Outrage over the death of George Floyd sparked protests in cities across the nation on Friday night, hours after a former Minneapolis police officer was arrested and charged with his murder.
Activists say it’s just another example of systematic racism in law enforcement, the latest in a series of high-profile black deaths that have exacerbated and inflamed racial tensions nationwide.
Former officer Derek Chauvin is facing third-degree murder and manslaughter charges after a bystander’s video circulated of him holding his knee to Floyd’s neck for more than eight minutes before Floyd died.
A 19-year-old man was shot and killed late Friday night during protests in Detroit and violence in Atlanta captured national attention as the city’s mayor delivered an impassioned plea for violence to stop.
Demonstrators in many other cities also gathered to protest local deaths at the hands of law enforcement.
‘What’s it going to take to get people to listen?’:George Floyd protests in Minneapolis continue into fourth night despite curfew
In Indianapolis, they held a sign that read “Justice for Dreasjon Reed” — Reed died after a police pursuit that was broadcast on Facebook Live. In Milwaukee, they invoked the name of Joel Acevedo, who died after an altercation with a police officer in April.
In Louisville, Kentucky, on Thursday night, gunfire erupted as hundreds of protesters took to the streets demanding justice for Breonna Taylor, who in March was shot and killed in her apartment by police.
As protests continue into their fourth night in Minneapolis, here’s what’s happening in other cities around the nation:
Dozens of protesters wearing face masks — many with the communist group Revolution Club Chicago and the organization Refuse Fascism Now, which is calling for President Donald Trump’s removal — gathered in downtown Chicago and marched through the streets for hours.
The group chanted “say his name, George Floyd” and “black lives matter.” Some held signs that said “Justice 4 George and “I can’t breathe.”
At one point, the group blocked a major highway, stopping traffic as police created a barricade with their bicycles. The group left the highway and continued marching downtown.
About 8,000 people had expressed interest in a Facebook event page for a Saturday protest in Chicago, organized by Black Lives Matter.
– Grace Hauck, USA TODAY
