35 Pics Showing The Other Side Of The George Floyd Protests That The Mainstream Media Is Reluctant To Share
Protests have erupted all over the US over the death of George Floyd. Cities are imposing curfews and states are activating National Guard members to calm down the demonstrators but they continue to express pain and anger with chants, signs and outbreaks of violence.
And while many questions, like what's going to happen to the police officers involved in the incident, are still unanswered, one thing is certain: the demands for justice and an end to police brutality against African Americans have united the entire country and people of all backgrounds are taking a knee together.
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A Group Of Black People Protecting A Cop Who Got Separated From The Others
Based on accounts from witnesses, video footage, and official statements, here's what the public knows about Mr. Floyd's death so far.
Everything began with a report of a fake $20 bill. A report was made on the evening of the 25th of May, when Mr. Floyd bought a pack of cigarettes from a grocery store. The store employee thought the $20 bill Mr. Floyd paid with was counterfeit and reported it to police.
Mr. Floyd had been living in Minneapolis for several years after. He had recently been working as a bouncer but just like so many other Americans became unemployed during the coronavirus pandemic.
Mr. Floyd was a regular at Cup Foods, the grocery store where he tried to buy the cigarettes. Mike Abumayyaleh, the owner of the store, told NBC that Mr. Floyd was a friendly face and a pleasant customer who never caused any trouble. But Mr. Abumayyaleh wasn't working that day.
A Veteran Protesting His Government After Fighting For It Shows The United Fight For Equality
At around 20:08, two police officers arrived at the scene. Mr. Floyd was sitting in a car parked around the corner with two other people.
After approaching them, one of the officers, Thomas Lane, pulled out his gun and ordered Mr. Floyd to show his hands. In an account of the incident, prosecutors didn't explain why Mr. Lane thought it necessary to draw his gun.
According to the prosecutors, Mr. Lane "put his hands on Mr. Floyd, and pulled him out of the car". Then Mr. Floyd began actively resisting handcuffs.
A Protester And A Police Officer Today In Fargo. This Is What Solidarity Looks Like
Once handcuffed, however, Mr. Floyd became compliant and Mr. Lane explained that he was being arrested for "passing counterfeit currency".
But when officers tried to put Mr. Floyd in their squad car, a struggle erupted.
At around 20:14, Mr. Floyd "stiffened up, fell to the ground, and told the officers he was claustrophobic", a transcript released by authorities explained.
Mr. Chauvin arrived at the scene. He and other officers were involved in further attempts to get Mr. Floyd in the police car.
It’s Not White vs. Black, Rich vs. Poor, Police vs. Citizens....it’s Everyone vs. Racists
At 20:19, Mr. Chauvin pulled Mr. Floyd out of the passenger side, causing the man to fall to the ground.
As he lay there, face down, still in handcuffs, witnesses started to film Mr. Floyd. He appeared to be in a distressed state. These moments, captured on multiple mobile phones and shared widely on social media, were Mr. Floyd's last.
As officers were restraining Mr. Floyd, Mr. Chauvin placed his left knee between his head and neck.
"I can't breathe," Mr. Floyd said repeated, pleading for his mother and begging "please, please, please".
Mr. Chauvin kept his knee on Mr. Floyd's neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds.
My 6yr Old Daughter, She Sees Whats On The News, We Explained What Happened To George Floyd And She Was Mortified. Today She Made A Sign And Is Doing Her Own Peaceful Protest In Our Front Yard. I Am So Proud!
That little girl has more empathy and strength than the president of the U.S.A. She is a gem.
About 6 minutes into that period, Mr. Floyd became non-responsive. It was approximately then when Mr. Floyd fell silent and bystanders urged the officers to check his pulse.
One of the other officers, JA Kueng, did exactly that and said he "couldn't find one". But the officers did not move.
At 20:27, Mr. Chauvin removed his knee from Mr. Floyd's neck. He was taken to the Hennepin County Medical Center in an ambulance and was pronounced dead around an hour later.
On Friday, Hennepin County Attorney Michael Freeman charged Mr. Chauvin with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. His bail has been set at $500,000.
Mr. Floyd's family and their attorney, Benjamin Crump, are upset that Mr. Chauvin wasn't charged with a more serious offense.
"We expected a first-degree murder charge. We want a first-degree murder charge. And we want to see the other officers arrested," Crump and the family said in a statement. "We call on authorities to revise the charges to reflect the true culpability of this officer."
