• The police killing of George Floyd has triggered anti-racism protests around the world. A number of monuments with links to colonialism and slavery have been defaced or pulled down in Europe and the United States as protests for racial justice continue.

• Floyd’s brother, Philonise Floyd, has testified before the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee, along with family lawyer Ben Crump and 10 others at the first congressional hearing to examine the social and political undercurrents that have fuelled weeks of protests nationwide and overseas.

• Floyd died on May 25 after a policeman knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes. His death sparked nationwide calls for policing reforms.

Thursday, June 11

11:15 GMT – US protests trigger calls by India’s Dalits to end discrimination

Spurred on by the anti-racism protests in the United States, Dalits (a marginalised community once referred to as “untouchables”) have called on India to acknowledge centuries of oppression they have endured.

Dalits find themselves outside the Hindu caste hierarchy – a membership determined at birth – and have historically faced violence, segregation and been barred from even having their shadows touch those of people from more privileged castes.

Read more here.

10:36 GMT – One of four Minneapolis police charged over Floyd’s death freed on bail

One of the four former Minneapolis police officers who were charged over the death of George Floyd has been released on bail.

The former police officer released, Thomas Lane, 37, had been held on $750,000 bail and was freed from Hennepin County jail, sheriff’s office records showed.

He was one of three officers charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter in the 46-year-old Floyd’s death on May 25.

09:55 GMT – Washington D.C. volunteers preserve protest signs and posters as art 

Volunteers on the scene in the nation’s capital are working to gather and preserve hundreds of items that were posted during days of protests over the death of George Floyd in police hands in Minnesota.

Hundreds of signs and posters that had been on the fence enclosing Lafayette Square near the White House have been moved across the street and taped to the walls of a construction site, or strung together and hung from trees lining the street.

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and the Smithsonian have expressed an interest in preserving the artifacts.

09:35 GMT – Bristol City Concil recovers Colston statue from harbour

A statue of a 17th-century slave trader that was toppled by anti-racism protesters in Bristol, England, has been fished out of the harbour by city authorities.

Bristol City Council says the bronze statue of Edward Colston was recovered to avoid drawing a crowd. The council says it has been taken to a “secure location” and will end up in a museum.

Colston built a fortune transporting enslaved Africans across the Atlantic and left most of his money to charity. His name adorns streets and buildings in Bristol, which was once the U.K.’s biggest port for slave ships.

09:03 GMT – Mapping the hundreds of Confederate statues across the US

Although many Americans recognise the immorality of historic colonialists, slave owners and anti-abolitionists, some say these symbols should be preserved as a reminder of the country’s past.

08:21 GMT – Basketball team the Knicks issues statement on George Floyd’s death

The New York Knicks and James Dolan, the executive chairman of the team’s parent company, The Madison Square Garden Company issued a statement about the death of George Floyd after coming under fire for their delayed response to the incident.

While most NBA organizations were quick to issue public responses, the American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan, only issued a statement 15 days after Floyd’s death.

Posting a statement on its social media accounts, the Knicks said: “Every one of us has a role to play in creating a more just and equal society, where there is no racism, bigotry, violence or hate. We stand with all who act for positive change.”

pic.twitter.com/q1Ui8N29ai

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) June 9, 2020

07:53 GMT – Seven officers in LA removed from field duties over excessive use of force during protests

At least seven Los Angeles police officers were removed from their field duties after using excessive force during recent protests, the police department told CNN.

The move comes as police across the United States have come under attack for use of violence in response to demonstrators protesting police brutality.

Critics have pointed to the use of tear gas, rubber bullets, and physical attacks as examples of excessive use of force.

07:25 GMT – Sydney police warn Black Lives Matter protesters to stay home

Australian police have warned people not to attend a Black Lives Matter protest rally in Sydney on Friday unless they want to risk being arrested.

Mick Willing, New South Wales’ assistant police commissioner, said on the event is unauthorized because the organizers have not notified the police in advance.

The police would deploy “significant resources” to enforce Covid-19 restriction orders. People could face arrest if they choose to attend the event, Willing told reporters.

06:59 GMT – British statue of scout founder Baden-Powell to be taken down

A local authority in southern England said it would remove a statue of Robert Baden-Powell, the latest memorial to be taken down in the wake of anti-racism protests sparked by the death of George Floyd.

While Baden-Powell was hailed as far-sighted for setting up the scouts, critics said he held racist views and was a supporter of Adolf Hitler and fascism.

Poole council said the statue of Baden-Powell would now be moved from its location on the quayside of the seaside town where it has been for just over a decade to safe storage while there were discussions with local communities about its future.

“Whilst famed for the creation of the Scouts, we also recognise that there are some aspects of Robert Baden-Powell’s life that are considered less worthy of commemoration,” council leader Vikki Slade said.

05:25 GMT – Man injured as Confederate monument pulled down in Portsmouth

Protesters in Portsmouth, Virginia, beheaded and then pulled down four statues that were part of a Confederate monument, the Virginian-Pilot newspaper reported.

As the statues fell, a protester was hit on the head, causing him to lose consciousness. He was then taken to hospital.

All four have been beheaded tonight pic.twitter.com/uMRKFziPYb

— Saleen Martin (@Saleen_Martin) June 11, 2020

The toppled monument sits at a site where slaves were punished on a whipping post, according to the Virginian-Pilot, and efforts to tear one of the statues down began around 8:20pm, but the rope protesters were using snapped.

They then started to dismantle the monument one piece at a time as a marching band played in the streets and other protesters danced.

05:02 GMT – Statue of Confederate president toppled in Richmond

A statue of Confederate President Jefferson Davis was torn down along Richmond’s famed Monument Avenue on Wednesday night by protesters.

The statue in the former capital of the Confederacy was toppled shortly before 11pm and was on the ground in the middle of an intersection, news outlets reported. Richmond police were on the scene.

BREAKING: The Jefferson Davis statue on Monument Ave. has been pulled down tonight, this video is from a person in the area who tells me police are now on scene. @8NEWS
(Explicit language warning) pic.twitter.com/maZ2YxklLk

— Nick Conigliaro 8News (@NConigliaroNews) June 11, 2020

Virginia Governor Ralph Northam last week ordered the removal of an iconic statue of Confederate General Robert E Lee, which is four blocks away from where the Davis statue stood. A judge on Monday issued an injunction preventing officials from removing the monuments for the next 10 days.

04:40 GMT – New probe launched into custodial death of Black man in Tacoma

Jay Inslee, the governor of Washington state, has ordered an independent investigation into the death of a Black man who died while in the custody of Tacoma police.

The move comes after new information emerged this week that at least one sheriff’s deputy and a state trooper were at the scene when the man, Manuel Ellis, was detained and died on March 3. In a nearly nine-minute clip released by the lawyer representing Ellis’s family, the 33-year-old man is heard crying out “I can’t breathe, sir” while handcuffed.

The medical examiner ruled the death a homicide.

