United States racial unrest (2020–present)

2020 United States racial unrest
Part of the Black Lives Matter movement
Clockwise from top: Protesters listen to a speaker in Minneapolis, Minnesota Protesters in Minneapolis, Minnesota where the unrest began A burnt-out car dealership in Kenosha The self-declared Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone The Minneapolis Police's 3rd Precinct set ablaze by protesters Protesters with shields and hastily-made barricades advance on the PPB North Precinct United States National Guard troops behind concrete barricades in Kenosha
Date	May 26, 2020 – ongoing (4 years, 3 months, 1 week and 2 days)
Location	United States
Caused by	Several deaths related to police activity, notably the killing of George Floyd while being arrested by Minneapolis Police, police brutality, lack of police accountability, inequality and racism
Methods	Protests, demonstrations, riots, looting, civil disobedience, civil resistance, strike action
Status	Ongoing Federal forces began to be deployed in June 2020 Operation Legend began in July 2020
Concessions	Budget cuts and reforms for several police departments approved in several cities
Parties
Executive branch of federal government US Army DOJ DHS FBI Local law enforcement Counterprotesters: QAnon Movement Three Percenters Patriot Prayer Proud Boys Other groups Protesters: Black Lives Matter Antifa Other groups Others: Boogaloo movement Accelerationists
Casualties
Death(s)	21 George Floyd protests: 19 (as of June 8, 2020) Kenosha unrest: 2
Arrested	Over 14,000 (as of June 27, 2020)

The 2020 United States racial unrest is an ongoing wave of civil unrest, comprising protests and riots, against systemic racism towards Black people in the United States, notably in the form of police violence. It is a part of the nationwide Black Lives Matter movement, and was initially triggered by the killing of George Floyd during his arrest by Minneapolis police officers on May 25.

Following the death of George Floyd, unrest broke out in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul area on May 26, and quickly spread across the entire United States. Within Minneapolis, widespread property destruction and looting occurred, including a police station being overrun by demonstrators and set on fire, leading to the Minnesota National Guard to be activated and deployed on May 28. After a week of unrest, over $500 million in property damage was reported in the Minneapolis—Saint Paul area. Further unrest quickly spread throughout the United States, sometimes including rioting, looting, and arson. By early June, at least 200 American cities had imposed curfews, while more than 30 states and Washington, D.C, had activated over 62,000 National Guard personnel in response to unrest. By the end of June, at least 14,000 people had been arrested at protests. Polls have estimated that between 15 million and 26 million people had participated at some point in the demonstrations in the United States, making them the largest protests in United States history. It was also estimated that between May 26 and August 22, around 93% of protests were "peaceful and nondestructive".

There has also been a large concentration of unrest around Portland, Oregon, which has led to the Department of Homeland Security deploying federal agents in the city from June onwards. The move was code named Operation Legend, after 4 year old LeGend Taliferro, who was shot and killed in Kansas City. Federal forces have since also been deployed in other cities which have faces large amounts of unrest, including Kansas City and Seattle. More localized unrest reemerged in several cities following incidents involving police officers, notably following the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, which led to protests and riots in the city.

The protests have led to requests at the federal, state and municipal levels intended to combat police misconduct, systemic racism, qualified immunity and police brutality in the United States. A wave of monument removals and name changes has taken place throughout the world, especially in the United States. This itself has sparked conflict, between left-wing and right-wing groups, often violent. Groups such as antifa and the Three Percenters have fought each other in street clashes.

Background

Allegations of police brutality in the United States

Further information: Police brutality in the United States, Crime in the United States, and Race and crime in the United States

Frequent cases of police misconduct and fatal use of force by law enforcement officers in the U.S., particularly against African Americans, have long led the civil rights movement and other activists to protest against the lack of police accountability in incidents involving excessive force. Many protests during the civil rights movement were a response to police brutality, including the 1965 Watts riots which resulted in the deaths of 34 people, mostly African Americans. The largest post-civil rights movement protest in the 20th Century was the 1992 Los Angeles riots, which were in response to the acquittal of police officers responsible for excessive force against Rodney King, an African American man.

