The violent death of George Floyd last week by a police officer and several police bystanders initiated demonstrations and other democratic responses first across the United States, and then around the world. The protests are directed against racism and police violence, to show their solidarity with the urgent plea of African-Americans to not be killed, for their murderers to be prosecuted, and to live peacefully. The ongoing protests are linked with efforts to defund police forces and push back excessive police force, presence and control, especially in non-white and immigrant neighborhoods. And so much more.
The protests, accompanied by occasions of looting, incited political reactions on all levels of US government, from legislators, and across police forces. For President Trump the protests mean one crisis (Covid-19) multiplied by another, to which he wields militaristic responses. Police responses to the anti-police-violence demonstrations ranged from individual officers kneeling in solidarity or resigning from the force to more police violence and attacks on journalists. However, in myriads of ways Americans and immigrants of all races and backgrounds continue to show their support for the second week in a row.
The global gatherings demonstrate one of the positive effects of the internet and phone technology: as stories of oppression become visible, quantifiable and locally and globally comparable online and their magnitude thus uncovered, democratic impact may reach beyond national borders.
*updated Sunday June 7 to include more sources