Black Lives Matter protests news: 16 June 2020
Black Lives Matter protests news - 17 June
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Trump fans back Dreamers, says poll
The findings highlight a looming political challenge for Trump as he runs for a second term, partly to make good on his promises to immigration hard-liners while looking to appeal to Hispanics and slicing into the advantage Democrats have with them.
Trump signs executive order to reform police brutality in the US
Executive steps taken
The President of the United States, Donald Trump, has signed an executive order that provides police departments with the incentive to adopt reforms following the death of George Floyd.
Cowboys and cowgirls join in
By riding horses, the protesters quite literally assumed a larger, more powerful stature than those on foot—one that matched the surrounding police officers, many of them also on horses.
Alburquerque changes: new team, no guns
After Mayor Tim Keller condemned the violence that led to a protest shooting he announced that the city will be removing the statue in question and is introducing a new department.
Trump's executive order questioned
Rhoden-Trader, the chair of the criminal justice department at Coppin St. University, believes the president didn't present any reforms that address the roots problems of police brutality, including laws that protect police officers.
She also said the president failed to acknowledge systemic racism in policing.
Second man charged with torching Minneapolis police station during protests
A 22-year-old Minnesota man was charged on Tuesday with aiding and abetting the arson of a Minneapolis police station during protests over the death of a black man under a policeman's knee, federal prosecutors said.
Dylan Robinson, who was arrested in Breckenridge, Colorado on Sunday, is accused of hurling a Molotov cocktail inside the Third Precinct police station in Minneapolis and igniting a fire in the building's stairwell on May 28, according to the criminal complaint. Robinson appeared in U.S. district court in Denver on Tuesday to hear the charges against him, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota said in a written statement.
Rayshard Brooks: Mayor of Atlanta demands new reforms for Police Department
Atlanta mayor calls for reforms to police department
Rayshard Brooks was killed last week by a police officer in Atlanta and the mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms orders changes to police use-of-force policy.
Read more on that here:
"It's not just black people who are in this right now - everyone's in this"
Colorado Rapids striker Kei Kamara with a brief, positive message: "I have hope, this is powerful, this is great".
"We are on the precipice of change" - Mica Paris
"These are very interesting times that we are living in. It's important for us to stick together as a human family. We can all push and fight together for change for our children and our grandchildren". UK soul singer Mica Paris tells it how it is, "We want to create a better future".
Black Eyed Peas, Katy Perry, Ne-Yo, Saweetie, Eve and Chuck D to star on 'Rock The Vote' Livestream
Rock The Vote has revealed the details for their first Democracy Summer 2020 livestream event featuring performances from Katy Perry, the Black Eyed Peas, Ne-Yo, Eve, Chuck D, Big Freedia, Amara La Negra, Saweetie and more.
The two-hour digital party, taking place this Thursday June 18, will also feature speeches from senators Elizabeth Warren and Cory Booker, as well as activists and others encouraging young people to get out and vote.
New Orleans mayor speaks up on Black Lives Matter
Mayor of New Orleans LaToya Cantrell has published a series of tweets in which she spoke about her own battles against prejudice: "I can stand up and say Black Lives Matter because I’ve personally had to fight to make that true every day of my life. The hospitality industry, & the workers who are its lifeblood, are the backbone of this city’s economy. If we have any hope of recovery as we stand our City back up, it is pinned on making New Orleans a success story: a safe place for our visitors, & a safe place for our people.
"This is a defining moment, for our country and our generation. We cannot fail this test by giving into the temptation to be small right now. We cannot go back to a “normal” that was never working for the people doing the work. Industry leaders have to be accountable. Lawmakers, at every level, have to step up. And as the Mayor of New Orleans --- I cannot, and I will not relent in the fight to move this City forward: in a way that is equitable, in a way that respects the humanity & the integrity of all of our people, and in a way that continues to insist: #BlackLivesMatter"
'Black Lives Matter' mural planned in front of Cincinnati City Hall
A "Black Lives Matter" mural is planned for downtown Cincinnati. The mural, which is supported by the Urban League of Greater Southwestern Ohio, is planned outside of City Hall downtown Cincinnati.
