vox--2020-06-06--Hundreds celebrate George Floyd’s life at a memorial service as protests continue worldwide

Hundreds of people lined up outside a conference center in Raeford , North Carolina , on Saturday to attend a memorial service for George Floyd .
When Floyd ’ s gold casket rolled into the building in Raeford — just outside of Fayetteville , where Floyd was born — crowds nearby reportedly shouted , “ Black power !
George Floyd !
” For hours , the public walked through the center — socially distant , masked , and 10 at a time — to view Floyd ’ s body .
Later in the day , at 3 pm ET , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which was also broadcast online for all to take part in .
Outside the conference building , people continued to honor Floyd by lining the streets with flowers and signs as the service proceeded .
North Carolina Gov .
Roy Cooper paid his respects by lowering the flags on state facilities to half-staff for the day .
And some mourners even came from out of town , like Gregg Packer , who took an overnight train from Long Island to attend the memorial , the News & Observer reported .
“ I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ here to support the protests and the family of George Floyd , ” he told the News & Observer .
“ I hope that we can all get along with each other , that we can start treating each other the way we all should.
” The service was held for about 125 people in a room where a painting of Floyd with a halo and angel wings stood .
Family members , friends , and state officials gathered to not only celebrate the life of George Floyd but also to condemn the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Hoke County Sheriff Hubert Peterkin criticized his colleagues who abuse their power : “ We , as law enforcement officers , don ’ t have the authority to bully , push people around , and kill them because we have on a badge and a gun , ” he said .
Peterkin added , “ I don ’ t care how much you march with the groups , get on your knees and play with the children , It doesn ’ t mean nothing if you can ’ t say these six @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the problem.
’ ” US Rep. G.K. Butterfield also spoke to the guests to announce that the Congressional Black Caucus would unveil a legislative response to police violence against black people on Wednesday with the goal of preparing a floor vote by the end of June .
The service is the second of three planned .
The first was held on Thursday in Minneapolis , where Rev .
Al Sharpton delivered a moving eulogy : “ The reason we could never be who we wanted and dreamed of being is you kept your @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said , addressing the nation .
“ It ’ s time for us to stand up in George ’ s name and say , get your knee off our necks.
” Another memorial service will be held on Monday in Houston , where Floyd grew up and lived most of his life .
Protesters — both in the US and worldwide — continue to mourn the death of George Floyd The memorial came amid large protests scattered across the US , many of which proceeded peacefully following an end to curfews in cities @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thousands gathered outside the Lincoln Memorial in the nation ’ s capital before marching toward the White House : The protest is projected to grow to one of the largest in the city ’ s history , with hundreds of thousands expected to attend .
Protesters also continued to gather in Minneapolis , where Floyd was killed .
On Friday , more than a thousand people gathered at the offices of Attorney General Keith Ellison and demanded he review all recent police shootings , the Star Tribune reported .
More protests are planned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Philadelphia at the same time Floyd ’ s memorial service was held in North Carolina .
The protests were peaceful as they shouted their demands for racial justice and budget cuts to the police department , according to the Philadelphia Inquirer .
“ If you ’ re silent right now you ’ re part of the problem , ” protester Kolby Kent Nelson told the publication .
Thousands also participated in demonstrations in Chicago , Phoenix , Orlando , and dozens of other cities and towns across the US .
And protests were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , including Germany , France , Japan , Iran , and Zimbabwe .
In London , tens of thousands of people showed up at Parliament Square to walk toward the US embassy on Saturday afternoon despite a pandemic-related order banning more than six people from different households from gathering outside .
The crowd silently knelt in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement for one minute , according to the New York Times .
Demonstrations in Australia also attracted thousands who protested police violence against indigenous Australians .
Protesters chanted “ I can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ words of both George Floyd and David Dungay Jr , an indigenous Australian who died while in police custody in 2015 .
Hundreds also gathered in Paris , although authorities banned protests outside the US Embassy .
Undeterred , protesters gathered at a public square near the embassy and held up their Black Lives Matter signs , Reuters reported .
Although the protests are growing calmer than when they first started two weeks ago , they continue to grow and show no signs of stopping — a sign that recent police killings in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for people worldwide .
Every day at Vox , we aim to answer your most important questions and provide you , and our audience around the world , with information that has the power to save lives .
Our mission has never been more vital than it is in this moment : to empower you through understanding .
Vox ’ s work is reaching more people than ever , but our distinctive brand of explanatory journalism takes resources — particularly during a pandemic and an economic downturn .
Your financial contribution will not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enable our staff to continue to offer free articles , videos , and podcasts at the quality and volume that this moment requires .
Please consider making a contribution to Vox today .

Hundreds of people lined up outside a conference center in Raeford, North Carolina, on Saturday to attend a memorial service for George Floyd.
When Floyd’s gold casket rolled into the building in Raeford — just outside of Fayetteville, where Floyd was born — crowds nearby reportedly shouted, “Black power! George Floyd!”
For hours, the public walked through the center — socially distant, masked, and 10 at a time — to view Floyd’s body. Later in the day, at 3 pm ET, a service for the family was held, which was also broadcast online for all to take part in.
Outside the conference building, people continued to honor Floyd by lining the streets with flowers and signs as the service proceeded. North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper paid his respects by lowering the flags on state facilities to half-staff for the day. And some mourners even came from out of town, like Gregg Packer, who took an overnight train from Long Island to attend the memorial, the News & Observer reported.
“I felt like I needed to come down here to support the protests and the family of George Floyd,” he told the News & Observer. “I hope that we can all get along with each other, that we can start treating each other the way we all should.”
Mourners gather at makeshift memorial for George Floyd during his public viewing at Cape Fear Conference B Church in Raeford, North Carolina
@logancyrus pic.twitter.com/u67JJrZY79 — AFP news agency (@AFP) June 6, 2020
The service was held for about 125 people in a room where a painting of Floyd with a halo and angel wings stood. Family members, friends, and state officials gathered to not only celebrate the life of George Floyd but also to condemn the police violence that led to his death.
Hoke County Sheriff Hubert Peterkin criticized his colleagues who abuse their power: “We, as law enforcement officers, don’t have the authority to bully, push people around, and kill them because we have on a badge and a gun,” he said.
Peterkin added, “I don’t care how much you march with the groups, get on your knees and play with the children, It doesn’t mean nothing if you can’t say these six words, ‘We are part of the problem.’”
US Rep. G.K. Butterfield also spoke to the guests to announce that the Congressional Black Caucus would unveil a legislative response to police violence against black people on Wednesday with the goal of preparing a floor vote by the end of June.
The service is the second of three planned. The first was held on Thursday in Minneapolis, where Rev. Al Sharpton delivered a moving eulogy:
“The reason we could never be who we wanted and dreamed of being is you kept your knee on our neck,” Sharpton said, addressing the nation. “It’s time for us to stand up in George’s name and say, get your knee off our necks.”
Another memorial service will be held on Monday in Houston, where Floyd grew up and lived most of his life.
Protesters — both in the US and worldwide — continue to mourn the death of George Floyd
The memorial came amid large protests scattered across the US, many of which proceeded peacefully following an end to curfews in cities across the nation.
On Saturday, thousands gathered outside the Lincoln Memorial in the nation’s capital before marching toward the White House:
Thousands of protesters gathered outside the Lincoln Memorial amid global Black Lives Matter protests over the death of George Floyd. https://t.co/hh7e6LX9nC pic.twitter.com/ZhgLpQCpsU — ABC News (@ABC) June 6, 2020
The protest is projected to grow to one of the largest in the city’s history, with hundreds of thousands expected to attend.
Protesters also continued to gather in Minneapolis, where Floyd was killed. On Friday, more than a thousand people gathered at the offices of Attorney General Keith Ellison and demanded he review all recent police shootings, the Star Tribune reported. More protests are planned there for Saturday.
Thousands marched in Philadelphia at the same time Floyd’s memorial service was held in North Carolina. The protests were peaceful as they shouted their demands for racial justice and budget cuts to the police department, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
“If you’re silent right now you’re part of the problem,” protester Kolby Kent Nelson told the publication.
Thousands also participated in demonstrations in Chicago, Phoenix, Orlando, and dozens of other cities and towns across the US. And protests were held across several different countries as well, including Germany, France, Japan, Iran, and Zimbabwe.
In London, tens of thousands of people showed up at Parliament Square to walk toward the US embassy on Saturday afternoon despite a pandemic-related order banning more than six people from different households from gathering outside. The crowd silently knelt in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement for one minute, according to the New York Times.
Demonstrations in Australia also attracted thousands who protested police violence against indigenous Australians. Protesters chanted “I can’t breathe” — the dying words of both George Floyd and David Dungay Jr, an indigenous Australian who died while in police custody in 2015.
Hundreds also gathered in Paris, although authorities banned protests outside the US Embassy. Undeterred, protesters gathered at a public square near the embassy and held up their Black Lives Matter signs, Reuters reported.
Although the protests are growing calmer than when they first started two weeks ago, they continue to grow and show no signs of stopping — a sign that recent police killings in the US have become a rallying call for people worldwide.


