Global InformationViolence and controversies during the George Floyd protests information
| Violence and controversies during the George Floyd protests | |
|---|---|
| Part of the George Floyd protests | |
| Date | May 26, 2020 – 2022 |
| Location | United States (sporadic protests in other countries) |
| Police injuries included 140 during Memorial Day weekend in 2020 Chicago. Deaths, injuries and arrests | |
| Death(s) | 19 (May 26–June 8, 2020)[1] |
| Arrested | 17,000+[2] |
Local protests in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area quickly spread nationwide in more than 2,000 cities and towns, as well as over 60 countries internationally in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.[3] In Minneapolis, destruction of property began on May 26, 2020, with the protests involving vandalism and arson.[4][5] Demonstrations in many other cities also descended into riots and widespread looting.[6][7] There was police brutality against protesters and journalists.[8][9][10][11][12] Property damage estimates resulting from arson, vandalism and looting ranged from $1 to $2 billion, eclipsing the highest inflation adjusted totals for the 1992 Los Angeles riots.[13]
The majority of the George Floyd protests, a series of protests and unrest which began in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on May 26, 2020, in response to the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis Police Department officer Derek Chauvin, were peaceful; an estimated 93%–96.3% of demonstrations were peaceful and nondestructive, involving no injuries or no property damage.[14][15][16] However, police made arrests in about 5% of protest events (deploying chemical irritants in 2.5% of events); 3.7% of protest events were associated with property damage or vandalism (including damages by persons not involved in the actual demonstration); and protesters or bystanders were injured or killed in 1.6% of events.[15] Clashes and other forms of violence were at various times initiated by protestors, by counterprotestors, and by police,[15] and were usually driven by opportunistic criminals rather than organized extremist groups.[17]
There have also been numerous reports and videos of aggressive police actions using physical force including "batons, tear gas, pepper spray and rubber bullets on protesters, bystanders and journalists, often without warning or seemingly unprovoked."[18] These incidents have provoked "growing concern that aggressive law enforcement tactics intended to impose order were instead inflaming tensions."[18] The police responded that such tactics are necessary to prevent vandalism and arson, and that police officers have been assaulted with rocks and water bottles.[18] Amnesty International issued a press release calling for the police to end excessive militarized responses to the protests.[19][20]
- ^ McEvoy, Jemima (June 8, 2020). "14 Days Of Protests, 19 Dead". Forbes. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
- ^ Kornfield, Meryl; Ramsey, Austin R.; Wallace, Jacob; Casey, Christopher; Del Valle, Verónica (October 23, 2020). "Swept up by police - Analysis of arrests in 15 cities reveals most George Floyd protesters were charged with misdemeanors and lived within the metro area where they were arrested". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
- ^ Burch, Audra D. S.; Cai, Weiyi; Gianordoli, Gabriel; McCarthy, Morrigan; Patel, Jugal K. (June 13, 2020). "How Black Lives Matter Reached Every Corner of America". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on June 14, 2020. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
- ^ Bowles, Nellie (August 7, 2020). "Abolish the Police? Those Who Survived the Chaos in Seattle Aren't So Sure". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 23, 2020.
- ^ Stockman, Farah (July 3, 2020). "'They Have Lost Control': Why Minneapolis Burned". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
- ^ Betz, Bradford (May 31, 2020). "George Floyd unrest: Riots, fires, violence escalate in several major cities". Fox News. Archived from the original on June 1, 2020. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
- ^ "Widespread unrest as curfews defied across US". BBC News. May 31, 2020. Archived from the original on June 12, 2020. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
- ^ Kindy, Kimberly; Jacobs, Shayna; Farenthold, David (June 5, 2020). "In protests against police brutality, videos capture more alleged police brutality". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on June 6, 2020. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
- ^ Thomas, Tobi; Gabbatt, Adam; Barr, Caelainn (October 29, 2020). "Nearly 1,000 instances of police brutality recorded in US anti-racism protests". The Guardian. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
- ^ Andone, Dakin (June 8, 2020). "In one week there were at least 9 instances of police using excessive force caught on camera". CNN. Retrieved October 31, 2020.
- ^ "George Floyd: Videos of police brutality during protests shock US". BBC News. June 5, 2020. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
- ^ Sachs, David (December 8, 2020). "Police officers acted dangerously and anonymously during protests against police brutality and racism, investigation finds". Denverite. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
- ^ Deese, Kaelan (September 16, 2020). "Vandalism, looting following Floyd death sparks at least $1B in damages nationwide: report". The Hill. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
- ^ Craig, Tim (September 3, 2020). "'The United States is in crisis': Report tracks thousands of summer protests, most nonviolent". The Washington Post.
- ^ a b c Erica Chenoweth & Jeremy Pressman (October 16, 2020). "This summer's Black Lives Matter protesters were overwhelmingly peaceful, our research finds". The Washington Post.
- ^ Julie Watson (January 14, 2021). "Comparison between Capitol siege, BLM protests is denounced". Associated Press.
The unrest that followed Floyd's death included vandalism, arson and looting, but the vast majority of demonstrations were peaceful.... But prominent BLM activists repeatedly distanced themselves from provocateurs and brawlers. Much of the violence came from provoked and unprovoked confrontations with police, during city-imposed curfews and after peaceful demonstrators had gone home. An analysis of more than 7,750 demonstrations in 2,400 locations across the country found that 93% happened with no violence, according to the US Crisis Monitor, a joint effort by Princeton University and the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project.
- ^ Ted Hesson; Mark Hosenball; Mica Rosenberg; Brad Heath (June 3, 2020). "U.S. assessment finds opportunists drive protest violence, not extremists". Reuters.
- ^ a b c Dewan, Shaila; Baker, Mike (June 1, 2020). "Facing Protests Over Use of Force, Police Respond With More Force". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 1, 2020. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
amnestyintwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
axiosamnestywas invoked but never defined (see the help page).