The Pierce County Sheriff’s Department had been close to finishing an investigation, and a briefing with the prosecuting attorney was scheduled for Wednesday. Inslee said he ordered a new probe to make sure that the work is “done free of conflicts of interest” as officers from the sheriff’s department were present at the scene.

The police department has identified the four officers involved in restraining Ellis. They were put on administrative leave last week after the autopsy results were made public.

Tacoma Mayor Victoria Woodards and the victim’s family have called for those officers to be fired and arrested.

04:12 GMT – Biden says questions about 1994 crime bill are ‘legitimate’                

Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential candidate, acknowledged concerns about his support for a 1994 crime bill that critics say contributed to the mass incarceration of racial minorities in recent decades.

Speaking during a National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) town hall event on systemic racism, Biden said questions about his role in writing the bill are “legitimate”. But he insisted that people should judge him based on his current actions, not his past.

He said that while he has been “told all along” that young people oppose his past stances on criminal justice issues, “there is no polling evidence to sustain that. Nor is there voting evidence thus far to sustain that”.

“Watch what I do. Judge me based on what I do, what I say and to whom I say it,” he added.

04:01 GMT – Missouri paper owners resign in protest over racist cartoon

The co-owners of a family-owned Missouri newspaper resigned from their positions in protest after the publication of a racist syndicated cartoon that depicted a Black man stealing a handbag from a white woman while hailing funding cuts to police.

The cartoon published in the Washington Missourian on Wednesday shows a white woman asking for someone to call 911, but the masked Black man says, “Good luck with that, lady … we defunded the police.”

Washington Missourian owners and sisters Susan Miller and Jeanne Miller Wood said in an apology that the newspaper’s publisher – their father – made the decision to run the cartoon and did not let them know in advance.

“As co-owners we believe it was racist and in no circumstance should have been published,” they wrote of the cartoon. “We apologize to our readers and our staff for the obvious pain and offense it caused. For the record, we abhor the sentiment and denounce ANY form of racism.”

03:31 GMT – Police officer charged in Floyd’s death posts bail

Thomas Lane, one of four police officers charged in Floyd’s death, posted bail of $750,000 and was released from the Hennepin County Jail, with conditions, shortly after 4pm on Wednesday.

The other officers remain in custody.

Lane, 37, is charged with aiding and abetting both second-degree murder and manslaughter for his role in the arrest of Floyd, after another officer, Derek Chauvin, pressed his knee to the unarmed Black man’s neck.

Lane’s lawyer said last week that Lane was a rookie, and that the only thing he did was hold Floyd’s feet so he could not kick. The criminal complaint also says that Lane expressed concern about Floyd and asked Chauvin twice if they should roll Floyd to his side, but Chauvin said no.

03:13 GMT – Buffalo adopts policing changes after protester is hurt

Buffalo will replace its police Emergency Response Team with a new “public protection unit” following the suspension and arrest of two ERT members seen on video shoving a 75-year-old protester who fell and cracked his head, Mayor Byron Brown said.

The city will also halt arrests for low-level, non-violent offences like marijuana possession and make it easier for the public to view police body camera video under measures Brown introduced as “a critical first step” in making Buffalo more inclusive and equitable. 

“We will shift policing in Buffalo away from enforcement and to a restorative model that promotes stronger community bonds, civic engagement and an end to young Black men, Black people, being caught in a cycle of crime and incarceration by consciously limiting their negative engagement with police,” Brown said at a news conference.

03:03 GMT – Biden says US policing reforms ‘long overdue’

Speaking at a virtual NAACP town hall on systemic racism, Biden backed calls for reforms in US policing methods

“This is an inflection moment in American history, a moment where we must make substantive changes now, changes the American police as the police is long overdue,” the presumptive Democratic presidential candidate said.

There is systemic racism not just in our law enforcement but also in housing, education, and everything we do — and we have to do the hard work to end it. pic.twitter.com/w9H77Jbuqa

— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) June 11, 2020

Biden highlighted his proposals for additional community policing funds. But still, he avoided a major flashpoint in the conversation around such reforms – whether he would support reparations for African Americans.

Pressed multiple times on his stance, Biden said only that a study should be done and that his support for cash reparations “would depend on what it was and if it will include Native Americans as well”.

02:51 GMT – Amazon bans police use of its facial recognition software

Amazon banned police use of its facial-recognition technology for a year, making it the latest tech giant to step back from law-enforcement use of systems that have faced criticism for incorrectly identifying people with darker skin.

The Seattle-based company did not say why it took action now.

Civil rights groups and Amazon’s own employees have pushed the company to stop selling its technology, called Rekognition, to government agencies, saying that it could be used to invade people’s privacy and target minorities.

In a blog post on Wednesday, Amazon said that it hoped Congress would put in place stronger regulations for facial recognition.

02:39 GMT – Protesters tear down Christopher Columbus statue in Saint Paul

A group of protesters pulled down a statue of Italian explorer Christopher Columbus in Saint Paul, Minnesota, the latest US monument to be torn down amid nationwide demonstrations against police brutality and racial inequalities.

The 10-foot bronze statue was pulled from its granite base by several dozen people led by a Minnesota-based Native American activist, Mike Forcia, outside the state Capitol.

“It was the right thing to do and it was the right time to do it,” Forcia told Reuters news agency, in apparent reference to more than two weeks of protests over the police killing of Floyd, an unarmed Black man. 

Native American activists have long objected to honouring Columbus, saying that his expeditions to the Americas led to the colonisation and genocide of their ancestors.

01:45 GMT – Australian officials warn of arrest, fines at BLM rallies

Australian police are warning those that attend public rallies in support of Black Lives Matter risk fines and arrest if they breach social distancing restrictions, as politicians warn the events risk spreading the disease.

Tens of thousands attended rallies last weekend, and more protests are planned on Friday.

“We will start writing tickets of 1,000 Australian dollars ($700), and we can use all our powers to move people on,” New South Wales Police Commissioner Mick Fuller told local radio station 2GB Radio. “If you don’t move on, you’ll be arrested.”

The Black Lives Matter movement has refocused attention on Australia’s treatment of its Indigenous people and the high number of Aboriginal deaths in custody.

01:10 GMT – US Soccer lifts 2017 ruling banning protests during anthem

The US Soccer Federation says it has repealed a 2017 requirement that all players stand during the national anthem.

The sport’s governing body introduced the policy after Megan Rapinoe, a member of the US women’s team took a knee before a match in 2016 to show her solidarity with American football player Colin Kaepernick who took a knee to bring attention to racial injustice.

“We apologize to our players – especially our black players – staff, fans and all who support eradicating racism,” the federation said in a statement.

“Sports are a powerful platform for good and we have not used our platform as effectively as we should have. We can do more on these specific issues and we will.”

00:30 GMT – Owners of Minnesota Twins pledge $25m for racial justice

The Pohlad family – the owners of the Minnesota Twins baseball team – have pledged $25m for racial justice.

