George Floyd  Pic credit Newyork Times
By Our Reporter     Â
The death this week of an unarmed black man, George Floyd at the hands of a Minnesota police officer has unleashed a wave of protests across the United States.
Demonstrators first turned out in the city of Minneapolis where George Floyd died, but rallies quickly broke out in Georgia, California, New York, Kentucky, Florida and Pennsylvania.
The protests are about more than the death of one man.
Mr Floyd’s killing has reopened centuries-old wounds about race relations in the United States — especially the way African-Americans are treated by police.
While the protests have largely been peaceful, police in several cities have fired rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse demonstrators.
The city of Minneapolis has been left with burned-out buildings and looted stores.
Some of America’s largest cities imposed curfews to get people off the streets, and several state governors have called in National Guard troops.
It all started with a call to police over a $20 bill
On May 25, security guard and former high school football star George Floyd went to buy cigarettes at a store in Minneapolis.
He was arrested after the shopkeeper called police, suspecting that he was trying to pay for cigarettes with a counterfeit $US20 bill.
An hour later, the 46-year-old was dead on the street, and his final pleas and gasps were recorded by bystanders.
Minneapolis Police claim that Mr Floyd tried to avoid getting into the squad car “by intentionally falling down”.
Ex-officer Derek Chauvin’s bail set at $500,000 after being arrested and charged in #GeorgeFloyd’s death.
For eight minutes and 46 seconds, Officer Derek Chauvin knelt his knee into Mr Floyd’s neck even as he said “I can’t breathe”, “Mama” and “please”.
According to a criminal complaint filed against him, Officer Chauvin continued to hold Mr Floyd down even when he stopped responding and they could not find a pulse.
One of the bystanders who recorded the incident posted the video online and it spread quickly on social media.)
The Minneapolis police chief swiftly fired all four officers involved, and called for an FBI investigation.
But protesters quickly took to the streets to demand justice in a city where police have sometimes been accused of unfair treatment against black residents.
Culled from ABC News
