A Minnesota judge on Friday rejected allowing cameras in the court for pretrial proceedings of four former Minneapolis police officers charged in the death of George Floyd.
Read the full storyTag: George Floyd
Pelosi Says House Police Reform Bill ‘Worthy of George Kirby’s Name’
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said during her weekly press briefing Friday that the Democrat-led police reform bill is “worthy of George Kirby’s name.”
The bill, however, is named for George Floyd, who died one month ago while in the custody of the Minneapolis police.
Read the full storyOhio Speaker of the House Threatens to Remove Capitol Square from City of Columbus
Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder (R-Glenford) announced he is looking into whether the Ohio Capitol can be annexed from the City of Columbus’ city limits as a result of the city not protecting the Capitol from recent protests.
“We’re researching it currently. If Columbus isn’t interested in protecting state property we need to consider removing Cap Square from the City,” he said in an emailed statement.
Read the full storyState Senators to Hold Oversight Hearings on Handling of Minneapolis Riots, Ask DOJ to Investigate Police
Three Republican state senators called on U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr and the Department of Justice to investigate the Minneapolis Police Department and its response to recent unrest in the city.
Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka (R-East Gull Lake) announced plans to hold a series of legislative oversight hearings beginning July 1 on state and local responses to the riots.
Read the full story18-Year-Old Charged with Inciting a Riot, Civil Disorder in Knoxville Unrest
An 18-year-old from Heiskell, Tennessee was charged Monday with inciting a riot and civil disorder for his involvement in a May 30 riot in downtown Knoxville.
According to WVLT, a group of 50 to 100 people gathered in Market Square around 11:30 p.m. on May 30 to commit acts of vandalism as unrest spread across the nation in response to the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
Read the full storyCommentary: Today’s Cultural Revolution Will Not Stop at Elections, They Want Your Minds
The cultural revolutionaries who have begun marching in the wake of the murder of George Floyd by former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin have opened a widespread assault on history itself, toppling statues across the country including those of Confederate generals like Albert Pike in Washington, D.C. but also Union generals, too, like Ulysses S. Grant in San Francisco, who won the Civil War to abolish slavery and later went on to become President.
The vandals have even begun targeting religious symbols, with some calls to go after statues of Jesus, who was Jewish, as somehow being a symbol of white supremacy.
Read the full storyRepublican Pete Stauber, Former Law Enforcement Officer, Carries Police Reform Bill in the House
Rep. Pete Stauber (R-MN-08), a former law enforcement officer of more than 20 years, announced last week that he will carry police reform legislation in the U.S. House.
Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) introduced on Wednesday the Just and Unifying Solutions to Invigorate Communities Everywhere (JUSTICE) Act, a Republican-backed police reform bill that was set in motion after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
Read the full storyIn Minneapolis, Talk of Changing the Police Department Means Taking on the Union
by Amy Forliti MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota (AP) — The fiery leader of Minneapolis’ police union has built a reputation of defying the city, long before he offered the union’s full support to the officers charged in George Floyd’s death. When the mayor banned “warrior training” for officers last year, Lt. Bob Kroll said the union would offer the training instead. When the city restricted officers from wearing uniforms at political events, he had T-shirts made to support President Donald Trump. He commended off-duty officers who walked away from a security detail after players on the state’s professional women’s basketball team, the Minnesota Lynx, wore Black Lives Matter T-shirts. And after Floyd’s death, he didn’t hold back as he called unrest in the city a “terrorist movement.” As Minneapolis tries to overhaul its police department in the wake of Floyd’s death, city leaders will collide with a pugnacious and powerful union that has long resisted such change. But that union and Kroll are coming under greater pressure than ever before, with some members daring to speak out in support of change and police leaders vowing to negotiate a contract tougher on bad cops. Other unions have publicly called for Kroll’s removal,…
Read the full storyTrump Mocks ‘Stone-Cold Crazy’ Minneapolis Officials, Predicts ‘Big Victory’ in Minnesota: ‘They’ve Had It’
President Donald Trump described Minneapolis officials as “stone-cold crazy” during his return to the campaign trail Saturday night in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
The lawlessness of the “radical left” was a recurring theme of the president’s speech, and Minneapolis was a prime target.