A man sits in the Conversation Cafe while carrying a firearm in the police-free zone known as the Capitol Hill Organized Protest (CHOP) on June 15, 2020 in Seattle, Washington. The area consists of the blocks surrounding the Seattle Police Departments East Precinct, which was vacated after violent clashes with Black Lives Matter protesters in the wake of George Floyd's death. David Ryder/Getty Images/AFP
The protests might not be getting as much attention as they were but the divide in America continues to reveal itself.
Liberal groups warn Biden: Do more on policing reform or risk losing black support
More than 50 liberal groups have signed a letter to Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, warning he could lose black voters' support unless he commits to more transformative policing reforms.
Biden's criminal justice agenda has drawn renewed attention following weeks of nationwide protests since George Floyd, a black man, died after a white police officer knelt on his neck for minutes even after he appeared to pass out.
The letter, spearheaded by black organizations like Black Voters Matter, expressed disappointment in Biden's proposal to provide $300 million to a federal community policing program, arguing that doing so would only exacerbate the problem of overpolicing.
"We are here to tell you, unequivocally, that that is NOT the answer," the letter reads.
Trump to meet families of people killed by police
Before signing an executive order on police reform at the White House today, United States President Donald Trump is to meet the family members of people who have been killed by law enforcement.
Trump is due to put pen to paper on the order in a ceremony held in the Rose Garden at 12 noon ET.
US embassy in Seoul takes down BLM, pride flags
Black Lives Matter and LGBTQ pride flags have been removed from the side of the US embassy building in Seoul, South Korea, three days after being unfurled.
According to an anonymous source quoted by CNN, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo gave the order for the flags to be taken down, with the embassy reportedly stating that it wanted to avoid suggestions it was trying “to support or encourage donations to any specific organization.”
Video still of Albuquerque statue protest that saw shooting
Obtained from a social-media video, this image shows protesters at the Albuquerque statue of the conquistador Juan de Oñate, moments before a man was shot and wounded during clashes between demonstrators and armed members of civilian militia group New Mexico Civil Guard.
(Courtesy of Fight For Our Lives/Social Media via REUTERS)
Man shot during protest over conquistador statue in New Mexico
In case you missed it: A man was shot and wounded on Monday during a protest near a museum in downtown Albuquerque, New Mexico, police said, where demonstrators were reported to be trying to tear down a sculpture of a 16th-century Spanish conquistador.
"The victim is reported to be in critical but stable condition," the Albuquerque Police Department (APD) said in a tweet, adding that the incident had ended.
The Albuquerque Journal newspaper reported that the shooting erupted during a clash between protesters trying to pull down a statue of Juan de Oñate and several heavily armed members of a civilian militia group called the New Mexico Civil Guard. (Reuters)
Trump Jr tweets, then deletes, Shake Shack 'poisoning' claim
Donald Trump’s son, Donald Jr, has posted then quickly deleted a tweet about New York Police Department officers supposedly being poisoned at Shake Shack, after three officers were hospitalised after drinking milkshakes from the restaurant chain.
In the wake of the incident, the NYC Police Benevolent Associated had claimed that they may have been poisoned with bleach - but an NYPD investigation found this not to be the case.
“Where are the Democrats who are denouncing NYPD officers getting poisoned on the job?” Trump Jr wrote in his subsequently erased tweet late on Monday night. “Their silence is deafening!”
Black Lives Matter protests, live updates: welcome
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the Black Lives Matter protests sparked in the US and across the world by the killing of George Floyd in police custody late last month.
We'll endeavour to bring you the latest developments as they unfold, as US president Donald Trump prepares to sign an executive order on police reform and the family of Rayshard Brooks, an unarmed black man shot to death by Atlanta police on Friday, calls for murder charges.