George Floyd protests

For lists of protests, see Lists of George Floyd protests. For the social movement mainly involved in the protests, see Black Lives Matter.

George Floyd protests
Part of the United States racial unrest (2020–2023) and the Black Lives Matter movement
Crowd of protesters with signs, including one reading "I Can't Breathe"
Clockwise from top:
DateIn whole of the United States: May 26, 2020 – May 26, 2021 (1 year)

In Minneapolis–Saint Paul: May 26, 2020 – May 2, 2023 (2 years, 11 months and 1 week)

George Floyd Square: May 26, 2020 – present (4 years, 6 months and 2 days)
Location
United States
Global
Caused by
MethodsProtests, demonstrations, civil disobedience, civil resistance, online activism, strike action, riots
Resulted in
Deaths, arrests and damages
Death(s)19 confirmed (May 26 – October 31, 2020)[3]
Arrested14,000+[4]
Property damage
  • $550 million in Minneapolis–Saint Paul (May 26–June 6, 2020)[5]
  • $1–2 billion in insured damages in the United States (May 26–June 8, 2020)[6]

The George Floyd protests were a series of protests and demonstrations against police brutality that began in Minneapolis in the United States on May 26, 2020.[7][8] The protests and civil unrest began in Minneapolis as reactions to the murder of George Floyd, a 46-year-old unarmed African American man, by city police during an arrest. They spread nationally and internationally. Veteran officer Derek Chauvin was recorded as kneeling on Floyd's neck for 9 minutes and 29 seconds; Floyd complained of not being able to breathe,[9] but three other officers looked on and prevented passersby from intervening.[16] Chauvin and the other three officers involved were later arrested.[17] In April 2021, Chauvin was found guilty of second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter.[18] In June 2021, Chauvin was sentenced to 22+1⁄2 years in prison.[19]

The George Floyd protest movement began hours after his murder as bystander video and word of mouth began to spread.[20] Protests first emerged at the East 38th and Chicago Avenue street intersection in Minneapolis, the location of Floyd's arrest and murder, and other sites in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area of Minnesota.[21] Protests quickly spread nationwide and to over 2,000 cities and towns in over 60 countries in support of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement.[22][23][24] Polls in the summer of 2020 estimated that between 15 million and 26 million people had participated at some point in the demonstrations in the United States, making the protests the largest in U.S. history.[25][26][27]

While the majority of protests were peaceful,[28] demonstrations in some cities escalated into riots, looting,[29] and street skirmishes with police and counter-protesters. Some police responded to protests with instances of violence, including against reporters.[30][31][32] At least 200 cities in the U.S. had imposed curfews by early June 2020, while more than 30 states and Washington, D.C. activated over 96,000 National Guard, State Guard, 82nd Airborne, and 3rd Infantry Regiment service members.[33][34][35][36] The deployment, when combined with preexisting deployments related to the COVID-19 pandemic and other natural disasters, constituted the largest military operation other than war in U.S. history.[37] By the end of June 2020, at least 14,000 people had been arrested.[4][38][39] By June 2020, more than 19 people had died in relation to the unrest. A report from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project estimated that between May 26 and August 22, 93% of individual protests were "peaceful and nondestructive"[40][41] and research from the Nonviolent Action Lab and Crowd Counting Consortium estimated that by the end of June, 96.3% of 7,305 demonstrations involved no injuries and no property damage.[42] However, arson, vandalism, and looting that occurred between May 26 and June 8 caused approximately $1–2 billion in insured damages nationally, the highest recorded damage from civil disorder in U.S. history, and surpassing the record set during the 1992 Los Angeles riots.[6][43]

The protests precipitated a worldwide debate on policing and racial injustice that has led to numerous legislative proposals on federal, state, and municipal levels in the U.S. intended to combat police misconduct, systemic racism, qualified immunity and police brutality.[44][45] The protests led to a wave of monument removals, name changes, and societal changes throughout the world[46] and occurred during the early part of the COVID-19 pandemic and amid the 2020 U.S. presidential election season.[47][48] Protests continued through 2020 and into 2021,[49] most notably in Minneapolis at the 38th and Chicago Avenue street intersection where Floyd was murdered that activists have referred to as George Floyd Square.[50][51] Several demonstrations coincided with the criminal trial of Chauvin in March and April 2021 and the one-year anniversary of Floyd's murder in May 2021. Officials in Minnesota and elsewhere proactively mobilized counter-protest measures for Chauvin's trial, but it did not result in unrest like what happened immediately after Floyd's murder.[52]