vox--2020-06-06--The “kettling” of protesters, explained

The “kettling” of protesters, explained

Just before the 8 pm curfew in New York on Thursday , protesters in the Mott Haven section of the Bronx approached a line of police officers who blocked the street .
From the other side , police charged the crowd , hemming them in .
“ This wasn ’ t even a confrontation , it was a trap , ” Gothamist reporter Jake Offenhartz wrote .
The chaos looked to be an example of “ kettling , ” a crowd-control tactic used by police that corrals demonstrators into a confined space , so they can ’ t leave .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ can make arrests or slowly disperse the demonstrators .
The situations can become volatile if cops use force , leaving people without a way to escape .
After the Bronx incident , dozens of people were detained , with reporters , protesters , and eyewitnesses saying the march did not become chaotic until cops charged in .
New York City Police Commissioner Dermot Shea disputed this and said the NYPD had received information that the group had intended “ to burn things down ” and “ cause mayhem , ” according to amNY @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the police and protesters , who see “ kettling ” as another example of cops using disproportionate force , effectively turning peaceful demonstrations into tense affairs or confrontations .
The New York Times reported that police used the tactic in downtown Brooklyn on Wednesday , and Gothamist reported that demonstrators had been kettled in the Upper West Side on Friday .
On Tuesday , the NYPD trapped hundreds of protesters on the Manhattan Bridge , refusing to let them off into Manhattan .
The standoff ended when police allowed everyone to exit on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just being used at protests in New York .
In Dallas , more than 600 protesters were detained Monday after demonstrators say police trapped them on Margaret Hunt Hill , forcing a confrontation .
In Washington , DC , protesters were also pinned into a street on Monday and surrounded by police .
Kettling is not a new tactic ; it was used notably during climate protests at the G20 summit in London in 2009 , and Occupy Wall Street demonstrators sued after hundreds were trapped on the Brooklyn Bridge in October 2011 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their second weekend , police use of kettling is coming under scrutiny .
And , for many protesters , it ’ s adding to the perception that the police are provoking conflict .
Police use kettling as a form of crowd control .
The goal is to confine a crowd to a specific space — think a city block or a bridge — and blocking the means of escape .
As Colin Groundwater wrote in GQ , it ’ s the opposite of other crowd control or riot control tactics , like setting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to disperse big crowds , and get people to flee .
Kettling hems them in , and it ’ s often up to law enforcement when , and how , people can escape .
That can mean keeping people trapped until cops feel ready to release them , or sometimes , it can involve detaining people or making mass arrests .
And , in cases where a crowd is rioting or engaging in violence , kettling helps cops control a space and detain those causing mayhem .
This is what the NYPD and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ justify use of the tactic in some circumstances .
“ I don ’ t want to see protesters hemmed in if they don ’ t need to be , ” de Blasio said during the Ask a Mayor portion of WNYC ’ s the Brian Lehrer Show on Friday , but added , “ sometimes there ’ s a legitimate problem and it ’ s not visible to protesters.
” Kettling , though , tends to pack crowds together , which can make a standoff with police more tense and volatile , as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ away simply can ’ t .
And when the tactic is used , especially on city blocks or in public spaces , it can also risk sweeping up bystanders , people who are just trying to get to work or run errands or go for a walk .
Scott Michelman — legal director of the ACLU of the District of Columbia and lead counsel in the lawsuit brought against Washington , DC , and the Metropolitan Police Department for “ kettling ” of protesters in DC on Inauguration Day in 2017 — told @ @ @ @ @ @ @ away increases unnecessary contact with law enforcement .
Even if police have legitimate law enforcement or safety reasons to want to disperse a demonstration — beyond shutting down a message they don ’ t like — kettling also brings up two other concerns : constitutional issues and , particularly amid the coronavirus pandemic , public health concerns .
“ The Constitution restricts whom the cops may detain — not just arrest , but stop — and the stops raise constitutional concerns.
” Michelman added that the kettle is often “ sweeping people [ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anything wrong , and may have been either simply exercising their right to protest , which is not just legal , but constitutionally protected , or people have no relationships whatsoever to the reason that the cops are detaining anyone.
” Crowding people in a tight space , for a prolonged period of time , can also be dangerous .
It can be legitimately frightening to pack people that closely together , putting people on edge and adding to the volatility .
And during the coronavirus pandemic , a tactic like kettling does @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
While the six-feet rule has been largely broken through the act of protesting ( many protesters are wearing masks , though ) , tightly crowding demonstrators or people together only enhances that risk .
“ The police tactics — the kettling , the mass arrests , the use of chemical irritants — those are completely opposed to public health recommendations , ” Malika Fair , director of public health initiatives at the Association of American Medical Colleges , told Politico .
“ They ’ re causing protesters to violate the six-feet recommendation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to remove their masks .
This is all very dangerous.
” At the same time , cities like New York have instituted curfews , which makes the question of kettling — and other police attempts to control or break up crowds — a little knottier .
Peaceful protesters have defied curfews in many places .
“ The way that it usually goes is [ the police ] line up and then they usually do not actually execute it until there ’ s some lawful reason to , ” Carol Archbold , a professor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ University , told me .
“ And oftentimes they do use the reason of the curfew.
” And there ’ s a legitimate question as to whether kettling increases the chance that a peaceful protest will lead to more violent confrontation .
If police choose to use a kettling tactic , “ there ’ s the problem of potential overuse or misuse of police force , whether it be through the use of batons or some other items like tear gas , ” Archbold said .
Ali Watkins , writing in the New @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cadman Plaza in downtown Brooklyn on Wednesday where hundreds of demonstrators were chanting , hands up , as protest leaders tried to steer the group out of the area .
But , by that point , they had been hemmed in by police .
“ For the next 20 minutes in Downtown Brooklyn , officers swinging batons turned a demonstration that had been largely peaceful into a scene of chaos , ” she wrote .
Sarah Einowski , a cooperating counsel on the ACLU of Oregon ’ s lawsuit against the city of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a June 4 protest , said overall , tactics like kettling can have a chilling effect on protest .
Like tear gas or rubber bullets , being trapped without water or bathrooms for an extended period of time may make people less likely to want to exercise their right of assembly .
Jacqui Karn , a criminal justice researcher , described her experience being kettled at a 2010 student fees protest in London in a column in the Guardian , which she called a “ shocking experience.
” “ The dilemma remains : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and safety of protesters but also deal with a disorderly minority without using excessive force , or inflaming the situation ?
, ” she wrote .
“ I am not sure I have the answer .
All I know is that I was effectively put in danger and held without cause .
That did not feel like the actions of a country that respected my rights.
” Every day at Vox , we aim to answer your most important questions and provide you , and our audience around the world , with information @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Our mission has never been more vital than it is in this moment : to empower you through understanding .
Vox ’ s work is reaching more people than ever , but our distinctive brand of explanatory journalism takes resources — particularly during a pandemic and an economic downturn .
Your financial contribution will not constitute a donation , but it will enable our staff to continue to offer free articles , videos , and podcasts at the quality and volume that this moment requires .
Please consider making a contribution to @ @ @

