George Floyd anniversary: Joe Biden meets family as US embassies fly Black Lives Matter flag
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The family of George Floyd, whose murder sparked protests around the world, met president Joe Biden at the White House for almost an hour to mark the anniversary of his death.
“If you can make federal laws to protect the bird which is the bald eagle, then you can make federal laws to protect people of colour,” George Floyd’s brother, Philonise, told reporters after the meeting.
It comes as the US president missed the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act deadline, which he originally set for 25 May. To mark the anniversary, embassies around the country were authorized by the State Department to fly the Black Lives Matter flag “advance racial equity and access to justice on May 25 and beyond”.
Mr Floyd was killed by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who knelt on Mr Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes. A jury of 12 found Chauvin guilty on three counts; one count of second-degree murder, one count of third-degree murder, and one count of manslaughter.
The former police officer has not yet been sentenced but faces up to 40 years in prison. The state attorney general, Keith Ellison, has requested the judge consider ‘aggravating factors’ when handing out a sentence, which requests “an upward sentencing departure”.
Following the murder of Mr Floyd, protests broke out in the state, across the nation, and internationally, as thousands of people took to the streets to decry police brutality.
Mr Floyd’s family is marking a year since his death with a series of events, including the Saturday rally held alongside other victims of police killings, a day of action, and a candlelit vigil on Tuesday, 25 May – a year to the day he was killed.
NBA star says he was turned away from a restaurant for being Black
An Atlanta restaurant apologised for turning away former NBA player Dominique Wilkins, but maintained that race was not a factor for applying its dress code standards to the nine-time All-Star.
The 61-year-old retired Atlanta Hawks legend alleged that French-style bistro Le Bilboquet refused to serve him because of the colour of his skin on Saturday.
"In my many years in the world, I’ve eaten at some of the greatest restaurants in the world, but never have I felt prejudice or been turned away because of the colour of my skin, until today," Wilkins tweeted with an image of the restaurant.
NBA star says he was turned away from a restaurant for being Black
Restaurant says he was turned away due to dress code but Atlanta Hawks legend says it was racism
Lauren Boebert has thoughts on George Floyd anniversary
The Republican congresswoman is marking 1-year anniversary of George Floyd’s death to express thought’s of Joe Biden’s plans for America.
Floyd killing prompts some states to limit or ban chokeholds
At least 17 states, including Minnesota, have enacted legislation to ban or restrict the practice, according to data provided to The Associated Press by the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Before Floyd was killed, only two states, Tennessee and Illinois, had bans on police hold techniques that restrict the airway or blood flow to the brain when pressure is applied to the neck.
A majority of the bans enacted over the past year are in states controlled politically by Democrats, as Colorado is. They include California, Illinois, Nevada, Oregon and Virginia, among others.
Since May 2020, at least 67 police reforms have been signed into law in 25 states related to specific topics the National Conference of State Legislatures analyzed at the AP’s request. In addition to neck restraints and chokeholds, the laws address police-worn body cameras; disciplinary and personnel records; independent investigations of officer conduct; use of force restrictions; qualified immunity; and no-knock warrants.
At least 13 states enacted restrictions on officer use-of-force and at least eight have implemented laws beefing up officer reviews and investigations, according to the NCSL data. - AP
Police reform lawmakers remain ‘optimistic’ on George Floyd act
In a joint statement, Republican and Democrat lawmakers negotiating police reform say they’re optimistic about reaching a compromise.
Via Politico reporter Nicholas Wu, Senators Cory Booker and Tim Scott, and Representative Karen Bass, said the death “awakened millions”.
“While we are still working through our differences on key issues, we continue to make progress toward a compromise and remain optimistic about the prospects of achieving that goal,” the statement said.
Joe Biden had sent a Memorial Day deadline to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which looks increasingly unlikely.
Barack Obama discusses using George Floyd’s death to reform policing
The former president announced he’ll join activists and community leaders for a discussion on how to use George Floyd’s tragic death to pass new laws aimed at meaningful reforms in policing and public safety.
He will be joined by #BlackLivesMatter co-creator Alicia Garza, and the mayor of Newark, Ras Baraka, among other speakers.
