Name: Why are there protests over the death of George Floyd?
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Why are there protests over the death of George Floyd?

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&nbsp;following the death of an unarmed black man in police custody.George Floyd was killed by a Minneapolis police officer who knelt on the man's neck, suffocating him to death.Floyd's death, the latest in a line of killings of African-Americans by law enforcement officers in the US, has reawakened deep anger at who have fallen victim to police brutality - and rekindled a centuries-long .George Floyd, a 46-year-old bouncer, was killed on Monday May 25 by Derek Chauvin, a police officer, who&nbsp;pressed his knee into Mr Floyd's neck until he died while other police officers watched.&nbsp;Footage of the&nbsp;killing, taken by a bystander, showed Floyd lying face down and handcuffed, groaning for help and repeatedly saying, "please, I can't breathe," before becoming motionless.Chauvin, had his knee on Floyd's neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds in total and two minutes and 53 seconds after Mr Floyd was unresponsive, according to a criminal complaint released by the Hennepin County Attorney's Office.On June 1,&nbsp;a medical examiner in Minnesota .&nbsp;Mr Chauvin is charged with second-degree murder and three other former&nbsp;officers who were involved in the killing&nbsp;face charges of aiding and abetting murder. Benjamin Crump, a lawyer for the Floyd family, has called for the Minneapolis police officers to face the more serious charge of first-degree murder, based on the examiner's findings.Read more:&nbsp;Mr Chauvin, who was fired after video of the killing went viral,&nbsp;was a police officer for 19 years. It has emerged that his career was littered with complaints about his conduct.Seventeen were filed against him, of which two resulted in formal reprimands. The others appear to have been closed without further action being taken.Chauvin, 44, nevertheless also received two commendations, including the police department’s medal of valour in 2008.Chauvin's wife, Kellie, has filed for divorce. Her lawyer said Ms Chauvin had been deeply upset by Mr Floyd's death.Read more:Floyd's death, and his last desperate words, resurrected , another black man, who also told police “I can’t breathe” as he was placed in a fatal chokehold on New York’s Staten Island, on July 17, 2014.Floyd's death comes just weeks after , a black jogger in Georgia, at the hands of two white men, was captured on camera, and a couple of months after , an emergency medical technician, was shot and killed by police officers who raided her Kentucky apartment.The latest deaths have led to a resurgence in the , founded in 2013, initially as a social media hashtag before becoming a , after the in the shooting death of African-American teenager , the previous year.According to , the BLM mission is to "eradicate white supremacy and build local power to intervene in violence inflicted on Black communities by the state and vigilantes. By combating and countering acts of violence, , and centering Black joy, we are winning immediate improvements in our lives."Read more:&nbsp;Protests began on May 27 in Minneapolis and have across the US, including New York, Washington DC and Los Angeles.Protests were largely peaceful but became more violent as police have clashed with demonstrators, looters and . The police have faced for heavy-handed tactics.Thousands have now turned out for protests across&nbsp;Asia, Australia and Europe.The US president has been accused of inciting racial hatred on a number of occasions and his response to the protests was to threaten violence. “Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts,” Mr Trump said, in a comment interpreted by some as a warning that police could open fire.&nbsp;The tweet was covered from view by a message from Twitter which explained its contents “violated the Twitter rules about glorifying violence”, which between the president and the social media giant.On May 30, Mr Trump&nbsp;warned protesters outside the White House that they would be met with “vicious dogs” if they scaled&nbsp;the fence as violent demonstrations broke out in Washington. On the previous night,&nbsp;Secret Service agents as protesters gathered outside the executive mansion, some of them throwing rocks and tugging at police barricades.On June 1, Mr Trump&nbsp; across the US, said he was deploying thousands of "heavily armed" soldiers in Washington, and declared himself the "president of law and order”.In extraordinary scenes, Mr Trump made the declaration in the White House Rose Garden as riot police used tear gas, rubber bullets, and horses to clear peaceful protesters outside.&nbsp;Read more:The protests, now in their 13th day,&nbsp; have spread across America and the world. Here is how they began:Protesters in Atlanta set fire to a police car used&nbsp;barricades to break the windows of cruisers while others were jumping on the vehicles and shattering windshields.Hundreds of protesters confronted&nbsp;police outside CNN's downtown headquarters. Activists spray-painted a large CNN logo outside the building, breaking a window and tagging doors. One protester climbed on top of the CNN sign and waved a "Black Lives Matter" flag to cheers from the crowd.Protesters pelted officers who came over with bottles, striking some of them. Other bottles thrown at authorities exploded behind the police line, but no officers appeared to get hit. Protesters chanted, "Quit your jobs."The officers backed their line away from the group of protesters who were throwing objects at them.Police ordered demonstrators to leave the street and threatened to arrest them if they did not leave quickly.Protesters used accelerant to burn an American flag. People were watching the scene from rooftops, some laughing at skirmishes that broke out and vandalism by the protesters.Protesters were also walking