George Floyd protests & riots (consolidated thread)

Why Charges Against Protesters Are Being Dismissed by the Thousands

Matt Kaufmann loved bringing real-world issues into his classroom, but he never expected he would become a lesson himself. The headlines, however, made it hard to avoid: “Kentucky High School Teacher of the Year Arrested,” blared the local news after he was detained on May 31. An English teacher at Marion C. Moore School at that time, Mr. Kaufmann was among more than 800 people swept up by the police in Louisville during the many months of demonstrations prompted by the police killings of George Floyd in Minneapolis and Breonna Taylor in Louisville. Mr. Kaufmann and his fiancée, protest novices, ...

Continue reading...

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/19/us/protests-lawsuits-arrests.html

 

George Floyd's killing turned them into activists. What are they doing now?

On the night of July 25, Alexander “Bear” Matthews sat hunched over in a jail cell in Douglas County, Nebraska. He was fuming. Just a few months before, Matthews, 24, was embarking on a career in videography after serving a year in prison for selling THC oil to friends at the University of Nebraska Omaha. But the killing of George Floyd on May 25 had pushed him into the streets, and that activism had landed him in another cell, this time on two misdemeanor charges — resisting arrest and obstructing a highway. Matthews was seething because the mass arrest that ...

Alexander "Bear" Matthews:

Matthews always thought he’d be a teacher. Before going to prison, he was studying secondary education and social sciences at the University of Nebraska Omaha. But his felony record scrapped those plans, and after his release in October 2018, he started making videos for local musicians and businesses. In prison, he’d read books by radical Black thinkers and activists like Malcolm X, Eldridge Cleaver and Frantz Fanon, and they’d shaped his thinking about oppression and liberation. But Matthews had never acted on that knowledge. After Floyd’s killing, they were top of mind as he watched — from the comfort of ...

Alicia Gee:

Alicia Gee knew she was a long shot. The 36-year-old teacher was running for state representative as a Democrat in the ruby-red slice of southwestern Ohio where she lives. She was a write-in to boot, one who filed her paperwork on the last day possible — Aug. 24 — to challenge a previously unopposed Republican. Earlier that day, an official from the Clermont County Democratic Party had reached out and asked if she’d run. Another possible candidate had died, and the official, Patricia Lawrence, had thought of Gee after learning of a demonstration she’d organized a couple of months before ...

Jaspreet Kaur:

A few days after George Floyd’s killing, Jaspreet Kaur was in the living room of her family’s home in Ceres, a city of roughly 45,000 in California’s agricultural heartland, the Central Valley. Kaur, 27, pulled up a letter on her laptop and asked her father — an ice cream distributor who migrated from Punjab, India, in 1986 — to read it out loud. The document was written in his native language, Punjabi, and it connected anti-Sikh discrimination with the long history of institutionalized violence against Black Americans. “Some of us are told we’re terrorists,” the letter read. “But for the ...

Kevin Conner:

Most mornings, after Kevin Conner drops his son off at middle school in suburban north Florida, he drives home and swaps his sleek Tesla sedan for a hulking Ford F-250. This switch, Conner said, is a rule: Unlike him, his son is the low-profile type. On any given day, the doors of Conner’s pickup might be scrawled with various messages — “jail killer cops,” “Black Lives Matter” or, more recently, the number of people killed by coronavirus in the United States followed by the phrase, “Trump Death Clock.” Attached to the bed of the pickup, he might have a giant ...

Continue reading...

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-new...-turned-them-activists-what-are-they-n1248746 | Find in Internet Archives

 

Floyd one year later: Richmonder Aaron Brown had 'never really been one to protest....but it just struck a chord in me.'

Aaron Brown, a 28-year-old musical artist who grew up in Richmond and Petersburg, who performs under the name AARNXBRWN, was involved in the local protest movement last summer.

Continue reading...

https://richmond.com/news/local/floyd-one-year-later-richmonder-aaron-brown-had-never-really-been-one-to-protest-but/article_b4b277a3-48ca-5694-b0c7-5059f7d47332.html

Find in Internet Archives

[google]Floyd one year later: Richmonder Aaron Brown had 'never really been one to protest....but it just struck a chord in me.'[/google]

 

One year later: Corey Stuckey

Corey Stuckey, 18, remembers seeing kids as young as 8 crying from the tear gas fired by the Richmond Police Department onto peaceful protesters at the Robert E. Lee monument on June 1. On one hand, he felt a strong sense of community as he watched people pour milk in one another’s eyes and urgently escort the injured to safety. On the other hand, his feelings were hurt. “People were running to their cars, people trampling each other, bikes trampling each other, people falling, people getting arrested,” he recalled. “I couldn’t even gather all my opinions in the moment, all ...