“Our incredible success in rebuilding America stands in stark contrast to the extremism and destruction and violence of the radical left,” the president said early in his 90-minute address.
Read the full storyMinnesota Ends ‘Train Wreck’ Special Session With No Deal on Policing, Bonding Bill
Minnesota legislative leaders traded barbs Saturday after a special session collapsed with no deal on revamping policing following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, a session that one group called “a train wreck.”
The two sides may be back at it in another special session next month.
Read the full storyHennepin County Commissioners Want to Declare Racism a ‘Public Health Crisis’
Two Hennepin County commissioners plan to introduce a resolution this week that would declare racism a “public health crisis.”
Commissioner Angela Conley announced Friday that she will introduce the resolution with Commissioner Irene Fernando during Tuesday’s Board meeting.
Read the full storySecond Ex-Officer Charged in Floyd’s Death Posts Bail
A second former Minneapolis police officer charged in the death of George Floyd is out of jail after posting bail.
Read the full storyRevival with Miracles Breaks Out in Spot Where George Floyd Died in Police Custody
Christian media outlets report a revival filled with miracles has been happening in the spot where George Floyd died in the custody of the Minneapolis Police Department.
CBN News reports salvations, baptisms, worship and healings are taking place. The movement began with Dr. Charles Karuku and Pastor Lindsey Karuku of International Outreach Church, CBN News said. They told CBN’s The Prayer Link that they felt a call from God.
Read the full storyUniversity of Memphis Launches George Floyd Memorial Scholarship
The University of Memphis in partnership with Shelby County Schools recently announced the creation of a George Floyd Memorial Scholarship.
According to a press release, the goal of the scholarship is to provide support to “as many African American Male Academy members as possible.”
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 storyUniversity of Minnesota and Its Law School Announce George Floyd Memorial Scholarships
Several schools across the nation have launched memorial scholarships in honor of George Floyd, including the University of Minnesota and its law school.
The University of Minnesota Law School announced the creation of a George Floyd Memorial Scholarship in Law on Monday.
Read the full story911 Dispatcher Watching Floyd Death Alerted Police Supervisor of Incident
A 911 dispatcher who was apparently watching in real time as a Minneapolis police officer pressed a knee into the neck of George Floyd called a supervisor to tell him what she saw, not caring if it made her look like a “snitch,” according to a recording of the call made public Monday.
In the call, the dispatcher calls a police sergeant and says what she was seeing on live video looked “different” and that she wanted to let him know about it. The dispatcher was in a 911 call center at the time and was watching video from a surveillance camera posted at the intersection where police apprehended Floyd, according to city spokesman Casper Hill.
Read the full storyRep. Ilhan Omar Calls Minneapolis Police ‘Rotten,’ Can’t Explain Who Will Respond to Violent Crimes Without Them
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) was unable to provide details on who will respond to violent crimes in her city without a police force, but said the Minneapolis Police Department is “rotten to the root” during a Sunday interview.
“What takes its place?” CNN host Jake Tapper asked the congresswoman. “Who investigates crimes? Who arrests criminals? What happens?”
Read the full storyOhio Democrats Ask Gov. DeWine to Ban Police Use of Tear Gas
Ohio Democrats asked Gov. Mike DeWine to indefinitely ban the use of tear gas by all county, municipal, and township police departments in a letter sent last week.
According to the letter, law enforcement agencies across Ohio used tear gas, pepper spray, and mace on peaceful protesters during recent demonstrations.
Read the full storySeven Minneapolis Officers Quit, More Expected to Resign: ‘Everybody Hates the Police Right Now’
At least seven Minneapolis police officers have quit and another seven are in the process of resigning, citing a lack of support from department and city leaders as protests over George Floyd’s death escalated.
