Mayor inaugurates 'Black Lives Matter Plaza' in DC with giant yellow letters
Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser declared part of a street that runs near the White House "Black Lives Matter Plaza" on Friday, inaugurating the new plaza with giant yellow letters and a brand-new street sign.
The city of Washington capped nearly a week of demonstrations against police brutality Friday by painting the words Black Lives Matter in enormous bright yellow letters on the street leading to the White House, a highly visible display of the local government's embrace of a protest movement that has put it even further at odds with President Donald Trump.
Mayor Muriel Bowser said the painting by city workers and local artists that spans two blocks is intended to send a message of support and solidarity to Americans outraged over the killing of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis.
It comes as the mayor has sparred with Trump over the response to the protests and as D.C. prepared for a demonstration on Saturday that was expected to bring tens of thousands of people into a city still under coronavirus restrictions.
“We know what’s going on in our country. There is a lot of anger. There is a lot of distrust of police and the government," the mayor said at a news conference. “There are people who are craving to be heard and to be seen and to have their humanity recognized. We had the opportunity to send that message loud and clear on a very important street in our city.”
The letters and an image of the city's flag stretch across the entire width of 16th Street to the north of Lafayette Square. The mural ends near St. John's Episcopal Church, where Trump staged a photo-op on Monday after officers in riot gear fired tear gas and charged demonstrators to make way for the president and his entourage.
A sign now identifies that section of 16th Street near the White House as “Black Lives Matter Plaza.”
Bowser has complained about the heavy-handed federal response to the protests and called for the removal of out-of-state National Guard troops.
She says the differences with the Trump administration highlight the need for the District of Columbia to be a state and have more control over its affairs. They may also reflect the fact that Trump is deeply unpopular in the district, where Hillary Clinton won about 90% of the vote in the 2016 presidential election.
While not addressing the painted mural, Trump continued his attacks on Bowser in tweets Friday.
“The incompetent Mayor of Washington, D.C., @MayorBowser, who's budget is totally out of control and is constantly coming back to us for ‘handouts,' is now fighting with the National Guard, who saved her from great embarrassment over the last number of nights," he tweeted. "If she doesn't treat these men and women well, then we'll bring in a different group of men and women!”
She shrugged off his criticism. “You know that thing about the pot and the kettle,” the mayor said at a news conference.
The local chapter of Black Lives Matter said it did not support painting the street and took a swipe at Bowser, who they see as insufficiently supportive of their efforts to combat abuses by the police.
“This is performative and a distraction from her active counter organizing to our demands to decrease the police budget and invest in the community,” it said on Twitter.
D.C. officials have longstanding grievances against the federal government.
Bowser and the D.C. Council have long resented Congress, which retains the right to alter and even reverse any city law. It was Congress, not Trump, that cost the District of Columbia more than $700 million in federal funding earlier this year by classifying it as a territory rather than a state in the first big coronavirus relief package.
But with Trump in office, Bowser’s relations with the White House seem to have eroded steadily over the past few years, finally developing into open public antipathy over the handling of the current protests.
Trump criticized Bowser and Washington’s Metropolitan Police Department for taking a soft touch with the protesters. He warned after the first night of protests that the Secret Service was ready to unleash “the most vicious dogs and the most ominous weapons I have ever seen” if protesters had managed to breach the security fence around the White House.
Bowser called Trump’s remarks “gross” and said the reference to attack dogs conjures up the worst memories of the nation’s fight against segregation.
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The public feud has escalated from there, with Trump essentially usurping Bowser’s authority by ordering multiple federal agencies and the entire 1,700-member D.C. National Guard contingent into the streets.
On Thursday, as the protests remained peaceful, Bowser ended a curfew imposed after people damaged buildings and broke into businesses over the weekend and Monday.
In recent days, thousands of demonstrators have marched peacefully between the White House, Capitol and Lincoln Memorial. Volunteers make their way through the mostly masked crowds offering spritzes of hand sanitizer, free water and snacks.
Metropolitan Police Department Chief Peter Newsham said there had been no arrests on Thursday and Friday related to the demonstrations. Bowser said she would decide Saturday morning if they would reinstate the curfew for the weekend demonstrations.
(AP)
Protests against the death of George Floyd in police custody on May 25 have erupted across the United States and around the world. But it is in South Carolina that George Floyd was born and where much of his family has lived for generations. His uncle Roger Floyd agreed to sit down with FRANCE 24 in a quiet hotel room away from the protests.
