Target deletes ‘2020 is our year’ tweet after stores are burned during protests

On New Year’s Eve, Target declared that 2020 was going to be their year. In fact, they believed that so much that their corporate communications team tweeted it out from their official blue-check profile.

Well, after this week, the retail chain deleted the post. Why? Cause clearly it is not.

Saturday, after multiple stores in Minneapolis and Oakland, were looted, set ablaze, and basically destroyed in response to the recent George Floyd police-inflicted death, the popular store deleted the optimistic forecast.

COLUMBUS, USA – MAY 30 : Protesters rally outside the state house on the fourth straight day of protests against the death of an unarmed black man who was killed as he was pinned down by a white Minneapolis, Minnesota police officer in Columbus, Ohio, United States on May 30, 2020. (Photo by Megan Jelinger/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

READ MORE: George Floyd’s brother says Trump wouldn’t let him speak during phone call

Customers, Walmart plants, and other social media trolls noticed quickly and dragged the company that helped to put Toys ‘R Us and FAO Schwartz out of business.

It is reported that almost 50 stories have been shut down since Memorial Day. Looters seem to have taken great joy grabbing clothes, toiletries, food, electronics, televisions, and even refrigerators in the riots. Cash registers have been broken and the new self-checkouts broken.

The scenes captured on videos are reminiscent of images one might expect from the Lost Boys from “Peter Pan,” Jack Merridew from “Lord of The Flies” and Max from “Where the Wild Things Are.”

While this is devastating, some people are still awesome. Look at what neighbors have done to rebuild their local Target.

the news won’t show you this so yk the target that was destroyed days ago? hundreds of people spent hours cleaning it up and they organized everything to donate it pic.twitter.com/w8enp1hv81

— #BLM (@outrorida) May 31, 2020

Some protestors in Brooklyn calling to loot the Target, but organizers are rushing in front of the store to stop them, keep things non-violent #nycprotest pic.twitter.com/6x70cpcjep

— Andrew Solender (@AndrewSolender) May 31, 2020

The corporate office communications arm, Target News, issued a statement, “We are heartbroken by the death of George Floyd and the pain it is causing our community. At this time, we have made the decision to close a number of our stores until further notice. Our focus will remain on our team members’ safety and helping our community heal.”

“We are a community in pain. That pain is not unique to the Twin Cities—it extends across America. And as a team we’ve vowed to face pain with purpose.” Read a note from Target CEO Brian Cornell: https://t.co/ZLzfPxj2DP. pic.twitter.com/hjGLSRW1qi

— Target News (@TargetNews) May 29, 2020

In a statement, CEO Brian Cornell got personal:

“We are a community in pain. That pain is not unique to the Twin Cities—it extends across America. The murder of George Floyd has unleashed the pent-up pain of years, as have the killings of Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor. We say their names and hold a too-long list of others in our hearts. As a Target team, we’ve huddled, we’ve consoled, we’ve witnessed horrific scenes similar to what’s playing out now and wept that not enough is changing. And as a team, we’ve vowed to face pain with purpose.”

READ MORE: Trump on George Floyd’s death: ‘I feel very, very badly’

He continued by speaking about how they plan to help people affected by the pandemic, and the pain exacerbated by the civil unrest.

“Every day, our team wakes up ready to help all families—and on the hardest days, we cling even more dearly to that purpose. As I write this, our merchant and distribution teams are preparing truckloads of first aid equipment and medicine, bottled water, baby formula, diapers, and other essentials, to help ensure that no one within the areas of heaviest damage and demonstration is cut off from needed supplies.”

But even as the store is serving the community, they too are feeling the pain intimately.

“Our store and HR teams are working with all of our displaced team members, including the more than 200 team members from our Lake Street store in Minneapolis. We will make sure they have their full pay and benefits in the coming weeks, as well as access to other resources and opportunities within Target.”

Target Store

Cornell continues, “We’ll continue to invest in this vibrant crossroads of the Seward, Longfellow, Phillips, and Powderhorn communities, preserving jobs and economic opportunity by rebuilding and bringing back the store that has served as a community resource since 1976. In any of our other locations that are damaged or at risk, the safety and well-being of our team, guests, and the surrounding community will continue to be our paramount priority.”

It has been difficult 2020 for Target workers (who on average make $12.34 an hour) and are experiencing extreme trauma, displacement, and illness. But even with those stores failing and the people are struggling, the company is corporately is thriving.

According to The Motley Fool, Target reported positive earnings during its 2020 first quarter, which ended May 2nd. The growth is attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic that puts customers in the United States in a precarious position to stock up on “stock up on staple food and grocery products.”

Cornell and his team told investors at the top of the month that they expected sales to keep going up based on how the Target team executes their plans throughout the rest of the pandemic.

Unfortunately, this was before Floyd’s murder and the world reacted.

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Black CNN Reporter is Arrested on Live TV While Covering the Minneapolis Protests

CNN reporter Omar Jimenez was arrested early Friday morning by the Minnesota State Patrol as he and his colleagues were reporting on the ongoing protests in Minneapolis.

Jimenez, who is black and Latinx, was led away in handcuffs while he was live on air covering the demonstrations over the death of George Floyd by police on Monday. After the officers approached the journalists during the broadcast, the team responded by identifying themselves as reporters and asked the authorities where they wanted them to relocate.