Continue reading...

https://richmond.com/one-year-later-corey-stuckey/article_fcdd42d5-944a-5ebc-958b-2ef418636f7c.html

Find in Internet Archives

[google]One year later: Corey Stuckey[/google]

 

Floyd one year later: Corey Stuckey, George Wythe High School student, on launching 381 Movement

Corey Stuckey, 18, remembers seeing kids as young as 8 crying from the tear gas fired by the Richmond Police Department onto peaceful protesters at the Robert E. Lee monument on June 1. On one hand, he felt a strong sense of community as he watched people pour milk in one another’s eyes and urgently escort the injured to safety. On the other hand, his feelings were hurt. “People were running to their cars, people trampling each other, bikes trampling each other, people falling, people getting arrested,” he recalled. “I couldn’t even gather all my opinions in the moment, all ...

Continue reading...

https://richmond.com/news/local/flo...cle_fcdd42d5-944a-5ebc-958b-2ef418636f7c.html

Find in Internet Archives

[google]Floyd one year later: Corey Stuckey, George Wythe High School student, on launching 381 Movement[/google]

 

Hoover protest cases still in limbo almost one year after mass arrests

Police officers in Hoover, the largest suburb south of Birmingham, arrested him and about 30 others who walked around a barricade. Hamdeed was placed in a paddy wagon, taken to jail and charged with misdemeanor disorderly conduct. It all happened in a flash, Hamdeed said. “I arrived and basically within eight to ten minutes I was already in handcuffs,” he said. Since then, things have moved much more slowly. Attorney Richard Rice represents about 80 people arrested at last year’s Black Lives Matter protests in Hoover, including Hamdeed. Many similar cases in other Alabama cities have already been dismissed or ...

Continue reading...

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crim...almost-one-year-after-mass-arrests/ar-AAKtPf9

Find in Internet Archives

[google]Hoover protest cases still in limbo almost one year after mass arrests[/google]

 

George Floyd protests in Raleigh, NC: No changes one year later | Raleigh News & Observer

A year ago Sunday, a middle-school teacher from Raleigh crouched on Davie Street rubbing her burning eyes while a stranger poured milk over her face, trying to wash away the tear gas. Nearby, a father of two watched the chaos through the broken window of an outdoors store on West Hargett Street, determined to protect it from looters. And a restaurant owner hunkered down at home, wondering if her restaurant on South Wilmington Street would survive the night. Raleigh has never seen two nights like May 30 and May 31, 2020, when a downtown already hobbled by the pandemic saw ...

Continue reading...

https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/article251694263.html

Find in Internet Archives

[google]George Floyd protests in Raleigh, NC: No changes one year later | Raleigh News & Observer[/google]

 

CSUB teacher pleads no contest to remaining at protest after police ordered crowd to disperse

A part-time Cal State Bakersfield art teacher pleaded no contest Friday to remaining at the scene of a protest after police declared it an unlawful assembly and ordered the crowd to leave. Jared Haug pleaded no contest to the misdemeanor charge in exchange for deferred entry of judgment, meaning the charge will be dismissed if Haug stays out of trouble by his Dec. 1 sentencing date. If he’s charged with another crime, he’ll face a maximum of 180 days in jail, said Assistant District Attorney Joseph Kinzel. Haug is listed on the court website with the last name “Hang.” Haug ...

Continue reading...

https://www.kget.com/news/crime-watch/csub-teacher-pleads-no-contest-to-remaining-at-riot/

Find in Internet Archives

[google]CSUB teacher pleads no contest to remaining at protest after police ordered crowd to disperse[/google]

 

Pigs tried to steal the demonstrators' generator:


Alamance County deputies share testimony in first day of reverend’s trial following October demonstration; legal team calls for video release

Five members of the Alamance County Sheriff’s Office shared testimony Wednesday on the first day of the trial against Reverend Gregory Drumwright. The activist is accused of resisting a public officer, public disturbance and failure to disperse from a March to the Polls event he organized Oct. 31 of last year. The march made national headlines after police broke up the event with pepper spray and arrested several marchers, including Drumwright. Prosecutors discussed a “flashpoint” in the rally when a member of the sheriff’s office attempted to seize a generator that was powering audio for the event. The generator was ...

