7 d. ago Trump’s insurrection routine: fuel violence, spawn chaos, shrug off the law | Sidney Blumenthal

Four years after the January 6 attack, the president is toying with invoking the Insurrection Act to respond to a conflict he provokedDonald Trump’s stages of insurrection have passed from trying to suppress one that didn’t exist, to creating one himself, to generating a local incident he falsely depicts as a national emergency. In every case, whether he inflates himself into the strongman putting down an insurrection or acts as the instigator-in-chief, his routine has been to foster violence, spawn chaos and show contempt for the law.In his first term, Trump reportedly asked the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, General Mark Milley, “Can’t you just shoot them, just shoot them in the legs or something?” Trump was agitated about protesters in Lafayette Park, across from the White House, after the murder of George Floyd in 2020. On 1 June, Trump ordered the US Park police to clear the park. Some charged on horses into the crowd. Trump emerged after the teargas wafted away to walk...

Events

3 w. ago What I learned from the aftermath of the Black Lives Matter uprising

Five years ago, I didn’t trust the moment; did the world really need to see a man die on a pavement to realise racism existed?Don’t already get The Long Wave in your inbox? Sign up hereHello and welcome to The Long Wave. This week, I reflect on the Black Lives Matter movement, five years on from the murder of George Floyd, and trace how it changed how I think about racial justice. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Firms ‘rebranding’ diversity initiatives to avoid unwanted political attention

British business figures say many companies in UK and US disguising inclusion policies in face of rightwing attacksCorporate diversity policies are under fire from the right – but also from the leftSenior figures in British business have described a chilling effect on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, saying they are being “rebranded” to avoid attracting unwanted political attention.Five years after the murder of George Floyd in the US shone a spotlight on racial inequality, efforts to create a level playing field in the workplace are facing a rightwing backlash on both sides of the Atlantic. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago How has Minneapolis changed since the murder of George Floyd 5 years ago?

Minneapolis has changed, slowly, since a city police officer murdered George Floyd on Memorial Day in 2020

Events

3 w. ago AP PHOTOS: Thousands gather to mark the fifth anniversary of George Floyd’s murder

Police reform and civil-rights activists joined thousands of people on Sunday to mark the fifth anniversary of George Floyd’s murder and decry the Trump administration for actions they say set their efforts back decades.

Events

3 w. ago George Floyd’s family fights for sacred ground where he took his last breath: ‘That’s my blood’

Minneapolis site where Floyd was killed by Derek Chauvin in 2020 faces tense debate over how best to honor his legacyLast May, Roger Floyd and Thomas McLaurin walked the lengths of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue in Minneapolis, passing a roundabout with a garden, and a vacant gas station with a large sign that read: “Where there’s people there’s power.” Though it had been four years since the murder of George Floyd, their nephew and cousin, respectively, concrete barriers erected by the city to protect the area still cordoned off the corner of the street where he was killed by the Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin on 25 May 2020.Behind those barriers stands a memorial with a black-and-white mural of George Floyd on the side of a bus stop shelter. “That’s my blood that was laying there taking his last breath. What was he going through?” McLaurin recalled thinking as he stood in front of the mural. Flowers and stuffed animals from visitors surrounded the memorial. Roger said he...

Events

3 w. ago If you think the Defund movement failed, you’re missing the bigger picture | M Adams and Miski Noor

Five years after George Floyd’s murder, America’s view on policing has fundamentally changed. But one summer of protest isn’t enoughMemory is a strange thing – the way sounds, images, and sensations converge to cement a moment in our minds. For millions of people, the memory of what happened to George Floyd five years ago in Minneapolis will stay with us for ever.On Sunday, we remember the life of George Floyd and reflect on the summer of 2020, when movement builders activated as many as 26 million people into the streets to demand an end to the state’s violent disregard for Black lives. Many people will opine today about the perceived failures of that time and the years that followed, focusing on how corporate pledges to increase diversity have since been revoked or zeroing in on how many police departments did not cut their budgets, all in an effort to decide whether the summer of 2020 was really as powerful as it felt.M Adams, Co-Executive Director, Movement for Black Lives &...

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3 w. ago George Floyd murder five years on –Target boycott and killer cop's 'Trump pardon'

It was five years ago today when cop, Derek Chauvin knelt on the neck of George Floyd whose last moments alive were witnessed by millions as he uttered the words: 'I can't breathe'

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3 w. ago George Floyd murder five years on – supermarket boycott and killer cop's 'Trump pardon'

It was five years ago today when cop, Derek Chauvin knelt on the neck of George Floyd whose last moments alive were witnessed by millions as he uttered the words: 'I can't breathe'

Events

3 w. ago Cities tied to George Floyd mark the 5th anniversary of his death

Religious services, concerts and vigils are scheduled to mark the fifth anniversary of George Floyd’s murder by a police officer in the cities where Floyd grew up and where he died

Events

3 w. ago Critics say the movement to defund the police failed. But Austin and Seattle are seeing progress

The rallying cry from 2020 Black Lives Matter protests pushed some US cities to divert money towards housing and community servicesAfter George Floyd’s murder by a Minneapolis police officer in 2020, protesters who swarmed the streets across the US shouted the refrain: “Defund the police.” An idea that was once viewed as radical – to redirect money from law enforcement to other city departments and social services – became a rallying cry overnight.As a result of continued pressure, dozens of jurisdictions throughout the nation promised to reduce their police budgets. While most of them backtracked and increased law enforcement funding in the next year or two, several cities changed policies or added new public safety and homeless services departments. Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago Christopher Bucktin: I watched America burn for George Floyd

For a moment, it felt like history had shifted after George Floyd's murder. America had turned a corner on accountability. But now, five years on, the country is asking: what really changed?

Events

3 w. ago George Floyd's girlfriend worries Trump will pardon killer cop Derek Chauvin 5 years on

WARNING - GRAPHIC CONTENT: This Sunday marks five years since George Floyd was murdered by former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin in a video that shocked the world

Events

3 w. ago Five years later: How the murder of George Floyd changed America

Five years after the murder of George Floyd, the ripple effects of that summer are still being felt to this day

Events