“We can move back to where you’d like. We can move back to where you’d like here. We are live on the air at the moment,” Jimenez told the officers moments before he was taken into custody on live TV. “We’re getting out of your way. So, just let us know. Wherever you’d want us, we will go. We were just getting out of your way when you were advancing through the intersection. Let us know and we’ve got you.”

In response, two police officers put Jimenez in handcuffs without offering an explanation although he asked several times why he was being arrested. His cameraman, who is white, and producer, who is Hispanic, were also detained shortly thereafter.

According to CNN, the arrests were a “clear violation of their First Amendment rights.” CNN reported that network president Jeff Zucker spoke with Gov. Tim Walz, who “deeply apologized” for the “unacceptable” arrests. Jimenez and his crew were released from police custody that same morning.

A CNN reporter & his production team were arrested this morning in Minneapolis for doing their jobs, despite identifying themselves – a clear violation of their First Amendment rights. The authorities in Minnesota, incl. the Governor, must release the 3 CNN employees immediately.

— CNN Communications (@CNNPR) May 29, 2020

Gov. Walz also apologized for the incident during a press conference later that day. “In a situation like this, even if you’re clearing an area, we have got to ensure that there is a safe spot for journalism to tell the story. The issue here is trust,” he said. He added that there was “absolutely no reason something like this should happen”.

CNN commentator Bakari Sellers called out Minneapolis police over Jimenez’s arrest, noting that Jimenez complied with police and that a white CNN reporter on the scene was not arrested.

“We saw a reporter who is educated, who is brown, who is doing his job better than anybody around, was in harm’s way, letting the American people see what’s going on on the ground. He complied, he said he would move, and you know his family’s heart is beating right now because he is locked up in prison and killers are still roaming the streets free,” Sellers said, according to Mediaite.

He went on to note that “at CNN we have a white reporter on the ground, and we have a brown reporter on the ground. They are a block apart. The brown reporter is arrested, and the white reporter is telling us what’s happening.”

Sellers added, “You almost have to laugh not to just be furious, because this is America in 2020, and I hate to be cheesy, but the revolution literally is being televised.”

Watch Omar Jimenez’s arrest below.

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George Floyd’s brother says Trump wouldn’t let him speak during phone call

It seems that Black lives actually do matter … especially if you have a presidential election coming up and you have to seem presidential.

At least that is what George Floyd’s brother Philonise felt after speaking briefly to Donald Trump, the nation’s Commander in Chief.

READ MORE: Trump on George Floyd’s death: ‘I feel very, very badly’

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office before signing an executive order related to regulating social media on May 28, 2020 in Washington, DC. Trump’s executive order could lead to attempts to punish companies such as Twitter and Google for attempting to point out factual inconsistencies in social media posts by politicians. (Photo by Doug Mills-Pool/Getty Images)

President Trump called and spoke to Philonise days after his brother was “murdered by knee” on Memorial Day.  The tradition of presidents reaching out to victims of brutal and outrageous tragedies in America goes back to the birth of the nation. It is a tool to show the tenderness of the executive’s heart and as classic a political move as kissing a baby.

Guess which one best underlines Trump’s motivation.

While being interviewed by Rev. Al Sharpton, Philonise shared what the call was like. who His nephew Brandon Williams and their family attorney Benjamin Crump joined him during the interview.

Philonise Floyd says he spoke with both @JoeBiden and @realDonaldTrump about the recent modern day lynching of his brother #GeorgeFloyd. Philonise said Trump didn’t give him the opportunity to speak. #PoliticsNation pic.twitter.com/w0awRQ6cQh

— Reverend Al Sharpton (@TheRevAl) May 30, 2020

After an expressive “psshhh,” the brother explained that Trump didn’t really let him talk, insinuating that the president didn’t really care about what the grieving family wanted to say and understand their needs.

“It was so fast, he didn’t give me an opportunity to even speak,” he said.

Philonise felt ignored.

“It was hard. I was trying to talk to him, but he just kept, like, pushing me off, like I don’t want to hear what you’re talking about,” said the visibly upset brother. “And I just told him, I want justice. I said, that I can’t believe they committed a modern-day lynching in broad daylight.”

Not surprisingly, Trump believed the call was successful, thoughtful, and evidence of his great compassion as a leader. He told that world that in several speeches that he has made since the call.

“The death of George Floyd on the streets of Minneapolis was a grave tragedy. It should never have happened. It has filled Americans all over the country with horror, anger, and grief.” pic.twitter.com/lirAMSv4Wo

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) May 30, 2020

“The death of George Floyd on the streets of Minneapolis was a grave tragedy. It should never have happened. It has filled Americans all over the country with horror, anger, and grief,” he said.

He declared to have extended his sorrow on behalf of the nation to Floyd’s family.

“I stand before you as a friend and ally, to every American seeking justice and peace.” The president continues, “And I stand here before you in firm opposition to anyone exploiting this tragedy as an opportunity to loot, rob, attack, and menace.”

This is a swift shift from his response the only one day before when he refused to speak to the press about Floyd’s death or the family.

The presumptive Democratic president Joe Biden also spoke to the Floyd family. He did not set up a press conference, nor did he bring it up in his interviews. In one interview with Don Lemons asked him about and he shared tastefully:

“It was a private call. As I said before, I am deeply grateful that they took the time” Biden shared, “I was truly impressed with their presence and their grace imaginable painful time.”

Biden had a sense of understanding of how the family felt as he’s suffered personal losses. Saturday marked the fifth anniversary of Biden losing his son Beau to brain cancer.