Local officials in Minneapolis–Saint Paul prepared counter-protest measures in early 2022 for the start of the federal trial for the other three police officers at the scene of Floyd's murder.[53][54] Relatively small protests took place during the trial and after the verdict announcement.[55] On May 25, 2021, the one-year anniversary of Floyd's murder, a number of protests took place; most of these were short-lived, with calm being restored on the early hours of May 26, 2021.[56] While the nationwide protests ended, the occupation of George Floyd Square in Minneapolis–Saint Paul persisted into 2024,[57] however as of 2022 vehicular traffic was finally allowed to pass through it.[58][59][60][61][62] On May 2, 2023, Tou Thao was found guilty of aiding and abetting manslaughter—the last federal or state court case related to Floyd's murder. The conviction fulfilled a key demand of protesters that all four police officers be held legally accountable for murdering George Floyd.[63][64] The protest at George Floyd Square continued into 2024.[65]

  1. ^ a b c Owermohle, Sarah (June 1, 2020). "Surgeon general: 'You understand the anger'". Politico. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
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  3. ^ "At least 25 Americans were killed during protests and political unrest in 2020". The Guardian. October 31, 2020. Retrieved June 5, 2023.
  4. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference olson was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
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  6. ^ a b Kingson, Jennifer A. (September 16, 2020). "Exclusive: $1 billion-plus riot damage is most expensive in insurance history". Axios. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
  7. ^ Taylor, Derrick Bryson (June 2, 2020). "George Floyd Protests: A Timeline". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 2, 2020. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
  8. ^ "2020 was the year America embraced Black Lives Matter as a movement, not just a moment". Los Angeles Times. December 16, 2020. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
  9. ^ Levenson, Eric (March 29, 2021). "Former officer knelt on George Floyd for 9 minutes and 29 seconds -- not the infamous 8:46". CNN. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  10. ^ "Prosecutors say officer had knee on George Floyd's neck for 7:46 rather than 8:46". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. June 18, 2020. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
  11. ^ Cooper, Gael Fashingbauer (June 2, 2020). "Music industry players including Mick Jagger, Quincy Jones respond to George Floyd's death with Blackout Tuesday: 'This is what solidarity looks like'". CNET. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
  12. ^ Hennessey, Kathleen; LeBlanc, Steve (June 4, 2020). "8:46: A number becomes a potent symbol of police brutality". Associated Press. Archived from the original on June 9, 2020. Retrieved June 9, 2020. But the timestamps cited in the document's description of the incident, much of which is caught on video, indicate a different tally. Using those, Chauvin had his knee on Floyd for 7 minutes, 46 seconds, including 1 minute, 53 seconds after Floyd appeared to stop breathing.
  13. ^ Carrega, Christina; Lloyd, Whitney (June 3, 2020). "Charges against former Minneapolis police officers involved in George Floyd's death". ABC News. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
  14. ^ Navarrette, Ruben Jr. (June 15, 2020). "Haunting question after George Floyd killing: Should good cops have stopped a bad cop?". USA Today.
  15. ^ "플로이드 실제로 목 눌린 시간은 7분 46초". 서울신문 (in Korean). June 18, 2020. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
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  17. ^ Condon, Bernard; Richmond, Todd; Sisak, Michael R. (June 3, 2020). "What to know about 4 officers charged in George Floyd's death". WLS-TV. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  18. ^ Forliti, Amy; Karnowski, Steve; Webber, Tammy (April 20, 2021). "Ex-cop Derek Chauvin guilty of murder and manslaughter in death of George Floyd". CTV News. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
  19. ^ Levenson, Eric; Sanchez, Ray (June 25, 2021). "Derek Chauvin sentenced to 22.5 years in death of George Floyd". CNN. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
  20. ^ Burch, Audra D. S.; Harmon, Amy; Tavernise, Sabrina; Badger, Emily (April 21, 2021). "The Death of George Floyd Reignited a Movement. What Happens Now?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on December 28, 2021. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
  21. ^ Wagner, Jeff (June 18, 2020). "'It's Real Ugly': Protesters Clash With Minneapolis Police After George Floyd's Death". WCCO.
  22. ^ Burch, Audra D. S.; Cai, Weiyi; Gianordoli, Gabriel; McCarthy, Morrigan; Patel, Jugal K. (June 13, 2020). "How Black Lives Matter Reached Every Corner of America". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
  23. ^ Luscombe, Richard; Ho, Vivian (June 7, 2020). "George Floyd protests enter third week as push for change sweeps America". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
  24. ^ "George Floyd Protests on Race and Policing: Juneteenth Celebrations Across U.S." The Wall Street Journal. June 19, 2020.
  25. ^ Croft, Jay (July 4, 2020). "Some Americans mark Fourth of July with protests". CNN. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
  26. ^ Buchanan, Larry; Bui, Quoctrung; Patel, Jugal K. (July 3, 2020). "Black Lives Matter May Be the Largest Movement in U.S. History". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
  27. ^ Ryan, Jim (August 25, 2020). "Riot declared as Portland protests move to City Hall on 3-month anniversary of George Floyd's death". Oregon Live. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