on the interstate in downtown Atlanta and appeared to be trying to block traffic.The Georgia State Patrol has responded.Kaity Brackett, 27, said she came out to the protest because she thinks the entire criminal justice system needs to be overhauled, starting with policing. She said was a catalyst for her and referred to his death as a lynching. Arbery was killed on Feb. 23 by a former district attorney investigator and his son, who were not arrested until after video emerged months later.Brackett wore a blue mask and sat with her partner and a friend. She was less concerned about the threat from the&nbsp;coronavirus."We risk our lives going to the grocery store, going to get gas," she said. "This is more important than all of that."Denver Mayor Michael Hancock called for calm and unity after protests over George Floyd's death turned violent, declaring, "Let not the story be about the riots and protests. Let's keep the focus on the life that was lost.""I can tell you not to go out and demonstrate but the reality is it's going to happen," Mr Hancock said on May 29, stressing he shared outrage over what he's called the "senseless and tragic murder" of Floyd in Minneapolis.Mr Hancock and Police Chief Paul Pazen blamed what they called a minority of agitators among peaceful protesters for inciting . That violence included throwing rocks at police officers, setting small fires, and breaking windows and damaging cars at the state Capitol and at businesses.&nbsp;In Brooklyn, crowds of demonstrators chanted at police officers lined up outside the Barclays Center. There were several moments of struggle, as some in the crowd pushed against metal barricades and police pushed back.Scores of water bottles flew from the crowd toward the officers, and in return police sprayed an eye-irritating chemical at the group twice.The names of black people killed by police, including Floyd and Eric Garner, who died on Staten Island in 2014, were on signs carried by those in the crowd, and in May 29 chants.&nbsp;"It's my duty to be out here," said Brianna Petrisko, among those at Foley Square in lower Manhattan, most wearing masks, where the demonstrations started on May 29. The protest took place despite&nbsp;coronavirus&nbsp;prohibitions on large gatherings. The demonstrators were gathered in the square, while police stood across the street."Our country has a sickness," Ms Petrisko said. "We have to be out here. This is the only way we're going to be heard."At his Friday briefing, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said he stood with the Minnesota protesters."Nobody is sanctioning the arson, and the thuggery and the burglaries, but the protesters and the anger and the fear and the frustration? Yes. Yes. And the demand is for justice," Mr Cuomo said.At a news conference, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said New York Police Department officers had been told to respect peaceful protest.He also had a message for protesters. "If you are angry with the government, if you are angry with the elected leaders, direct that anger to all of us, because if we haven't done enough, we are the ones who should be held responsible," he said. "But the police officer in front of you is a working man or woman just trying to do their job."&nbsp;A group of about 10 protesters gathered near a Florida town home that belongs to a white Minneapolis police officer who knelt on George Floyd's neck.The protesters arrived after social media postings listed the address of Derek Chauvin in the community of Windermere outside Orlando.They carried signs that said, "He said I can't breathe. Justice for George," and "We see you, we hear you ... we love you! £Justice for George." The handcuffed black man pleaded for air as Chauvin, the white police officer, knelt on his neck during an arrest recorded on video by bystanders.The Orange County Sheriff's Office tweeted from its official account that Mr Chauvin is not at the residence and is not expected there. The office says it's confirmed he has no plans to be in the area.Albuquerque police used a helicopter and tear gas as they retreated from a crowd of people after a confrontation that followed a protest.Police said officers responded to several shots being fired from a vehicle following a demonstration. Four individuals were taken into custody, and several protesters became confrontational, police spokesman Gilbert Gallegos said.During the confrontation, protesters waved signs and yelled at officers clad in riot gear. Mr Gallegos said on May 29 that the tear gas was used to allow officers to leave the area and avoid further confrontation.There were no reports of injuries from the gunshots, and it wasn't clear whether that incident was related to the protest. Mr Gallegos also said there were no injuries resulting from the confrontation with protesters.Nine people were arrested after rocks were thrown at businesses, vehicles and officers during a protest in Southern California.The violence erupted on May 28 in Fontana as about 100 people moved up and down a thoroughfare and blocked traffic. Police say an unlawful assembly was declared and the crowd was ordered to disperse but some persisted.Elsewhere in the region, demonstrators gathered outside Los Angeles police headquarters but there was no repeat of the previous evening's action in which protesters blocked freeway traffic and attacked two Highway Patrol cruisers.Protesters turned out for a demonstration in Columbus that began peacefully but turned violent, with windows smashed at the Ohio Statehouse and storefronts along surrounding downtown streets.The crowd of about 400 people entered into a standoff with Columbus police on May 28, blocking the intersection of key streets in the Ohio capital for hours, the Columbus Dispatch reported.The demonstration began as a peaceful protest, but news outlets reported protesters began throwing objects like water bottles at officers, who responded by using tear gas on the crowd. A