“I tried to give them solace in terms of the memory and meaning of George’s life would live with them,” Biden said.

“This is what I am impressed with. I do not have permission to talk about their internal conversation, they are a family that’s close … cousins that are like brothers … The kids.  The mom who passed away … they are all together. They are a unit.”

Biden also noted that Floyd seemed to be the glue that held them all together. How did the former vice president know this? He listened. Something that the POTUS did not.

Philonise did share what he transpired on the call: “I asked vice president Biden … and uh … I never had to beg a man before … but I asked him could he please get justice for my brother.”

He continued with justifiable emotion, “Please, I need it. I did not want to see his brother on a t-shirt, just like the other guys. Nobody deserved that, Black folks don’t deserve that.”

READ MORE: George Floyd and officer Derek Chauvin worked together at nightclub in 2019

Biden, the gentleman from Delaware, did not reveal that a broken-hearted brother begged him for anything.

Floyd was murdered on Memorial Day after a police officer that he used to work with last year used an inappropriate chokehold on him that resulted in his death. Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer charged for murder in Floyd’s death, is now being closely watched by county jail staff.

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Chrissy Teigen pledges $200K to bail out George Floyd protesters

Chrissy Teigen is pledging $200,000 to the “rioters and criminals” who have been arrested protesting George Floyd’s death.

The model offered her financial support Saturday during a tweetstorm after she took offense to President Donald Trump declaring that there would be a “MAGA night” at the White House.

“The professionally managed so-called ‘protesters’ at the White House had little to do with the memory of George Floyd. They were just there to cause trouble. The @SecretService handled them easily. Tonight, I understand, is MAGA NIGHT AT THE WHITE HOUSE???” the president posted.

READ MORE: Beyonce promotes George Floyd petition, says justice is ‘far from being achieved’

(Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

Teigen had better ideas on how to commemorate the evening. She’d put money behind those who have taken to the streets across the nation — including showing up at the White House — to decry police brutality.

In celebration of whatever the fuck maga night is, I am committed to donating $100,000 to the bail outs of protestors across the country.

— chrissy teigen (@chrissyteigen) May 30, 2020

“In celebration of whatever the f*ck maga night is, I am committed to donating $100,000 to the bail outs of protestors across the country,” she tweeted.

Teigen quickly racked up the likes and retweets but some were unhappy with her announced pledge. In a since-deleted tweet, one critic branded the protestors as “rioters and criminals.” The cooking maven took that as a challenge to ante her offer.

Ooo they might need more money then. Make it $200,000 https://t.co/axuJnazJkU

— chrissy teigen (@chrissyteigen) May 30, 2020

“Ooo they might need more money then. Make it $200,000,” Teigen quipped.

Teigen, who is married to John Legend, also amplified tweets that pledged pro bono support for those in Minneapolis, Houston, New York, Atlanta, Los Angeles who may need help as they express outrage over Floyd’s death and police brutality. The nation has been in unrest since Monday when video showed now-former police officer Derek Chauvin placing his knee on Floyd’s neck for 8 minutes, 46 seconds, and kept his knee on Floyd’s neck for 2 minutes 43 seconds after he lost consciousness and pleaded for help.

READ MORE: Colin Kaepernick to pay legal fees of Minneapolis protesters

Prosecutors allege that Chauvin used excessive force as police first encountered Floyd as part of an investigation about the unarmed 46-year-old possibly using a counterfeit $20 bill. He has since been charged with third-degree murder. However, the protests which at times have turned violent, continued as there are demands that the other officers involved be charged as well.

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Derek Chauvin being closely monitored in jail following murder charge

Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer charged for murder in George Floyd‘s death, is closely being watched by county jail staff.

Sources tell TMZ that at Ramsey County Jail in St. Paul, Minn., where Chauvin is currently being detained on charges of third-degree murder and manslaughter, the ex-cop has been checked on every 15 minutes since being brought into custody on Friday.

Chauvin was reportedly assigned to a single cell in a special wing of the jail that is designated for high-profile cases. Though he is spending his time behind bars alone, the TMZ source claims Chauvin is being watched on camera by guards 24/7.

READ MORE: George Floyd’s family want first-degree murder charge against Chauvin

Former MPD officer Derek Chauvin, left, and George Floyd, right, reportedly worked together at the same nightclub. (Photo: Twitter screengrab/the offices of Ben Crump Law)

The source wouldn’t call the extra surveillance a suicide watch, however, law enforcement sources reportedly said that’s essentially what it is. While officials claim they do not think Chauvin is suicidal, they want to ensure his safety while in custody.

Chauvin will reportedly be in his cell for 23 hours out of the day with one hour of recreational time in an enclosed area. His cell bed is also reportedly bolted to the floor and his pillow is sewn to it.

Chauvin faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted of murder in the death of George Floyd. Floyd, 46, died after begging to be released by Chauvin’s knee pressed against his neck while in police custody on Memorial Day. After three consecutive nights of fever-pitched protests calling for his arrest across the country, Chauvin was charged and taken into custody.

As theGrio previously reported, less than 24 hours after he was arrested, Chauvin’s wife Kellie Chauvin filed for divorce.

READ MORE: Minneapolis nightclub owner says Derek Chauvin was ‘anxious’ over Black customers

“She is devastated by Mr. Floyd’s death and her utmost sympathy lies with his family, with his loved ones and with everyone who is grieving this tragedy,” Kellie Chavin’s laywer said in a statement. “She has filed for dissolution of her marriage to Derek Chauvin.”