Just before the 8 pm curfew in New York on Thursday, protesters in the Mott Haven section of the Bronx approached a line of police officers who blocked the street. From the other side, police charged the crowd, hemming them in. “This wasn’t even a confrontation, it was a trap,” Gothamist reporter Jake Offenhartz wrote.
The chaos looked to be an example of “kettling,” a crowd-control tactic used by police that corrals demonstrators into a confined space, so they can’t leave. Once blocked from getting out, police can make arrests or slowly disperse the demonstrators. The situations can become volatile if cops use force, leaving people without a way to escape.
After the Bronx incident, dozens of people were detained, with reporters, protesters, and eyewitnesses saying the march did not become chaotic until cops charged in. New York City Police Commissioner Dermot Shea disputed this and said the NYPD had received information that the group had intended “to burn things down” and “cause mayhem,” according to amNY.
The disconnect has increased tensions between the police and protesters, who see “kettling” as another example of cops using disproportionate force, effectively turning peaceful demonstrations into tense affairs or confrontations. The New York Times reported that police used the tactic in downtown Brooklyn on Wednesday, and Gothamist reported that demonstrators had been kettled in the Upper West Side on Friday. On Tuesday, the NYPD trapped hundreds of protesters on the Manhattan Bridge, refusing to let them off into Manhattan. The standoff ended when police allowed everyone to exit on the Brooklyn side.
Kettling is not just being used at protests in New York. In Dallas, more than 600 protesters were detained Monday after demonstrators say police trapped them on Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge, forcing a confrontation. In Washington, DC, protesters were also pinned into a street on Monday and surrounded by police.
Kettling is not a new tactic; it was used notably during climate protests at the G20 summit in London in 2009, and Occupy Wall Street demonstrators sued after hundreds were trapped on the Brooklyn Bridge in October 2011. But as nationwide protests stretch into their second weekend, police use of kettling is coming under scrutiny. And, for many protesters, it’s adding to the perception that the police are provoking conflict.
What is kettling?
Police use kettling as a form of crowd control. The goal is to confine a crowd to a specific space — think a city block or a bridge — and blocking the means of escape. As Colin Groundwater wrote in GQ, it’s the opposite of other crowd control or riot control tactics, like setting off tear gas, which are intended to disperse big crowds, and get people to flee. Kettling hems them in, and it’s often up to law enforcement when, and how, people can escape.
That can mean keeping people trapped until cops feel ready to release them, or sometimes, it can involve detaining people or making mass arrests. And, in cases where a crowd is rioting or engaging in violence, kettling helps cops control a space and detain those causing mayhem.
This is what the NYPD and Mayor Bill de Blasio have said to justify use of the tactic in some circumstances. “I don’t want to see protesters hemmed in if they don’t need to be,” de Blasio said during the Ask a Mayor portion of WNYC’s the Brian Lehrer Show on Friday, but added, “sometimes there’s a legitimate problem and it’s not visible to protesters.”
Kettling, though, tends to pack crowds together, which can make a standoff with police more tense and volatile, as people who would otherwise walk or move away simply can’t. And when the tactic is used, especially on city blocks or in public spaces, it can also risk sweeping up bystanders, people who are just trying to get to work or run errands or go for a walk.
Scott Michelman — legal director of the ACLU of the District of Columbia and lead counsel in the lawsuit brought against Washington, DC, and the Metropolitan Police Department for “kettling” of protesters in DC on Inauguration Day in 2017 — told me that this inability to just get away increases unnecessary contact with law enforcement.
Even if police have legitimate law enforcement or safety reasons to want to disperse a demonstration — beyond shutting down a message they don’t like — kettling also brings up two other concerns: constitutional issues and, particularly amid the coronavirus pandemic, public health concerns.
“The Constitution restricts whom the cops may detain — not just arrest, but stop — and the stops raise constitutional concerns.” Michelman added that the kettle is often “sweeping people [up] who haven’t done anything wrong, and may have been either simply exercising their right to protest, which is not just legal, but constitutionally protected, or people have no relationships whatsoever to the reason that the cops are detaining anyone.”
Crowding people in a tight space, for a prolonged period of time, can also be dangerous. It can be legitimately frightening to pack people that closely together, putting people on edge and adding to the volatility. And during the coronavirus pandemic, a tactic like kettling does not at all allow for social distancing. While the six-feet rule has been largely broken through the act of protesting (many protesters are wearing masks, though), tightly crowding demonstrators or people together only enhances that risk.
“The police tactics — the kettling, the mass arrests, the use of chemical irritants — those are completely opposed to public health recommendations,” Malika Fair, director of public health initiatives at the Association of American Medical Colleges, told Politico. “They’re causing protesters to violate the six-feet recommendation. The chemicals may make them have to remove their masks. This is all very dangerous.”
At the same time, cities like New York have instituted curfews, which makes the question of kettling — and other police attempts to control or break up crowds — a little knottier. Peaceful protesters have defied curfews in many places. “The way that it usually goes is [the police] line up and then they usually do not actually execute it until there’s some lawful reason to,” Carol Archbold, a professor of criminal justice at North Dakota State University, told me. “And oftentimes they do use the reason of the curfew.”
And there’s a legitimate question as to whether kettling increases the chance that a peaceful protest will lead to more violent confrontation. If police choose to use a kettling tactic, “there’s the problem of potential overuse or misuse of police force, whether it be through the use of batons or some other items like tear gas,” Archbold said.
Ali Watkins, writing in the New York Times, described a protest in Cadman Plaza in downtown Brooklyn on Wednesday where hundreds of demonstrators were chanting, hands up, as protest leaders tried to steer the group out of the area. But, by that point, they had been hemmed in by police. “For the next 20 minutes in Downtown Brooklyn, officers swinging batons turned a demonstration that had been largely peaceful into a scene of chaos,” she wrote.
Sarah Einowski, a cooperating counsel on the ACLU of Oregon’s lawsuit against the city of Portland for “kettling” protesters at a June 4, 2017 protest, said overall, tactics like kettling can have a chilling effect on protest. Like tear gas or rubber bullets, being trapped without water or bathrooms for an extended period of time may make people less likely to want to exercise their right of assembly.
Jacqui Karn, a criminal justice researcher, described her experience being kettled at a 2010 student fees protest in London in a column in the Guardian, which she called a “shocking experience.”
“The dilemma remains: how do the police protect the rights and safety of protesters but also deal with a disorderly minority without using excessive force, or inflaming the situation?,” she wrote. “I am not sure I have the answer. All I know is that I was effectively put in danger and held without cause. That did not feel like the actions of a country that respected my rights.”


