The John Lewis Tribute Task Force announced Thursday that Jamaican sculptor Basil Watson would create a sculpture to honor the late Democratic congressman; the sculpture of the civil rights leader will stand outside the historic Decatur courthouse where a Confederate monument once stood.
Read the full storyTag: George Floyd Protests
Virginia Supreme Court Hears Arguments in Lee Monument Removal Lawsuits
The Virginia Supreme Court heard arguments for two lawsuits blocking the removal of the Lee statue in Richmond on Tuesday.
A year ago, protests sparked by Minneapolis’ police treatment of George Floyd spread across the country. In Virginia, those protests spurred politicians to start removing controversial Confederate monuments. Although Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney was able to quickly remove most of the monuments on Monument Avenue, the most famous monument — a huge statue of Robert E. Lee — sits on state property ceded to the state under conditions that have complicated efforts to remove the bronze general.
Read the full storyMan Sentenced for Threatening Trump Supporters Online, Brandishing Assault Rifle at George Floyd Protest
A Texas man was sentenced to 46 months in federal jail over brandishing an assault rifle at a George Floyd protest, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Prerak Shah announced in a Wednesday press release.
Emmanuel Quinones, 25, acknowledged “he brought a loaded Smith & Wesson .223 caliber semi-automatic rifle” to the protest protesting Floyd’s death, plea papers said, according to the Department of Justice press release. Quinones also acknowledged he made threatening posts online before the protest.
Read the full storyPolice Association Releases Number of Officers Injured During Violent Riots
A professional association of police chiefs and sheriffs from across the country announced more than 2,000 law enforcement officers were injured in the first weeks of protests that erupted over the summer following the police killing of George Floyd, according to a report released in October.
The Major Cities Chiefs Association, comprised of local law enforcement heads from the 69 largest police agencies in the United States and nine in Canada, revealed compiled data from protests between May 25 and July 31 in the association’s member cities.
Read the full storyGroup of Monument Avenue Residents to File Legal Brief Supporting Lee Statue Removal
Roughly 50 or more Monument Avenue residents who live nearby the Robert E. Lee statue intend to file an amicus brief with the Virginia Supreme Court in support of Governor Ralph Northam’s plan to remove the controversial monument, a lawyer representing the group said.
Local residents organized the group called Circle Neighbors after a Richmond Circuit Court judge ruled earlier this week against three plaintiffs, who also live near the monument, seeking to block the Commonwealth from removing the statue.
Read the full storyRichmond Judge Sides with Northam on Lee Statue Removal
A Richmond Circuit Court judge ruled in favor of the Commonwealth and Governor Ralph Northam on Tuesday, allowing for the removal of the controversial Robert E. Lee statue on Richmond’s historic Monument Avenue.
In his decision, Judge W. Reilly Marchant lifted the temporary injunction, ordered by a separate judge back in August, which barred Nortam from taking action, but said the statue could not be removed until a proper appeal process has taken place.
Read the full storyAfter Nearly Ten Thousand People Gather for Nashville Worship Event, Metro Public Health Investigating to File Charges
An estimated nine to ten thousand people attended a “Let Us Worship” protest in downtown Nashville on late Sunday afternoon. The event was hosted by Sean Feucht, a Christian artist known for his leadership in the California-based megachurch, Bethel Church.
Attendees flocked to the Public Square in downtown Nashville, in front of Metro Courthouse. The day of the event, Feucht announced in a Twitter video the last-minute arrangements for time and location.
Read the full storyRichmond Protest-Related Fires Caused More Than $4 Million in Loses over 18-Day Period
Richmond firefighters responded to 48 fires believed to be protest-related causing more than $4 million in estimated losses from late May to mid-June, according to internal fire & EMS department analysis obtained by the Richmond Times-Dispatch (RTD).
From May 29, the Friday after George Floyd was murdered by police in Minnesota, to June 15th eight buildings, 16 dumpsters, six vehicles as well as other fires involving trash or debris, according to the RTD.
Read the full storyNew Court Filings of Autopsy Examiner Say George Floyd Likely Died of Overdose, Not Strangulation
New court filings of the Hennepin County Autopsy Examiner Dr. Andrew Baker show that George Floyd likely died of an overdose rather than strangulation.
On Monday, ex-officer Tou Thao’s counsel requested the complete medical witness opinions from both the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office and the Floyd family’s individual autopsy doctors, Dr. Michael Baden and Dr. Allecia Wilson.
Read the full storyNo Prosecution for Many Arrested at Portland’s Protests
People arrested in Portland since late May on non-violent misdemeanor charges during the protests that have racked Oregon’s largest city for more than two months won’t be prosecuted.