If convicted of third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter, Mr. Chauvin would be facing up to 25 years in prison on the first charge and up to 10 years on the second.
Mr. Freeman said charges against the other three officers are likely.
Portland, Oregon. Police Demonstrating And Trying To Show They Hear And Understand The Frustration.
A GoFundMe campaign dedicated to George Floyd has raised more than $7 million.
George Floyd's brother, Philonise Floyd, organized the fundraiser, which is called the Official George Floyd Memorial Fund. According to the page's description, the funds will be used to cover funeral and burial expenses, grief counseling and lodging and travel for all court proceedings.
Now, after tens of thousands of people flooded the streets across the United States, after buildings were set on fire and businesses were looted, President Trump has criticized the unrest, and Attorney General William P. Barr warned people that contributing to the destruction could make them face federal charges. Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota said the people who are defying curfews and trying to instigate police were no longer protesting police brutality, but rather seeking to exploit Mr. Floyd’s death for their own political motives.
George Floyd - Philadelphia Protest Today
The people who clean up the injuries and notify families, "I'm sorry, he didn't make it"... are gonna be against racial violence. My mom in the 1960s? Same. Me now? Same. We all bleed red, folks.
This Man Has Been Standing Alone In Our Town Square For The Past Few Days, Gods Bless His Courage
Helping Cleaning Up
I saw these images circulating on social media earlier this morning and they are truly moving. These are the images that the news rarely shows us and likely doesn't want us to see. I will never ever be able to understand the level of sadness, anger, hurt, and frustration felt by the black community, but I'm so happy to see images like these of communities of all skin tones, sexual orientations, ages, and religions band together to foster change.
Even The 'Church Of God' Community Are Standing By George
Cops In Kansas City Joined The Local Protest
I can just imagine shift change. "Hey Greg, want my sign? I need to get into my riot gear"
Santa Cruz Police Chief Taking A Knee With Peaceful Protesters During A Demonstration In Santa Cruz, Ca
Danish Sympathy March For George Floyd. ~10.000 People Marching Peacefully Through Copenhagen.
Spreading The Love
Honest question: obviously all people, black and white, are most likely aware of this right now. Is it encouraging or annoying of me, as a white woman, to say something supportive to any black person I encounter? I don't want to bother someone in the middle of a store or "single them out" for being black, but I also don't want to ignore the situation.
A Group Of People Forming A Human Barricade And Protecting The Store To Prevent People From Looting
Shart take your tin foil hat off and get off the internet for the day, I think you've had quite enough
Where Are The News Vans Now?
“The news crews focus on black people looting, but there are many of us here also trying to clean up. They don’t focus on that!” This is Marvin Applewhite. He is leading efforts to clean up after riots. I haven't heard any news organization show that there are people like him out there. He has a GoFundMe to help with supplies and food for the other volunteers
Modist Brewing In Minneapolis
But sometimes stopping for a beer andActually having a conversation with your fellows can diffuse tensions. And I doubt they'd provide alcohol to looters. I honestly think although it might look clumsy, it's still trying to help.
Police In Muskegon, Mi Showing Their Support For Protesters Outside Of The County Courthouse Today.
Oh my! I just noticed her shoes! They're amazing and if she can protest on those heels, kudos to her! That's amazing!!!
It’s Not Black vs. White People, It Is Everyone vs. Racists
Somehow this saddens me. He's a cop. He shouldn't need to make justice happen with a sign.
Protesters Gathering In Front Of The Us Embassy In Berlin, Germany Today. We Stand With You
A Friend Of Mine In Minnesota. Stay Safe, Everyone. Except You, Tony.
The Police Taking A Knee With Protesters In Miami, Florida
5/31/20 Washington Dc. “What The Media Doesn’t Show”
This looks like they're sharing a good joke and it warms my heart <3
Flint Police Just Laid Down Their Shields And Batons And Started Walking With Protestors
Walk with us, each day and each night, each shade and each light
Protesters Spray Painted All Over This Monument Last Night. We Were All Trying To Scrub It Off When This Guy Showed Up With A Powerwasher.
Emotional Moment Between An Officer And Protestor
Standing Together With The Residents
Lawers Offering Pro Bono Services For Arrested Protestors
Just make sure you don't offer free service to the looters, arsonists and anarchists.
Police In Downtown Portland Are Kneeling In Front Of Protesters
Protesters Chanted: “Walk With Us!!”
There Is Hope
Note: this post originally had 54 images. It’s been shortened to the top 35 images based on user votes.