“Black people have experienced oppression and racism for far too long in this country,” Bill Pohlad, the president of the Pohlad Family Foundation, said in a statement. “We condemn racism in all its forms, and we are firmly committed to helping enact meaningful change. We know this will take time and effort and we are committed to this work beyond this seminal moment in our country’s history.”  

The Pohlad Family Announces $25 Million Commitment to Racial Justice in the Twin Cities. https://t.co/53gbM27IWA pic.twitter.com/EGaTssIGhe

— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) June 10, 2020

Wednesday, June 10

22:10 GMT – US House Speaker demands Confederacy statues removed

Nancy Pelosi sent a letter to the House-Senate panel in charge of the National Statuary Hall collection in the Capitol to take down the likenesses of 11 Confederate soldiers and officials that she said “pay homage to hate, not heritage”.

Calling the halls of Congress “the very heart of our democracy” she said the statues should embody Americans’ “highest ideals” – not men “who advocated cruelty and barbarism to achieve such a plainly racist end”.

The statues which fill the halls of Congress should reflect our highest ideals as Americans. Today, I am once again calling for the removal from the U.S. Capitol of the 11 statues representing Confederate soldiers and officials. These statues pay homage to hate, not heritage.

— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) June 10, 2020

The letter is the latest move in the wake of global protests over racism, to remove statues of those associated with perpetrating it. Across the United States and internationally, statues have been toppled, removed or covered. 

21:23 GMT – NASCAR to ban Confederate flags at events 

US professional stock-car racing league NASCAR says will ban Confederate flags at future events, according to a report in the Washington Post.

“The presence of the Confederate flag … runs contrary to our commitment to providing a welcoming and inclusive environment for all fans, our competitors and our industry,” NASCAR said in a statement.

The decision comes two days after Bubba Wallace, the only African American driving in the NASCAR Cup Series, requested NASCAR ban the flag viewed as a symbol of hate for many. 

Wallace used a #BlackLivesMatter livery on his Richard Petty Motorsport Chevrolet for a race at Martinsville Speedway on Wednesday.

? pic.twitter.com/GzkbpEAROM

— Bubba Wallace (@BubbaWallace) June 7, 2020

“I think it’s going to speak volumes for what I stand for, but also what the initiative that NASCAR, the whole sport, is trying to push,” Wallace said before the decision.

19:15 GMT – White House says finalising proposals on police reform 

The White House says it is putting the finishing touches on proposals to reform the police, and that reducing immunity for officers is a “non-starter”.

Speaking at a White House briefing, press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said administration plans to address protester concerns about police brutality are reaching “final edits,” and said the proposals could be made public in the “coming days”.

19:00 GMT – Trump rules out renaming US bases named for Confederate leaders

President Donald Trump rejected any proposal to rename US military bases that are named for Confederate leaders from the 1860s civil war.

As many as 10 bases carry the names of Confederate leaders, including Fort Bragg in North Carolina, one of the largest in the United States, and Fort Hood in Texas. Discussions about renaming them emerged as a way of racial reconciliation.

“The United States of America trained and deployed our HEROES on these Hallowed Grounds, and won two World Wars. Therefore, my Administration will not even consider the renaming of these Magnificent and Fabled Military Installations…” Trump wrote in a tweet.

…history of Winning, Victory, and Freedom. The United States of America trained and deployed our HEROES on these Hallowed Grounds, and won two World Wars. Therefore, my Administration will not even consider the renaming of these Magnificent and Fabled Military Installations…

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 10, 2020

17:45 GMT – Boston to offer COVID-19 testing to protesters

Boston is offering those who joined street protests following Floyd’s death access to coronavirus testing.

Mayor Marty Walsh said in a news conference that his administration was reaching out to organisers of the demonstrations and is working to create a mobile pop-up testing site in a Boston neighbourhood that will be open to everyone, whether or not they are showing signs of COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus.

“There is no special screening or requirements,” Walsh said. “As people lift their voices to fight racism and injustice, we want to make sure that we keep them safe, as well.”

16:35 GMT – Thousands attend Black Lives Matter demo in Amsterdam

Thousands of people demonstrated in support of the Black Lives Matter movement in a park in Amsterdam named for South African anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela.

It was the latest in a series of protests in Dutch cities that have taken place in recent days.

“We are here to hold up a fist against the global pandemic of racism,” protester Mitchell Esajas told the crowd.

Public debate about racism, discrimination and historical links to the slave trade have intensified in the Netherlands since Floyd’s death.

A Dutch human rights organisation called on the government to appoint a coordinator to help tackle what it called “structural discrimination” in the Netherlands.

15:45 GMT – Minneapolis police chief takes on union, promises reform

The Minneapolis Police Department will withdraw from police union contract negotiations, Chief Medaria Arradondo said as he announced the first steps in what he said would be transformational reforms to the agency.

Arradondo said a thorough review of the contract is planned. He said the contract needs to be restructured to provide more transparency and flexibility for true reform. The review would look at matters such as critical incident protocols, use of force and disciplinary protocols, including grievances and arbitration.

He said it was debilitating for a chief when there were grounds to terminate an officer and a third-party mechanism worked to keep that person on the street.

“This work must be transformational, but I must do it right,” Arradondo said of changes to the department.

He also promised new research and strategies to spot and intervene with problem officers.

“We will have a police department that our communities view as legitimate, trusting and working with their best interests at heart,” he said, adding that the department has to address issues of racism head-on.

15:00 GMT – ‘Teach them what necessary force is’: George Floyd’s brother calls for police reforms

Legislators heard urgent pleas from George Floyd’s brother, who called for reforms and better training for police officers.

“Teach them what necessary force is,” he said, “Teach them that necessary force should be used rarely, and only when life is at risk.”

He also reminded the panel that police were called because his brother had allegedly used a counterfeit $20 bill.

“George wasn’t hurt anyone that day. He didn’t deserve to die, over $20. I’m asking you. Is that what is that what a Black man is worth – $20? This is 2020. Enough is enough. The people watching in the streets are telling you enough is enough,” he said.

The judiciary panel is preparing to shepherd a sweeping Democratic package of legislation aimed at combating police violence and racial injustice to the House floor by July 4, and is expected to hold further hearings next week to prepare the bill for a full House vote.

14:40 GMT – ‘I’m tired, I’m tired of the pain,’ George Floyd’s brother says

George Floyd’s brother testified on Wednesday at a House Judiciary Committee hearing on issues of racial profiling, police brutality and lost trust between police departments and the communities they serve.

“I’m tired. I’m tired of the pain I’m feeling now, and I’m tired of the pain I feel every time another Black person is killed for no reason,” Philonise Floyd said during his testimony.

“I’m here today to ask you to make it stop. Stop the pain. Stop us from being tired,” Floyd said. “George’s calls for help were ignored. Please listen to the call I’m making to you now, to the calls of our family, and to the calls ringing out in the streets across the world.”