vox--2020-06-06--As the country reopens, black workers are getting left behind

As businesses around the United States begin to reopen amid the Covid-19-related economic collapse , the overall unemployment numbers in the US have improved , according to the Department of Labor ’ s May jobs report .
But while the unemployment rate for most groups went down , it rose slightly for black Americans .
The economy gained about 2.5 million jobs in May as the unemployment rate fell to 13.3 percent from a high of 14.7 percent in April , according to Department of Labor data released Thursday .
Despite the bounce back , these are still the worst @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Broadly , however , the figures were seen as good news , particularly given economists had estimated that there would be about 7 million lost jobs in May , with a recovery only beginning once states and businesses began to reopen .
Many economists predicted there wouldn ’ t be a V-shaped recovery , meaning sharp losses followed by quick regains , which would look like a V on employment charts .
Although the US economy is far from a full recovery , that is exactly what the job gains looked like Friday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ positive that President Donald Trump suggested Friday that George Floyd , a black worker who lost his job because of the pandemic before dying at the hands of Minneapolis police , would be “ smiling down ” at the falling unemployment numbers .
But not everyone benefited from a strengthening economy : The black unemployment rate rose slightly , to 16.8 percent , up 0.1 percent since last month .
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics , this means 3.3 million black Americans were unemployed in May , compared to 3.2 million @ @ @ @ @ @ @ January .
Asian Americans also did not benefit from the overall falling unemployment — the unemployment rate for that community increased slightly , 0.5 percentage points from April to May , coming in at 15 percent .
Instead , the gains were driven largely by white workers , whose unemployment rate fell from 14.9 percent in April to 12.4 percent in May .
The unemployment rate for Latinx workers fell slightly to 17.6 percent , down from 18.9 percent in April .
One reason for these results is that the coronavirus pandemic has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ retail job markets particularly hard , all of which disproportionately employ black and Latinx workers .
Black unemployment would likely be even greater except for the fact that people of color are generally overrepresented among workers deemed essential , such as transit and grocery store employees .
Still , according to the Department of Labor data , fewer than half of working-age black people are currently employed , which has made it difficult in many cases to pay regular bills right now — a Pew study conducted in April found 48 percent of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the most of any ethnic group .
The poor job numbers come amid other crises within the black community Besides hitting black workers hard in the wallet , the pandemic has also had a disproportionate effect on black people ’ s health .
According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data , black people have been affected by Covid-19 at a much higher rate than their white counterparts .
Nationwide , about 30 percent of Covid-19 patients are black , even though black people only make up 13 percent of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ susceptibility to the virus has been shaped by a long history of discrimination and marginalization in health care access , as Vox ’ s Anna North explained : [ B ] lack Americans are more likely to have underlying conditions because of widespread racism and inequality , experts say .
Many differences in health outcomes in America are “ produced by access to things like adequate time to prepare healthy foods at home ” and “ adequate money to not be working three shifts and have really high stress levels , ” Lynch @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just more likely to have .
As [ Fabiola ] Cineas notes , 22 percent of black Americans lived in poverty in 2018 , compared with 9 percent of white Americans .
Beyond poverty , a number of factors contribute to poor health among black people , from racism in medical settings to the physical health effects of discrimination .
Redlining and other forms of housing discrimination have made black Americans more likely to live in neighborhoods affected by environmental contamination , which federal and state officials have been slow to respond to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ illness .
These health and economic crises come as a spotlight has been put on yet another crisis : that of police violence .
There have been mass protests demonstrating , in part , against such violence , sparked by Floyd ’ s death — a man who had Covid-19 , lost his job because of the pandemic , and then was killed by police .
Recognition of these three crises : health , economic , and existential , has led to Americans breaking quarantine , and potentially risking their own health with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ police violence and racism , broadly — including the sort of systemic racism that leads to jobs numbers like those seen Friday .
Every day at Vox , we aim to answer your most important questions and provide you , and our audience around the world , with information that has the power to save lives .
Our mission has never been more vital than it is in this moment : to empower you through understanding .
Vox ’ s work is reaching more people than ever , but our distinctive brand of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a pandemic and an economic downturn .
Your financial contribution will not constitute a donation , but it will enable our staff to continue to offer free articles , videos , and podcasts at the quality and volume that this moment requires .
Please consider making a contribution to Vox today .

As businesses around the United States begin to reopen amid the Covid-19-related economic collapse, the overall unemployment numbers in the US have improved, according to the Department of Labor’s May jobs report. But while the unemployment rate for most groups went down, it rose slightly for black Americans.
The economy gained about 2.5 million jobs in May as the unemployment rate fell to 13.3 percent from a high of 14.7 percent in April, according to Department of Labor data released Thursday.
Despite the bounce back, these are still the worst jobs numbers since the Great Depression. Broadly, however, the figures were seen as good news, particularly given economists had estimated that there would be about 7 million lost jobs in May, with a recovery only beginning once states and businesses began to reopen. Many economists predicted there wouldn’t be a V-shaped recovery, meaning sharp losses followed by quick regains, which would look like a V on employment charts. Although the US economy is far from a full recovery, that is exactly what the job gains looked like Friday.
The statistics were seen as so positive that President Donald Trump suggested Friday that George Floyd, a black worker who lost his job because of the pandemic before dying at the hands of Minneapolis police, would be “smiling down” at the falling unemployment numbers.
But not everyone benefited from a strengthening economy: The black unemployment rate rose slightly, to 16.8 percent, up 0.1 percent since last month. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, this means 3.3 million black Americans were unemployed in May, compared to 3.2 million in April, and 1.2 million in January.
Asian Americans also did not benefit from the overall falling unemployment — the unemployment rate for that community increased slightly, 0.5 percentage points from April to May, coming in at 15 percent. Instead, the gains were driven largely by white workers, whose unemployment rate fell from 14.9 percent in April to 12.4 percent in May. The unemployment rate for Latinx workers fell slightly to 17.6 percent, down from 18.9 percent in April.
One reason for these results is that the coronavirus pandemic has hit the hospitality, service, and retail job markets particularly hard, all of which disproportionately employ black and Latinx workers. Black unemployment would likely be even greater except for the fact that people of color are generally overrepresented among workers deemed essential, such as transit and grocery store employees.
Still, according to the Department of Labor data, fewer than half of working-age black people are currently employed, which has made it difficult in many cases to pay regular bills right now — a Pew study conducted in April found 48 percent of black Americans reporting trouble with paying bills, the most of any ethnic group.
The poor job numbers come amid other crises within the black community
Besides hitting black workers hard in the wallet, the pandemic has also had a disproportionate effect on black people’s health. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data, black people have been affected by Covid-19 at a much higher rate than their white counterparts.
Nationwide, about 30 percent of Covid-19 patients are black, even though black people only make up 13 percent of the overall population. Black people’s susceptibility to the virus has been shaped by a long history of discrimination and marginalization in health care access, as Vox’s Anna North explained:
[B]lack Americans are more likely to have underlying conditions because of widespread racism and inequality, experts say. Many differences in health outcomes in America are “produced by access to things like adequate time to prepare healthy foods at home” and “adequate money to not be working three shifts and have really high stress levels,” Lynch said — access that white people are just more likely to have. As [Fabiola] Cineas notes, 22 percent of black Americans lived in poverty in 2018, compared with 9 percent of white Americans. Beyond poverty, a number of factors contribute to poor health among black people, from racism in medical settings to the physical health effects of discrimination. Redlining and other forms of housing discrimination have made black Americans more likely to live in neighborhoods affected by environmental contamination, which federal and state officials have been slow to respond to, in turn raising rates of chronic illness.
These health and economic crises come as a spotlight has been put on yet another crisis: that of police violence. There have been mass protests demonstrating, in part, against such violence, sparked by Floyd’s death — a man who had Covid-19, lost his job because of the pandemic, and then was killed by police.
Recognition of these three crises: health, economic, and existential, has led to Americans breaking quarantine, and potentially risking their own health with respect to the virus, to protest police violence and racism, broadly — including the sort of systemic racism that leads to jobs numbers like those seen Friday.


vox--2020-06-06--The fatal arrest of Manuel Ellis, another black man who yelled “I can’t breathe,” explained