  28. ^ Lovett, Ian (June 4, 2020). "1992 Los Angeles Riots: How the George Floyd Protests Are Different". The Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
  29. ^ "Widespread unrest as curfews defied across US". BBC. May 31, 2020. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
  30. ^ Baker, Mike; Dewan, Shaila (June 2, 2020). "Facing Protests Over Use of Force, Police Respond With More Force". The New York Times. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  31. ^ Kindy, Kimberly; Jacobs, Shayna; Farenthold, David (June 5, 2020). "In protests against police brutality, videos capture more alleged police brutality". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  32. ^ Taylor, Derrick Bryson (June 8, 2020). "George Floyd Protests: A Timeline". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
  33. ^ Bekiempis, Victoria (July 3, 2020). "Troops sent to DC during George Floyd protests had bayonets, top general says". The Guardian. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
  34. ^ Norwood, Candice (June 9, 2020). "'Optics matter.' National Guard deployments amid unrest have a long and controversial history". PBS NewsHour.
  35. ^ Warren, Katy; Hadden, Joey (June 4, 2020). "How all 50 states are responding to the George Floyd protests, from imposing curfews to calling in the National Guard". Business Insider. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
  36. ^ Sternlicht, Alexandra. "Over 4,400 Arrests, 62,000 National Guard Troops Deployed: George Floyd Protests By The Numbers". Forbes. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
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  38. ^ Pham, Scott (June 2, 2020). "Police Arrested More Than 11,000 People At Protests Across The US". Buzzfeed News.
  39. ^ "Associated Press tally shows at least 9,300 people arrested in protests since killing of George Floyd". Associated Press. June 3, 2020. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
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  41. ^ "Demonstrations & Political Violence in America: New Data for Summer 2020". ACLED. September 3, 2020. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
  42. ^ Chenoweth, Erica; Pressman, Jeremy (October 16, 2020). "This summer's Black Lives Matter protesters were overwhelmingly peaceful, our research finds". The Monkey Cage blog. The Washington Post. Retrieved January 23, 2022.
  43. ^ Deese, Kaelan (September 17, 2020). "Vandalism, looting after Floyd's death sparks at least $1 billion in damages:report". The Hill. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
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  45. ^ Hawkins, Derek (June 8, 2020). "9 Minneapolis City Council members announce plans to disband police department". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  46. ^ Chang, Alvin (May 22, 2021). "How centuries of racist images came down in one year – a visual guide". The Guardian. Retrieved May 22, 2021.
  47. ^ McCullough, Marie (June 27, 2020). "COVID-19 has not surged in cities with big protests, but it has in states that reopened early. Here are some possible reasons". Philadelphia Inquirer.
  48. ^ Edsall, Thomas B. (June 3, 2020). "The George Floyd Election: How the protests come to be viewed may determine who the next president is". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 3, 2020.
  49. ^ Schuman, David (January 25, 2021). "'We Look At Our Protest As Art': Future Of George Floyd Square Becoming Clearer". WCCO.
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  52. ^ Jany, Libor; Mannix, Andy (December 29, 2021). "Before Derek Chauvin trial, authorities warned of threat of cyberattacks, white supremacist violence". Star Tribune. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
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  56. ^ Young, Jenny (May 25, 2021). "Marches, riot mark anniversary of George Floyd's death in Portland". KOIN. Archived from the original on May 26, 2021. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
  57. ^ "'No Justice, No Streets': 4 years after murder, George Floyd Square stands in protest". Minnesota Public Radio. May 25, 2024. Retrieved June 1, 2024.
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  59. ^ Oursler, Alyssa; DalCortivo, Anna (February 23, 2022). "In Minneapolis, the Cycle of Police Violence Continues". The Nation. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
  60. ^ Rowan, Nic (May 20, 2022). "Minneapolis Hasn't Recovered From George Floyd's Death". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
  61. ^ Wurzer, Cathy; Townsend, Melissa (May 25, 2020). "'We are still there holding out for justice:' Marcia Howard on George Floyd Square" (Audio). Minnesota Public Radio. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  62. ^ Oursler, Alyssa (August 31, 2022). "The ACLU Fights for Minneapolis". The Nation. Retrieved September 5, 2022. The autonomous protest zone known as George Floyd Square is still occupied, but car traffic now snakes through it. And criminal cases for the other officers involved in Floyd's murder are still winding through the bureaucratic maze we call the justice system.... Returning to the murder of George Floyd, officers J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane, and Tou Thao will face the state this fall. Lane, who pleaded guilty to second-degree state manslaughter charges, is expected to be sentenced in September. The remaining two will face trial in October.
  63. ^ Pan, H. Jiahong (May 2, 2023). "Final officer in George Floyd murder case convicted of state charges". Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
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