I have no issue with people protesting but I do have a problem with the riots. The riots are just an excuse for thugs to get away with looting, assault, arson etc. By all means make a stand and support the cause but destroying innocent by standers, businesses, homes, lives etc is not the way to go. It also doesn’t help support the cause with all the violence and criminal activities. On another note, the law enforcement need to be held more accountable. I have heard too many incidences where innocent people of colour have been treated shockingly by authority and society in general. Too often they get away with it and enough is enough. Black lives matter.
Yeah violent protests are counter productive. Those looters aren't there to protest, they are using it as an excuse to loot.
Bad people are going to take any opportunity to be bad.
Would you forgive them if they were black? Because they just want to hang all the whites.
Are they though? Systemic racism has existed for as long as America has. Peaceful protesting has proven to accomplish very little. We've been peacefully protesting for 450, but black people are still getting killed in the streets. At a certain point you have to realize that no one will listen unless we make ourselves heard. As Kimberly Jones put it, quite heartbreakingly "we should count ourselves lucky black people are asking for equality, not revenge." Please watch this video. It says more than I ever could. https://youtu.be/sb9_qGOa9Go
There have been a lot of videos showing that many of the people instigating the violence aren't protesters, but instead saboteurs. I live 90 miles from Minneapolis, so this is all really close to home for me, but thankfully where I live it's been very peaceful.
And the innocent people think that the gathering is for poor Floyd when is only for the loot. In your face, America.
Well, there were those Long Beach guys who found that Shipment of bricks just Sitting There outside a place that looked expensive and proletariat during the riot that night. So...
There are peaceful protesters, anarchists, and non-peaceful protesters. Non-peaceful protesters argue that peacefully protesting is not achieving their goals. They believe they make stronger points with destructive actions. It's definitely complicated.
The riots are what happens if a group of people doesn't feel heard in a longlasting frustrating situation. Not everyone in the group acts reasonably, they do feel frustrated and feel that violence is a way to reciprocate. Imagine you would be mistreated for something that's not on you and no one will listen and the world is some kafkaësk version of what feels should be right. Some people stay calm, but if the mistreatement continues, chances are you would also start to feel anger. It roots from fear for not seeing justice within an overseeable future. This dynamic happens within one person, but it can also be seen in a larger group like this. The peaceful protesters are the conscious part of how one person might act, the rioters are the part that get mad and are afraid nothing will change anyway and act out with violence. Most just follow their peers though. And it's a good thing that the frustration starts to be shared outside this group and even world wide.
Trevor Noah said that instead of asking what good does it do to loot Target, we should be asking what good it does to *not* loot Target when so many feel like society has betrayed their half of the social contract. I’m not summing it up well, it’s worth looking up to hear it directly from Trevor.
No, I'm betting it's more to sow anarchy, I mean, there is a massive goods shortage, and people are stealing jewlery and expensive electronics, while burining all the places with ready access food to the ground.
The thing is that people assume protesters and rioters are one and the same. I've seen many videos of protesters trying to get vandals, rioters, looters, and arsonists to stop, some being very brave young women. One guy came to MN from illinios with a big group and did tremendous damage. The local rioters might have had something to do with George Floyd, not that I condone it. But I will never understand how looting is related. I think the looters are the ones who don't give a s**t about the protest and just use it. The guy who started all the looting in Mpls was a white guy, calmly breaking windows in the auto-zone with a special devide. He was there to incite a riot, not protest - an agent provocateur. Some have identified him as a St. Paul cop, but I reject that until there is definite proof - could ruin that guys' life if he's innocent.
How many of you are enjoying their new horde of Covid??
@GirlFriday: that was a NONVIOLENT PROTEST! Don't compare an important event in American Independence to actual crime!
How come only Black Lives and not ALL LIVES? DIRTY BRUTAL COPS don't just kill Blacks these fucking dirtbags kill and depredate all other lives...
Of course all lives matter but this is about something bigger. Black people are 2.5% more likely to be killed by police. I am not religious and I don't know if you are or not but this is a way to look at it. There are 100 sheep, but one goes missing. Jesus leaves the 99 and goes after the one. The 99 ask "But...what about us? Don't we matter?". Of course the 99 matter, but they're not the ones in danger. The one gone is. Saying Black lives matter does not mean that other lives don't, it is about bringing awareness.
Oh Jonathan you're just a racist asshole. It's okay. You have the internet at hand. You can educate yourself.