Manuel Ellis , a 33-year-old black man from Tacoma , Washington , can be heard screaming , “ I can ’ t breathe ” in police dispatcher audio released Friday .
The recording was made shortly before Ellis ’ s death in police custody — and in it , he echoes the words of other black men who were killed during their arrests , like George Floyd and Eric Garner .
Ellis was arrested in Tacoma on March 3 ; officers said they saw him “ trying to open car doors of occupied vehicles , ” according to the police @ @ @ @ @ @ @ confronted them first , but Sara McDowell , a witness who was in a vehicle behind the arresting officer ’ s car , told the New York Times the police first provoked Ellis .
When Ellis walked up to the police vehicle , an officer knocked him to the ground by opening the car door , she said .
Videos recorded by McDowell , released on Friday , show police officers punching Ellis as he lies on the ground and telling him to put his hands behind his back .
“ I was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” McDowell told the Times .
“ The way that they attacked him didn ’ t make sense to me .
I went home and was sick to my stomach.
” An audio recording of a police dispatch reveals Ellis screaming “ I can ’ t breathe.
” It ’ s unclear what kind of restraints the police used because they weren ’ t wearing body cameras , the Times reported , but the police report filed about the arrest states officers put a “ spit hood ” — a mask meant to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ biting officers — around Ellis ’ s face .
Minutes later , the officers can be heard requesting an ambulance .
Ed Troyer , spokesman for the Pierce County Sheriff ’ s Department , told KIRO that the officers rolled Elllis to his side when he said he couldn ’ t breathe .
He was still breathing when the medics arrived but died soon after , Troyer said .
A medical examiner ’ s report ruled Ellis ’ s death as a homicide on Wednesday after concluding that he had died from a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The four officers involved in Ellis ’ s arrest — Christopher Burbank , Masyih Ford , Matthew Collins , and Timothy Rankine — were placed on administrative leave that same day , but none have been charged yet , something Tacoma Mayor Victoria Woodards has demanded happen .
“ The officers who committed this crime should be fired and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law , ” Woodards said Friday .
The mayor ’ s reaction has spurred criticism from the Tacoma police union , which rebuked her in an open @ @ @ @ @ @ @ criminals ” before the investigation was concluded .
And while they acknowledged George Floyd ’ s death as “ repugnant to the badge , ” they wrote that Ellis ’ s death was different .
“ But understand ; Tacoma is not Minneapolis .
The incident involving Mr. Ellis here in Tacoma was not the same as the incident involving Mr. Floyd , ” the statement read .
“ Manny was taken from me , he was murdered , ” Marcia Carter , Manuel Ellis ’ s mother , said during a Thursday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s Department is conducting an independent investigation on the incident , and Gov .
Jay Inslee said the state would hold its own investigation afterward .
“ We know that Manuel Ellis was one of far , far too many black men who died while in police custody in America , including here in Washington state , ” Inslee said .
“ Washingtonians deserve every assurance that investigations and charging decisions related to police shootings and deaths of people in police custody are handled with urgency , independence and commitment to justice.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ light on past police killings Ellis ’ s killing comes amid a wave of recorded violence against black men , including the killings of Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd .
It comes , too , as police violence is under scrutiny due to the police killings of Breonna Taylor , Sean Reed , and others .
Those killings have sparked nationwide protests that have led to more police violence — and , to even more attention on killings by law enforcement .
So much so , that some in Ellis ’ s family @ @ @ @ @ @ @ overlooked if not for those protests .
“ If it wasn ’ t for me and Manny ’ s friends screaming at the top of lungs and George Floyd dying , this would ’ ve been swept under the rug , ” said Monet Carter-Mixon , Ellis ’ s sister .
Ellis ’ s death is not the only police killing gaining nationwide attention amid the demonstrations .
In Las Cruces , New Mexico , the death of Antonio “ Tony ” Valenzuela was declared a homicide caused by an officer ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Thursday — months after his death , according to the Las Cruces Sun News .
Valenzuela was running from the police on February 29 ; he was being chased over an open warrant for a parole violation .
When the police caught up to him , an officer used a vascular neck restraint — a variant of the traditional chokehold in which pressure is put on the arteries of a person ’ s neck — to hold him down .
When medics arrived , Valenzuela was already unresponsive , and they declared @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the release of the autopsy report on Thursday , the officer who killed Valenzuela — Christopher Smelser — was terminated ( he had already been on administrative leave since the incident ) and was charged with involuntary manslaughter .
Momodou Lamin Sisay — a 39-year-old black man who was the son of a retired Gambian diplomat — was fatally shot by the police on May 29 , just four days after the death of George Floyd .
Officers tried to pull over Sisay ’ s car due to an apparent tag violation , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation ( GBI ) .
After a car chase , Sisay supposedly aimed a gun at police and died after exchanging fire with a SWAT team .
Not all accounts of officers on the scene make mention of Sisay firing a gun , the New York Times notes , and his father has disputed the police ’ s claim that his son had a weapon — he has also criticized the officers for failing to peacefully resolve the situation .
Abdul Jaiteh , a lawyer for Sisay ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was killed because he was black .
“ We ’ ve seen standoffs between suspects and police officers that could last for five-plus hours .
They give you the benefit of the doubt , ” Jaiteh said .
“ They do everything they can to convince you to surrender to save your life .
Black people , we don ’ t get the same benefit .
It ’ s like in a split second , they will pull the trigger and kill you.
” Gambians have been shocked by Sisay ’ s death @ @ @ @ @ @ @ international groups that are protesting against police killings of black people .
“ America needs to admit there is an inherent racism problem in this country , ” Banka Manneh , a Gambian human rights activist in Atlanta , told the Washington Post .
Following Sisay ’ s death , Gambia has called for a “ transparent , credible and objective ” investigation .
And the country ’ s embassy in Washington has sent a team of investigators to work with the GBI , which has opened a probe into the case .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to answer your most important questions and provide you , and our audience around the world , with information that has the power to save lives .
Our mission has never been more vital than it is in this moment : to empower you through understanding .
Vox ’ s work is reaching more people than ever , but our distinctive brand of explanatory journalism takes resources — particularly during a pandemic and an economic downturn .
Your financial contribution will not constitute a donation , but it will enable our staff to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and podcasts at the quality and volume that this moment requires .
Please consider making a contribution to Vox today .

Manuel Ellis, a 33-year-old black man from Tacoma, Washington, can be heard screaming, “I can’t breathe” in police dispatcher audio released Friday. The recording was made shortly before Ellis’s death in police custody — and in it, he echoes the words of other black men who were killed during their arrests, like George Floyd and Eric Garner.
Ellis was arrested in Tacoma on March 3; officers said they saw him “trying to open car doors of occupied vehicles,” according to the police department. Officers also said Ellis violently confronted them first, but Sara McDowell, a witness who was in a vehicle behind the arresting officer’s car, told the New York Times the police first provoked Ellis. When Ellis walked up to the police vehicle, an officer knocked him to the ground by opening the car door, she said. Videos recorded by McDowell, released on Friday, show police officers punching Ellis as he lies on the ground and telling him to put his hands behind his back.
“I was terrified for his life, honestly,” McDowell told the Times. “The way that they attacked him didn’t make sense to me. I went home and was sick to my stomach.”
An audio recording of a police dispatch reveals Ellis screaming “I can’t breathe.” It’s unclear what kind of restraints the police used because they weren’t wearing body cameras, the Times reported, but the police report filed about the arrest states officers put a “spit hood” — a mask meant to keep an arrested person from spitting or biting officers — around Ellis’s face. Minutes later, the officers can be heard requesting an ambulance.
Ed Troyer, spokesman for the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department, told KIRO that the officers rolled Elllis to his side when he said he couldn’t breathe. He was still breathing when the medics arrived but died soon after, Troyer said.
A medical examiner’s report ruled Ellis’s death as a homicide on Wednesday after concluding that he had died from a lack of oxygen and physical restraint. The four officers involved in Ellis’s arrest — Christopher Burbank, Masyih Ford, Matthew Collins, and Timothy Rankine — were placed on administrative leave that same day, but none have been charged yet, something Tacoma Mayor Victoria Woodards has demanded happen.
“The officers who committed this crime should be fired and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” Woodards said Friday.
The mayor’s reaction has spurred criticism from the Tacoma police union, which rebuked her in an open statement Thursday for calling the officers “criminals” before the investigation was concluded. And while they acknowledged George Floyd’s death as “repugnant to the badge,” they wrote that Ellis’s death was different.
“But understand; Tacoma is not Minneapolis. The incident involving Mr. Ellis here in Tacoma was not the same as the incident involving Mr. Floyd,” the statement read.
Ellis’s family disagrees, however.
“Manny was taken from me, he was murdered,” Marcia Carter, Manuel Ellis’s mother, said during a Thursday press conference.
The Pierce County Sheriff’s Department is conducting an independent investigation on the incident, and Gov. Jay Inslee said the state would hold its own investigation afterward.
“We know that Manuel Ellis was one of far, far too many black men who died while in police custody in America, including here in Washington state,” Inslee said. “Washingtonians deserve every assurance that investigations and charging decisions related to police shootings and deaths of people in police custody are handled with urgency, independence and commitment to justice.”
Recent protests have been shedding a light on past police killings
Ellis’s killing comes amid a wave of recorded violence against black men, including the killings of Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd. It comes, too, as police violence is under scrutiny due to the police killings of Breonna Taylor, Sean Reed, and others. Those killings have sparked nationwide protests that have led to more police violence — and, to even more attention on killings by law enforcement. So much so, that some in Ellis’s family argue that his killing may have been overlooked if not for those protests.
“If it wasn’t for me and Manny’s friends screaming at the top of lungs and George Floyd dying, this would’ve been swept under the rug,” said Monet Carter-Mixon, Ellis’s sister.
Ellis’s death is not the only police killing gaining nationwide attention amid the demonstrations. In Las Cruces, New Mexico, the death of Antonio “Tony” Valenzuela was declared a homicide caused by an officer’s neck restraint, a medical examiner said on Thursday — months after his death, according to the Las Cruces Sun News.
Valenzuela was running from the police on February 29; he was being chased over an open warrant for a parole violation. When the police caught up to him, an officer used a vascular neck restraint — a variant of the traditional chokehold in which pressure is put on the arteries of a person’s neck — to hold him down. When medics arrived, Valenzuela was already unresponsive, and they declared him dead at the scene.
Following the release of the autopsy report on Thursday, the officer who killed Valenzuela — Christopher Smelser — was terminated (he had already been on administrative leave since the incident) and was charged with involuntary manslaughter.
Momodou Lamin Sisay — a 39-year-old black man who was the son of a retired Gambian diplomat — was fatally shot by the police on May 29, just four days after the death of George Floyd. Officers tried to pull over Sisay’s car due to an apparent tag violation, but Sisay fled the scene, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI). After a car chase, Sisay supposedly aimed a gun at police and died after exchanging fire with a SWAT team.
Not all accounts of officers on the scene make mention of Sisay firing a gun, the New York Times notes, and his father has disputed the police’s claim that his son had a weapon — he has also criticized the officers for failing to peacefully resolve the situation.
Abdul Jaiteh, a lawyer for Sisay’s family, has argued the man was killed because he was black.
“We’ve seen standoffs between suspects and police officers that could last for five-plus hours. They give you the benefit of the doubt,” Jaiteh said. “They do everything they can to convince you to surrender to save your life. Black people, we don’t get the same benefit. It’s like in a split second, they will pull the trigger and kill you.”
Gambians have been shocked by Sisay’s death and are joining the growing number of international groups that are protesting against police killings of black people.
“America needs to admit there is an inherent racism problem in this country,” Banka Manneh, a Gambian human rights activist in Atlanta, told the Washington Post. Following Sisay’s death, Gambia has called for a “transparent, credible and objective” investigation. And the country’s embassy in Washington has sent a team of investigators to work with the GBI, which has opened a probe into the case.