The statement added, “While Ms. Chauvin has no children from her current marriage, she respectfully requests that her children, her elder parents, and her extended family be given safety and privacy during this difficult time.”

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Ex- NFL exec admits Colin Kaepernick’s career ended because of activism

Joe Lockhart, the former executive vice president in charge of communications and government affairs for the NFL, dropped a bomb on the world. After witnessing the nation’s current unrest, and his conscious to get the best of him, he admitted that Colin Kaepernick’s activism is the reason why he is not on a team.

READ MORE: Colin Kaepernick to pay legal fees of Minneapolis protesters

According to Lockhart, who now is a political analyst for CNN, “No teams wanted to sign a player — even one as talented as Kaepernick — whom they saw as controversial, and, therefore, bad for business.”

RIVERDALE, GA – NOVEMBER 16: Colin Kaepernick looks to make a pass during a private NFL workout held at Charles R Drew high school on November 16, 2019 in Riverdale, Georgia. Due to disagreements between Kaepernick and the NFL the location of the workout was abruptly changed. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)

In his piece entitled, “Now is the moment to sign Colin Kaepernick,” he continues to confess what most of Black America has already known: Kap was a thorn in their pig-skinned sides.

Lockhart said that during his time in their public relations arm, league owners and executives were “consumed” worrying what to do about this big afro-wearing negro. The league executives tried to do right by Kap, but the owners would not budge.

Lockhart says, “The NFL commissioner, Roger Goodell, and other league executives tried to persuade the teams to change their minds. The league sent owners and players around the country to try to lead a dialogue on race relations and to move, as the sociologist and human rights activist Harry Edwards said, ‘from protest to progress.’ Though Kaepernick didn’t get his job back, I thought we had all done a righteous job, considering.”

After spending two years in the precarious position, he believed that of the many different fires he had to put out for the NFL this was the one that was the one that challenged him and his colleagues the most.

“But no issue challenged the league and its owners more than Kaepernick and his silent protest during the National Anthem. He started his protest in the preseason of 2016. In fact, the first time he did it no one even noted that he took a seat on the bench rather than stand.”

READ MORE: Colin Kaepernick says protestors ‘have the right to fight back’ after death of George Floyd

In fact, he said of his position throughout the debacle, as the voice for NFL, was wrong.

“I think the teams were wrong for not signing him. Watching what’s going on in Minnesota, I understand how badly wrong we were.”

NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy responded to the article and stated, “Colin is a free agent. Clubs may sign him if they choose to do so.”

Kaepernick has not yet responded to these comments but he has set up a legal defense to help protestors in Minnesota hire representation.

In fighting for liberation there‘s always retaliation. We must protect our Freedom Fighters. We started a legal defense initiative to give legal representation to Freedom Fighters in Minneapolis paid for by @yourrightscamp

For representation or to donate https://t.co/q0pzAObCiG

— Colin Kaepernick (@Kaepernick7) May 29, 2020

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Far-right extremists hoping to turn the George Floyd protests into a ‘civil war’

The death of George Floyd and subsequent protests are now being exploited by far-right extremists who are hoping for a “boogaloo” which is code for a civil war online.

Vice reported that far-right groups have begun showing up at the protests over Floyd’s murder, often with guns, with the intention of exploiting the anger. The desire is to exploit the combustible elements of Black Lives Matter demonstrating against police brutality into a “race war”.

READ MORE: Minnesota governor mobilizes national guard, says protests are manipulated by ‘domestic terrorists’

Demonstrators clash with police during a protest in response to the police killing of George Floyd in Lafayette Square Park near the White House on May 29, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images).

In particular, the Boogaloo Bois — a group of armed anti-government extremists made visible by their Hawaiian shirts — have shown up to advance their own issues against the police. They are of the mindset that law enforcement is a brute force that has harmed the victims of Ruby Ridge in 1992 to most recently Floyd. However, they do not think Black people are disproportionately targeted by law enforcement.

Nonetheless, they have begun to post on social media about their desire to infiltrate Black Lives Matter for the purpose of mainstreaming their ideas for conflict and civil war. They often post about tactical gear, firearm purchases, weapons and war. Now their movement has seized upon Floyd’s death who died on Memorial Day after now-former police officer Derek Chauvin placed a knee on his neck.

The posted an “operation” on Instagram about how to conquer Minnesota which has been at the epicenter of protests.

View this post on Instagram

OPERATIONS In order to combat the state we must think smarter than them and have a strategic plan. It’s great seeing people that have come prepared within the area. Even the group of gentlemen in the second photo have shown that their hearts are in the right place even with little training, equipment, and planning. That may sound like a disaster if something were to arise, which it very well could, but it shows that people are willing to take a stand. What needs to be done is a structure within the community to be built. I don’t mean the useless group chats, discord servers, or FB groups. I mean a true squad, a group of people that you can count on, know how to operate, and trust one another with your lives. What needs to be done is for a modern day minutemen to be formed. This will ensure that if events like the ones we’re seeing occur again (which they will), there will be more structure and confidence in our voices. A firm NO. #minneapolis #minnesota #georgefloyd #antistate #freedom #liberty #boogaloo #boog #frycookgames #frycook #mafia #luau #556 #fedbois #redacted #9mm #glock #ar15 #northwoods #training #marksmanship #marksman #rifle #pistol

A post shared by The Fry Cook Mafia (@fry_cook_mafia) on May 28, 2020 at 11:59pm PDT

“We must think smarter than them and have a strategic plan. It’s great seeing people that have come prepared within the area. Even the group of gentlemen in the second photo have shown that their hearts are in the right place even with little training, equipment, and planning. That may sound like a disaster if something were to arise, which it very well could, but it shows that people are willing to take a stand,” the post read.