"It was just total disbelief to absorb that," Floyd said of his nephew's death. "And it was just so devastating."
George was "a good kid", he continued. Sometimes known as "Big Floyd", George had a "big heart".
Despite his family's grief and shock, Floyd expressed hope that his nephew's death might lead to lasting change.
"We need to come together as a united front and demand change," he said. "And I think we are in a posture now to make that happen."
"Every day going forward, I am going to speak his name."
Minneapolis bans police use of chokeholds following death of George Floyd
Issued on: 06/06/2020 - 10:46Modified: 06/06/2020 - 10:46
Demonstrators protest the death of George Floyd on June 5, 2020, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. © Scott Olson, Getty Images via AFP
Text by:NEWS WIRES|
Video by:Andrew HILLIAR
Minneapolis agreed Friday to ban chokeholds and neck restraints by police and to require officers to try to stop any other officers they see using improper force, in the first concrete steps to remake the city's police force since George Floyd's death.
The changes are part of a stipulation between the city and the Minnesota Department of Human Rights, which launched a civil rights investigation this week in response to the death of Floyd. The City Council approved the agreement 12-0.
Human Rights Commissioner Rebecca Lucero said the changes are necessary to stop ongoing harm to people of color “who have suffered generational pain and trauma as a result of systemic and institutional racism.”
“This is just a start," Lucero said. "There is a lot more work to do here, and that work must and will be done with speed and community engagement.”
Floyd's death is prompting reexamination of police techniques elsewhere. California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday ordered the state’s police training program to stop teaching officers how to use a neck hold that blocks the flow of blood to the brain.
The decision on whether to use the hold is up to each law enforcement agency, and Newsom said he will support legislation to outlaw the method. The San Diego Police Department and San Diego County Sheriff’s Department are among the agencies that announced this week that they would stop using the hold, known as a carotid hold or sleeper hold.
“We train techniques on strangleholds that put people’s lives at risk,” Newsom said. “That has no place any longer in 21st-century practices and policing.”
The Minneapolis agreement requires court approval and would become enforceable in court, unlike the department's current policies, which already cite the duty of sworn employees to stop or try to stop inappropriate force or force no longer needed. The agreement would also require officers to immediately report to their superiors when they see use of any neck restraint or chokehold.
Floyd died after Officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee on the handcuffed black man's neck, ignoring his “I can't breathe” cries and bystander shouts even after Floyd stopped moving. His death has set off protests around the world.
Chauvin is charged with second-degree murder. Three other officers are charged with aiding and abetting. All have been fired.
Lucero said the changes go further than the department's current policies. Any officer who doesn't try to stop the improper use of force would face the same discipline as if they had used improper force.The agreement also would require authorization from the police chief or a deputy chief to use crowd control weapons such as tear gas, rubber bullets and flash-bang grenades. Such tactics have been used in Minneapolis and other cities in the past week to disperse protesters.
The stipulation also sets a process for the city and state to negotiate longer-term changes, such as changing state laws that make it difficult to fire problem officers.
Minneapolis police Chief Medaria Arradondo said in a statement that he “will continue to work on efforts to improve public trust, public safety and transformational culture change” of the poliice force.
“I will be bringing forth substantive policy changes,” said Arradondo, whose statement did not provide details.
Meanwhile, a man who was with Floyd on the night he died told The New York Times that his longtime friend didn't resist arrest and instead tried to defuse the situation before he ended up handcuffed on the ground.
Maurice Lester Hall was a passenger in Floyd's car when police approached him May 25 as they responded to a call about someone using a forged bill at a shop. Hall told the newspaper that Floyd was trying to show he was not resisting.
“I could hear him pleading, ‘Please, officer, what’s all this for?’” Hall told the Times.
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Authorities say Hall, whose name is spelled Morries Lester Hall in court records, is a key witness in the state’s investigation into the four officers who apprehended Floyd. Hall's identity wasn't made public until the Times' report. Bruce Gordon, spokesman for the Department of Public Safety, said Hall initially gave a false name to officers at the scene.
Hall told ABC's “Good Morning America” that the situation escalated quickly and police grabbed Floyd, put him in a squad car, dragged him back out and then “jumped on the back of the neck.” He said Floyd was put in an ambulance and that he didn’t know his friend had died until the next day, when he saw bystander video on Facebook.