There is a video of Trevor Noah on yt who addressed that issue. Normally, I'd completely agree with you and especially when it comes to protests against G7 in Germany or related causes where many (mostly) left-wing-fanatics simply caused destruction. Trevor Noah said, though, that if you have been feeling so suppressed for such a long time, so under-valued by the people with less colour on their skin, it might be understandable to loot a store. Watch the vid, it's quite an interesting view!
The issue is that when they continue to have violent protests and looting, they are reinforcing the very negative stereotypes that they are trying to eliminate.
so if you feel undervalued at home or at work or frustrated in general that would excuse road rage? or stealing things? or mugging? or beating old ladies? Which crimes exactly become acceptable? It's a bit of a slippery slope, isn't it?
Agreed, Marlowe! I just mentioned Trevor above before I saw your comment. It’s worthwhile to find the clip because he was so eloquent.
All lives matter, color does not!
Of course all lives matter but this is about something bigger. I am not religious and I don't know if you are or not but this is a way to look at it. There are 100 sheep, but one goes missing. Jesus leaves the 99 and goes after the one. The 99 ask "But...what about us? Don't we matter?". Of course the 99 matter, but they're not the ones in danger. The one gone is. Saying Black lives matter does not mean that other lives don't, it is about bringing awareness.
If one house catches fire, do you go dousing fire in every house in the neighborhood cause they all matter??? No. You just go douse fire in the house that actually has it. The same way, all lives do matter, but when black lives are getting killed, you have to worry about black lives. You guys really feel threatened over black lives getting equal treatment huh ?
I'm not religious, however I see your point and agree with it. I just hope it is a common understanding. If one house catches fire then I'll defend all houses, so that fire not to spread to them and the color of the house does not matter. Why do you think that the yellow house is more important than a green one? It's all about equal treatment of all the houses, or you do not see that a green house belongs to all houses? It's not the special one, not more, not less worth than other ones, all houses matter the same!
Yup. Here in Georgia, gangs are taking advantage of the fact that the police are concentrated on the riots. It's gotten so bad, the mayor ordered a curfew be placed in first Downtown Atlanta, then Atlanta.
Most generic opinion ever
instead of saying "its terrible that an innocent black person was killed but the destroying of property needs to stop" try "its horrible that an property is being destroyed, but killing innocent black people needs to stop" you're focused on the wrong thing
Switch those two round and we see your true priorities...
What do you mean switch those two around?
I think the riots are an unfortunate necessity of this. Walking in the streets to demonstrate is a great way of voicing oppinion. But this stupid "protection" of police that are clearly motivated by racism in their actions against everyday citizens of color, has been going on for WAY to long now. Protests end, and fade away, and eventually get forgotten by too many. The "officers" who commited the crime, get off with just minor charges. Ref. Amadou Diallo. I absolutely agree that looters are scum, and use this as an excuse, but this is a very very small percentage of the whole issue, and both Trump and the media are focusing on these. I do not condone it, but burning down the police station seems like a nessecary step to make justice happen NOW. Everyone knows WHO killed George. Everybody knows that he MURDERED him. Put him on death row NOW... These police love to exert their power... Let them feel that power put back on to them. Put Tony on death row. today... regards from Norway.
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If you look at several of the places burned in New York, they were restaurants and stores that were going to open for limited services despite the Democratic mayor and governor still enforcing Forced Isolation. Curious coincidence
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The protests were ALWAYS peaceful until the police came along and started violence. If you still side with the police you don't give a fuck about black people
Um, no. In all the media shown, as soon as crefew happens, and all the nice people go home, the RIOTS happen and places are burned and looted while masked thugs run around. The peaceful protesters don't intentionally wear masks.
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What about the Boston Tea Party? That did some good, didn't it?
I am doubtful that any of these actions will have a lasting effect. Alas. As the scholars say, racism in the US is institutionalised. It starts with small things. One example: whenever I take a survey that had been designed in the US, I stumble across "name your race: Caucasian, African Asian". Drop that shit! Race theories are disproven for decades, we are all humans.
Admittedly, I can only go by the surveys that I've seen in the UK but I do think they can serve a purpose. For example, the NHS uses ethnic monitoring surveys. Helps to ensure that the NHS is meeting the needs of all ethnic groups. For example if X% of the population is of X ethnicity - is a similar percentage making use of the services available? If not then it can be explored to see if they are unaware or unable to access the services and why. Or knowing how many people will speak a particular language and making sure that there is accessible information and staff who can talk to them. These aren't about preventing racism or making it worse but about ensuring people's needs are met.