The post further advocated for a structure to be built within the community. It was stressed that true believers were necessary.

“What needs to be done is for a modern day minutemen to be formed. This will ensure that if events like the ones we’re seeing occur again (which they will), there will be more structure and confidence in our voices.”

Other Neo Nazi’s such as accelerationists have been more brazen in their desire to see more Black deaths and using the current climate to accomplish it. They want to speed up the end of society and “exacerbating the ethnic tensions” will do that.

READ MORE: George Floyd protesters reach breaking point in clash with police across the US

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has decried the “chaos,” claiming only 20% of Minnesotans were taking part in these demonstrations. The rest, he said, were provocateurs from out of state.

“The situation in Minneapolis is no longer in any way about the murder of George Floyd, it is about attacking civil society, instilling fear, and disrupting our great cities,” he said Saturday.

“As you saw this expand across the United States, and you start to see whether it be domestic terrorism, whether it be ideological extremists to fan the group, or whether it be international destabilization of how our country works.”

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Protests heat up across US, governors call in National Guard

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Governors in several states called in National Guard troops as protests over repeated police killings of black men grew Saturday from New York to Tulsa to Los Angeles, where police fired rubber bullets to scatter crowds and at least one police car burned.

The protests, which began in Minneapolis following Monday’s death of George Floyd after a police officer pressed his knee on Floyd’s neck for more than eight minutes, have left parts of that city a grid of broken windows, burned-out buildings and ransacked stores. But the demonstrations have since become a national phenomenon, as protesters decry years of deaths at police hands.

In Tulsa, Oklahoma’s Greenwood District, the site of a 1921 massacre of black people that left as many as 300 dead and the city’s thriving black district in ruins, protesters blocked intersections and chanted the name of Terence Crutcher, a black man killed by a police officer in 2016. Other peaceful protests were being held in California, Delaware, Florida, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and South Carolina.

In Tulsa and Wilmington, Delaware, protesters made their way onto nearby interstates and shut them down temporarily. In Tallahassee, Florida, a pickup truck drove through a crowd of protesters, sending some running and screaming as the vehicle stopped and started and at one point had a person on its hood, police said, but no serious injuries were reported.

In Columbia, South Carolina, a television reporter for WIS-TV was injured by rocks thrown Saturday amid protests outside the Columbia Police Department. Several hundred people participated in the demonstration, tearing down the American and state flags in front of the police department’s headquarters. They also swarmed a Columbia police car, breaking its windows, The State reported.

In Los Angeles protesters chanted “Black Lives Matter,” some within inches of the face shields of officers. Police used batons to move protesters back and shot rubber bullets to scatter the crowd. One man used a skateboard to attempt to break the windshield of a police SUV. A spray painted police car burned in the streets.

In Minneapolis, 29-year-old Sam Allkija, said at Saturday’s protest that the destruction that has accompanied protests is a sign of the frustration and rage the black community has felt for a long time.

“I don’t condone them,” he said. “But you have to look deeper into why these riots are happening.”

COLUMBUS, USA – MAY 30 : Protesters rally outside the state house on the fourth straight day of protests against the death of an unarmed black man who was killed as he was pinned down by a white Minneapolis, Minnesota police officer in Columbus, Ohio, United States on May 30, 2020. (Photo by Megan Jelinger/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz fully mobilized the state’s National Guard and promised a massive show of force to help quell unrest that has grown increasingly destructive.

“The situation in Minneapolis is no longer in any way about the murder of George Floyd,” Walz said. “It is about attacking civil society, instilling fear and disrupting our great cities.”

After a tumultuous Friday night, racially diverse crowds took to the streets again for mostly peaceful protests in dozens of cities. The previous day’s protests, too, had started calmly — in cities from New York to Oakland, California, from Atlanta to Portland, Oregon — before many descended into violence. The massive crowds involved, with many people not wearing masks or practicing social distancing, raised concerns among health experts about the potential for the spread of the coronavirus.

Hundreds of people were arrested Friday, and police used batons, rubber bullets and pepper spray to push back crowds in some cities. Many departments reported officers were injured, while social media was awash in images of police using forceful tactics, throwing protesters to the ground, using bicycles as shields, and trampling a protester while on horseback.

This week’s unrest recalled the riots in Los Angeles nearly 30 years ago after the acquittal of the white police officers who beat Rodney King, a black motorist who had led them on a high-speed chase. The protests of Floyd’s killing have gripped many more cities, but the losses in Minneapolis have yet to approach the staggering totals in Los Angeles. During the five days of rioting in 1992, more than 60 died, 2,000-plus were injured and thousands arrested, with property damage topping $1 billion.

Many protesters spoke of frustration that Floyd’s death was one more in a litany. It comes in the wake of the killing in Georgia of Ahmaud Arbery, who was shot after being pursued by two white men while running in their neighborhood, and in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic that has thrown millions out of work, killed more than 100,000 people in the U.S. and disproportionately affected black people.