In 2014, the shooting of Michael Brown by police in Ferguson, Missouri resulted in local protests and unrest while the death of Eric Garner in New York City resulted in numerous national protests. After Eric Garner and George Floyd repeatedly said "I can't breathe" during their arrests, the phrase became a protest slogan against police brutality. In 2015 the death of Freddie Gray in Baltimore police custody resulted in riots in the city and nationwide protests as part of the Black Lives Matter movement. Several nationally publicized incidents occurred in Minnesota, including the 2015 shooting of Jamar Clark in Minneapolis; the 2016 shooting of Philando Castile in Falcon Heights; and the 2017 shooting of Justine Damond. In 2016, Tony Timpa was killed by Dallas police officers in the same way as George Floyd. In March 2020, the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor by police executing a no knock warrant at her Kentucky apartment was also widely publicized.

According to the Washington Post database of every fatal shooting by an on-duty police officer in the United States, as of August 31, 2020, 9 unarmed black people had been shot by police in 2020. As of that date the database lists four people of unknown race, 11 white people, 3 Hispanic people, and 1 person of "other" race who were shot while unarmed. Black people, who account for less than 13% of the American population, are killed by police at a disproportionate rate, being killed at more than twice the rate of white people.

According to a data set and analysis which was released by the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED) at the beginning of September, there were more than 10,600 demonstration events across the country between May 24 and August 22 which were associated with all causes: Black Lives Matter, counter-protests, COVID-19-pandemic-related protests, and others. After Floyd's killing, Black Lives Matter related protests sharply peaked in number at the end of May, declining to dozens per week by September, and are characterized as "an overwhelmingly peaceful movement" with more than 93% of protests involving no incidents of violence nor destructive activity. The protests that took place in 140 U.S. cities this spring were mostly peaceful, but the arson, vandalism and looting that did occur will result in at least $1 billion to $2 billion of paid insurance claims. The unrest this year (from May 26 to June 8) will cost the insurance industry far more than any prior incidents of social unrest.

Shooting of Breonna Taylor

Main article: Shooting of Breonna Taylor

Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old emergency medical technician, was fatally shot by Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) officers Jonathan Mattingly, Brett Hankison, and Myles Cosgrove on March 13, 2020. Three plainclothes LMPD officers entered her apartment in Louisville, Kentucky, executing a no-knock search warrant. Gunfire was exchanged between Taylor's boyfriend Kenneth Walker and the officers. Walker said that he believed that the officers were intruders. The LMPD officers fired over twenty shots. Taylor was shot eight times and LMPD Sergeant Jonathan Mattingly was injured by gunfire. Another police officer and an LMPD lieutenant were on the scene when the warrant was executed.

The primary targets of the LMPD investigation were Jamarcus Glover and Adrian Walker, who were suspected of selling controlled substances from a drug house more than 10 miles away. According to a Taylor family attorney, Glover had dated Taylor two years before and continued to have a "passive friendship". The search warrant included Taylor's residence because it was suspected that Glover received packages containing drugs at Taylor's apartment and because a car registered to Taylor had been seen parked on several occasions in front of Glover's house.

Kenneth Walker, who was licensed to carry a firearm, fired first, injuring a law enforcement officer, whereupon police returned fire into the apartment with more than 20 rounds. A wrongful death lawsuit filed against the police by the Taylor family's attorney alleges that the officers, who entered Taylor's home "without knocking and without announcing themselves as police officers", opened fire "with a total disregard for the value of human life;" however, according to the police account, the officers did knock and announce themselves before forcing entry.

Protests, over the shooting, occurred from May 26, alongside protests over the killing of George Floyd.