vox--2020-06-06--Cities and states are barring police from using chokeholds and tear gas

Since the start of the nationwide protests against police violence following the death of George Floyd at the hands of a former Minneapolis , Minnesota , police officer , protesters and other criminal justice reform advocates have proposed banning the use of tear gas and certain chokeholds .
Now , through court orders and policy changes , cities like Minneapolis and Seattle are beginning to adopt those reforms .
The Minneapolis city council voted Friday to ban police from using chokeholds and neck restraints like the one used by the officer in the course of Floyd ’ s death .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Minneapolis Police Department , and replacing it with a new model of law enforcement focused on community safety .
“ My assessment of what is now necessary is shaped by the failure of the reforms we ’ ve attempted , in the face of opposition from the department and the Police Federation , ” wrote City Council Member Steve Fletcher in a Time op-ed Friday .
Details about what the police department ’ s replacement would look like have not yet been announced , but the chokehold ban will be instituted immediately .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ban — Gov .
Gavin Newsom announced Friday that he would direct police not to use chokeholds in the state .
That follows San Diego Police Chief David Nisleit ’ s Monday announcement of a ban on the use of chokeholds by the city ’ s police officers .
Those announcements come amid ongoing protests against police brutality — ones that have revealed numerous incidents of police aggression , and that have been characterized by the use of chemical irritants , including pepper balls and tear gas , as methods of controlling largely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ incidents , including one of the tear gassing of a peaceful crowd assembled outside the White House , has led protesters and others calling for reform to decry these tactics — and that outcry has begun to lead some cities to issue or consider bans on the use of certain irritants .
For instance , Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan banned the use of tear gas by police against protesters and demonstrators in the city for the next 30 days .
The Allegheny County Council , which includes Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania , has proposed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ use of tear gas , rubber bullets , flash-bang grenades , and bean bag rounds .
That measure is up for a vote on Tuesday .
New Orleans City Councilmember Jay Banks also proposed banning the use of tear gas during Thursday ’ s city council meeting .
His proposal came after community outcry over the police department ’ s deployment of tear gas against protesters on a bridge , the Crescent City Connection , Wednesday .
Similarly , Washington , DC , Councilmember Brianne K. Nadeau announced Thursday she would be proposing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gas by district police .
In Denver , Colorado , the judicial system has weighed in on the issue .
Friday , a federal judge temporarily banned the city ’ s police department from using chemical weapons , such as tear gas and pepper spray , as well as projectiles such as rubber bullets , against peaceful protesters .
“ The Denver Police Department has failed in its duty to police its own , ” Judge R. Brooke Jackson wrote in his ruling .
The Denver Police Department said Friday it would comply @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Portland , Oregon-based advocacy group Don ’ t Shoot PDX also hopes to have a judge rule on the use of tear gas in that city — Friday , it filed a class-action lawsuit against the city for the police department ’ s “ indiscriminate use ” of tear gas .
“ We ’ re out screaming for justice for Black people and asking the state to stop its violence against us , and the City responds by using tear gas when we ’ re in the middle of a pandemic of respiratory @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a leader of Don ’ t Shoot PDX .
Calls for banning such weapons have grown as the nation has witnessed numerous gruesome injuries , and , according to a Forbes report , at least 12 deaths from their use by police in attempting to control large crowds this week .
Protesters , journalists , and bystanders alike have been left bloody and wounded by police while demonstrating , covering the protests , or simply driving by .
Most cities and states have yet to adopt such bans — however , those that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ larger reforms protesters are calling for .
Bans like these are part of what the protests are about Broadly , protesters are calling for an end to violent policing , of which the use of chemical irritants is a part .
Tear gas is considered a chemical weapon , and it ’ s banned from use in military conflicts .
But it ’ s also a “ riot-control ” weapon , meaning that its use by police in many localities is legal , as explained by Vox ’ s Jen Kirby : In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ tear gas ” is often CS gas , a chemical compound credited to two American scientists , Ben Corson and Roger Stoughton , who discovered it in 1928 .
( The C and S in “ CS ” come from the first initial of each man ’ s last name . )
But its use predates that , to the battlefields of World War I — from where it migrated not long after to America ’ s police forces .
And there it has stayed , ever since .
Mostly because it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and could turn a “ protest into a screaming mob , ” Anna Feigenbaum , an associate professor at Bournemouth University in the United Kingdom , told me .
“ Because it doesn ’ t normally leave blood , there ’ s no trace , ” said Feigenbaum , who is the author of the book Tear Gas : From the Battlefields of World War I to the Streets of Today .
Protesters and bystanders have complained about the negative effects of tear gas , with some saying they ’ ve received lacerations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ beyond the negative respiratory effects of the gas itself .
And as Jason Johnson noted for Vox , the weapons are also dangerous because the heat given off by canisters can — and has — started fires at demonstrations .
But while limits on the use of tear gas are a significant step forward , perhaps the more impactful change comes with the chokehold bans .
Banning chokeholds is one of the key police reforms proposed by the 8 Can ’ t Wait movement , as Vox ’ s Matthew Yglesias explained : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ research indicating that banning chokeholds and neck restraints would reduce police violence by 22 percent , suggesting the policy — if widely adopted — would be a important step toward meeting protesters ’ demands .
Of course , a ban does not necessarily guarantee that police will follow the new rules .
Eric Garner , a black man killed by police in 2014 , died after police used a banned chokehold technique while arresting him .
And that is a reminder that while bans of chokeholds and irritants are a good start , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ desire will have to go beyond quick — and sometimes temporary — bans on violent police actions to address underlying and systemic issues of inequality and racism .
Every day at Vox , we aim to answer your most important questions and provide you , and our audience around the world , with information that has the power to save lives .
Our mission has never been more vital than it is in this moment : to empower you through understanding .
Vox ’ s work is reaching more people than ever , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ takes resources — particularly during a pandemic and an economic downturn .
Your financial contribution will not constitute a donation , but it will enable our staff to continue to offer free articles , videos , and podcasts at the quality and volume that this moment requires .
Please consider making a contribution to Vox today .

