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Videos show police officers escalating violence during protests

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Special reports:MenuSee More Speed ReadsAs protests against police brutality and institutional racism flared up across the United States on Friday, many turned contentious. Protesters in major cities set fire to police cars and buildings while several incidents in which police officers appeared to escalate violence were captured on social media.In Brooklyn, the passenger door of a police car driving by protesters was flung open, hitting one of the demonstrators, and another officer was throwing a female protester to the ground. She ultimately wound up in the hospital.Police car just drove by demonstrators on Classon Ave in Brooklyn -- some of whom had been throwing cement -- and opened passenger side door into a protester.— Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs (@NickAtNews)This officer needs to be charged with assault.Hard to watch. Brutal and unacceptable.— Corey Johnson (@CoreyinNYC)But it wasn't just protesters who were targeted by some members of the police. Hours after a CNN news crew was while covering protests in Minneapolis, a Louisville police officer fired pepper balls at a local television news crew reporting on demonstrations in the Kentucky city, much to everyone's confusion.Looks like an officer points weapon and shoots right at cameraman for no apparent reason.— Jason Riley (@JasonRileyWDRB)Elsewhere, a 19-year-old man was in Detroit by an unknown suspect. It's unclear if the victim was a protester, but the shooting occurred where Detroit's demonstration was taking place.As violence escalates, governors like Georgia's Brian Kemp (R) and Minnesota's Tim Walz (D) have in the National Guard, and the Pentagon reportedly military police on standby.Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) announced Saturday he is authorizing full mobilization of the state's National Guard for the first time since World War II. The action comes on the heels of protests against police brutality in Minneapolis and the surrounding area.BREAKING: Minnesota Gov. Walz orders full mobilization of the Minnesota National Guard, "an action that has never been taken in the 164-year history of the Minnesota National Guard."— NBC News (@NBCNews)The Guard said 2,500 soldiers and airmen will be by noon Saturday and they'll work in tandem with local law enforcement.The protests began after a white Minneapolis police officer kneeled on the neck of a black man, George Floyd, while arresting him despite Floyd saying he couldn't breathe. Floyd later died. The officer, Derek Chauvin, was arrested and with third-degree murder and manslaughter Friday, but the demonstrations are .The protests began peacefully, but tensions increased over the course of the week, and several properties were damaged, which is why Walz felt it was necessary to bring in the Guard. The governor also said there are reports that white supremacist groups and drug cartels have take advantage of the situation and may have incited violence. In fact, he estimates that 80 percent of the people arrested Friday were from out of state, suggesting that those behind the destruction were separate from the catalysts of the initial protests, though some observers local officials often blame outsiders for civil unrest."We understand the catalyst for this was Minnesotans..." said the state would begin "releasing" the identities of increasingly violent out-of-state demonstrators who've joined Minnesotans in protesting the death of— Bloomberg QuickTake (@QuickTake)Many participants in Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement President Trump's announcement Friday that the U.S. would begin to end its special relationship with Hong Kong after China moved forward with new national security laws that threaten the city's autonomy.Trump's decision, if he goes through with it, would mean Hong Kong would become subject to the same trade restrictions Washington has imposed on China. As things stand, Hong Kong trades freely with the U.S. and it's built a reputation as one of the world's great financial hubs. Protesters understand that losing those exemptions could be bad news economically-speaking, but they believe it's a risk worth taking and are willing to face financial hardships if Beijing is hit hard by the measure.But not everyone thinks it's worth it. Claudia Mo, a pro-democracy Hong Kong lawmaker, it looks like her city is "being made a new Berlin" in a "new Cold War" between Beijing and Washington, referring to the German city that was formally divided along pro-Western and pro-Soviet lines from the end of World War II until German reunification in 1990. "We are caught in the middle of it," she .Mo is also doubtful that China will relent following Trump's threat and will retaliate at some point. "Beijing must have considered the risks and decided it could take them," she . Read more at .Many scenes from Friday's protests across the United States against police brutality and institutional racism spurred by George Floyd's death while in police custody in Minneapolis , but Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shields drew attention for a very different reason.Shields was shown on video engaging with protesters and listening attentively while they calmly explained their grievances. In an interview she the crowd was "understandably upset" by the "appalling" events in Minneapolis, adding that "whether it's by police or other individuals, the reality is we've diminished the value on" the lives of members of African-American communities across the country.This is remarkable— Mara Gay (@MaraGay)This is the kind of police chief I want... One who speaks the truth. Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shields being open & honest on live TV w/ about what happened in Minneapolis— Emily Gagnon (@Emily_Gagnon)In addition to the empathetic message, Shields also proposed some ideas for reforming her profession. "The key is training and weeding out bad cops especially when you see a pattern of bad behavior," she . "I think it's getting engaged with people and getting feedback in real time."The Senate Judiciary committee has come to a bipartisan conclusion after the death of George Floyd.After "the horrific death of George Floyd while in police custody in Minneapolis," the Senate Judiciary committee will conduct a hearing on police use of force, committee chair Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) announced Friday. Both he and Ranking Member Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) "are appalled at what we saw," and will hold the hearing to "shine a bright light on the problems associated" with Floyd's death "with the goal of finding a better way forward for our nation."NEW: Senate Judiciary Cmte. Chairman Graham announces the cmte. will hold a hearing on police use of force:“We intend to shine a bright light on the problems associated with Mr. Floyd’s death, with the goal of finding a better way forward for our nation.”