George Floyd protests news: 8 June 2020
George Floyd protests: latest news - 8/9 June
London tribute
A symbolic and socially distanced commemoration is planned at the Nelson Mandela statue in Parliament Square, London, at 5pm, organised by Stand Up To Racism. Here's how you can watch the funeral live.
"We need to reimagine how to create police"
"America knows that we are treating mental illness in this country, not with healthcare but, tragically, with police and prisons and jails. We are treating addiction in this country, not with treatment but, with prisons and jails and police," US Democratic Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey said to CNN's Don Lemon.
"We don't have a society whose structures reflect our values of decency and love for one another. And so, when people are saying defund the police, what I hear from the activists that are often saying this is, that there are better ways to go about it, that actually lower levels of crime and elevate human potential."
Klan leader was driving truck into crowd
Virginia prosecutors have said that a man facing charges for driving his pickup truck into racial equality protesters is a local leader of the Ku Klux Klan.
Harry H. Rogers, 36, was charged with assault and battery, malicious wounding and felony vandalism, the Henrico County police department said in statement on Monday.
The statement says Rogers on Sunday night drove through a crowd blocking a street near Richmond, Virginia, and protesting the death of George Floyd, a black man who died in Minneapolis police custody. One person was hit by Rogers' vehicle, but not seriously injured.
Toronto's first black police chief unexpectedly retires
The first black police chief of Toronto, Canada's largest city, abruptly announced his retirement on Monday, report Reuters, saying he would step down nearly a year early on 31 July, just days after kneeling with protesters calling for police reform.
Mark Saunders said he plans to spend more time with his family and also hoped to work on community initiatives 'near and dear' to him. Toronto's city council voted in August 2019 to extend Saunders' contract to April 2021. Last week, Saunders knelt with protesters demonstrating against police brutality and decrying the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, while in the custody of Minneapolis police.
He told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation last week that Floyd's death left him with a 'horrible feeling' in his stomach. 'It still bothers me,' he said. 'That is not what law enforcement is trained to do.'
Leading through protests
With the continued protests and gatherings in response to the killing of George Floyd, concerns grow over how it is being handled.
Man drives car into protest crowd and shoots demonstrator
Video: Demonstrator shot as man drives car into Seattle protest
A man has been taken into police custody after driving a car into a crowd at a protest in Seattle, then shooting and wounding a demonstrator who confronted him (viewer discretion advised):
Protests in Mexico
Demonstrators in Mexico City march against police violence days after riot police officers kicked a protester in the head, while demonstrating against the deaths of George Floyd in the US and Giovanni López in Mexico.
(Photo: REUTERS/Carlos Jasso)
Large funeral procession for George Floyd in LA
While mourners paid their respects at the public viewing of George Floyd's casket in Houston today, in Los Angeles people took part in a funeral procession in the 46-year-old's memory.
George Floyd funeral in Houston: date, time, how to watch
George Floyd funeral to be held on Tuesday
George Floyd's funeral is to take place in Houston on Tuesday at 11:00 local time, with the private service to be streamed live on the website of the Fountain of Praise church, the venue for the event.
Trump: "We won’t be defunding our police"
United States president Donald Trump has said it would be a “very sad situation” if cities dismantled their police departments, after Minneapolis City Council pledged to replace their force with a community-based system of law enforcement.
“We won’t be defunding our police, we won’t be dismantling our police, we won’t be disbanding our police, we won’t be ending our police force,” Trump said on Monday.
“I guess you might have some cities that want to try, but it would be a very sad situation if they did, because people aren’t going to be protected. These people do a tremendous job of protecting the citizens of our country”.
Biden against defund-the-police campaign
Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden does not support the growing movement in favour of defunding of police departments in the United States, the former vice-president's campaign team says.
In the wake of the killing of George Floyd while in police custody two weeks ago, Minneapolis City Council has pledged to dismantle the city's police department and replace it with a community-based system of law enforcement.
Speaking to the media outlet NPR, campaign spokesperson Andrew Bates said: "Vice-President Biden does not believe that police should be defunded.
"He hears and shares the deep grief and frustration of those calling out for change, and is driven to ensure that justice is done and that we put a stop to this terrible pain."
Mourners visit George Floyd casket
People pay their respects to George Floyd during a public visitation of his casket at The Fountain of Praise church in Houston, Texas, on Monday.
(Photo: Godofredo A. Vasquez/Pool via REUTERS)
Chauvin bail set at $1m to $1.25m
Derek Chauvin’s first court appearance has now concluded. His bail has been set by Judge Jeannice M. Reding at $1.25 million without conditions, and $1 million with conditions, reports the journalist Lou Raguse, who was in attendance at the hearing.
Chauvin, who is charged with second degree murder, has had his next hearing set for 29 June at 13:30, Raguse also reports.
Biden in Houston ahead of Floyd funeral
Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has travelled to Houston ahead of George Floyd's funeral tomorrow, meeting with members of Floyd's family. Mourners have been allowed to visit Floyd's coffin at the Texas city's Fountain of Praise church today.
CNN reports that Biden will not attend tomorrow's funeral, but is to record a video message to be played at the memorial service.
Derek Chauvin set to appear in court
Derek Chauvin, the police officer charged with second-degree murder after kneeling on George Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes, is appearing in court this afternoon via video link from Minnesota's Oak Park Heights prison, where he is being held.
Journalist Lou Raguse reports that, with social-distancing measures in place, two overflow rooms are required to accommodate the press at the hearing, where the judge is expected to set bail.
Democrats take a knee in support of Black Lives Matter movement
Democratic lawmakers take a knee on Capitol Hill, Washington DC, observing a silence lasting eight minutes and 46 seconds in tribute to George Floyd and other black Americans "who have unjustly lost their lives".