Killing of George Floyd

Main article: Killing of George Floyd

According to a police statement, on May 25, 2020, at 8:08 p.m. CDT, Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) officers responded to a 9-1-1 call regarding a "forgery in progress" on Chicago Avenue South in Powderhorn, Minneapolis. MPD Officers Thomas K. Lane and J. Alexander Kueng arrived with their body cameras turned on. A store employee told officers that the man was in a nearby car. Officers approached the car and ordered George Floyd, a 46-year-old African American man, who according to police "appeared to be under the influence", to exit the vehicle, at which point he "physically resisted". According to the MPD, officers "were able to get the suspect into handcuffs, and noted he appeared to be suffering medical distress. Officers called for an ambulance." Once Floyd was handcuffed, he and Officer Lane walked to the sidewalk. Floyd sat on the ground at Officer Lane's direction. In a short conversation, the officer asked Floyd for his name and identification, explaining that he was being arrested for passing counterfeit currency, and asked if he was "on anything". According to the report officers Kueng and Lane attempted to help Floyd to their squad car, but at 8:14 p.m., Floyd stiffened up and fell to the ground. Soon, MPD Officers Derek Chauvin and Tou Thao arrived in a separate squad car. The officers made several more failed attempts to get Floyd into the squad car.

Floyd, who was still handcuffed, went to the ground face down. Officer Kueng held Floyd's back and Lane held his legs. Chauvin placed his left knee in the area of Floyd's head and neck. A Facebook Live livestream recorded by a bystander showed Officer Derek Chauvin kneeling on Floyd's neck. Floyd repeatedly tells Chauvin "Please" and "I can't breathe", while a bystander is heard telling the police officer, "You got him down. Let him breathe." After some time, a bystander points out that Floyd was bleeding from his nose while another bystander tells the police that Floyd is "not even resisting arrest right now", to which the police tell the bystanders that Floyd was "talking, he's fine". A bystander replies saying Floyd "ain't fine". A bystander then protests that the police were preventing Floyd from breathing, urging them to "get him off the ground ... You could have put him in the car by now. He's not resisting arrest or nothing." Floyd then goes silent and motionless. Chauvin does not remove his knee until an ambulance arrives. Emergency medical services put Floyd on a stretcher. Not only had Chauvin knelt on Floyd's neck for about seven minutes (including four minutes after Floyd stopped moving) but another video showed an additional two officers had also knelt on Floyd while another officer watched.

Although the police report stated that medical services were requested prior to the time Floyd was placed in handcuffs, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, Emergency Medical Services arrived at the scene six minutes after getting the call. Medics were unable to detect a pulse, and Floyd was pronounced dead at the hospital. An autopsy of Floyd was conducted on May 26, and the next day, the preliminary report by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office was published, which found "no physical findings that support a diagnosis of traumatic asphyxia or strangulation". Floyd's underlying health conditions included coronary artery disease and hypertensive heart disease. The initial report said that "[t]he combined effects of Mr. Floyd being restrained by the police, his underlying health conditions and any potential intoxicants in his system likely contributed to his death." The medical examiner further said that Floyd was "high on fentanyl and had recently used methamphetamine at the time of his death".

On June 1, a private autopsy which was commissioned by the family of Floyd ruled that Floyd's death was a homicide and it also found that Floyd had died due to asphyxiation which resulted from sustained pressure, which conflicted with the original autopsy report which was completed earlier that week. Shortly after, the official post-mortem declared Floyd's death a homicide. Video footage of Officer Derek Chauvin applying 8 minutes 15 seconds of sustained pressure to Floyd's neck generated global attention and raised questions about the use of force by law enforcement.

On May 26, Chauvin and the other three officers were fired. He was charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter; the former charge was later changed to second-degree murder.

Major protests and riots

Ahmaud Arbery protests, May 8

Main article: Killing of Ahmaud Arbery

On February 23, Ahmaud Arbery was shot and killed in Brunswick, Georgia. Protests ensued in early May after a video surfaced that captured the shooting.

Breonna Taylor protests, May 26 - Jury Verdict protests, September 23

Main article: Shooting of Breonna Taylor § Protests

On March 13, Breonna Taylor was shot and killed. Demonstrations over her death began in May 26 2020, and lasted into August. One person was shot and killed during the protests.

Protest erupted again on September 23, the night after the grand jury verdict was announced, protesters gathered in the Jefferson Square Park area of Louisville, as well as many other cities in the United States, including Los Angeles, Dallas, Minneapolis, New York, Chicago, Seattle. In Louisville, two LMPD officers were shot during the protest and one suspect was kept in custody.