— NBC News (@NBCNews)Earlier Friday, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), the former lead prosecutor for Minneapolis' Hennepin County, she would use her spot on the Judiciary Committee to push for "systematic change to our criminal justice system in Minnesota and across the country."Floyd died Monday after now-fired Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on his neck as he protested "I can't breathe." Chauvin was arrested Friday on third degree manslaughter and murder charges.President Trump gave a Friday press conference that didn't even touch that day's biggest topic.On Friday, Trump announced that he was withdrawing U.S. support from the World Health Organization, reshuffling America's $450 million annual contribution to the WHO to other health groups. Trump went on to China for allegedly covering up the beginnings of the coronavirus pandemic, and claimed the WHO had allowed that cover-up to happen.While Trump had previously praised China for its "transparency" during the COVID-19 crisis, on Friday he a unfounded conspiracy in which the coronavirus "didn't go to Beijing." Trump then noted that China gives $40 million to the WHO compared to the U.S.'s $450 million, but claimed without proof that the organization is controlled by China. The move leaves the WHO without its largest financial backer, .Trump left the conference without taking any questions from the press, which would've presumably been about the ongoing protests in Minneapolis over George Floyd's death in police custody. Trump had tweeted "when the looting starts, the shooting starts," a phrase that some critics linked to a racist Miami police chief who when cracking down on black neighborhoods in the 1960s.The family of George Floyd is demanding stronger charges for the former Minneapolis police officer in connection with Floyd's death. received third-degree murder and manslaughter charges, despite evidently ignoring police training that would have taught that restraining a person in such a way as he did Floyd is "inherently dangerous," ."We want a first-degree murder charge," . "And we want to see the other [three] officers arrested. We call on authorities to revise the charges to reflect the true culpability of this officer."The disturbing complaint describes how Chauvin placed "his left knee in the area of Mr. Floyd's head and neck. Mr. Floyd said, 'I can't breathe' multiple times and repeatedly said 'Mama' and 'please' as well. The defendant [Chauvin] and the other two officers stayed in their positions."Floyd then stopped breathing or speaking. One of the officers checked his pulse and said "I couldn't find one," but Chauvin did not remove his knee for several more minutes. An ambulance eventually arrived; Floyd was pronounced dead at the hospital.Floyd's family is seeking an independent autopsy after the "revealed no physical findings that support a diagnosis of traumatic asphyxia or strangulation" and said Floyd's "underlying health conditions including coronary artery disease and hypertensive heart disease" could have contributed to his death while under police restraint. The report adds that "the defendant had his knee on Mr. Floyd's neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds in total. Two minutes and 53 seconds of this was after Mr. Floyd was non-responsive."President Trump on Friday attempted to clean up his recent comments about the protests in Minneapolis that Twitter said violated its rules but surprisingly left a subsequent event without addressing the situation at all.Trump in a late-night tweet commented on the protests in Minneapolis over the death of George Floyd, saying he may have the National Guard "assume control" and writing, "when the looting starts, the shooting starts," a message that Twitter a warning label to saying it violated its rules against glorifying violence. On Friday afternoon, Trump claimed that he meant to say that "looting leads to shooting" but that "I don't want this to happen," confusingly adding that this was "spoken as a fact, not as a statement."Looting leads to shooting, and that’s why a man was shot and killed in Minneapolis on Wednesday night - or look at what just happened in Louisville with 7 people shot. I don’t want this to happen, and that’s what the expression put out last night means....— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump)....It was spoken as a fact, not as a statement. It’s very simple, nobody should have any problem with this other than the haters, and those looking to cause trouble on social media. Honor the memory of George Floyd!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump)The president shortly after spoke at a supposed news conference in the Rose Garden, and aides had said plans were in place for him to address the protests in Minneapolis, . Instead, he left without answering a single question or addressing Minneapolis at all, and Westwood writes it "remains unclear" why the plans apparently changed. seeing Trump leave without talking about the situation Minneapolis as "stunning."2020 The Week Publications Inc., All rights reserved.

Special reports:MenuSee More Speed ReadsAs protests against police brutality and institutional racism flared up across the United States on Friday, many turned contentious. Protesters in major cities set fire to police cars and buildings while several incidents in which police officers appeared to escalate violence were captured on social media.In Brooklyn, the passenger door of a police car driving by protesters was flung open, hitting one of the demonstrators, and another officer was throwing a female protester to the ground. She ultimately wound up in the hospital.Police car just drove...

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Videos show police officers escalating violence during protests

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