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer were joined by two dozen lawmakers in Congress' Emancipation Hall - named in honor of the slaves who helped erect the US Capitol in the 18th century.
(Photo by Brendan Smialowski / AFP)
Democratic lawmakers unveil sweeping bill on race, police in wake of Floyd death
(Reuters) Democrats, led by a group of black lawmakers, unveiled sweeping legislation on Monday to combat police violence and racial injustice, two weeks after George Floyd's death in Minneapolis police custody led to widespread protests.
The bill would allow victims of misconduct and their families to seek financial damages against police by limiting the legal doctrine known as qualified immunity. It would also make lynching a federal hate crime.
Democrats hope to bring the legislation to the floor of the House of Representatives before the end of June. But its reception in the Republican-controlled Senate is unclear, with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell noncommittal on the need for legislation.
Minneapolis council members pledge to disband police as protests mount
(Reuters) A majority of city council members in Minneapolis have pledged to abolish the city's police department after the death of an unarmed black man in custody last month led to some of the biggest protests seen in the United States.
Huge weekend crowds gathered across the country, mostly peacefully. The near-festive tone was marred late on Sunday when a man drove a car into a rally in Seattle and then shot and wounded a demonstrator who confronted him.
The outpouring of protests followed the May 25 killing of George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man who died after being pinned by the neck for nine minutes by a white officer's knee in Minneapolis.
There was a splendid show of solidarity in Washington as George Floyd protestors and the National Guard joined together to dance the macarena.
How are rubber bullets meant to be used and why are they so dangerous?
The use of rubber bullets in the US amid the protests following the death of George Floyd has been widely condemned due to the injuries they can cause.
Minneapolis council members pledge to disband police as protests mount
A majority of city council members in Minneapolis have pledged to abolish the city's police department after the death of an unarmed black man in custody last month led to some of the biggest protests seen in the United States.
Huge weekend crowds gathered across the country, mostly peacefully. The near-festive tone was marred late on Sunday when a man drove a car into a rally in Seattle and then shot and wounded a demonstrator who confronted him.
Nine members of the 13-person Minneapolis City Council pledged on Sunday to do away with the police department in favor of a community-led safety model, a step that would have seemed unthinkable just two weeks ago.
George Floyd: why did GoFundMe suspend Candace Owens' account?
Why did GoFundMe suspend Candace Owens' account?
The pro Donald Trump activist had her account suspended from the crowd funding platform maintaining that she spread 'falsehoods against the black community'.
George Floyd protests in France give bereaved family new hope for justice
Since the wave of protests triggered by the brutal killing of George Floyd reached France, protesters have been chanting another name too: Adama Traore.
"They died in exactly the same way," said his sister Assa Traore. "Adama carried the weight of three officers on his body."
Adama Traore was celebrating his 24th birthday on July 19, 2016, when three police officers restrained him using the weight of their bodies. By the time he was delivered to a police station, he was unconscious and could not be revived.
Like Floyd, Traore was black, and his death triggered huge protests in France, where the police's record of brutality and racism remains unaddressed.
For four years, his family have demanded that French police be held to account for the death of her brother in police custody. No-one has been prosecuted.
ABBA's Bjorn speaks out in support of Black Lives Matter protests
"The world is full of idiots," said ABBA's Bjorn Ulvaeus, as he condemned critics of the Black Lives Matter movement and voiced his support of the worldwide protests against racism and police brutality.
"The solidarity that we see in the streets of the cities around the world now should give us hope," the musician said.
George Floyd Obituary: how to sign the guestbook
George Floyd Obituary: how to sign the guestbook
Legacy.com is hosting an online memorial page for 46-year-old George Floyd, who died unarmed and handcuffed, at the hands of the Minneapolis police on 25 May.
Reebok & Athletes Drop CrossFit After CEO’s George Floyd Tweet
Glassman’s insensitive reference to Floyd’s murder was immediately flagged on Twitter and brands and athletes have stepped up to distance themselves from the brand and its CEO.
Congressional Democrats to unveil sweeping U.S. police reform proposal after Floyd death
U.S. congressional Democrats on Monday plan to unveil a sweeping package of legislation to combat police violence and racial injustice, after two weeks of protests across the nation sparked by George Floyd's death in Minneapolis police custody.
The proposal is expected to ban police chokeholds and racial profiling, require nationwide use of body cameras, subject police to civilian review boards and abolish the legal doctrine known as qualified immunity, which protects police from civil litigation, according to congressional sources.
"It is time for police culture in many departments to change," Congressional Black Caucus Chairwoman Representative Karen Bass, told CNN on Sunday.
Manchester City's Raheem Sterling backs anti-racism protests
Manchester City's Raheem Sterling backs anti-racism protests
Manchester City's England soccer international Raheem Sterling has backed anti-racism protests in Britain after the death of unarmed black man George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis.
Global George Floyd protests
European cities witnessed many protests this weekend as thousands took to the streets in Barcelona, Bordeaux, Berlin, Paris, London, Madrid and Dublin.
Democratic U.S. presidential candidate Joe Biden to meet George Floyd's family
Democratic U.S. presidential candidate Joe Biden will travel to Houston on Monday and meet with the family of George Floyd, two weeks after Floyd's death in police custody triggered nationwide protests over racial injustice, aides said.
Biden is expected to offer his sympathies to Floyd's relatives and record a video message for the private funeral service scheduled to take place on Tuesday in Floyd's hometown of Houston, two aides said. He is not expected to attend the service to avoid any disruption to mourners that could be caused by his Secret Service protective detail
George Floyd protests live updates: welcome
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the Black Lives Matter protests taking place in the US and throughout the world in response to the killing of George Floyd, an unarmed African American, in police custody in Minneapolis on 25 May.