“If his death ends up changing the world for the better. And I think it will. I think it has. Then he died as he lived. It is on you to make sure his death isn’t in vain,” he said.

Read more here.

14:35 GMT – White House defends Trump’s conspiracy theory tweet on Buffalo protester

The White House on Wednesday defended President Donald Trump’s promotion of an unsubstantiated conspiracy theory about a 75-year-old protester injured by police in Buffalo, saying it was Trump’s “prerogative” to raise questions about the incident.

The protester, Martin Gugino, was shoved by police and critically injured when he approached them during a march against racism and police brutality in an incident that was captured on video and led to criminal charges against the officers involved.

Trump, offering no evidence, tweeted on Tuesday that Gugino’s fall could be a “set up” with ties to the anti-fascist movement Antifa.

Buffalo protester shoved by Police could be an ANTIFA provocateur. 75 year old Martin Gugino was pushed away after appearing to scan police communications in order to black out the equipment. @OANN I watched, he fell harder than was pushed. Was aiming scanner. Could be a set up?

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 9, 2020

“The president was just raising some questions, some legitimate ones, about that particular interaction. And it’s his prerogative to do so,” White House spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany told Fox News on Wednesday.

A lawyer for Gugino called Trump’s statement “dark, dangerous, and untrue,” according to media reports. Gugino told USA Today he had “no comment other than Black Lives Matter” and that he has been released from intensive care and “should recover eventually”.

Buffalo Police Officers Aaron Torgalski, 39, and Robert McCabe, 32, face felony assault charges over the incident.

14:30 GMT – Twitter, Square to make June 19 a holiday to support racial diversity

Jack Dorsey, the chief executive of Square Inc and Twitter Inc, said June 19, popularly known as “Juneteenth”, would be a permanent company-wide holiday in the United States to show support for racial diversity.

Both Twitter and Square are making #Juneteenth (June 19th) a company holiday in the US, forevermore. A day for celebration, education, and connection.https://t.co/xmR3fWMiRs

— jack (@jack) June 9, 2020

June 19 commemorates the US abolition of slavery by President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, which was belatedly announced in the state of Texas on June 19, 1865, after the end of the Civil War.

14:25 GMT – US top doctor expresses concerns about protests spreading coronavirus

The US top infectious disease expert, Anthony Fauci, expressed concern that recent mass protests against police brutality and racism would spread the novel coronavirus because of a lack of social distancing.

Fauci, a member of the White House coronavirus task force, told ABC’s Good Morning America he is not surprised that members of the Washington, DC National Guard who mobilised in response to the protests had tested positive, but he called the development “disturbing”.

“The issue of physical separation is important. Masks can help, but it’s masks plus physical separation and when you get congregations like we saw with the demonstrations, like we have said – myself and other health officials – that’s taking a risk,” Fauci said. “Unfortunately, what we’re seeing now is just an example of the kinds of things we were concerned about.”

14:15 GMT – Netflix launches Black Lives Matter collection for viewers

Streaming service Netflix announced that it is promoting a new “Black Lives Matter” collection to US subscribers, featuring more than 45 movies, television shows and documentaries about racial injustice and the experience of Black Americans.

The collection includes Da 5 Bloods, 13th, When They See Us, Mudbound, Orange Is the New Black, Dear White People, as well as Barry Jenkins’ Oscar-winning Moonlight.

When we say “Black Lives Matter,” we also mean “Black storytelling matters.”

With an understanding that our commitment to true, systemic change will take time – we’re starting by highlighting powerful and complex narratives about the Black experience.

— Netflix (@netflix) June 10, 2020

“When we say ‘Black Lives Matter,’ we also mean ‘Black storytelling matters,'” Netflix said in a tweet. “With an understanding that our commitment to true, systemic change will take time – we’re starting by highlighting powerful and complex narratives about the Black experience.”

12:50 GMT – George Floyd’s brother to address US House panel on police reforms

One of the brothers of George Floyd is due to speak to a Democratic-led congressional panel as legislators take on the twin issues of police violence and racial injustice.

Philonise Floyd, 42, will testify before the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee, along with family lawyer Ben Crump and 10 others at the first congressional hearing to examine the social and political undercurrents that have fuelled weeks of protests nationwide and overseas.

The judiciary panel is preparing to shepherd a sweeping package of legislation, aimed at combating police violence and racial injustice, to the House floor by July 4, and is expected to hold further hearings next week to prepare the bill for a full House vote.

12:45 GMT – Confederate monument in Virginia covered with rubbish bags

Protesters in Portsmouth, Virginia, covered a Confederate monument in the city with rubbish bags and sheets, several hours after the city’s council members had a meeting to figure out ways to relocate it.

A white sheet that read “BLM” – the acronym for Black Lives Matter – covered the fence in front of the monument hours after the Portsmouth city council met to discuss who owns the figure, a local TV channel reported. The question about who owns the monument has been the main roadblock in the city’s years-long quest to remove it.

In Richmond, Virginia, a statue of Christopher Columbus was torn down by protesters, set on fire and then thrown into a lake on Tuesday. The statue was toppled less than two hours after protesters gathered in the city’s Byrd Park chanted for the statue to be taken down, news outlets reported.

12:40 GMT – Corrections officer among group that mocked Floyd’s killing as protesters marched by

A white man seen in a video circulating on social media mocking George Floyd’s death included a corrections officer in South Jersey, local media reported.

The man – whose identity has not been verified – was filmed kneeling on another man, recreating how Floyd died on May 25, while Black Lives Matter protesters marched by.

The New Jersey Department of Corrections confirmed in a statement that the man in the video was a corrections officer at Bayside State Prison and that he has been suspended while the agency conducts an investigation.

“We have been made aware that one of our officers from Bayside State Prison participated in the filming of a hateful and disappointing video that mocked the killing of George Floyd,” an NJ Department of Corrections statement said. 

---

Catch up on Tuesday’s updates here.

