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| Live Updates on George Floyd Protests: With Crowds Growing, Some Police Adopt Reforms | Live Updates on George Floyd Protests: With Crowds Growing, Some Police Adopt Reforms |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Protesters across the United States, Australia and Europe were staging major demonstrations on Saturday, in the latest sign that anger over police violence has not abated since the killing of George Floyd in Minnesota last month. | Protesters across the United States, Australia and Europe were staging major demonstrations on Saturday, in the latest sign that anger over police violence has not abated since the killing of George Floyd in Minnesota last month. |
| In response, some American cities are cracking down on overaggressive policing with an urgency never seen before. On Friday, city leaders and judges in Minneapolis, Denver and Seattle moved to rein in tactics like officers’ use of chokeholds, tear gas or rubber bullets. | In response, some American cities are cracking down on overaggressive policing with an urgency never seen before. On Friday, city leaders and judges in Minneapolis, Denver and Seattle moved to rein in tactics like officers’ use of chokeholds, tear gas or rubber bullets. |
| In recent years, reform efforts to curb police violence in were aimed at accountability for officers or legislative changes, but the current wave of protests has amplified calls across the country to defund, downsize or abolish police departments altogether. | In recent years, reform efforts to curb police violence in were aimed at accountability for officers or legislative changes, but the current wave of protests has amplified calls across the country to defund, downsize or abolish police departments altogether. |
| “We are going to dismantle the Minneapolis Police Department,” Jeremiah Ellison, a member of the City Council, said on Twitter this week. “And when we’re done, we’re not simply gonna glue it back together,” he added. “We are going to dramatically rethink how we approach public safety and emergency response.” | “We are going to dismantle the Minneapolis Police Department,” Jeremiah Ellison, a member of the City Council, said on Twitter this week. “And when we’re done, we’re not simply gonna glue it back together,” he added. “We are going to dramatically rethink how we approach public safety and emergency response.” |
| After an 11th consecutive night of demonstrations, the size of the demonstrations are expected to grow in what is becoming a nationwide movement against systemic racism and police brutality. In Washington, where people have been gathering this week to express outrage at the White House, thousands are expected to converge downtown. The Police Department said it would close many streets from 6 a.m. until midnight. | After an 11th consecutive night of demonstrations, the size of the demonstrations are expected to grow in what is becoming a nationwide movement against systemic racism and police brutality. In Washington, where people have been gathering this week to express outrage at the White House, thousands are expected to converge downtown. The Police Department said it would close many streets from 6 a.m. until midnight. |
| A memorial service for Mr. Floyd will also be held on Saturday in Raeford, N.C., near where he was born. | A memorial service for Mr. Floyd will also be held on Saturday in Raeford, N.C., near where he was born. |
| The nationwide anger over Mr. Floyd’s death has led to largely peaceful protests by daytime, in some cases followed by looting and violence later at night. In some instances, the police have responded by using batons, tear gas, pepper spray and rubber bullets on protesters, bystanders and journalists. As videos of police aggression spread in recent days, lawmakers, police officials and judges have re-examined police departments’ use-of-force policies. | The nationwide anger over Mr. Floyd’s death has led to largely peaceful protests by daytime, in some cases followed by looting and violence later at night. In some instances, the police have responded by using batons, tear gas, pepper spray and rubber bullets on protesters, bystanders and journalists. As videos of police aggression spread in recent days, lawmakers, police officials and judges have re-examined police departments’ use-of-force policies. |
| On Friday, Minneapolis officials announced a ban on the use of chokeholds and strangleholds. Gov. Gavin Newsom of California called for the removal of neck restraints from the state’s police training programs, and Seattle’s police chief said she was banning the use of tear gas on protesters for at least 30 days. | On Friday, Minneapolis officials announced a ban on the use of chokeholds and strangleholds. Gov. Gavin Newsom of California called for the removal of neck restraints from the state’s police training programs, and Seattle’s police chief said she was banning the use of tear gas on protesters for at least 30 days. |