On Friday, the officer who held his knee to Floyd’s neck was arrested and charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter — but that appeared to provide little balm. Many protesters are demanding the arrests of the three other officers involved.

Comments from President Donald Trump stoked the anger, when he fired off a series of tweets criticizing Minnesota’s response, ridiculing people who protested outside the White House and warning that if protesters breached the fence, “they would … have been greeted with the most vicious dogs, and most ominous weapons, I have ever seen.”

Leaders in many affected cities have voiced outrage over Floyd’s killing and offered sympathy for those who were protesting — but as unrest intensified, many spoke of the desperate need to protect their cities and said they would call in reinforcements, despite concerns that could lead to more heavy handed tactics.

The unrest prompted responses across the globe. A top Vatican cardinal, Peter Turkson who is from Ghana, urged pastors in the United States to plead for calm, while U.S. national soccer player Weston McKennie wore an armband referencing Floyd’s death while playing for Schalke in Germany’s Bundesliga.

Minnesota has steadily increased the number of National Guardsmen it says it needs to contain the unrest, and has now called up 1,700. The governor is also considering a potential offer of military police, which the Pentagon put on alert.

Governors in Georgia, Kentucky, Ohio and Texas activated the National Guard after protests there turned violent overnight, while nighttime curfews were put in place in Portland, Oregon, and Cincinnati.

A person was killed in downtown Detroit just before midnight after someone fired shots into an SUV near the Greektown entertainment district, police said. Police had initially said someone fired into the crowd from an SUV. And police in St. Louis were investigating the death of a protester who had climbed between two trailers of a Fed Ex truck and was killed when it drove away.

Atlanta saw some of the most extreme unrest. While crews in that city worked to clean up glass and debris from rioting the night before, a large electronic billboard on Saturday morning still carried the message, “If you love Atlanta PLEASE GO HOME,” echoing the mayor’s pleas.

National Guard members blocked anyone from approaching heavily damaged buildings, including the College Football Hall of Fame and nearby restaurants.

Video posted to social media showed New York City officers using batons and shoving protesters down as they took people into custody and cleared streets. One video showed on officer slam a woman to the ground as he walked past her in the street.

Underscoring that Floyd’s killing is part of a pattern, the names of black people killed by police, including Eric Garner, who died on Staten Island in 2014, were on signs and in chants.

“Our country has a sickness. We have to be out here,” said Brianna Petrisko, among those at lower Manhattan’s Foley Square, where most were wearing masks amid the coronavirus pandemic. “This is the only way we’re going to be heard.”

___

Murphy reported from Oklahoma City.

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White women in Louisville line up to form human shield protect Black protesters

Injustice and discrimination tend to be described in binary terms: good vs. evil, female vs. male, Black vs. White.

However, at one of the at least twenty anti-police violence demonstrations held across the country on Thursday, an act of alliance disrupted that line of thinking by showing White bodies on the line to protect Black lives.

READ MORE: A word for the Karens and Amy Coopers of America

In an image captured by photographer Tim Druck, scores of White women in Lousiville lined up arm-in-arm to form a human shield separating the Louisville Metro Police from protestors expressing their angst about the murder of Breonna Taylor, and countless other Black people at the hands of the police).

Breonna Taylor is pictured in an undated photo. (Credit: Instagram/@keyanna.guifarro)

Taylor was fatally shot by police as they barged in her home in March with a no-knock warrant and killed her while she was laying in her bed. The police were wrong about not only the suspect but also the apartment that they entered.

Using their bodies as sacrificial lambs, they offered up their White privilege for the safety of Black men, women, and children.

The photo went viral as it dismisses a divisive narrative that people of different races can’t get along. More poignantly, that white women like Amy Cooper, have no respect for Blackness if it does not serve them.

One organization, the Kentucky National Organization for Women, had over 100,000 shares from their Facebook profile.

“This is a line of white people forming a barrier between Black protesters and the police. This is love. This is what you do with your privilege,” the post states. 

READ MORE: 911 call from Breonna Taylor shooting: ‘Somebody kicked in the door and shot my girlfriend’

According to Druck, Chanelle Helm, who is the lead organizer for Black Lives Matter Louisville, told the Courier Journal that the White protesters used a bullhorn and said, “If you are going to be here, you should defend this space.” After the command, they instructed those present to form the line facing police at 6th and Jefferson streets. 

“She was asking for white folks to use their privilege, and put their bodies between police and the other demonstrators,” Druck said. “And people responded. They didn’t, they didn’t need to be convinced. Everybody willingly and enthusiastically did it.”

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Minnesota residents clean up after George Floyd protests

Minnesota residents are on clean up duty after nights of protest which have often turned violent over the death of George Floyd.

FOX 9 reported that those who live in St. Paul and Minneapolis are using the weekend to clean up after days of protest and looting that led to destruction in properties. In one instance, O’Reilly Auto Parts was set on fire by a crowd. A Wells Fargo branch and a Family Dollar store were also destroyed. Earlier in the week, a police precinct in Minneapolis was taken over and torched.

A protester takes a knee in front of San Jose Police officers during a protest on East Santa Clara Street in San Jose, Calif., on May 29, 2020, after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. (Photo by Dai Sugano/MediaNews Group/The Mercury News via Getty Images)

“We all live in fear,” a local auto shop owner, who chose not to be identified said.

The owner learned from a friend that his business had gone up in flames. He does not know if he’ll be able to open back up again.