Read the full storyTruck Drivers Say They Won’t Deliver to Cities That Defund Police Departments
As Minneapolis prepares to “abolish” its police force, a recent survey found that most truck drivers won’t deliver to cities with defunded or disbanded police departments.
According to a survey from CDLLife, a resource site for the trucking industry, 79 percent of truck drivers said they will refuse to deliver freight to cities with defunded police departments.
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 storyLaw Enforcement Officers Prevent Protesters from Occupying Legislative Plaza for Second Night
Law enforcement officers were able to prevent demonstrators from camping out in Legislative Plaza for a second night Saturday.
Gov. Bill Lee failed to enforce state law Friday night and allowed left-wing protesters to occupy the plaza throughout the night and into Saturday morning, The Tennessee Star reported. More than 100 protesters claimed Friday that they had taken control of Nashville’s Legislative Plaza and refused to leave until speaking with Lee.
Read the full storyStarbucks Creates Own Black Lives Matter Shirt for Employees
Starbucks is creating its own Black Lives Matter shirt for employees to wear if they choose. The move comes after the coffee chain reportedly banned employees from wearing Black Lives Matter gear.
The T-shirt depicts protest signs with phrases including “Black Lives Matter,” “Speak Up” and “Time for Change.” One sign shows a raised black fist. “It’s not a moment, it’s a movement,” the shirt reads.
Read the full storyEdina Realty Fires Agent for Taking Down Black Lives Matter Signs Outside Apartment
Edina Realty fired one of its agents last week after she posted on Facebook about removing Black Lives Matter signs from light poles outside her apartment building.
The real estate agency was informed via a Facebook comment that Babette Gillet Bean, a longtime employee of the company, had “actively participated in the removal of BLM signs that have been posted in her neighborhood.”
Read the full storyCommentary: White America Reckons with Black Lives Matter
Scenes of largely white crowds across the world demonstrating in support of Black Lives Matter in the wake of George Floyd’s murder are reminiscent of another watershed moment in America – The 1960s civil rights revolution, in which white America finally awakened to the plight of blacks in this country. What followed was an upheaval in American society that forever changed the political landscape.
Read the full storyCommentary: Defunding and Abolishing the Police Are Attempts to Overthrow the Government and Instill a New Order
America is on the brink.
In the wake of the murder and manslaughter of George Floyd by former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, and in the nationwide protests and sometime riots that have already claimed 21 lives, there is a growing movement to defund or even to abolish the police in municipalities across America in pursuit of “alternatives” to public safety.
Read the full storyLiberal Group Calls on Nashville Police Chief to Resign, More Council Members Support Move
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Tennessee called on Metro Police Chief Steve Anderson to resign in a statement released Wednesday.
“Over the last ten days, tens of thousands of Nashvillians have stood together in peaceful protests to express their outrage over the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. These powerful protests highlight the outrage over the enduring and deep-rooted problem of racist policing and structural racism in the United States,” the group said in its statement.
Read the full storyTennessee Star National Correspondent Neil McCabe On How Congress Will Respond to Philonise Floyd’s Testimony
Live from Music Row Wednesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. – host Leahy welcomed Tennessee Star National Correspondent Neil McCabe to the newsmakers line.
During the third hour, McCabe speculated how the testimony of George Floyd’s brother Philonise will be received later today on Capitol Hill while Congress discusses the fate of police in America.
Read the full storyMinneapolis Police Chief Withdraws from Negotiations with Police Union
The Minneapolis Police Department will withdraw from police union contract negotiations, Chief Medaria Arradondo said Wednesday, as he announced initial steps in what he said would be transformational reforms to the agency in the wake of George Floyd’s death.
Faced with calls from activists and a majority of City Council members to dismantle or defund the department, Arradondo also said he would use a new system to identify problem officers and intervene if there are early warning signs of trouble.
Read the full storyTwo Hennepin County Commissioners Voted to Remove Medical Examiner Because of Floyd Autopsy Results
Two members of the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners voted Tuesday in favor of removing the county’s medical examiner because they didn’t like the results of his autopsy in the case of George Floyd.