| In Denver, a federal judge limited officers’ ability to use tear gas and fire rubber bullets at them, adding that the city’s police department had “failed in its duty to police its own.” | In Denver, a federal judge limited officers’ ability to use tear gas and fire rubber bullets at them, adding that the city’s police department had “failed in its duty to police its own.” |
| The protests are also raising public health concerns, as officials caution about the risk of spreading the coronavirus. Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said in a radio interview on Friday that he was “very concerned” that gatherings of any kind were “a perfect setup for the spread of the virus in the sense of creating these blips that might turn into some surges.” | The protests are also raising public health concerns, as officials caution about the risk of spreading the coronavirus. Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said in a radio interview on Friday that he was “very concerned” that gatherings of any kind were “a perfect setup for the spread of the virus in the sense of creating these blips that might turn into some surges.” |
| Thousands were also expected on Saturday to gather for anti-racism protests in Britain, France and Germany. In Australia, tens of thousands took to the streets in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, calling for an end to Aboriginal deaths in police custody. | Thousands were also expected on Saturday to gather for anti-racism protests in Britain, France and Germany. In Australia, tens of thousands took to the streets in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, calling for an end to Aboriginal deaths in police custody. |
| “We will not be silenced,” one organizer shouted to the crowd as helicopters buzzed overhead. “We will be coming to your streets until you get it right.” | “We will not be silenced,” one organizer shouted to the crowd as helicopters buzzed overhead. “We will be coming to your streets until you get it right.” |
| A video of Buffalo police officers shoving a 75-year-old protester and then walking past him as he bled has become the focus of a criminal investigation that could yield charges as soon as this weekend. | A video of Buffalo police officers shoving a 75-year-old protester and then walking past him as he bled has become the focus of a criminal investigation that could yield charges as soon as this weekend. |
| Prosecutors said on Friday that they were investigating the episode, and two officers were suspended without pay after the video showed them toppling Martin Gugino, an activist and member of the Western New York Peace Center. | Prosecutors said on Friday that they were investigating the episode, and two officers were suspended without pay after the video showed them toppling Martin Gugino, an activist and member of the Western New York Peace Center. |
| News outlets in Buffalo published text messages saying that the local police union was asking officers to support their suspended colleagues on Saturday at Buffalo City Court, where they were expected to face charges. | News outlets in Buffalo published text messages saying that the local police union was asking officers to support their suspended colleagues on Saturday at Buffalo City Court, where they were expected to face charges. |
| Mr. Gugino was taken for treatment for the head injury to the Erie County Medical Center. He was in serious but stable condition and was alert and oriented on Friday, a hospital spokesman said. | Mr. Gugino was taken for treatment for the head injury to the Erie County Medical Center. He was in serious but stable condition and was alert and oriented on Friday, a hospital spokesman said. |
| After the two officers were suspended, all 57 of their colleagues on the Emergency Response Team resigned from the team in support, the president of the Buffalo police union said on Friday. The officers remain employed by the department. | After the two officers were suspended, all 57 of their colleagues on the Emergency Response Team resigned from the team in support, the president of the Buffalo police union said on Friday. The officers remain employed by the department. |
| Police departments across the United States are re-examining their use-of-force policies as protesters continue to express outrage over such tactics in the wake of George Floyd’s death. | Police departments across the United States are re-examining their use-of-force policies as protesters continue to express outrage over such tactics in the wake of George Floyd’s death. |
| In Minneapolis, where the police’s use force against blacks far more often than against whites, the authorities said on Friday that they were immediately banning the use of chokeholds and strangleholds. Such tactics were previously reserved for life-or-death situations for officers. | In Minneapolis, where the police’s use force against blacks far more often than against whites, the authorities said on Friday that they were immediately banning the use of chokeholds and strangleholds. Such tactics were previously reserved for life-or-death situations for officers. |