 

11:55 PM

New York lawmakers pass anti-chokehold bill named for Eric Garner

 

10:56 PM

Virginia work crew trying to decide how to remove Robert E. Lee statue

 

10:00 PM

More than 6,000 people pay tribute to George Floyd in Houston

 

9:22 PM

Crews removing plywood from Minnesota businesses as protests subside

 

Updated 8:20 PM

New Orleans’ Superdome to glow crimson and gold to honor George Floyd

 

Updated 8:00 PM

Former Vice President Joe Biden visits George Floyd’s family in Houston

 

Updated 7:45 PM / June 8, 2020

Families of George Floyd, Eric Garner, Trayvon Martin among those who spoke at public memorial

 

7:38 PM / June 8, 2020

June 9 will be George Floyd Day in Harris County, Texas

 

7:03 PM / June 8, 2020

National Park Service says new fence in front of White House protest area is temporary

 

6:28 PM / June 8, 2020

Black legislators in Pennsylvania commandeer House to demand changes to policing

 

5:51 PM / June 8, 2020

St. Paul resident charged with arson related to Minneapolis precinct fire

 

5:10 PM / June 8, 2020

Los Angeles protesters won’t face charges for breaking curfew, failing to disperse

 

4:47 PM / June 8, 2020

Possible hate crime charges in car attack on protesters

 

4:22 PM / June 8, 2020

White House says reducing immunity for cops who violate civil rights is non-starter

 

3:53 PM / June 8, 2020

Portland police chief resigns amid protests

 

3:31 PM / June 8, 2020

Texas governor pays respects at service for Floyd

 

2:39 PM / June 8, 2020

Judge sets conditional bail of $1 million for ex-officer charged in George Floyd’s death

 

2:02 PM / June 8, 2020

Adrian Peterson says NFL players are “all ready to take a knee together” during national anthem

 

1:39 PM / June 8, 2020

New York City to cut NYPD budget, shift money to social services

 

1:15 PM / June 8, 2020

Ex-officer charged in George Floyd’s death to face judge

 

12:59 PM / June 8, 2020

Marine veteran stands in heat with “I can’t breathe” taped on mouth

 

12:40 PM / June 8, 2020

Pedestrian dies after being struck by car during California protest

 

12:12 PM / June 8, 2020

George Floyd’s golden casket arrives for Houston viewing

 

11:45 AM / June 8, 2020

What the U.S. can learn from South Africa’s reckoning with racism

 

10:57 AM / June 8, 2020

4 U.S. police chiefs on the need for change: “There’s a lot of silence from our profession”

 

10:32 AM / June 8, 2020

U.S. protests prompt calls for Britain to tackle its own systemic racism

 

10:16 AM / June 8, 2020

Mitt Romney marches with Black Lives Matter protesters, becoming first GOP senator to join them

 

10:01 AM / June 8, 2020

Couple celebrates wedding among thousands of protesters in Philadelphia

 

9:27 AM / June 8, 2020

Retired Navy captain apologizes after racial slurs streamed on Facebook

 

8:49 AM / June 8, 2020

French government under mounting pressure to address concerns about police violence, racism

 

8:46 AM / June 8, 2020

NYC begins reopening, but concerns loom over protests

 

8:04 AM / June 8, 2020

German government says “must be possible” to socially distance at protests

 

7:06 AM / June 8, 2020

Final public viewing of George Floyd’s casket set to take place in his hometown of Houston

 

6:37 AM / June 8, 2020

U.K. leader says protests “subverted by thuggery” after clashes

 

5:53 AM / June 8, 2020

Fans match K-pop group BTS’ $1 million Black Lives Matter donation

 

5:50 AM / June 8, 2020

Man drives car toward protesters then shoots one, police say

 

5:49 AM / June 8, 2020

Man charged in slaying of retired St. Louis police captain David Dorn

 

5:48 AM / June 8, 2020

Protesters in England topple statue of slave trader Edward Colston into harbor

 

5:47 AM / June 8, 2020

Minneapolis City Council members announce intent to vote on disbanding police department

Protesters stirred by the death of George Floyd vowed Friday to turn an extraordinary outpouring of grief into a sustained movement as demonstrations shifted to a calmer, but no less determined, focus on addressing racial injustice.

In Minneapolis, where Floyd died in police custody, the city agreed to ban police chokeholds and require officers to intervene any time they see unauthorized force by another officer. The changes are part of a stipulation between the city and state officials who launched a civil rights investigation into Floyd’s death. The City Council is expected to approve the agreement, which will be enforceable in court, later Friday.

By early afternoon, demonstrations resumed for an 11th day around the country with continued momentum as the mood of the protests largely shifted from explosive anger to more peaceful calls for change. Formal and impromptu memorials to Floyd stretched from Minneapolis to North Carolina, where family were gathering Saturday to mourn him, and beyond. Services were planned in Texas for the following week.

DeRay Mckesson, the co-founder of Campaign Zero, explains why the police reforms laid out on the “8 Can’t Wait” website can help reduce police misconduct.

Here are the latest developments in the death of George Floyd:

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Mourners Hold Memorial for Floyd as More Protests Take Shape

Hundreds of mourners are paying respects to George Floyd’s in his North Carolina hometown while the nation’s capital prepares for what is expected to be the city’s largest demonstration against police brutality yet.

Military vehicles and officers in fatigues closed off much of downtown Washington to traffic ahead of the planned march.

It was expected to attract up to 200,000 people outraged by Floyd’s death 12 days ago at the hands of police in Minneapolis.

Large protests also took place across the U.S. and in major cities overseas, including London, Paris, Berlin and Sydney, Australia.

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Prosecutor: 2 Buffalo Police Charged With Assault in Shoving

Prosecutors say two Buffalo police officers have been charged with assault after a video showed them shoving a 75-year-old protester.

Both pleaded not guilty to second-degree assault Saturday. The two officers had been suspended without pay Friday after a TV crew captured the confrontation the night before near the end of protests over the death of George Floyd in Minnesota.

The footage shows a man approaching a line of helmeted officers holding batons as they clear demonstrators. Two officers push the man backward, and he hits his head on the pavement. Blood spills as officers walk past.

The governor praised prosecutors for moving quickly to charge the officers.

Read the full story here.

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Dozens of Buffalo Police Officers Resign in Protest of Colleagues’ Suspension for Shoving 75-Year-Old Protester

Nearly five dozen Buffalo, New York, police officers, specially trained for civil unrest, resigned Friday after two colleagues were suspended after a video surfaced appearing to show them shoving and seriously injuring a 75-year-old protester, officials said.

The members of the Buffalo Police Department’s Emergency Response Team quit after the fallout from Thursday night’s incident, which was caught on tape, according the Police Benevolent Association.

“Fifty-seven resigned in disgust because of the treatment of two of their members, who were simply executing orders,” union president John Evans told NBC affiliate WGRZ.

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NFL Condemns Racism, Admits ‘We Were Wrong’ Not to Listen to NFL Player Protests

National Football League commissioner Roger Goodell admitted the league was “wrong” for failing to listen to players who protested social injustice, he said on Friday in a video. 

In his second statement released since the May 25 death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man in Minnesota, Goodell used the roughly 1:20 recorded message to not only “condemn the systemic oppression of black people” but admit fault for not listening to its players “earlier.”

Get the full story here.

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‘Gaslighting an Entire City’: Critics Call Out Mayor for Downplaying Rough Police Treatment of NYC Protesters

Mayor Bill de Blasio on Friday said he had personally seen “no use of force around peaceful protests” and cast doubt on people who had, belying social media posts and witness accounts of officers moving on demonstrators without provocation and bashing them with batons.

De Blasio made the comment in response to questions at his morning news briefing about teams of officers aggressively breaking up a rally in the Bronx as the city’s 8 p.m. curfew kicked in Thursday, leading to scores of arrests and cries of brutality. He said officers were using “lots of restraint” with protesters.

