TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE ARE EXPECTED Large protest against racism and police brutality in Washington
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- 06/06/2020. at 14:20
A major protest against racism and police brutality is expected in Washington on Saturday, perhaps one of the largest ever, over the recent police assassination of George Floyd , the police chief said.
Some social media activists called for a million people to gather to protest.
The assassination of African-American George Floyd has sparked mass protests and violence across the country for 12 days in a row, and is being protested in many cities around the world.
George Floyd, 46, was killed on May 25 in Minneapolis. He was killed by a white policeman pressing his neck with his knee for nine minutes until he suffocated.
“We have a lot of public information suggesting that this Saturday’s rally could be one of the largest we have ever had in the city,” Police Chief Peter Newsham told local media, adding that much of downtown would be closed to traffic.
Newsham has not said how many protesters he expects, but the media expects tens of thousands.
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper has ordered all flags at state institutions to be lowered to half-mast on Saturday in honor of Floyd, who is a native of the state of Fayetteville. A memorial service will be organized in the city, which will be broadcast on television.
Protest rallies were held Friday in Atlanta, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Miami, New York and Denver, among others, and protesters again gathered in large numbers in front of the White House despite the rain.
The night protests were predominantly peaceful, but the situation remains very tense although several local authorities are taking steps to reform police action.
A federal judge in Denver, for example, ordered city police to stop using tear gas, rubber bullets and other non-lethal weapons against protesters.
"These are peaceful protesters, journalists and medical teams who have become the target of extreme tactics to quell riots, not protests," Judge R. Brooke Jackson said in the verdict.
Democratic leaders in Minneapolis have voted to ban the use of knee surgery and suffocation, while California Governor Gavin News said he would ban police training for procedures similar to the one applied in Floyd.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti , a Democrat who proposed an increase in funding for police in April, changed his mind this week and said he would ask for city police to cut the budget by $ 150 million.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said his state should lead the adoption of reforms called "Say Their Name," which envision, among other things, making police records of disciplinary proceedings publicly available and a ban on suffocation.
"Floyd's murder was a turning point," said Democrat Cuomo. "People say that's enough."
Protests are also expected in many cities around the world on Saturday.
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