Continue reading...

https://myfox8.com/news/north-carol...nstration-legal-team-calls-for-video-release/

Find in Internet Archives

[google]Alamance County deputies share testimony in first day of reverend’s trial following October demonstration; legal team calls for video release[/google]

 

Sources: 19 Austin police officers indicted over protests

A Texas grand jury indicted 19 Austin police officers on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon for their actions during 2020 protests over racial injustice that spread nationwide following the killing of George Floyd, according to people familiar with the matter. Multiple people spoke to The Associated Press Thursday on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the case publicly. Austin Police Association President Ken Casaday confirmed 19 officers are facing charges but did not have details. It ranks among the most indictments on a single police department in the U.S. over tactics used by ...

Continue reading...

https://www.wnct.com/news/national/sources-19-austin-police-officers-indicted-over-protests/

Find in Internet Archives

[google]Sources: 19 Austin police officers indicted over protests[/google]

 

2 of 19 Austin officers charged were in cases that settled

Two of the 19 Austin police officers indicted for their actions during 2020 protests over racial injustice were involved in cases that the city paid millions of dollars to settle, according to documents made public Tuesday. The release of the documents by the Travis County District Attorney’s office was the first time details including names of the officers charged were made public since prosecutors announced last week that a grand jury had decided the officers should face first-degree felonies. Grand juries do their work in private. All of the officers are charged with aggravated assault by a public servant over ...

Continue reading...

https://www.bnd.com/news/nation-world/national/article258663273.html

Find in Internet Archives

[google]2 of 19 Austin officers charged were in cases that settled[/google]

 

Review details failures of Minneapolis’ response after George Floyd’s murder

At KSTP-TV Tom Hubbard reports, “An outside firm that reviewed the response to the civil unrest following the murder of George Floyd found the city of Minneapolis failed to provide the necessary leadership and communication during a tumultuous 10-day stretch. The firm, Hillard Heintze LLC, presented its after-action review to the Minneapolis City Council after reviewing the city’s overall response to the unrest at a cost to taxpayers of $229,490. … The findings highlight how the actions of city officials, the Minneapolis Police Department and Minneapolis Fire Department failed to follow previously set Emergency Operations Plans.” A trio of MPR ...

Continue reading...

https://www.minnpost.com/glean/2022...neapolis-response-after-george-floyds-murder/

Find in Internet Archives

[google]Review details failures of Minneapolis’ response after George Floyd’s murder[/google]

 

Lawsuit in BLM protest spurs change to city picketing ordinance

When Emma Bowar quickly organized a protest in El Paso against police brutality toward Black Americans days after George Floyd was murdered under the knee of a then-Minneapolis police officer on May 25, 2020, she didn’t anticipate it would garner much attention. On Friday, May 29, 2020, according to court documents, Bower posted an invitation for a peaceful protest in solidarity with the national Black Lives Matter movement in front of the El Paso Police Department Headquarters as nationwide outrage and at-times violent protests erupted throughout the country demanding police reform and defunding of police departments. The location of the ...

Continue reading...

https://kvia.com/top-stories/2022/1...est-spurs-change-to-city-picketing-ordinance/

Find in Internet Archives

[google]Lawsuit in BLM protest spurs change to city picketing ordinance[/google]

 

Protesters behind record NYPD lawsuit included teachers, ex-Peace Corps member and disabled doula

The record-setting $6 million settlement accusing the NYPD of violently crushing a George Floyd protest was led by two teachers as well as a former Peace Corps member and her disabled sister. Music teacher Ricardo Nigaglioni, special needs teacher Alex Gutierrez, former Peace Corps member Samira Sierra, and her doula sister Amali Sierra — who has multiple sclerosis — were among those named in the class-action lawsuit on behalf of more than 300 protesters. The fifth, Charles Henry Wood, was only described as someone who “decided to speak up for change” at the Bronx rally on June 4, 2020. The ...

Continue reading...

https://nypost.com/2023/03/02/protesters-behind-the-record-nypd-lawsuit-revealed/

Find in Internet Archives

[google]Protesters behind record NYPD lawsuit included teachers, ex-Peace Corps member and disabled doula[/google]

 

Prominent West Philly activist pleads guilty to flipping police car during 2020 racial justice protests

A prominent West Philadelphia activist, who was the lead plaintiff in a civil rights lawsuit over the police response to the racial justice protests that roiled the city in May 2020, pleaded guilty Tuesday to charges tied to his actions during those demonstrations. Anthony “Ant” Smith — a charter school teacher and organizer with the Philadelphia Coalition for Racial and Economic Legal Justice (Philly for REAL Justice) — told a federal judge he and others flipped a police car parked outside City Hall as thousands gathered in Center City to protest the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police. His ...

Continue reading...

https://www.inquirer.com/news/antho...adelphia-protests-arson-mcswain-20230606.html

Find in Internet Archives

[google]Prominent West Philly activist pleads guilty to flipping police car during 2020 racial justice protests[/google]