“I’m going to always remember seeing the fear in Floyd’s face because he’s such a king," Hall told the Times. “That’s what sticks with me, seeing a grown man cry, before seeing a grown man die.”
Hall’s attorney, Ashlee McFarlane, told The Associated Press that Hall would not be doing any more interviews. She declined further comment.
(AP)
Text by:NEWS WIRES|
Video by:Andrew HILLIAR
Minneapolis agreed Friday to ban chokeholds and neck restraints by police and to require officers to try to stop any other officers they see using improper force, in the first concrete steps to remake the city's police force since George Floyd's death.
The changes are part of a stipulation between the city and the Minnesota Department of Human Rights, which launched a civil rights investigation this week in response to the death of Floyd. The City Council approved the agreement 12-0.
Human Rights Commissioner Rebecca Lucero said the changes are necessary to stop ongoing harm to people of color “who have suffered generational pain and trauma as a result of systemic and institutional racism.”
“This is just a start," Lucero said. "There is a lot more work to do here, and that work must and will be done with speed and community engagement.”
Floyd's death is prompting reexamination of police techniques elsewhere. California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday ordered the state’s police training program to stop teaching officers how to use a neck hold that blocks the flow of blood to the brain.
The decision on whether to use the hold is up to each law enforcement agency, and Newsom said he will support legislation to outlaw the method. The San Diego Police Department and San Diego County Sheriff’s Department are among the agencies that announced this week that they would stop using the hold, known as a carotid hold or sleeper hold.
“We train techniques on strangleholds that put people’s lives at risk,” Newsom said. “That has no place any longer in 21st-century practices and policing.”
The Minneapolis agreement requires court approval and would become enforceable in court, unlike the department's current policies, which already cite the duty of sworn employees to stop or try to stop inappropriate force or force no longer needed. The agreement would also require officers to immediately report to their superiors when they see use of any neck restraint or chokehold.
Floyd died after Officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee on the handcuffed black man's neck, ignoring his “I can't breathe” cries and bystander shouts even after Floyd stopped moving. His death has set off protests around the world.
Chauvin is charged with second-degree murder. Three other officers are charged with aiding and abetting. All have been fired.
Lucero said the changes go further than the department's current policies. Any officer who doesn't try to stop the improper use of force would face the same discipline as if they had used improper force.The agreement also would require authorization from the police chief or a deputy chief to use crowd control weapons such as tear gas, rubber bullets and flash-bang grenades. Such tactics have been used in Minneapolis and other cities in the past week to disperse protesters.
The stipulation also sets a process for the city and state to negotiate longer-term changes, such as changing state laws that make it difficult to fire problem officers.
Minneapolis police Chief Medaria Arradondo said in a statement that he “will continue to work on efforts to improve public trust, public safety and transformational culture change” of the poliice force.
“I will be bringing forth substantive policy changes,” said Arradondo, whose statement did not provide details.
Meanwhile, a man who was with Floyd on the night he died told The New York Times that his longtime friend didn't resist arrest and instead tried to defuse the situation before he ended up handcuffed on the ground.
Maurice Lester Hall was a passenger in Floyd's car when police approached him May 25 as they responded to a call about someone using a forged bill at a shop. Hall told the newspaper that Floyd was trying to show he was not resisting.
“I could hear him pleading, ‘Please, officer, what’s all this for?’” Hall told the Times.
Daily newsletterReceive essential international news every morningSubscribe
Authorities say Hall, whose name is spelled Morries Lester Hall in court records, is a key witness in the state’s investigation into the four officers who apprehended Floyd. Hall's identity wasn't made public until the Times' report. Bruce Gordon, spokesman for the Department of Public Safety, said Hall initially gave a false name to officers at the scene.
Hall told ABC's “Good Morning America” that the situation escalated quickly and police grabbed Floyd, put him in a squad car, dragged him back out and then “jumped on the back of the neck.” He said Floyd was put in an ambulance and that he didn’t know his friend had died until the next day, when he saw bystander video on Facebook.
“I’m going to always remember seeing the fear in Floyd’s face because he’s such a king," Hall told the Times. “That’s what sticks with me, seeing a grown man cry, before seeing a grown man die.”
Hall’s attorney, Ashlee McFarlane, told The Associated Press that Hall would not be doing any more interviews. She declined further comment.
(AP)
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