| City officials also said officers would be required to intervene and report any use of unauthorized force, a move that comes after nearly two weeks of protests over the death of Mr. Floyd, a black man whom a white Minneapolis police officer pinned under his knee for nearly nine minutes. | City officials also said officers would be required to intervene and report any use of unauthorized force, a move that comes after nearly two weeks of protests over the death of Mr. Floyd, a black man whom a white Minneapolis police officer pinned under his knee for nearly nine minutes. |
| On the West coast, Gov. Gavin Newsom of California called on Friday for the removal of neck restraints from the state’s police training programs. And Seattle’s police chief, Carmen Best, said she was banning the use of tear gas on protesters for at least 30 days and calling for a review of the department’s crowd control tactics. | On the West coast, Gov. Gavin Newsom of California called on Friday for the removal of neck restraints from the state’s police training programs. And Seattle’s police chief, Carmen Best, said she was banning the use of tear gas on protesters for at least 30 days and calling for a review of the department’s crowd control tactics. |
| In New Mexico, the Las Cruces Police Department said it was prohibiting the neck restraint technique. The authorities in the city also said on Friday that an officer involved in the killing of a man who fled from a traffic stop in late February would be fired and charged with involuntary manslaughter. Officers tased the man, Antonio Valenzuela, 40, twice as he ran away after being pulled over. Officer Christopher Smelser then used a chokehold technique on him. | In New Mexico, the Las Cruces Police Department said it was prohibiting the neck restraint technique. The authorities in the city also said on Friday that an officer involved in the killing of a man who fled from a traffic stop in late February would be fired and charged with involuntary manslaughter. Officers tased the man, Antonio Valenzuela, 40, twice as he ran away after being pulled over. Officer Christopher Smelser then used a chokehold technique on him. |
| And in Colorado, where legislation to ban the use of chokeholds by law enforcement was introduced this week, a federal judge in Denver issued a temporary restraining order on Friday to limit officers’ ability to fire rubber bullets or use tear gas on protesters. | And in Colorado, where legislation to ban the use of chokeholds by law enforcement was introduced this week, a federal judge in Denver issued a temporary restraining order on Friday to limit officers’ ability to fire rubber bullets or use tear gas on protesters. |
| Attorney General William P. Barr has moved to distance himself from a controversial episode in which law enforcement in Washington used chemicals and smoke bombs to disperse peaceful protesters to clear the way for President Trump to have his photo taken holding a Bible in front of a historic church. | Attorney General William P. Barr has moved to distance himself from a controversial episode in which law enforcement in Washington used chemicals and smoke bombs to disperse peaceful protesters to clear the way for President Trump to have his photo taken holding a Bible in front of a historic church. |
| Mr. Barr said on Friday that officers had been in the process of following his order to clear Lafayette Park, near the White House, when Mr. Trump decided to walk through, prompting the officers to use more aggressive means to remove protesters from the area. | Mr. Barr said on Friday that officers had been in the process of following his order to clear Lafayette Park, near the White House, when Mr. Trump decided to walk through, prompting the officers to use more aggressive means to remove protesters from the area. |
| “They had the Park Police mounted unit ready, so it was just a matter of execution,” Mr. Barr told The Associated Press. “So, I didn’t just say to them, ‘Go.’” | “They had the Park Police mounted unit ready, so it was just a matter of execution,” Mr. Barr told The Associated Press. “So, I didn’t just say to them, ‘Go.’” |
| By making a fine-grained distinction between his Monday afternoon order to clear the park and the tactical decision a few hours later to use chemicals, pepper balls and smoke bombs to hurriedly remove clergy and peaceful protesters from Mr. Trump’s path, Mr. Barr’s comments shifted the narrative set by White House officials, who have said that he gave the order to clear the park. | By making a fine-grained distinction between his Monday afternoon order to clear the park and the tactical decision a few hours later to use chemicals, pepper balls and smoke bombs to hurriedly remove clergy and peaceful protesters from Mr. Trump’s path, Mr. Barr’s comments shifted the narrative set by White House officials, who have said that he gave the order to clear the park. |