Since the start of the nationwide protests against police violence following the death of George Floyd at the hands of a former Minneapolis, Minnesota, police officer, protesters and other criminal justice reform advocates have proposed banning the use of tear gas and certain chokeholds. Now, through court orders and policy changes, cities like Minneapolis and Seattle are beginning to adopt those reforms.
The Minneapolis city council voted Friday to ban police from using chokeholds and neck restraints like the one used by the officer in the course of Floyd’s death. They’ve also proposed disbanding the Minneapolis Police Department, and replacing it with a new model of law enforcement focused on community safety.
“My assessment of what is now necessary is shaped by the failure of the reforms we’ve attempted, in the face of opposition from the department and the Police Federation,” wrote City Council Member Steve Fletcher in a Time op-ed Friday.
Details about what the police department’s replacement would look like have not yet been announced, but the chokehold ban will be instituted immediately.
California has also rolled out a chokehold ban — Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Friday that he would direct police not to use chokeholds in the state. That follows San Diego Police Chief David Nisleit’s Monday announcement of a ban on the use of chokeholds by the city’s police officers.
Those announcements come amid ongoing protests against police brutality — ones that have revealed numerous incidents of police aggression, and that have been characterized by the use of chemical irritants, including pepper balls and tear gas, as methods of controlling largely peaceful crowds.
Viral videos of such incidents, including one of the tear gassing of a peaceful crowd assembled outside the White House, has led protesters and others calling for reform to decry these tactics — and that outcry has begun to lead some cities to issue or consider bans on the use of certain irritants.
For instance, Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan banned the use of tear gas by police against protesters and demonstrators in the city for the next 30 days. The Allegheny County Council, which includes Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has proposed legislation defining nonlethal weapons and banning the use of tear gas, rubber bullets, flash-bang grenades, and bean bag rounds. That measure is up for a vote on Tuesday.
New Orleans City Councilmember Jay Banks also proposed banning the use of tear gas during Thursday’s city council meeting. His proposal came after community outcry over the police department’s deployment of tear gas against protesters on a bridge, the Crescent City Connection, Wednesday.
Similarly, Washington, DC, Councilmember Brianne K. Nadeau announced Thursday she would be proposing legislation to ban the use of tear gas by district police.
In Denver, Colorado, the judicial system has weighed in on the issue. Friday, a federal judge temporarily banned the city’s police department from using chemical weapons, such as tear gas and pepper spray, as well as projectiles such as rubber bullets, against peaceful protesters.
“The Denver Police Department has failed in its duty to police its own,” Judge R. Brooke Jackson wrote in his ruling. The Denver Police Department said Friday it would comply with the judge’s order.
(1/2) #ALERT #Denver – A federal judge issued a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) clarifying #DPD use of non-lethal dispersant devices. In the meantime, we will comply with the judge’s directions, many of which are already in line with our community-consulted Use of Force Policy. — Denver Police Dept. (@DenverPolice) June 6, 2020
Portland, Oregon-based advocacy group Don’t Shoot PDX also hopes to have a judge rule on the use of tear gas in that city — Friday, it filed a class-action lawsuit against the city for the police department’s “indiscriminate use” of tear gas.
“We’re out screaming for justice for Black people and asking the state to stop its violence against us, and the City responds by using tear gas when we’re in the middle of a pandemic of respiratory disease,” said Teressa Raiford, a leader of Don’t Shoot PDX.
Calls for banning such weapons have grown as the nation has witnessed numerous gruesome injuries, and, according to a Forbes report, at least 12 deaths from their use by police in attempting to control large crowds this week. Protesters, journalists, and bystanders alike have been left bloody and wounded by police while demonstrating, covering the protests, or simply driving by. Most cities and states have yet to adopt such bans — however, those that have represent a small step toward the larger reforms protesters are calling for.
Bans like these are part of what the protests are about
Broadly, protesters are calling for an end to violent policing, of which the use of chemical irritants is a part.
Tear gas is considered a chemical weapon, and it’s banned from use in military conflicts. But it’s also a “riot-control” weapon, meaning that its use by police in many localities is legal, as explained by Vox’s Jen Kirby:
In the United States, what we call “tear gas” is often CS gas, a chemical compound credited to two American scientists, Ben Corson and Roger Stoughton, who discovered it in 1928. (The C and S in “CS” come from the first initial of each man’s last name.) But its use predates that, to the battlefields of World War I — from where it migrated not long after to America’s police forces. And there it has stayed, ever since. Mostly because it was ruthlessly effective. It dispersed crowds and could turn a “protest into a screaming mob,” Anna Feigenbaum, an associate professor at Bournemouth University in the United Kingdom, told me. “Because it doesn’t normally leave blood, there’s no trace,” said Feigenbaum, who is the author of the book Tear Gas: From the Battlefields of World War I to the Streets of Today.
Protesters and bystanders have complained about the negative effects of tear gas, with some saying they’ve received lacerations or broken bones from the canisters, beyond the negative respiratory effects of the gas itself. And as Jason Johnson noted for Vox, the weapons are also dangerous because the heat given off by canisters can — and has — started fires at demonstrations.
But while limits on the use of tear gas are a significant step forward, perhaps the more impactful change comes with the chokehold bans. Banning chokeholds is one of the key police reforms proposed by the 8 Can’t Wait movement, as Vox’s Matthew Yglesias explained:
The essence of the campaign is eight procedural rules that Campaign Zero claims “data proves” can conjointly decrease police violence by 72 percent. ... When you place a person in a chokehold or a stranglehold, there is always a chance that things will go badly wrong. Instructing officers not to use these holds and training them in other modes of restraint will likely reduce deaths. Shooting at moving vehicles is inherently dangerous, and most departmental guidelines restrict it to some extent, but 8 Can’t Wait calls for banning it altogether.
The Use of Force Project points to research indicating that banning chokeholds and neck restraints would reduce police violence by 22 percent, suggesting the policy — if widely adopted — would be a important step toward meeting protesters’ demands.
Of course, a ban does not necessarily guarantee that police will follow the new rules. Eric Garner, a black man killed by police in 2014, died after police used a banned chokehold technique while arresting him. And that is a reminder that while bans of chokeholds and irritants are a good start, the sort of full police reform demonstrators desire will have to go beyond quick — and sometimes temporary — bans on violent police actions to address underlying and systemic issues of inequality and racism.


vox--2020-06-06--Viral videos of police violence are leading to disciplinary action