George Floyd protests, May 26

Main article: George Floyd protests

The major catalyst of the unrest was the killing of George Floyd on May 25. Though it was not the first controversial killing of a black person in 2020, it sparked a much wider series of global protests and riots which continued into August 2020. As of June 8, there were at least 19 deaths related to the protests. The George Floyd Protests are generally regarded as marking the start of the 2020 United States unrest.

In Minneapolis–Saint Paul alone, the immediate aftermath of the killing of George Floyd was second-most destructive period of local unrest in United States history, after the 1992 Los Angeles riots. Over a three night period, the cities experienced two deaths, 617 arrests, and upwards of $500 million in property damage to 1,500 locations, including 150 properties that were set on fire.

Rayshard Brooks protests, June 12

Main article: Killing of Rayshard Brooks § Reactions

Further unrest occurred as a result of the killing of Rayshard Brooks on June 12, largely in Atlanta, where he was killed. An 8-year-old girl was shot and killed during the protests.

Colorado Springs Protest, August 4

In Colorado Springs, a mixture of armed and unarmed left-wing protesters gathered to mark the one year anniversary of the Shooting of De’Von Bailey, protesting in the neighborhood of the officer who shot and killed him. After threats of an armed counterprotest, protesters showed up armed to provide security. The protest was largely peaceful, except for multiple cases of heated shouting matches between protesters and residents. Later on September 11th, 3 people who attended the protest were arrested for various charges in a series of raids.

Stone Mountain Incident, August 15

In Stone Mountain, armed Neo-Confederate demonstrators affiliated with the Three Percenters arrived to allegedly protect the Confederate monument, with their operation dubbed “Defend Stone Mountain”. They were met and vastly outnumbered by the left-wing counterprotesters (who were armed as well), who began pushing them out of the town before The DeKalb County Police Department dispersed both parties. Several minor injuries were reported.

Portland "Back the Blue" Rally, August 22

The Downtown Portland "Back the Blue" Rally, organized by members of the Proud Boys and QAnon Movement, sparked violence between right-wing protesters and left-wing counter-protesters. Within an hour of meeting each other, both sides began pushing, punching, paint-balling, and macing each other. There was one incident in which a right-wing protester (who was apart of the Proud Boys) pulled a gun at left-wing protesters, but no shots were fired.

Kenosha unrest, August 23 and 2020 American athlete strikes

Main articles: Kenosha unrest and 2020 American athlete strikes

The shooting of Jacob Blake on August 23 sparked the protests in a number of American cities, mostly within Kenosha. Two protesters were shot and killed in an incident during the protests. Nationally, athletes from the NHL, NBA, WNBA, MLB, and MLS began going on strike in response to the police shooting of Jacob Blake.

Riot police in downtown Minneapolis, where large amounts of rioting and looting took place.

Minneapolis downtown riot, August 26

Main article: Minneapolis downtown riot

The Minneapolis downtown riot was a reaction to false rumors about the suicide of Eddie Sole Jr., a 38-year-old African American man. Demonstrators believed he had been shot by police officers. Surveillance video showed that Sole Jr. shot himself in the head during a manhunt for a homicide suspect in which he was the person of interest. Controversially, the police released the CCTV Camera footage of the suicide in attempts to stop the unrest. Overnight vandalism and looting of stores from August 26 to 27 reached a total of 76 property locations in Minneapolis–Saint Paul, including four business that were set on fire. State and local officials arrested a total of 132 people during the unrest and charged 27 people for crimes such as assault and burglary related to the rioting and looting. Two police officers were injured during the unrest, including one who was knocked unconscious by a demonstrator.

Dijon Kizzee protests, August 31

Main article: Shooting of Dijon Kizzee

Dijon Kizzee, an armed cyclist, was shot and killed in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Westmont on Aug 31 by deputies of the Los Angeles Police Department. For days, protesters gathered outside the heavily guarded South Los Angeles sheriff’s station in tense but peaceful demonstrations. By September 6, those demonstrations escalated to clashes, with deputies firing projectiles and tear gas at the crowds and arresting 35 people over four nights of unrest.

Daniel Prude protests, September 2

Main articles: Killing of Daniel Prude and Rochester protests

On March 22, Daniel Prude was killed by Rochester, New York police officers in what was found by the county medical examiner to be a homicide caused through "complications of asphyxia in the setting of physical restraint". On September 2, the release of a police body camera video and written reports surrounding his death provoked protests in Rochester.