| The Trump administration has also come under criticism for using military helicopters along with federal law enforcement officers and National Guard troops, including unidentified agents in riot gear, to quell the protests. The city’s mayor, Muriel Bowser, said in a letter to the White House on Friday that she had asked for the withdrawal of all “extraordinary federal law enforcement” from its streets. | The Trump administration has also come under criticism for using military helicopters along with federal law enforcement officers and National Guard troops, including unidentified agents in riot gear, to quell the protests. The city’s mayor, Muriel Bowser, said in a letter to the White House on Friday that she had asked for the withdrawal of all “extraordinary federal law enforcement” from its streets. |
| She also renamed as Black Lives Matter Plaza the area in front of Lafayette Square and had city workers paint “Black Lives Matter” in giant yellow letters along the street. | She also renamed as Black Lives Matter Plaza the area in front of Lafayette Square and had city workers paint “Black Lives Matter” in giant yellow letters along the street. |
| As protesters call for an end to police brutality against African-Americans, some are drawing particular attention to the black women whose deaths have come at the hands of law enforcement. | As protesters call for an end to police brutality against African-Americans, some are drawing particular attention to the black women whose deaths have come at the hands of law enforcement. |
| An effort under the hashtag #SayHerName has taken root on social media, and several demonstrations were held on Friday to mark what would have been the 27th birthday of Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old black emergency medical technician whom the police killed in Louisville, Ky., in March. | An effort under the hashtag #SayHerName has taken root on social media, and several demonstrations were held on Friday to mark what would have been the 27th birthday of Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old black emergency medical technician whom the police killed in Louisville, Ky., in March. |
| In New York City on Friday, hundreds gathered at peaceful vigils to honor Ms. Taylor, including at an event organized by Cherish Patton, 18, in Harlem. | In New York City on Friday, hundreds gathered at peaceful vigils to honor Ms. Taylor, including at an event organized by Cherish Patton, 18, in Harlem. |
| “Our black women are often forgotten, and that is not OK,” she told those gathered, thanking them for “paying tribute” to Ms. Taylor, who was shot and killed by officers who burst into her apartment during a late-night drug investigation on March 13. | “Our black women are often forgotten, and that is not OK,” she told those gathered, thanking them for “paying tribute” to Ms. Taylor, who was shot and killed by officers who burst into her apartment during a late-night drug investigation on March 13. |
| Later, a violinist played “This Little Light of Mine” and the event morphed into a short peaceful march, with the demonstrators singing “Happy Birthday.” | Later, a violinist played “This Little Light of Mine” and the event morphed into a short peaceful march, with the demonstrators singing “Happy Birthday.” |
| Jill Feyer, 39, who was leading a protest near Union Square in Manhattan, said she had been at protests all week. But despite her fatigue, she said she was determined to show up one more time. | Jill Feyer, 39, who was leading a protest near Union Square in Manhattan, said she had been at protests all week. But despite her fatigue, she said she was determined to show up one more time. |
| “I’m exhausted. We’ve had a police action on my block today,” Ms. Feyer said. “But there was no way I was missing Breonna’s birthday.” | “I’m exhausted. We’ve had a police action on my block today,” Ms. Feyer said. “But there was no way I was missing Breonna’s birthday.” |
| Protests were being held in cities around world on Saturday over the death of George Floyd and police brutality in the United States, even as health officials warned that large gatherings could increase the risk of new coronavirus infections. | |
| Thousands were expected to gather for anti-racism protests in Britain, France and Germany, following marches earlier in the day that drew thousands in cities like Tokyo and Sydney. And while many of the global protests were inspired by the unrest in the United States, they have also pointed to issues of racism and police brutality at home. | |
| In Paris, the authorities have barred people from gathering in front of the U.S. Embassy, but thousands are expected to protest there and near the Eiffel Tower, echoing a protest on Wednesday that drew nearly 20,000 people to remember Adama Traoré, a Frenchman who died in police custody in 2016. | |