Police officers across the country are now under investigation or facing disciplinary action , after viral videos captured their violence against participants in peaceful Black Lives Matter protests .
Countless videos uploaded on social media have documented officers using excessive force against the protesters , who have been marching since last week , following the police killing of George Floyd on May 25 .
As these videos have spread online , they have further incensed citizens advocating for stricter police regulations , while others are having even more tangible impacts .
Some city officials have responded to the videos by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ putting the offending officers on administrative leave , or even terminating them from their positions .
In Buffalo , New York , two officers were suspended without pay on Thursday night after they pushed a 75-year-old man to the ground , an incident which was filmed by a local NPR reporter and subsequently went viral on Twitter .
The police initially reported that the man had tripped and fallen on his own , but the video evidence shows otherwise — which sparked immediate outrage .
( The man is now in stable but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s mayor . )
Some officers in New York City have also been disciplined for their violence against protesters .
One officer was suspended with pay on Friday following an Internal Affairs Bureau investigation , after he was caught pushing a woman to the ground on May 29 in Brooklyn .
The officer ’ s supervisor , who was on the scene but did not intervene , was also “ transferred , ” according to NYPD Police Commissioner Dermot Shea .
Another NYPD officer stationed in Brooklyn was also suspended without pay @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mask and pepper spraying him in the face on May 30 .
The incident was captured on video and shared to Twitter , where it ’ s received more than 3 million views so far .
In Atlanta , six police officers were arrested for illegally tasing two college students on May 30 .
The students were driving when the police stopped them for violating the city ’ s curfew and repeatedly asked what was going on as the officers opened the car door .
The officers then aggressively dragged the students out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ then slashed their tires and broke the driver ’ s side window — all of which was captured on air by a local CBS affiliate .
Two of the six officers were fired and three were placed on desk duty before prosecutors issued arrest warrants for charges of aggravated assault , illegally pointing a taser , and criminal damage to property against all six officers .
And in Chicago , two officers were relieved of their duties pending an investigation into a violent arrest they made on May 31 .
A video shared @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the two officers who were disciplined , swarming a car in a mall parking lot and breaking the car windows while dragging people out .
One woman was thrown to the ground , and an officer put his knee to her neck — the same restraining method that killed George Floyd .
The officers said they had pulled over the car because the passengers had “ assembled with three or more persons for the purpose of using force or violence to disturb the peace.
” The passengers deny any wrongdoing , NBC Chicago @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s Attorney ’ s Office has now opened an investigation into potential criminal charges , and the FBI is investigating the incident as well , according to State ’ s Attorney Kim Foxx .
Viral videos have been crucial in keeping the police accountable Viral videos have been essential in capturing police brutality , particularly as the current wave of Black Lives Matter protests takes hold .
One Twitter thread alone , posted by lawyer T. Greg Doucette , shares over 300 examples of police brutality — many of which depict cars running @ @ @ @ @ @ @ excessive amount of tear gas , and groups of officers assaulting individuals .
The thread has been shared widely , with more than 58,000 retweets .
In recent years , technology has become more essential and accessible to protesters , and almost everyone carries a high-quality camera , thanks to their smartphones .
This has made it easier for anyone to capture police brutality , often in real time , since they can easily upload the videos to social media on the spot .
Incidents that might have been erased in the past @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to see .
“ The ability for the public to document what is going on is an important tool for holding powerful people and institutions accountable , including the police , ” Evan Greer , deputy director of the digital advocacy group Fight for the Future , told the Washington Post earlier this week regarding the use of cameras by protesters .
“ The availability of , particularly , smartphone cameras has dramatically increased the number of instances that we see.
” The officers who faced disciplinary action in Chicago , Atlanta , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been reprimanded if not for the viral videos that captured their misconduct .
That ’ s why so many protesters are filming and uploading scenes from the demonstrations to keep the police accountable .
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Police officers across the country are now under investigation or facing disciplinary action, after viral videos captured their violence against participants in peaceful Black Lives Matter protests.
Countless videos uploaded on social media have documented officers using excessive force against the protesters, who have been marching since last week, following the police killing of George Floyd on May 25. As these videos have spread online, they have further incensed citizens advocating for stricter police regulations, while others are having even more tangible impacts. Some city officials have responded to the videos by opening investigations into the depicted incidents, putting the offending officers on administrative leave, or even terminating them from their positions.
In Buffalo, New York, two officers were suspended without pay on Thursday night after they pushed a 75-year-old man to the ground, an incident which was filmed by a local NPR reporter and subsequently went viral on Twitter. The police initially reported that the man had tripped and fallen on his own, but the video evidence shows otherwise — which sparked immediate outrage. (The man is now in stable but serious condition, according to the city’s mayor.)
Just about an hour ago, police officers shove man in Niagara Square to the ground (WARNING: Graphic). Video from: @MikeDesmondWBFO pic.twitter.com/JBKQLvzfET — WBFO (@WBFO) June 5, 2020
Some officers in New York City have also been disciplined for their violence against protesters. One officer was suspended with pay on Friday following an Internal Affairs Bureau investigation, after he was caught pushing a woman to the ground on May 29 in Brooklyn. The officer’s supervisor, who was on the scene but did not intervene, was also “transferred,” according to NYPD Police Commissioner Dermot Shea.
Update: Got her permission with a fuck yeah. The cop pushed her so hard at Barclays & she flung back. She is tiny. Now she’s in the ER after a serious seizure. I’m waiting for updates but have to wait outside because of COVID-19. Please keep my protest sister in your thoughts. pic.twitter.com/MqV0QJ0D8h — Whitney Hu 胡安行 - #DefundTheNYPD #AbolishPolice (@whitney_hu) May 30, 2020
Another NYPD officer stationed in Brooklyn was also suspended without pay after pulling down a protester’s mask and pepper spraying him in the face on May 30. The incident was captured on video and shared to Twitter, where it’s received more than 3 million views so far.
This boy had his hands up when an NYPD ofcr pulled his mask down and pepper sprayed him. @NYPDShea? Mayor @BilldeBlasio? pic.twitter.com/YtXDOoVckA — Sherrilyn Ifill (@Sifill_LDF) May 31, 2020
In Atlanta, six police officers were arrested for illegally tasing two college students on May 30. The students were driving when the police stopped them for violating the city’s curfew and repeatedly asked what was going on as the officers opened the car door. The officers then aggressively dragged the students out of the car after tasing them, then slashed their tires and broke the driver’s side window — all of which was captured on air by a local CBS affiliate. Two of the six officers were fired and three were placed on desk duty before prosecutors issued arrest warrants for charges of aggravated assault, illegally pointing a taser, and criminal damage to property against all six officers.
Police exercise increased force as tasers are used to pull two people from a vehicle in downtown Atlanta.https://t.co/dSjEgItPcy — CBS46 (@cbs46) May 31, 2020
And in Chicago, two officers were relieved of their duties pending an investigation into a violent arrest they made on May 31. A video shared on social media showed police, including the two officers who were disciplined, swarming a car in a mall parking lot and breaking the car windows while dragging people out. One woman was thrown to the ground, and an officer put his knee to her neck — the same restraining method that killed George Floyd. The officers said they had pulled over the car because the passengers had “assembled with three or more persons for the purpose of using force or violence to disturb the peace.” The passengers deny any wrongdoing, NBC Chicago reported.
The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office has now opened an investigation into potential criminal charges, and the FBI is investigating the incident as well, according to State’s Attorney Kim Foxx.
My cousins pulled over for Chicago police at brickyard yesterday at 1 pm and police bust the windows out, pulled one out by her hair. Glass got in her eyes. Police took one of my cousins and took the car. They left her mother and my other cousin - the driver - in the lot. pic.twitter.com/PqxpSfF463 — Adrienne Spinning Side Kick Gibbs (@AdrienneWrites) June 1, 2020
Viral videos have been crucial in keeping the police accountable
Viral videos have been essential in capturing police brutality, particularly as the current wave of Black Lives Matter protests takes hold. One Twitter thread alone, posted by lawyer T. Greg Doucette, shares over 300 examples of police brutality — many of which depict cars running into protesters, the police firing an excessive amount of tear gas, and groups of officers assaulting individuals. The thread has been shared widely, with more than 58,000 retweets.
To simplify following the criminal justice news of the last 36 hours, I posted a set of 10 links to police brutality videos on Facebook
Can't do that here, obvs
So I'm putting them into a thread — T. Greg Doucette (@greg_doucette) May 30, 2020
In recent years, technology has become more essential and accessible to protesters, and almost everyone carries a high-quality camera, thanks to their smartphones. This has made it easier for anyone to capture police brutality, often in real time, since they can easily upload the videos to social media on the spot. Incidents that might have been erased in the past are now recorded for the entire world to see.
“The ability for the public to document what is going on is an important tool for holding powerful people and institutions accountable, including the police,” Evan Greer, deputy director of the digital advocacy group Fight for the Future, told the Washington Post earlier this week regarding the use of cameras by protesters. “The availability of, particularly, smartphone cameras has dramatically increased the number of instances that we see.”
The officers who faced disciplinary action in Chicago, Atlanta, and New York would likely not have been reprimanded if not for the viral videos that captured their misconduct. That’s why so many protesters are filming and uploading scenes from the demonstrations to keep the police accountable.