents a challenge.

Dame Cressida has said officers will "seek to uphold the law" but will have to make a "case-by-case" decision on what to do.

She told the London Assembly on 3 June that if they had tried to enforce a mass dispersal at last weekend's protests, "we would probably have ended up with very serious disorder".

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-52949014

[Anthea]

Who are the Black Panthers?

Black Lives Matter protests see re-emergence of historic political group

The ongoing Black Lives Matter protests have seen the re-emergence of the Black Panthers group but just who are they and what do they stand for?

The year 2020 has seen the world get turned on its head.

Not only has the world been devastated by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic but the US has seen the largest protest movement and civil unrest in decades.

Following the death of George Floyd on May 25th, protests have taken place daily across the US and much of the rest of the world.

You can’t move on social media sites such as Twitter without seeing videos of clashes with aggressive police officers.

As such, there has been a re-emergence of one of the most famed, and at times controversial, political groups in US history, the Black Panthers.

But just who are the Black Panthers and what does the organisation stand for?



Who are the Black Panthers?

The Black Panther Party for Self-Defense was a black-led political activist group that was formed in October 1966 by students, Bobby Seale and Huey Newton, in Oakland, California.

The Black Panthers quickly gained popularity across the US and the wider world and featured notable members such as Malcolm X, Eldridge Cleaver and Stokely Carmichael (aka. Kwame Ture) who featured in the Spike Lee film BlacKkKlansman.

The group were famed for taking part in a range of anti-racist protest movements and campaigns.

One of the key functions of the Black Panthers was to support poor black communities and saw breakfast and meal programmes put in place to help feed the poorest children.

At the same time, the group is also somewhat controversial after a history of violent incidents and criminal activities.

Eventually, the popularity of the Black Panther movement died down and in 1982 the Black Panthers officially disbanded.



New Black Panthers emerge

As part of the ongoing Black Lives Matter protests, a number of groups have emerged, claiming to be a re-emergence of the Black Panther group that first originated in the 1960s.

Many of the images and videos of these new Black Panther members show them in military uniforms, often carrying guns.

This links back to the inception of the original Black Panthers as one of their key practices was ‘cop watching,’ patrolling the streets while heavily armed to monitor the behaviour of overly aggressive police officers and to challenge police brutality.

So…not only did this bring out the Amish, witches, gangs, the entire world, blacks, whites, etc…it has brought out:

THE NEW BLACK PANTHERS?!

Black Power is more dangerous than White Power because many Black Power groups hate white and mixed race people, they only want pure black people and now they are armed

In a previous riot, black only meetings took place where the meeting would not start until all the police and reporters left the building

During the meetings themselves there were many calls to KILL WHITE PEOPLE

Move this to present day UK where many black youths are often using drugs and are part of armed gangs...

[Anthea]

Now Black Lives Matter are attacking UK police and throwing things at police horses, they have lost my sympathy

The senseless protests, riots and looting have put the UK population at risk of fresh wave of the virus

Senseless, well yes because the UK does not have the same high levels of racism the US does

If Black Lives Matter

Yazidi Lives Matter a lot more but I do not see anyone protesting in favour of these INNOCENT people

Kurdish Lives Matter, but nobody cares about them either

And as for the INNOCENT native Americans

People cannot use slavery as an excuse to riot

Nazi Germans abducted approximately 12 million from 20 different European countries and used them as slave labour in factories

Many workers died as a result of their living conditions – extreme mistreatment, severe malnutrition, and worse tortures were the main causes of death

About 15 million men and women were forced labourers at one point during the war

Many famous companies benefited from slave labour, including BMW and Volkswagen but it has never stopped people buying their cars

Anyone ever drunk Fanta?

Fanta is a Nazi drink invented for Nazi troops when Germany was unable to produce coke due to lack of ingredients

The UK has many modern day slaves:

Many Africans bring in children pretending the child to be their own, when in fact they are child slave bought into the UK to work for wealthy African families

We have Africans who have been sent here to work and pay their money to slave masters under threat of what will happen back home to their families in Africa should they fail to pay

We also have a great many European sex slaves often controlled by Mafia, kept on drugs, tortured and beaten

Nail saloons have unpaid workers and are often subject to police raids

But we are not alone

Sex slaves are smuggled over the border into the US, where they spend their short lives high on drugs in brothels

I say ALL lives matter

But if there is going to be a Black Lives Matter Group then there has to be a

WHITE LIVES MATTER group

A lot of companies have had problems with POSITIVE DISCRIMINATION

I hate Positive Discrimination

In order for any company to flourish it needs to employ the best person for the job

Nobody I know wants to be the token black person in a company

Why are black people always made to feel different?

Black and Ethnic Minority Groups !?!

I will NEVER support loony left-wing groups, rioters, looters or those who attack UK police officers or their horses

Anyone got any question I will be glad to answer them