U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper has reportedly ordered all of the active military troops brought in to defend the nation’s capital during sometimes-violent demonstrations to return to their bases.
At the same time, protesters stirred by the death of George Floyd vowed Friday to turn an outpouring of grief into a sustained movement as demonstrations shifted to a calmer, but no less determined, focus on addressing racial injustice.
In Minneapolis, where Floyd died in police custody, the city agreed to ban police chokeholds and require officers to intervene any time they see unauthorized force by another officer. The changes are part of a stipulation between the city and state officials who launched a civil rights investigation into Floyd's death.
The City Council is expected to approve the agreement Friday.
By early afternoon, demonstrations resumed for an 11th day around the country with continued momentum as the mood of the protests largely shifted from explosive anger to more peaceful calls for change. Formal and impromptu memorials to Floyd stretched from Minneapolis to North Carolina, where family members are gathering Saturday to mourn him, and beyond. Services were planned in Texas for next week.
Protests around the country had initially been marred by the setting of fires and smashing of windows, but Friday marked at least the third day of more subdued demonstrations, including a tribute to Floyd on Thursday in Minneapolis that drew family members, celebrities, politicians and civil rights advocates.
At the service, strong calls were made for meaningful changes in policing and the criminal justice system.
And in a sign the protesters' voices were being heard, more symbols of the Confederacy came down. Alabama's port city of Mobile removed a statue of a Confederate naval officer early Friday after days of protests there. Fredericksburg, Virginia, removed a 176-year-old slave auction block from downtown after several years of efforts by the NAACP. Other Confederate symbols have come down around the South in recent days as calls to remove them intensified during protests over Floyd's death.
Also Friday, in Jacksonville, Florida, a large group of players, coaches, front office officials from the city’s NFL team and their families wore Black Lives Matter T-shirts as they walked from TIAA Bank Field to the sheriff’s office headquarters to raise awareness of racial injustice.
At demonstrations around the country, protesters said the quieter mood was the result of several factors: the new and upgraded criminal charges against the police officers involved in Floyd’s death; a more conciliatory approach by police who have marched with them or taken a knee to recognize their message; and the realization that the burst of rage is not sustainable.
Despite the shift in tone, protesters have shown no sign that they are going away and, if anything, are emboldened to stay on the streets to push for police reforms.
At the first in a series of memorials for Floyd, the Rev. Al Sharpton urged those gathered Thursday “to stand up in George’s name and say, ‘Get your knee off our necks!’ ” Those at the Minneapolis tribute stood in silence for 8 minutes, 46 seconds — the amount of time Floyd was alleged to be on the ground under the control of police.
Sharpton vowed that this will become a movement to “change the whole system of justice.”
About the Author
