Riots have continued in the US city of Minneapolis, Minnesota, following the killing of an African-American man, George Floyd.
Floyd died on 25 May after he had been arrested, allegedly for trying to pay for goods in a shop with a counterfeit $20 bill. After his arrest a white police officer, Derek Chauvin, forced Floyd onto the ground and knelt on Floyd’s neck for nearly ten minutes, leading to his death. A bystander recorded the incident on their phone, and put the footage on the social media site, Facebook, where it went viral. That footage, along with footage from other bystanders and security cameras, did not seem to indicate that Floyd resisted arrest at any time.
The following day a bus stop near where Floyd had died became a makeshift memorial. Subsequently a group of protesters marched to a police station to protest Floyd’s death. A window in the police station was broken and police cars vandalized. The protests soon became generalized unrest in the city with supermarkets and other shops being looted and vandalized. Reports indicate that over 100 businesses have been damaged in Minneapolis, with similar incidents reported in neighbouring St Paul.
At least two people have died, one having been shot by the owner of a pawn shop, who believed the victim was planning on looting his establishment. A curfew has been imposed on the city by Minnesota governor, Tim Walz, and US President, Donald Trump, has assured Walz of military support so as to restore order.
Protests over Floyd’s death have been reported in at least 13 other American cities.
Claims that African-Americans are victims of violence by police have been widespread, with disproportionate force often seemingly being used by police against black suspects, who have often been accused of minor, non-violent infringements.