READ MORE: Protesters converge on White House for second straight day

An ARMY of volunteers in Minneapolis helping neighbors clean up business damage. “Bring a broom” they were told. What a sight. pic.twitter.com/OjzXpEXCLk

— Matt Finn (@MattFinnFNC) May 30, 2020

It is just incredible to see so many people here this morning helping to clean up. So many of them tell me they saw what was happening last night and just felt called to come help today. Amazing Minnesota. Amazing. pic.twitter.com/Mxk7DLFN3b

— Hannah Flood (@hannahfloodfox9) May 30, 2020

Citizens did their part by heeding the call to help, standing in line to help by either cleaning up the damage and donating food and essentials to those in need and depleted supermarkets.

Gov. Tim Walz activated the National Guard in response to the mayhem. He criticized those who were now exploiting the Floyd tragedy on Saturday.

READ MORE: Minnesota governor mobilizes national guard, says protests are manipulated by ‘domestic terrorists’

Minneapolis has been in unrest since Monday when video showed now-former police officer Derek Chauvin was shown on tape placing his knee on Floyd’s neck for 8 minutes, 46 seconds, and kept his knee on Floyd’s neck for 2 minutes 43 seconds after he lost consciousness and pleaded for help. Prosecutors allege that Chauvin used excessive force as police first encountered Floyd as part of an investigation about the unarmed 46-year-old possibly using a counterfeit $20 bill.

What the media won’t show in Minneapolis. Free food, water and resources.

Community is a verb. pic.twitter.com/piKlEqun0t

— zellie (@zellieimani) May 30, 2020

Protests followed Floyd’s death but Chauvin’s arrest did not stop the protest, especially since the other officers involved have not been held accountable. In the view of Walz, he believed that the demand for justice had now been hijacked by agitators.

“The situation in Minneapolis is no longer in any way about the murder of George Floyd, it is about attacking civil society, instilling fear, and disrupting our great cities,” he said.

“As you saw this expand across the United States, and you start to see whether it be domestic terrorism, whether it be ideological extremists to fan the group, or whether it be international destabilization of how our country works.”

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In unusual move, US embassies in Africa speak up on Floyd

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — As Minneapolis burns over the police killing of George Floyd and shock and disappointment in Africa grow, some U.S. embassies on the continent have taken the unusual step of issuing critical statements, saying no one is above the law.

The statements came as the head of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, condemned the “murder” of Floyd and said Friday the continental body rejects the “continuing discriminatory practices against black citizens of the USA.”

Floyd, a handcuffed black man, died after a police officer pressed his knee into his neck for several minutes even after he stopped moving and pleading for air.

Africa has not seen the kind of protests over Floyd’s killing that have erupted across the United States, but many Africans have expressed disgust and dismay, openly wondering when the U.S. will ever get it right.

“WTF? ‘When the looting starts the shooting starts’?” tweeted political cartoonist Patrick Gathara in Kenya, which has its own troubles with police brutality. He, like many, was aghast at the tweet by President Donald Trump, flagged by Twitter as violating rules against “glorifying violence,” that the president later said had been misconstrued.

Mindful of America’s image on a continent where China’s influence has grown and where many have felt a distinct lack of interest from the Trump administration in Africa, some U.S. diplomats have tried to control the damage.

The ambassador to Congo, Mike Hammer, highlighted a tweet from a local media entrepreneur who addressed him saying, “Dear ambassador, your country is shameful. Proud America, which went through everything from segregation to the election of Barack Obama, still hasn’t conquered the demons of racism. How many black people must be killed by white police officers before authorities react seriously?”

The ambassador’s response, in French: “I am profoundly troubled by the tragic death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. The Justice Department is conducting a full criminal investigation as a top priority. Security forces around the world should be held accountable. No one is above the law.”

Similar statements were tweeted by the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Uganda, while the embassies in Tanzania and Kenya tweeted a joint statement from the Department of Justice office in Minnesota on the investigation.

African officials also were publicly outspoken last month over racism in China, when Africans complained of being evicted and mistreated in the city of Guangzhou amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

At the time, the U.S. was quick to join in, with the embassy in Beijing issuing a critical security alert titled “Discrimination against African-Americans in Guangzhou” and noting actions against people thought to be African or have African contacts.

Now the Africa-facing version of the state-run China Daily newspaper is tweeting footage from Minneapolis with the hashtags #GeorgeFloydWasMurdered and #BlackLivesMatter.

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Protesters converge on White House for second straight day

WASHINGTON (AP) — Shouting “Black Lives Matter” and “I can’t breathe,” several hundred people converged on the White House for a second straight day Saturday to protest the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis and President Donald Trump’s response.

Trump, who earlier belittled the protesters, pledged to “stop mob violence.”

“I stand before you as a friend and ally to every American seeking justice and peace, and I stand before you in firm opposition to anyone exploiting this tragedy to loot, rob, attack and menace,” the president said in Florida after watching the launch of a SpaceX rocket. “Healing, not hatred, justice, not chaos are the missions at hand.”

At Lafayette Park, across from the White House, three lines of barricades separated protesters from a loose line of uniformed police officers. At one point, the protesters left the park, chanting as they marched up a nearby street. A block from the White House, they held a moment of silence and brief sit-in.

In a series of tweets earlier Saturday, Trump doubted their allegiance to Floyd’s memory, saying they were “professionally managed.” He offered no evidence to back his assertion, and the president even seemed to invite supporters to make their presence felt: “Tonight, I understand, is MAGA NIGHT AT THE WHITE HOUSE???”