| In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel called the killing of Mr. Floyd “terrible” and “racist.” “We know ourselves that we know something of racism here, and have a lot to do regarding that — I would like to say that clearly,” she said in an interview with the German broadcaster Deutsche Welle. “But I trust in the power of democracy in the United States, that they will be able to come through this difficult situation.” | |
| And in cities and towns across Australia on Saturday, tens of thousands rallied in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, despite a warming from Prime Minister Scott Morrison that large gatherings could sabotage efforts to control the pandemic. | |
| Masked protesters, angry in part over the government’s treatment of Aboriginal people, shouted, “I can’t breathe,” and held signs saying “How many more?” and “Australia is not innocent.” The intensity, scale and scope of the demonstrations seemed to dwarf anything the country had seen on the issue of race in years. | |
| In Sydney, where a last-minute court ruling allowed a demonstration to go forward minutes before it started, anger mixed with resolve and a promise of persistence. | |
| “We will not be silenced,” one of the organizers shouted to the crowd as helicopters buzzed overhead. “We will be coming to your streets until you get it right.” | |
| After President Trump renewed criticism of N.F.L. players protesting during the national anthem, Commissioner Roger Goodell on Friday delivered his strongest support yet for their right to demonstrate to fight racism and police brutality. | After President Trump renewed criticism of N.F.L. players protesting during the national anthem, Commissioner Roger Goodell on Friday delivered his strongest support yet for their right to demonstrate to fight racism and police brutality. |
| In a swift response to a video montage that featured star players asking the league to address systemic racism, Mr. Goodell apologized for not listening to the black players’ concerns earlier and said he supported players’ right to protest peacefully. | In a swift response to a video montage that featured star players asking the league to address systemic racism, Mr. Goodell apologized for not listening to the black players’ concerns earlier and said he supported players’ right to protest peacefully. |
| During the 2016 season, Colin Kaepernick started the movement within the league when he knelt to call attention to racial injustice and violence by the police, and no team has offered him a contract since then. | During the 2016 season, Colin Kaepernick started the movement within the league when he knelt to call attention to racial injustice and violence by the police, and no team has offered him a contract since then. |
| Mr. Goodell’s comments were in direct opposition to remarks by the president in defense of New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, who said this week that it was disrespectful to kneel during the pregame playing of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” | Mr. Goodell’s comments were in direct opposition to remarks by the president in defense of New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, who said this week that it was disrespectful to kneel during the pregame playing of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” |
| The quarterback apologized on Thursday after immediate backlash. But the president said on Twitter that he should not have backtracked and that people should stand when the anthem is played. | The quarterback apologized on Thursday after immediate backlash. But the president said on Twitter that he should not have backtracked and that people should stand when the anthem is played. |
| On Friday night, the player directed an Instagram post to the president. “We can no longer use the flag to turn people away or distract them from the real issues that face our black communities,” he said. | On Friday night, the player directed an Instagram post to the president. “We can no longer use the flag to turn people away or distract them from the real issues that face our black communities,” he said. |
| Reporting was contributed by Davey Alba, Livia Albeck-Ripka, Emily Badger, Mike Baker, Peter Baker, Kim Barker, Ken Belson, Katie Benner, Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs, Julie Bosman, Derrick Bryson Taylor, Julia Carmel, Damien Cave, Emily Cochrane, Nick Corasaniti, Michael Crowley, Elizabeth Dias, John Eligon, Reid J. Epstein, Tess Felder, Lisa Friedman, Thomas Fuller, Matt Furber, Thomas Gibbons-Neff, Katie Glueck, Erica L. Green, Anemona Hartocollis, Christine Hauser, Jack Healy, Shawn Hubler, Thomas Kaplan, Neil MacFarquhar, Sarah Mervosh, Benjamin Mueller, Richard A. Oppel Jr., Elian Peltier, Richard Pérez-Peña, Katie Rogers, Simon Romero, Eric Schmitt, Derrick Taylor, Neil Vigdor and Daniel Victor. |