Chief Medical Examiner Andrew Baker released a 20-page autopsy report last week with the permission of Floyd’s family and concluded that Floyd’s heart stopped while being restrained by officers. The report revealed that Floyd tested positive for the coronavirus, had fentanyl and meth in his blood, and had a number of underlying health conditions.
Read the full storyGov. Mike DeWine Asks Advisory Board to Develop Minimum Standards for Mass Protests
Gov. Mike DeWine said Tuesday that he asked Ohio’s Collaborative Community-Police Advisory Board (CCPAB) to begin developing uniform minimum standards related to mass protests in an effort to improve community-police relations in the state.
“These new efforts are just the start of our work to improve law enforcement accountability, transparency, training, and minority recruitment,” DeWine said. “We are working with the law enforcement community, elected officials, and community organizations as we continue to move forward.”
Read the full storyMarsha Blackburn and Tom Cotton Introduce Resolution Calling for Justice for George Floyd and Opposing ‘Defund the Police’
U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Tom Cotton (R-AR) have introduced a resolution calling for justice for George Floyd and opposing recent calls to defund the police.
This, according to a press release Blackburn published on her website Wednesday.
Read the full storyAnalysis: Media Outlets Stir Racial Strife and Slander Trump for Urging Governors to Protect People’s Rights
After falsely accusing the U.S. Park Police of tear-gassing peaceful protesters on behalf of President Trump, many media outlets and politicians are claiming that he called on governors to forcibly “dominate protestors.” Quite the opposite, Trump explicitly stated he is an “ally of all peaceful protesters” and that it is the “professional anarchists, violent mobs, arsonists, looters” and other lawbreakers who should be stopped.
Beyond their failure to draw a distinction between peaceful demonstrators and violent lawbreakers, the same cadre of media outlets are stirring racial strife by using anecdotes and half-truths to paint a false picture of systemic police violence against African Americans.
Read the full story‘People Are Just F***ing Lawless Right Now’: Chicago Aldermen Got Heated in Call with Chicago Mayor During Protests
Aldermen begged, cried and cursed at Democratic Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot over the city’s response to protests during a heated conference call May 31, according to a recording obtained by WTTW News.
Lightfoot received criticism from members of Chicago City Council’s Black Caucus who accused her during the call of deploying 375 members of the Illinois National Guard to block off the central business district, PBS affiliate WTTW News reported.
Read the full storyMinneapolis Council President Struggles to Explain Who Will Respond to Violent Crimes Without Police
Minneapolis City Council President Lisa Bender made several appearances on cable news programs Monday and was unable to articulate who would respond to violent crimes if her city’s police department is actually abolished.
Read the full storyTennessee Dems Call for ‘Abolishing All Voter ID Laws’ in Response to Floyd’s Death
A recent letter issued by the Tennessee Democratic Party in response to the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis calls for “abolishing all voter ID laws.”
The letter was posted on the website of the Tennessee Democratic Party on Friday.
Read the full storyOfficer Charged in Floyd’s Death Makes First Court Appearance, Held on $1 Million Bail
A judge on Monday kept bail at $1 million for a former Minneapolis police officer charged with second-degree murder in George Floyd’s death.
Derek Chauvin, 44, said almost nothing during an 11-minute hearing in which he appeared before Hennepin County Judge Denise Reilly on closed-circuit television from the state’s maximum security prison in Oak Park Heights.
Read the full storyOhio House Dems Call for Additional Security After Threats on Black Lawmakers
Ohio House Democrats called on Speaker Larry Householder (R-Glenford) to publicly condemn the threats of violence made against their leader and provide “additional security measures” for lawmakers.
“As Speaker and in recognition of your leadership role in the Ohio House of Representatives, you are granted additional security while in the statehouse,” House Democrats said in a letter to Householder last week.
Read the full storyAnoka Sheriff Says ‘Many Agencies’ Have ‘No Appetite’ for Helping Minneapolis If It Abolishes Police Department
Anoka County Sheriff James Stuart said “many agencies” have “no appetite” for helping Minneapolis in the future if its leaders follow through on a plan to abolish the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD).