Carrie de Luka - yes to that! I nearly wrote what you said, too, but thought maybe Hans was actually concerned about the word "race". I know in English it's also called "the human race" and therefor, the negative connotation it carries in Germany, for example, isn't as powerful. Despite that, I sometimes feel quite uncomfortable reading the label "race".
The surveys I have had to complete in the UK were Equality Monitoring Forms and have always been anonymous but then I have always worked in the public or charity sector where they have to comply with the Equality Act 2010 and public sector equality duty. The public sector equality duty means public authorities and charitable organisations must think about whether they should take action to meet the needs of a protected characteristic (sex, gender, race and so forth) or reduce the inequalities. In doing this, public authorities and charities are allowed to treat some groups more favourably than others. If they don't have the surveys, they can't monitor if they are actually doing the work to improve equality or not. Private companies don't have to comply.
Astrid Nineor - a commercial company may still have good reasons for wanting to undertake equality monitoring. If a company doesn't evaluate the diversity of their employees how can they do anything to improve it - should it be necessary. As long as it is anonymous and voluntary then it is unlikely to be for nefarious reasons. If it isn't anonymous and voluntary then I'm not very sure I'd want to work for the company!
That is different from being asked your race before getting to sign a contract for a commercial company though
We all need to put our differences aside and be one. It doesn’t matter of our skintone, it matters what and how we act. So be kind and let’s just show the world what we are made of. We are not going to be racists, we are going to be kind. This is America, after all!!!!
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Unfortunately, it's still important. If we don't track things like race and gender - things that we would love to become unimportant over time - then we can't know whether or not it's getting better. We still need to see whether things like unemployment, education, wages, prison sentences, etc etc break down across racial lines. I work at a university and we were recently overhauling our enrollment system, and we very nearly removed gender as a question on the form. Then we realized that without that information, we can't ask questions such as whether there is a high percentage of men in STEM or women in Nursing, data which informs recruiting and hopefully helps to erase cultural bias in the long run. So we just made sure it was clear that we were asking about which gender you identify with, and gave nonbinary as an option. Unfortunately, until race and gender really DON'T matter, we can't possibly stop asking about them without being part of the problem.
Racism and hatred will never be 100% gone. But things could change. LGBTQ rights have changed and that started with protests and riots. Interracial marriage is allowed. Black people and women are allowed to vote. So we KNOW things can change - why not this?
But that's the thing, it's so much bigger than just cop violence, but there is this growing awareness of us, the rest of the world, that that is what's wrong! So even if this just preps the world for feeling free to judge the heck out of it, it has done good work. It's just unimaginable that a person needs to die for this to get moving.
You forgot one thing. All 4 officers present for the killing were immediately fired, one was charged with murder, and more charges will be coming after the investigation. Before, the cops would either get a slap on the wrist, or congratulations for what they did. That is definite progress in a good direction.
We have to change the hearts and minds of American PEOPLE. All the rest of that is window dressing. It's a process. It will take time.
I agree and disagree. Because there are health problems that affect more some races or ethnicities than others (same with sex). But since racism still haunts us, maybe the word "race" in health studies should be renamed...? Idk the answer
Do the survey forms in the US use 'race'? I only know the UK ones and the ones I have seen use the term ethnicities. There is a best practice sample form by ACAS (the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service) on the internet for information. It can be downloaded for companies to use.
IKR! You would expect something better from a country made by immigrants and that has a history of killing the Natives and using slavery. As you say correctly, we are all humans and should treat others as we would want to be treated ourselves.
The problem is that until racism is defeated, no one will be able to measure its impact without those questions. It would be akin to ignoring it and that won't make it go away either.
A lot of people of a certain political persuasion like to say that they are color blind just so that we *will* ignore the problem.
I agree, however, from a medical standpoint it does make a difference. Certain diseases are more prevalent in certain groups. We actually use different “normal” values in some lab tests and even Lung function tests for Blacks, Whites, and Asians.
the NHS needs the ethnicity of their patients because certain conditions have a higher risk among certain races. Plus with the African Diaspora there is an ongoing issue of poor mental health because of culture. This is backed by research if anyone wants to flame me over it. Ive reviewed a dissertation( by a black south african) in May this year who researched this and proposed a solution to remove cultural stigma barriers..
The name your race surveys in the US are designed to identify when discrimination may be happening, or as Carrie said, to see if a given service is not reaching a specific community.