Trump later rejected the suggestion that he was stoking a potential conflict between protesters and his supporters. “I was just asking. But I have no idea if they are going to be here,” he said. “MAGA is Make America Great Again. By the way, they love African American people. They love black people.”

At Saturday’s demonstration, there was no evidence of a counter-move by Trump supporters.

Trump said he had “watched every move” from inside the executive mansion during Friday’s protest and “couldn’t have felt more safe” as the Secret Service let the protesters carry on, “but whenever someone … got too frisky or out of line, they would quickly come down on then, hard — didn’t know what hit them.”

The president also criticized the mayors of Washington and Minneapolis.

Trump said Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey “is probably a very good person, but he’s a radical, left mayor.” He then described how he watched as a police station in the city was overrun. “For that police station to be abandoned and taken over, I’ve never seen anything so horrible and stupid in my life,” Trump said when speaking briefly to reporters at the White House.

He said Minnesota officials have to get tougher with rioters, and that by doing so they would be honoring the memory of Floyd.

The Secret Service said in a statement Saturday that six protesters were arrested in Washington and “multiple” officers were injured. There were no details on the charges or nature of the injuries. A spokesman for U.S. Park Police said their officers made no arrests, but several suffered minor injuries and one was taken to a hospital after being struck in the helmet by a projectile.

Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf on Saturday called the protesters “criminals” who committed “acts of violence while hiding behind their First Amendment right of lawful protest.”

Wolf said the Secret Service was “evolving and adapting to the changing nature of the threats they face.”

Floyd is the black man who was being held in handcuffs when he died Monday in Minneapolis after a police officer pressed his knee into his neck for several minutes even after Floyd stopped moving and pleading for air. Protests have erupted in U.S. cities in the days since.

As he tweeted, Trump claimed that many Secret Service agents were “just waiting for action” and ready to unleash “the most vicious dogs, and the most ominous weapons, I have ever seen.” His reference to “vicious dogs” potentially being sicced on protesters revisits images from the civil rights movement when marchers faced snarling police dogs and high-pressure fire hoses.

In a news conference Saturday afternoon, Muriel Bowser, mayor of the nation’s capital, called Trump’s remark’s “gross” and said the reference to attack dogs conjures up with the worst memories of the nation’s fight against segregation.

“I call upon our city and our nation to exercise restraint, great restraint, even as the president tries to divide us,” she said. “I feel like these comments are an attack on humanity, an attack on black America, and they make my city less safe.”

In contrast with the president’s tweets, the Secret Service said it “respects the right to assemble and we ask that individuals do so peacefully for the safety of all.”

In protests that stretched into the early hours Saturday, people hurled pieces of bricks, bottles and other objects at Secret Service and Park Police officers who were in riot gear behind barricades around the White House. Protesters at times kicked and punched officers and wrestled over the barricades.

The crowd of hundreds chanted “No justice, no peace” and “Say his name: George Floyd.”

As some in the crowd grew more aggressive, police deployed pepper spray to keep them back and maintain a perimeter of officers around the White House. Fellow demonstrators came to the aid of protesters who were sprayed, their eyes red and puffy, offering bottles of milk and water to splash on their faces.

By the end of the night, the protesters had stolen about 15 barricades and left police to form a line of officers holding riot shields to keep back the swelling crowd. At one point, the protesters were able to gain control of an officer’s shield and set it ablaze before trying to toss it back at the line of officers. Police used a smoke device to stop them.

The protest went on for hours before police declared the gathering “unlawful” and ordered everyone to leave Lafayette Square, a seven-acre public park located directly north of the White House. Dozens of officers pushed forward with their shields and fired off streams of pepper spray at protesters.

“Out of the park or you will be sprayed,” an officer shouted at the crowd.

___

AP video journalist Nathan Ellgren contributed to this report.

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New footage shows three officers pinning George Floyd down prior to his death

Another video offering a different vantage point of George Floyd‘s final moments has emerged.

As reported by NBC News, the short recording, taken from an alternate angle of a widely circulated video capturing the 46-year-old’s brutal encounter with Minneapolis police, shows three officers pinning down Floyd, not just one.

The additional footage shows Derek Chauvin, the former cop now facing murder charges, pressing his knee on Floyd’s neck as two other officers restrained him to the pavement with their hands and knees on his back.

Floyd can be heard crying and pleading repeatedly: “My face is gone. I can’t breathe, man, please. Please, let me stand.”

READ MORE: Wife of Derek Chauvin files for divorce in wake of murder charges in George Floyd’s death, lawyer says

The footage was taken from across the street before onlookers gathered around the scene outside a Cup Foods store to protest Floyd’s treatment.

 

While four officers were present during the May 25 incident, the original video clip only shows Chauvin, 44, kneeling on Floyd’s neck. Chauvin sat in that position for at least 8 minutes, even after Floyd became unresponsive.

READ MORE: George Floyd protesters reach breaking point in clash with police across the US

All four officers were fired by Minneapolis Police Department the day after when the initial video circulated the internet. At this time, Chauvin is the only participant to be arrested. He was charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter on Friday.

Multiple days of demonstrations have sprouted in Minneapolis and in big cities across the nation. Minneapolis’ 3rd precinct set afire Thursday, according to Fox 9.

Protesters are outraged about Floyd’s death and the lack of arrests made prior to May 29.

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