“The members of the Minneapolis City Council should be mindful that numerous other law enforcement agencies have responded to support them, to restore order, to protect their citizens and to return peace to their city during recent tragic days. We did this while joining our communities in disgust over the way in which George Floyd lost his life and in hopes of a stronger, unified future,” Stuart said in a statement released on Facebook Sunday night.
Read the full storyTwo Pennsylvania Men Charged After Driving to Cleveland to Riot
Two Pennsylvania men were arrested Friday for traveling to Cleveland, Ohio on May 30 to participate in riots in response to the death of George Floyd, whose alleged murder by a Minneapolis police officer sparked unrest across the nation.
Read the full storySupreme Court Urged to Rethink Legal Immunity for Police Officers Amid Floyd Protests
The Supreme Court is weighing petitions to reexamine legal immunity that protects officers from being sued in instances of brutal arrests, use of excessive force and the shooting of innocent people in their homes.
The call for reassessment comes during nationwide protests of police brutality, the most recent instance being the death of George Floyd. Floyd died on May 25 after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for several minutes, video of the incident shows.
Read the full storyGrowing Support to ‘Abolish Police’ Among Minneapolis Progressives
George Floyd’s death has given new life to a leftist movement to abolish the police, an idea with broad support among the Minneapolis City Council and the progressive wing of the DFL Party.
Just a day after Floyd’s death, state Rep. Aisha Gomez (DFL-Minneapolis) released a nearly 500-word statement on “why we talk about police abolition.”
Read the full storyTennessee National Guard Soldiers Sent to DC Amid Unrest
About 1,000 citizen-soldiers with the Tennessee National Guard were deployed to the nation’s capital this week to help keep the peace outside the White House.
Like many major cities, Washington has seen massive demonstrations in response to the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who was allegedly murdered by Minneapolis police. Many of the protests have taken a violent turn as Washington braced for what was expected to be its largest protest yet Saturday night.
Read the full storyMore Active-Duty Troops Leaving D.C., Others Remain on Alert
Nearly 500 of the active-duty troops brought in to help if needed with the civil unrest in the nation’s capitol have been given orders to leave Washington after a fourth day of largely peaceful protests, Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy and other officials said Friday.
But a number of other active-duty soldiers remain on alert in the region, prepared to respond if needed.
Read the full storyTwitter Disables 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.
Read the full storyCommentary: Social Justice Cancels Social Distancing
And just like that, social distancing is canceled. At least for some.
After submitting to house arrest orders for the past three months in order to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus, Americans may have noticed a slight change in the rules this past week. There are no duct-taped outlines on city streets telling unruly mobs protesting the death of George Floyd where to stand. Rioters are not instructed to loot stores in opposite directions on downtown streets in order to avoid contact. Face coverings are optional but certainly useful when attempting to avoid identification by local law enforcement.
Read the full storyKanye West Attends Chicago Protest, Donates $2M to Victims
Kanye West has donated $2 million to support the families and legal teams for George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor.
A representative for the rapper confirmed that some of the money donated would fully cover college tuition costs for Floyd’s 6-year-old daughter, Gianna. Floyd died last month after a Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee on his neck for more than eight minutes as he pleaded for air.
Read the full storyFive Democratic Senators Kneel at George Floyd Memorial
Five Democrat senators knelt during a moment of silence for George Floyd in a caucus meeting on Capitol Hill Thursday afternoon.
Sens. Tim Kaine (D-VA), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Martin Heinrich (D-NM) and Michael Bennet (D-CO) knelt, which lasted for eight minutes and 46 seconds, The Hill reported. That was the length of time fired Minneapolis officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee on Floyd’s neck before he died. Chauvin faces a second-degree murder charge over the incident.
Read the full storyAbolishing the Police Is Becoming a More Popular Idea Among Left-Wingers
Support for abolishing or defunding the police is quickly gaining support among left-wingers.
Prominent liberal figures are increasingly embracing the radical idea amid the nationwide protests and violence following the death of George Floyd.
Read the full story