“What an absolute disgrace. This is just not true,” City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer tweeted afterward. “You are gaslighting an entire City.”

Protesters marched through the city again Friday by the thousands. The violent flareups that characterized some demonstrations last weekend have almost entirely given way to peaceful affairs. Looting that occurred on Sunday and Monday also appears to have ceased.

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Minneapolis to Ban Police Chokeholds in Wake of Floyd Death

Negotiators for the city of Minneapolis agreed with the state Friday to ban the use of chokeholds by police and to require officers to report and intervene anytime they see an unauthorized use of force by another officer.

The changes are part of a stipulation posted online between the city and the Minnesota Department of Human Rights, which launched a civil rights investigation this week in response to the death of George Floyd. The City Council was expected to approve the agreement Friday.

The agreement would require court approval and would become enforceable in court, unlike the department’s current policies on the use of force and duties to intervene. The agreement would require any officer, regardless of tenure or rank, to immediately radio or phone in from the scene the use of any neck restraint or chokehold to their commander or their commander’s superiors.

Similarly, any officer who sees another officer commit any unauthorized use of force, including any chokehold or neck restraint, must try to intervene verbally and even physically. If they don’t, they’d be subject to discipline as severe as if they themselves had used the prohibited force.

The agreement also would require authorization from the police chief or a designated deputy chief to use crowd control weapons, including chemical agents, rubber bullets, flash-bang grenades, batons, and marking rounds. And it would require more timely decisions on disciplining officers.

Young people have been behind some key victories in the protest movement against police brutality, including that some schools are breaking security contracts with local police, said Tiffany Loftin, director of the NAACP Youth and College Division.

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Republican Utah Lawmaker to Back NAACP Police-Reform Plan

A Republican lawmaker in Utah said Friday he’ll support police reform legislation championed by the NAACP aimed at ending brutality and racial profiling in the wake of George Floyd’s death.

Utah was among the first states to publicly respond to a call from the group’s national headquarters for branches to pursue reform legislation, said Jeanetta Williams, president of NAACP’s tri-state conference area of Idaho-Utah-Nevada. Priorities include the demilitarization of law enforcement, tracking and reporting data, and education and training of all officers.

GOP state Sen. Daniel Thatcher has agreed to pursue three of the items brought forth by the NAACP: limiting use of force, increasing transparency in discipline records and strengthening citizen review boards. Williams said she hopes the state’s racial and ethnic minority legislators will agree to propose others.

“The best way for us to support the NAACP right now is to listen to them, hear them and follow their lead,” Thatcher said.

He successfully sponsored a hate-crimes law in Utah last year, pushing though a bill that had stalled in the GOP-dominated legislature for years.

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Seattle Mayor Bans Police Use of Tear Gas

Seattle’s mayor has banned the police use of tear gas as protests continue over the killing of George Floyd.

Mayor Jenny Durkan said at a news conference Friday that the ban would last for 30 days.

The move came hours after three civilian police watchdog groups urged city leaders to ban the use of tear gas to control demonstrators. The groups said the move would build public trust and should remain in place until the department adopts policies and training for use of the chemical agent.

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California Governor Orders End to ‘Carotid Hold’ Training

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has ordered the state police training program to stop teaching officers how to use a hold that can block the flow of blood to the brain, saying that the hold has no place in the 21st century.

It is Newsom’s first action following two weeks of protests across the country after the death of George Floyd. Since then, some police departments have moved to end the use of carotid holds that stop or slow the flow of blood to the brain. Read more here from NBC Bay Area.

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US Cardinal at Vatican Prays for Floyd, and America’s Future

The highest-ranking American cardinal at the Vatican on Friday deplored the “unjust” killing of George Floyd, saying it laid bare that the Christian principles of the U.S. Constitution aren’t being applied to black people.

Cardinal Kevin Farrell, who heads the Vatican’s laity office, told The Associated Press that the brutality of what happened to Floyd after his arrest in Minneapolis was so unreal it seemed like a movie. Floyd, who was handcuffed, died after a police officer pressed his knee into his neck even after he said he couldn’t breathe.

“We would never think that that could possibly happen,” Farrell said. “They are trained individuals who knew that in that position, that person was not going to survive.”

“Now, what brings a person to that point?” he said. “We all have to ask ourselves: What has brought us to that point?”

Farrell on Friday presided over a prayer service in honor of Floyd and other victims of racism organized by the Sant’Egidio Community, a Rome-based Catholic charity that is close to Pope Francis.

Sitting in the front row at the Santa Maria in Trastevere church in downtown Rome was U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See Callista Gingrich and her husband, Newt, the former U.S. house speaker. They both wore protective masks and sat in chairs spaced apart, as called for by Italy’s anti-virus health measures.

In his remarks, Farrell said the protests that have broken out after Floyd’s death make clear that the civil rights movement of the 1960s failed to resolve all of America’s race problems.

Despite laws, constitutional protections and famous speeches that proclaim equality, “the human heart can always close itself in its egoism and return to being polluted by sin, provoking new injustices, violences and oppressions,” he said.

Farrell, an Irish-born naturalized U.S. citizen and the former bishop of Dallas, prayed for Floyd, Floyd’s family and all victims of injustice, and for peaceful, fraternal coexistence among Americans.

“May they find peace, serenity and comprehension,” he said.

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Virginia City Removes 176-Year-Old Slave Auction Block

A 176-year-old slave auction block has been removed from a Virginia city’s downtown.

The 800-pound (363-kilogram) stone was pulled from the ground at a Fredericksburg street corner early Friday after the removal was delayed for months by lawsuits and the coronavirus pandemic, The Free Lance-Star reported.

The weathered stone was sprayed with graffiti twice and chants of “move the block” erupted this week during local demonstrations over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, city officials said in a statement announcing the removal.

A local chapter of the NAACP called for the stone’s removal in 2017, saying it was a relic of “a time of hatred and degradation” that was allowed to be displayed at a main thoroughfare in the city.

In 2019, the City Council voted in favor of its removal and relocation to the Fredericksburg Area Museum, and a judge upheld that decision in February after two businesses near the auction block sued to stop the relocation.

The process was held up after one of the businesses, a commercial building owner, asked the Virginia Supreme Court to bar the removal while her decision was being appealed, the newspaper said.

The museum now plans to display the knee-high stone in an exhibit chronicling the “movement from slavery to accomplishments by the local African American community,” the Free Lance-Star said. The staff also plans to feature the recent protests in the exhibit, according to the museum’s president and CEO.

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BLM Youth Leader Says Breonna Taylor’s Case Requires as Much Urgency as George Floyd’s

The criminal charges filed in the deaths of George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery are only a first step to justice, says Thandiwe Abdullah, a Black Lives Matter Youth Leader. But the teen says prosecuting the cops who shot Breonna Taylor will show the movement is more than just a fad.