Lauren Boebert accuses Biden of trying to replace MLK with George Floyd in attack on family’s White House meeting
Republican US Rep Lauren Boebert has criticized Joe Biden for hosting the family of George Floyd at the White House to mark the first anniversary of his death.
The president will host a large contingent of the Floyd family in a private meeting where he is "eager to listen to their perspectives" on police reform, press secretary Jen Psaki said on Monday.
In a series of tweets, Ms Boebert said Mr Biden was trying to replace Martin Luther King with George Floyd, "just like he wants to replace America with China".
"Joe Biden will be hosting George Floyd’s family at the White House. Did the invite for David Dorn’s family get lost in the mail?" she said.
Mr Dorn was the 77-year-old retired police captain who was shot and killed in St Louis during violent looting that took place in the wake of Mr Floyd’s death. He was one of 14 Americans killed in incidents linked to political unrest during the summer of 2020.
Lauren Boebert attacks Joe Biden for hosting George Floyd family at White House
The president will discuss police reform with the Floyd family
Floyd family to meet with Nancy Pelosi and senators
After meeting with Joe Biden, the family of George Floyd intents to meet with the Speaker of the House plus senators from both Democrat and Republican sides of the aisle, according to lawyer Ben Crump via White House correspondent Peter Alexander.
The goal is to “keep momentum going” Crump tells Alexander.
Joe Biden wanted deal on George Floyd policing bill by 25 May – here’s why they missed
Congress won’t meet Joe Biden’s deadline for getting critical police reform legislation on his desk, as a bipartisan group of lawmakers continue to debate how to hold officers accountable for killing people in the line of duty, writes The Independent’s Alex Woodward.
“While the White House is encouraged by bipartisan negotiations, Congress has yet to agree on the contours of federal legislation to be named in Mr Floyd’s honour, with Democrats pushing for changes to a controversial policy that effectively prevents officers from facing prosecution.
“Republicans have argued that weakening those protections could expose police officers and agencies to excessive lawsuits. A compromise bill offered up by Republicans would retain immunity provisions for individual officers and instead allow victims or people alleging police misconduct to sue their police departments.”
Biden wanted deal on George Floyd policing bill by 25 May – here’s why that won’t happen
President wanted bill ‘done’ by anniversary of his death. Lawmakers now debating how to hold officers accountable for killing people in the line of duty
Minneapolis mayor: After year of reckoning, time for change
The mayor of Minneapolis says his city has experienced one trauma after another this past year — and the Black community has felt the most pain.
As Mayor Jacob Frey pushes ahead with a public safety proposal that he says will help keep neighborhoods safe and hold police accountable, he is reflecting on lessons learned and where the city goes from here.
“Right now, our city has come and has seen a moment of racial reckoning, perhaps hundreds of years in the making. There is a true acknowledgement that the way we have done things in the past is not acceptable,” Frey told The Associated Press this week.
“I think the next step that everybody is looking for is to be able to galvanize and channel all of that collective energy and pain and frustration to getting true progress,” he said.
City leaders have been under pressure to change policing since the 25 May death of George Floyd. Some of Frey’s proposals include immediate changes, such as prioritizing funding for additional cameras in high-crime areas. Frey said his plan would also address disparities in traffic stops by committing to ending stops for low-level offenses, such as a busted taillight.
Frey believes not every 911 call requires an officer with a gun to respond, and his plan will target resources toward the city’s Office of Violence Prevention, as well as address some root causes of crime, such as inadequate housing and job opportunities.
- The Associated Press
The civil rights charges Derek Chauvin and three other ex-officers face over the death of George Floyd
While Derek Chauvin was found guilty on three counts for the murder and manslaughter of George Floyd, federal authorities conducted their own investigation on civil rights charges.
A grand jury indicted Chauvin along with Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao for allegedly using their positions as police officers to deprive Mr Floyd of his constitutional rights.
By “willfully” failing to aid Mr Floyd, lying on the ground in need of medical care, the indictment says the four deprived Mr Floyd’s right to be free from “deliberate indifference” to serious medical needs.
Mr Chauvin also allegedly “willfully deprived” Mr Floyd of being free from unreasonable seizure, “which includes the right to be free from the use of unreasonable force by a police officer”.
Four ex-officers in George Floyd death indicted on federal civil rights charges
Mr Chauvin found guilty of murder as Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao await trial on criminal charges
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