By Stacy M. Brown,
NNPA Newswire Senior Correspondent,
From the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul to the Streets of San Francisco, Los Angeles, Houston, Chicago, Louisville, Atlanta, Washington, DC and New York City, and the bright lights of the Big Apple, citizens across racial lines are expressing outrage over the police killing of George Floyd, the latest in a country-mile long list of black men and women murdered under the color of law.
City officials in Minneapolis and St. Paul called on the National Guard, and state police lined the streets there in riot gear.
“There is a lot of pain and anger right now in our city… What we have seen in terms of looting is unacceptable,” said Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey to CBS News.
“We’re seeing two separate groups, said St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter to CBS. “[There are] protestors… and folks who are out to use George Floyd’s killing… [to] further victimize the very communities who have already been traumatized…”
An 8 p.m. curfew was ordered, and an African-American CNN reporter was arrested while giving a live report from a hotspot of protests.
In California, demonstrators closed the 101 freeway in San Jose as marchers took to the streets in San Francisco and Oakland.
In New York, where the novel coronavirus hit America the hardest and where residents had remained reluctant to gather outdoors, protestors jammed city streets.
New York’s Gov. Andrew Cuomo joined an extensive list of politicians condemning the action of former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin, 44, who, along with three other officers, were videotaped using excessive force on Floyd.
National Newspaper Publishers Association Chair Karen Carter Richards and NNPA President and CEO Benjamin F. Chavis Jr., and numerous other Black Press of America newspaper publishers have expressed outrage over Floyd’s murder and concern about the rampant killings of African Americans at the hands of police and white supremacist vigilantes acting under color of law.
Chauvin inexplicably pressed his knee against a handcuffed Floyd’s neck while the black man lay on the ground.
The assault went on for nine minutes, with Floyd pleading that he couldn’t breathe.
Floyd died a short time later at a local hospital.
On Friday, May 29, Chauvin was arrested and charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter. Later on that day, bail was set at $500,000.
“The investigation is ongoing,” said Hannepin County Attorney Mike Freeman in a press conference, noting that other charges may be imminent.
“Chauvin has eighteen prior complaints of improper police conduct, including violence,” said Guy Lewis, former U.S. Attorney to FOX News. “Just charging [and] arresting is only half the picture… the real goal here is to convict.”
He currently faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted.
“This is not a new story, this is a continuing narrative,” Cuomo stated. “This is just another chapter in the book called: Injustice and inequality in America.”
Levell Williams, Mississippi Link interim editor, contributed to this article.
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