The new policy announced Tuesday recognizes the outrage and frustration over a history of racial injustice that has led to the city’s often violent protests and the practical realities of the court system, Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt said. It is running more than two months behind in processing cases because of COVID-19.
Read the full storyMinnesota Nonprofit Used Donations Intended for Jailed Protesters to Bail Violent Offenders
The Minnesota Freedom Fund (MFF), a bail-issuing nonprofit trending since George Floyd’s death, recently used donations intended for protestors to bail violent offenders.
Donors intended for their MFF contributions to bail out jailed Black Lives Matter protestors. Instead, Fox News shared that MFF recently paid near half a million in cash to bail out two individuals whose charges are entirely unrelated to Floyd protests.
Commentary: Reckoning with the Riots
The showdown is coming over urban violence in America. The continuing rioting and destruction erupting in new cities every few days is almost certain to provide yet another profound demarcation of opinion over how to govern the United States and address the problems that have so stirred the country since the killing of African American George Floyd by a white Minneapolis policeman on May 25. America’s toleration of a completely unjustifiable level of general violence compared to anything in its past demonstrates considerable progress in civility and restraint in the past 50 years.
Read the full storyMinnesota’s Gov Walz to Review Extensive Police Reform Bill
Minnesota’s House and Senate approved the SSHF1 amendment last Monday, a big bill positioned to issue widespread police reform throughout the state. Since its passage 102-29 in the House and 60-7 in the Senate, the bill now rests in the hands of Governor Tim Walz.
SSHF1 is as long as it is weighty in its impact, with around 15 action items up for approval. Not only does it endeavor to further define legal use of force, but it creates and funds an administrative host of units, councils, and boards.
Read the full storyAustin: Roadway Confrontation Between Antifa/BLM Protester and Driver Ends in Gunfire
A protester allegedly armed with a rifle at a demonstration against police violence in the Texas capital was shot and killed by a driver after a witness says he confronted a vehicle that attempted to drive through a crowd blocking a downtown Austin intersection.
Read the full storyGeorge Floyd Protests Cause Nearly $158,000 in Ohio Statehouse Damages
Repairing damage to the Ohio Statehouse and surrounding Capitol Square that occurred during protests against racial injustice will cost about $158,000, according to the board that oversees the property. That tally from protests in Columbus between May 28 and June 18 doesn’t include repairs for damage on other state property or expenses for the Ohio State Highway Patrol, according to the Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board. Windows broken at the Statehouse have been boarded up since protests in late May. In June, the Statehouse was defaced with red hand prints and the phrase “hands up, don’t shoot” in protest of police brutality. Lights, trash cans and a bench also were damaged, according to a statement from the Capitol Square board. The board said it hired a professional service to remove graffiti from the limestone building and monuments on the property. As a result of these recent protests, Ohio Speaker of the House Larry Householder has thought about making changes to who protects the Capitol. The Speaker announced in late June that he was investigating whether the Ohio Capitol can be annexed from the City of Columbus’ city limits because the city did not protect the Capitol from protests.…
Read the full storyNashville Police Arrest Protesters in Connection with Skateboard Assault on Influential Real Estate Developer
Metro Nashville Police say they arrested a man in connection with an assault on influential real estate developer Tony Giarratana during the May 30 protests.
Nicholas Barrett, 25, on Wednesday was charged with felony aggravated assault for allegedly striking Giarratana from behind with a skateboard outside 505 Church St. during the protest.
Read the full storyCommentary: On Being Pounded with Lies, Damned Lies, and More Damned Lies about ‘Systemic’ Racism in America
We all know the story of the Emperor’s New Clothes. It is not just a children’s story. Rather, it is an eternal story about human nature. If people are surrounded by a mass or a mob who speak nonsense as a Truth — with a capital “T” — then perfectly sensible people who internally know better will fall into line and babble the same “Truth.” For a reality check and sanity in the public arena, it ultimately often takes a little kid who simply has not been taught social conformity and political correctness to look and say, “But this ‘Truth’ simply is not true.”
Read the full storyStatehouse Defaced with Red Hand Prints as Protests Continue
Authorities are conducting a criminal investigation after the outside of the Ohio Statehouse was defaced with red hand prints and the phrase “hands up, don’t shoot” in protest of police brutality.
State troopers began to wash off some of the red paint on the western side of the statehouse on Thursday afternoon as a group of people protesting police brutality watched. It’s the latest example of damage to the downtown Columbus icon since protests over the police killing of George Floyd began three weeks ago.