The criminal charges filed in the deaths of George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery are only a first step to justice, says Thandiwe Abdullah, a Black Lives Matter youth leader. But the teen says prosecuting the cops who shot Breonna Taylor will show the movement is more than just a fad.

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DC Paints ‘Black Lives Matter’ on Street Near White House

The city of Washington, D.C., echoed a call for justice by painting a message on a street that leads to the White House: Black lives matter.

Before dawn Friday, a D.C. Department of Public Works crew closed the street so the painting could begin, NBC Washington reported. The yellow letters stretched from curb to curb of 16th Street NW between H and K streets.

The two blocks are just north of Lafayette Square, where anti-police-brutality and anti-racism protesters have chanted “Black lives matter” for a week, moved by the death of George Floyd.

The “Black lives matter” message is close to where federal forces used munitions and pepper spray on Monday to clear peaceful protesters and make way for President Donald Trump to take a photo outside St. John’s Church, which was damaged by a fire during protests.

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Comparisons Drawn Between Floyd’s Death and Missouri Case

The Missouri NAACP and black lawmakers are seeking a new investigation into the death of a rural jail inmate after a white sheriff placed his knee on the black man’s neck. Tory Sanders, a 28-year-old man from Nashville, Tennessee, died in 2017 at the Mississippi County Jail in Charleston, Missouri. He had several encounters with officers and a mental health counselor determined he was suffering from paranoia. A wrongful death lawsuit says Sheriff Cory Hutcheson jammed his knee against Sanders’ neck for up to three minutes.

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Death of Tacoma Man Who Said ‘I Can’t Breathe’ in Police Custody Ruled a Homicide

The mayor of Tacoma, Washington, called for the city manager to fire four police officers after the death of a black man in custody was ruled a homicide.

Manuel Ellis, 33, died on March 3 after being handcuffed and restrained by officers. He could be heard on police scanner traffic saying “I can’t breathe,” after he was handcuffed, and he died at the scene, according to NBC News affiliate KING in Seattle.

Read more here at NBCNews.com.

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Mobile, Alabama, Removes Confederate Statue Without Warning

The city of Mobile, Alabama removed a Confederate statue early Friday without making any public announcements beforehand.

The bronze figure of Admiral Raphael Semmes had become a flash point for protest in the city. George Talbot, a spokesman for the city, confirmed Friday morning that the statue was removed by the city.

The removal of the 120-year-old figure follows days of protests in Alabama and across the nation over killings by police of African Americans.

Semmes was a Confederate commerce raider, sinking Union-allied ships during the Civil War.

Other Confederate symbols are coming down around the South. The city of Birmingham removed a towering obelisk after another statue was toppled by protesters. Virginia’s governor has decided to remove a huge statue of Gen. Robert E. Lee in Richmond, Virginia, after city authorities said they’ll remove other Confederate monuments from Monument Avenue.

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Twitter Blocks Trump Campaign’s George Floyd Video Tribute

Twitter has blocked a Trump campaign video tribute to George Floyd over a copyright claim, in a move that adds to tensions between the social media platform and the U.S. president, one of its most widely followed users.

The company put a label on a video posted by the @TeamTrump account that said, “This media has been disabled in response to a claim by the copyright owner.” The video was still up on President Donald Trump’s YouTube channel and includes pictures of Floyd, whose death sparked widespread protests, at the start.

“Per our copyright policy, we respond to valid copyright complaints sent to us by a copyright owner or their authorized representatives,” Twitter said in a statement. It did not say who made the complaint.

Read the full story here

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Food Delivery Worker Detained in NYC, Mayor Says It’s ‘Not Acceptable’

Calls for an end to New York City’s curfew are being renewed after a food delivery worker, who is exempt from the curfew, was detained by NYPD Thursday night.

The worker was cuffed by cops near Central Park West and 109th Street, according to NBC New York. In a video on Twitter, he can be heard saying, “Are you serious? I’m not even doing anything,” and asked the officers to look at his delivery app on his phone.

This delivery guy thought he’s an essential worker, police seemed to disagree. The rules issued before the curfew very unclear but according to the state, restaurants, bar & food industry workers are classified as essential. #nycurfew #NYCPolice pic.twitter.com/OyZVuDkPuM

— Kirsti Karttunen (@KirstiKarttunen) June 5, 2020

Mayor Bill de Blasio said of the incident, “This is NOT acceptable and must stop.”

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California Mayor Resigns Over Racist Comments

The mayor of Temecula, California, has resigned after sending an email that read “I don’t believe there’s ever been a good person of color killed by a police officer” — something he blamed on a speech-to-text program he uses because he has dyslexia, NBC News reported.

Mayor James “Stew” Stewart had previously apologized and said in a statement Wednesday “I absolutely did not say ‘good’ I have no idea how that popped up.” He said he intended to say he did not think there had ever been a person of color murdered by a police officer locally.

Thursday night in a Facebook post, Stewart said in part: “My typos and off-the-cuff response to an email on a serious topic added pain at a time where our community, and our country, is suffering.”

“I may not be the best writer and I sometimes misspeak, but I am not racist,” Stewart said. “I deeply regret this mistake and I own it, entirely. I am truly sorry.”

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Players Send Video Message to NFL About Racial Inequality

Patrick Mahomes, Saquon Barkley and Michael Thomas are among more than a dozen NFL stars who united to send a passionate video message to the league about racial inequality.

The 70-second video was released on social media platforms Thursday night and includes Odell Beckham Jr., Deshaun Watson, Ezekiel Elliott, Jamal Adams, Stephon Gilmore and DeAndre Hopkins, among others.

Thomas, the New Orleans Saints wide receiver who has led the league in receptions the past two seasons, opens the video with the statement: “It’s been 10 days since George Floyd was brutally murdered.” The players then take turns asking the question, “What if I was George Floyd?”

Read the full story here

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2 National Guard Soldiers Hospitalized After DC Lightning Strike

Two people thought to be National Guard members deployed during protests in Washington, D.C. were hospitalized after lightning struck the area of their post not far from the White House early Friday, a fire official said.

The strike and possible injuries were reported shortly after midnight inside a perimeter anchored by Lafayette Square, the site of George Floyd demonstrations this week, according to Vito Maggiolo, spokesman for the district’s fire and emergency medical services department.

The two were hospitalized in non-life-threatening condition, NBC News reported.

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Another Night of Largely Peaceful Protests Sweeps the Nation

Protests across the nation remained largely peaceful throughout the day Thursday and into Thursday night.

Boston, Massachusetts, and its suburbs saw thousands of people marching in the streets and holding silent vigils for Floyd. In New York City, thousands of protesters gathered in Brooklyn and marched to Manhattan, filling Union and Washington Square. In Dallas, protesters headed to the Dallas Police Association to peacefully demand police accountability and change.

In the nation’s capital, protests continued past nightfall. Heavy rain and thunderstorms began about 8 p.m. but large crowds remained, NBC Washington reported.

