The in-custody death has resonated with protesters who marched to demand justice for yet another unarmed Black man getting killed by police.
Written By Bruce C.T. Wright
(Source NewsOne):
Protests against police violence continued well into their fifth straight night as outrage spread around the country following the in-custody death of George Floyd in Minneapolis on Memorial Day. From the east coast to the west coast and seemingly every major city in between, protesters set out to make their voices heard as simmering racial tensions were boiling over Saturday night.
This is important to hear the voices. When you listen to the voices of the #GeorgeFloydProtests you hear truth to power.
While it was a different night, the scenes were fairly similar to the protests from the nights before in that they included police apparently getting the green light to brutalize protesters with everything from their fists to tear gas to shooting rubber bullets at them.
The LAPD beating protesters with batons and shooting rubber bullets directly into the crowd. It’s BAD in Los Angeles. You can see the girl with the black top get injured… This started as a #BlackLivesMatter peaceful protest. UNREAL. #LosAngelesRiots #GeorgeFloyd
But it also included people damaging and setting police cars on fire, looting and vandalizing as conspiracy theories swirled about who was actually perpetrating those crimes.
There were multiple instances of police brutality at the protests, including in New York City where at least two NYPD vehicles were recorded on video appearing to intentionally ram protesters.
That followed similar reports from other protests of people being assaulted and pepper-sprayed by police without provocation, including Ohio Congresswoman Joyce Beatty during a demonstration in Columbus. The officers in that incident appeared in photos to have their body cameras covered by yellow tape.
This is one of those iconic photos that will go down in history when people talk about the protests. [The Columbus City Council President and County Commisioner shielding a 70-year-old Congress Woman as they all get maced by CPD.]#ColumbusProtest #BlackLivesMatter
All of this was unfolding as there was a growing notion on social media that the protesters without peaceful intentions were actually organized groups of white supremacists looking to encourage chaos. While there was no proof of that being true, there were accounts reported from protesters who described that scenario.
I’ve heard from enough people, been told enough stories, and seen enough chatter in the usual places to believe white supremacist accelerationists are operating in the shadows of the protests, catalyzing unrest, damaging property, and escalating tensions.
Saturday followed four previous nights of protests over the “murder” that Derek Chauvin is charged with committing last Monday. From California to Arizona to Louisville to New York and beyond, people took to their cities’ streets to protest police killings of Black people.
Protesters in Columbus, Ohio, were raging Thursday night.