Read the full storyCommentary: Violence Seen and Unseen
Morally speaking, we live today as a people peering into a mirror without reflecting glass. As a culture, we hardly know who we are.
This has become most clear to me as a consequence of the experiment I have conducted in recent days. I requested people of disparate backgrounds, dispositions, understandings, and political inclinations to respond to a video that has circulated around the web. The video engages the drumbeat narrative of racial differences and their consequences, and I sought to discover whether anyone at all could peer beyond the now orthodox content to identify the Mengele-like substance.
Read the full storyPresident Trump Signs Executive Order on Police Reform
Following weeks of national protests since the death of George Floyd, President Donald Trump signed an executive order on policing Tuesday that he said would encourage better police practices and establish a database to keep track of officers with a history of excessive use-of-force complaints.
In Rose Garden remarks, Trump stressed the need for higher standards and commiserated with mourning families, even as he hailed the vast majority of officers as selfless public servants and held his law-and-order line.
Read the full storyMinnesota Lawmakers Unveil $300M Plan to Rebuild from George Floyd Riots
Democrats who control the Minnesota House announced a $300 million economic aid proposal Monday for businesses that were damaged or destroyed during the civil unrest over the death of George Floyd.
The legislation is aimed at commercial corridors in lower income neighborhoods that were hardest hit as protests over Floyd’s May 25 death while in Minneapolis police custody turned violent. Many of the affected small businesses along Lake Street and Broadway Avenue in Minneapolis, and University Avenue in St. Paul, are owned by people of color and immigrants.
Read the full storyMinnesota National Guard Riot Response Cost Almost $13 Million
Deploying thousands of Minnesota National Guard members in response to civil unrest in the Twin Cities to quell riots in late May cost nearly $13 million.
Major General Jon Jenson broke down the $12.75 million costs in a letter to Minnesota Management and Budget Commissioner Myron Frans.
Read the full storyDem Candidate On Looting: ‘So What? Burn It To The Ground If That’s What It Takes’
A Democratic congressional candidate downplayed looting and arson during a digital campaign event on Tuesday.
Responding to a questioner who said she was concerned about the left-wing push to abolish the police, Democratic Texas candidate Kim Olson argued that police departments are overfunded, before pivoting to downplaying looting and arson. Calls for abolishing or defunding the police have come in the wake of protests over George Floyd, who died after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for several minutes, video showed.
Read the full storyDem Leaders in Seattle Surrender to the Mob, Allow Antifa Goons to Take Over Part of the City
The weak Democrat leaders of Seattle have surrendered to the antifa mob, boarding up a police facility, allowing unruly radicals to flood a city council building, and even take over a large section of the city.
Hundreds of far-left agitators and at least one City Council member stormed Seattle’s City Hall Tuesday night to demand the mayor’s resignation if she refuses to defund the city’s police department.
Read the full storyThese Are the Police Officers Shot During the Riots
At least twelve police officers have been shot in the line of duty as riots and protests raged throughout the country following the death of George Floyd.
Floyd was a black man who died May 25 after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for several minutes, video of the incident showed. Derek Chauvin, the officer who knelt on Floyd’s neck, has been fired and arrested on second-degree murder and manslaughter charges.
Read the full storyHawley Calls For Investigation into Officials Favoring Protests While Targeting Religion
Republican Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley called for an investigation into free speech double-standards, saying that state officials have favored protests while targeting religious freedom.
He asked Attorney General William Barr and the Department of Justice to launch a “full civil rights investigation” into violations of “free exercise and free speech rights of religious Americans” in a Tuesday letter.
Read the full storyDemocrats Bow to Progressives, Propose Sweeping Police Overhaul Measures
Democrats proposed a far-reaching overhaul of police procedures and accountability Monday, a sweeping legislative response to the mass protests denouncing the deaths of black Americans in the hands of law enforcement.
The political outlook is deeply uncertain for the legislation in a polarized election year. President Donald Trump is staking out a tough “law and order” approach in the face of the outpouring of demonstrations and demands to re-imagine policing in America.
Read the full storyMajority of Violent Nashville Protesters Were Locals
Lt. Gov. Randy McNally declared the Saturday Nashville protests, which he said were “mayhem,” were caused by outside agitators. It turns out the vast majority of the violent Nashville protesters were locals.
Read the full storyTwo Killed During Protests in Oakland, Detroit Over Police Death of George Floyd
Two people, including a federal security contractor, were killed Friday night during protests over the death of George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man who was killed in police custody earlier this week, according to police and the FBI.
The FBI is investigating the fatal shooting of a Federal Protective Services officer outside of the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building in Oakland on Friday, reported the San Francisco Gate.
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