Meanwhile, on the West Coast, several California towns canceled curfews after days of peaceful protests. In Los Angeles, LAPD Chief Michel Moore took a knee alongside protesters outside of City Hall. San Diego and the San Francisco Bay Area saw protests of a similar nature, with thousands in attendance.

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ACLU Files Lawsuit Against Trump Administration

The American Civil Liberties Union and others have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, alleging officials violated the civil rights of protesters who were forcefully removed from a park near the White House by police using chemical agents before President Donald Trump walked to a nearby church to take a photo.

The lawsuit was filed Thursday in federal court in Washington. It argues that Trump, Attorney General William Barr and other officials “unlawfully conspired to violate” the protesters’ rights when clearing Lafayette Park on Monday.

Shortly before 6:30 p.m. ET on Monday, law enforcement officers began aggressively forcing back the peaceful protesters, firing smoke bombs and pepper balls into the crowd to disperse them from the park.

The ACLU called it a “coordinated and unprovoked charge into the crowd of demonstrators.”

Barr said Thursday that he ordered the protesters to be dispersed because officials were supposed to extend a security perimeter around the White House earlier in the day. He said he arrived there later in the afternoon and discovered it hadn’t been done.

The lawsuit was filed on behalf of the group Black Lives Matter D.C., and individual protesters who were in Lafayette Park on Monday evening.

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DARLINGTON, S.C. (AP) — NASCAR is back, but without fans, flyovers or other frills. South Carolina’s Darlington Raceway opened its 70-year-old gates today to let the stock car series roar again and the revenue start to flow again. As part of a meticulously planned health protocol, a checkpoint at the gate allowed pre-approved personnel into the infield after a health screening. Once inside NASCAR’s designated footprint, no one may exit. NASCAR hasn’t raced in 10 weeks because of the coronavirus pandemic and has set an aggressive revised schedule of 20 events in seven Southern states between now and June 21.

UNDATED (AP) — Live golf returns to television today with a four-man charity Skins game at Seminole Golf Club in Juno Beach, Florida, to benefit coronavirus relief. It features Rory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson against Rickie Fowler and Matthew Wolff, carrying their own bags. The only rake will be carried by a rules official. Another rules official will be the only person to handle the flagstick, if necessary. It will be the first live action on TV since the opening round of The Players Championship on March 12.

BERLIN (AP) — German soccer champion Bayern Munich has returned to action for the first time in more than two months with a league game at Union Berlin. Bayern last played on March 8 before the Bundesliga (BOON’-dehsh-lee-guh) was suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic. The league resumed competition yesterday. Bayern can go four points clear of second-place Borussia Dortmund with a win as it chases an eighth successive German title.

UNDATED (AP) — Russia has relaxed border restrictions for athletes and coaches in a move that will help soccer to restart in the country next month. Since March, Russia has barred most foreign arrivals in a bid to stem the spread of the coronavirus. Now the government says athletes and coaches will be allowed in if they have a contract with a Russian sports team or organization. They will have to spend 14 days in isolation on arrival and will be observed by doctors.

HOUSTON (AP) — Buffalo Bills defensive lineman Ed Oliver has been arrested in the Houston area and charged with drunk driving and illegally carrying a gun. Local media outlets reported that Montgomery County sheriff’s deputies pulled Oliver over last night after receiving reports of someone driving recklessly in a construction area north of the city. Sheriff’s officials say deputies found an open beer and a pistol in Oliver’s truck.

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Three days before his trial on 2015 drug charges, former NFL running back Dantrell Montganner Savage was arrested Friday by Columbus Police on charges of misdemeanor obstruction and traffic offenses.

Savage went live on Facebook about noon Friday and recorded his arrest by Officer Michael Aguilar, a member of the department’s Special Operations Unit. Savage’s video lasted more than seven minutes before he was taken into custody.

The Facebook live video got more than 150 shares and 8,000 views over the weekend.

Savage, 33, was pulled over while driving his 2010 Acura sedan near the Warm Springs Connector and Manchester Expressway for failure to maintain his lane, according to a police report.

Savage urged those watching the Facebook video to share it.

“You know they f—–g with me again,” he said. “For what particular reason, I don’t know.”

He stayed live as Aguilar went to his patrol car and then returned to Savage’s vehicle. The officer was asking about proof of insurance.

He asked Savage if he had any illegal narcotics or weapons in the vehicle. Savage did not immediately respond. The standoff lasted several minutes as a second police vehicle with a drug dog pulled up, said Savage’s attorney Stacey Jackson. After the second police car arrived, Aguilar told Savage he was going to search the vehicle.

Savage argued with the officer.

“The problem is you’re not listening,” Aguilar told Savage.

Savage again refused to let police search the vehicle. Aguilar then charged Savage with obstruction. Police also cited Savage for failing to maintain his traffic lane and having a cracked windshield.

“I find it ironic that since 2015, he hasn’t had any run-ins with anyone, then the Friday before the trial a Special Operations officer pulls him over and keeps him there long enough for a dog to do an open-air search,” Jackson said. “Even with probable cause, they didn’t find anything.”

Police found nothing illegal when they searched Savage’s vehicle, Jackson said.

Savage was released on bond Friday afternoon.

On October 27, 2015, Savage was charged with possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute it and possessing drug-related objects. His trial before Superior Court Judge Ron Mullins is to begin Tuesday. He also faces a third charge of possessing methamphetamine, according to court records.

Attorneys picked a jury Monday.

Savage and codefendant Jessie James Smith Sr., now 53, were arrested in 2015 at a 33rd Street gym named Savage Fitness Evolution, where Savage had two plastic bags containing a total 28 grams of meth, police said. He and Smith also had three digital scales, investigators said.

The arrests stemmed from an undercover drug sting in which the Columbus Police Department Special Operations Unit twice had an informant use marked cash to purchase meth while recording the transaction on surveillance cameras, authorities said.

The informant dealt with Smith, who told police he was a gym employee, investigators said. Savage was nearby during one transaction, and Smith referred to Savage during the second buy, saying he needed to go see “T,” Savage’s nickname, police Cpl. Vincent Dragnett testified during a preliminary hearing in Columbus Recorder’s Court.

The first transaction was Oct. 7, 2015, in the gym’s garage area, and the next was the following Oct. 15, officers said. They served a search warrant at the gym 12 days later.

During the search, police confiscated $44,500 in cash, which Savage said came from a settlement involving an accident, Dragnett testified.

Smith pleaded guilty Sept. 26, 2016 to possessing meth with the intent to distribute it, and possessing drug-related objects. Prosecutors dropped two counts of selling meth, and Mullins sentenced Smith to five years in prison with 36 months to serve and the rest on probation.

A graduate of Columbus’ Jordan High School, Savage was signed to the Kansas City Chiefs as an undrafted free agent out of Oklahoma State. He played with the Chiefs for two seasons, mostly serving on special teams before getting cut in March 2010.

He was signed to the Carolina Panthers in August 2010, but was released before the 2010-11 season started.