scuffle between a protester and an officer broke out around 9:45 pm, WCMH-TV reported.Videos show people smashing the building's windows. One person briefly entered an office through a broken window but retreated before troopers within the building could catch him, said Ohio State Highway Patrol spokesman Lt. Craig Cvetan.Windows were boarded up early the following day and workers were placing plywood over undamaged windows out of precaution.On May 29, several thousand people attended a rally in front of city hall in Houston, where George Floyd grew up.The rally was mostly peaceful but police had apparently taken into custody a woman who had a rifle and had tried to use it to incite the crowd.The crowed marched through downtown Houston to get to city hall, blocking traffic and at times chanting "No justice, no peace" and "Say his name. George Floyd." Many held up signs that said, "I Can't Breathe" and "Justice For George".Eventually the protesters ended up alongside US&nbsp;Highway 59, one of the major thoroughfares in Houston. A group of about 60 to 70 shut down the freeway for at least half an hour. Houston police accompanied the protesters as they marched for less than half a mile along the freeway before they walked off of it. No arrests were made.Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo said he welcomed the rally."We stand with them protesting what happened in Minnesota," said Mr Acevedo. "I'm happy that they're here today because people need to be heard, voices need to be heard."One of those protesting Floyd's death was 19-year-old Jimmy Ohaz, who came from the nearby city of Richmond, Texas."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."Hundreds rallied in downtown Phoenix&nbsp;in a protest that turned into a clash with police.Protesters who marched from Phoenix City Hall to the state Capitol&nbsp;carried signs reading, "Silence is violence" and "Being black should not be a death sentence", The Arizona Republic reported.Phoenix police declared an unlawful assembly around the Capitol building. Protesters refused to leave the area, news outlets reported.The newspaper reported that rocks and water bottles were thrown at police. Video from local TV stations shows protesters hammering on the window of a police car, and the newspaper reported at least one police car window was broken. The Arizona Department of Public Safety and Phoenix police responded by firing pepper spray and rubber bullets at the crowd.A Mississippi mayor who sparked outrage when he said he "didn't see anything unreasonable" about the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody is resisting calls to resign, including from his own town's board of aldermen."Why in the world would anyone choose to become a police officer in our society today?" Petal Mayor Hal Marx tweeted on Tuesday, the day four Minneapolis police officers were fired.&nbsp;In a follow-up tweet, the Republican directly referenced the Floyd case, saying he "didn't see anything unreasonable": "If you can say you can't breathe, you're breathing. Most likely that man died of overdose or heart attack. Video doesn't show his resistance that got him in that position. Police being crucified."Looking to defuse tensions in Louisville over the fatal shooting of a black woman by police who broke down her door, the victim's mother called on protesters to continue demanding justice but to do it in "the right way without hurting each other".Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear read the statement from Breonna Taylor's mother hours after gunshots erupted, wounding at least seven people, during protests outside City Hall. At least one person was in critical condition, Louisville Metro Police said."No officers discharged their service weapons," and all seven shot were civilians, police spokesman Sgt. Lamont Washington wrote in an email.In her statement, Tamika Palmer said her daughter -&nbsp;an emergency medical technician -&nbsp;devoted her life to others, and the "last thing she'd want right now is any more violence".Roughly 300 people protesting shut down a five-lane section of a highway in California's Silicon Valley.Vehicles southbound on US&nbsp;101 were at a virtual standstill&nbsp;ahead of a greatly diminished rush hour as the region shelters at home. KGO-TV footage shows some cars passing on a shoulder of US&nbsp;101 in San Jose.Some protesters are wearing masks and some are not. Later in the afternoon, the protesters were leaving the highway.More than 400 people were demonstrating on the Las Vegas Strip calling for policing reforms.The crowd gathered in triple-digit-heat in front of the Bellagio casino-resort, holding signs and chanting "No justice, no peace!" and "Black lives matter".They later began walking north up the Las Vegas Strip in front of casinos still shuttered because of&nbsp;coronavirus-related closures.Related TopicsAdvertisementRelated TopicsWe rely on advertising to help fund our award-winning journalism.We urge you to turn off your ad blocker for The Telegraph website so that you can continue to access our quality content in the future.Thank you for your support.Need help?Visit ourpage.Close

&nbsp;following the death of an unarmed black man in police custody.George Floyd was killed by a Minneapolis police officer who knelt on the man's neck, suffocating him to death.Floyd's death, the latest in a line of killings of African-Americans by law enforcement officers in the US, has reawakened deep anger at who have fallen victim to police brutality - and rekindled a centuries-long .George Floyd, a 46-year-old bouncer, was killed on Monday May 25 by Derek Chauvin, a police officer, who&nbsp;pressed his knee into Mr Floyd's neck until he died while other police officers...

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Rozina Sabur

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Why are there protests over the death of George Floyd?

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