Deon Kay protests, September 2

On September 2, Deon Kay, an 18-year old man, was shot and killed by a police officer in Washington, D.C. Later that day, protesters started gathering outside of the Seventh District Metropolitan Police Department building.

Ricardo Munoz protests, September 13

On September 13, Protests erupted in Lancaster, Pennsylvania after a police officer shot and killed Ricardo Munoz who allegedly ran at them with a knife. Police later deployed tear gas on a crowd of protesters, saying demonstrators had damaged buildings and government vehicles and thrown bottles.

Themes and demands

"Defund the police"

Main articles: Defund the police and Police abolition movement

Activists in the unrest have used the slogan "defund the police", calling for divestment in policing.

Monument removals

Main article: List of monuments and memorials removed during the George Floyd protests

Protesters have called for the removal of statues commemorating historical figures who are perceived as racist by modern standards. Often those depicted in the statues were responsible for human rights violations. A number were either removed by authorities, or vandalized and toppled by protesters. In particular, the statues of Confederate war veterans and politicians, as well as of Christopher Columbus. However, statues of US Presidents, including the Emancipation Memorial featuring Abraham Lincoln, have also been vandalized and attacked by protesters.

Related racial unrest outside the U.S.

History professor Brenda Gayle Plummer, writing in Foreign Affairs magazine, noted that "The particulars of Floyd's murder, taking place against the backdrop of the pandemic, may well have been the dam-break moment for the global protest movement. But they are only part of the story. International solidarity with the African American civil rights struggle comes not from some kind of projection or spontaneous sentiment; it was seeded by centuries of black activism abroad and foreign concern about human rights violations in the United States."

Netherlands

Main article: Zwarte Piet

Related racial unrest in the Netherlands included widespread participation in George Floyd protests. The unrest has led to a change in public opinion on Zwarte Piet, a blackface character used in Dutch Sinterklaas celebrations. Leaving the appearance of Zwarte Piet unaltered has traditionally been supported by the public but opposed by anti-racism campaigners, but a June 2020 survey saw a drop in support for leaving the character's appearance unaltered: 47 per cent of those surveyed supported the traditional appearance, compared to 71 per cent in a similar survey held in November 2019. Prime Minister Mark Rutte stated in a parliamentary debate on June 5, 2020 that he had changed his opinion on the issue and now has more understanding for people who consider the character's appearance to be racist.

United Kingdom

Main article: George Floyd protests in the United Kingdom

The 2020 United States racial unrest has triggered major protests, political gestures and policy changes in the United Kingdom, both in solidarity with the United States and in comparable protest against systemic racism in the UK. The debate over statues has been a defining feature of the unrest in the United Kingdom, following the unauthorized removal of the statue of Edward Colston in Bristol on June 11 during a George Floyd protest. Her Majesty's Government (HMG) opposes even the legal removal of statues, with culture secretary Oliver Dowden writing a three-page letter to MPs, peers and councillors defending them as part of Britain's heritage. Prime Minister Boris Johnson and home secretary Priti Patel condemned protesters who defaced the statue of Winston Churchill in Parliament Square in London and HMG ordered that the statues be boarded up and protected.

Maps

• 
  Minneapolis Civil Unrest - East Lake Street
• 
  Saint Paul Civil Unrest - University Avenue West
• 
  Minneapolis Civil Unrest - Nicollet Avenue
• 
  Seattle Civil Unrest - Capitol Hill
• 
  Portland Civil Unrest - Downtown
• 
  Kenosha Civil Unrest - Downtown

See also

• 2020 United States racial reckoning
• Black Lives Matter
• List of incidents of civil unrest in the United States
• Mass racial violence in the United States
• List of George Floyd protests outside the United States

Similar unrest

• Ghetto riots in the United States (1964–1969)
  • 1965 Watts riots
  • Long, hot summer of 1967
  • 1968 King assassination riots
• 1980 Miami riots
• 1992 Los Angeles riots
• 2014 Ferguson unrest
• 2015 Baltimore protests