Historic Protests Continue, Forcing Changes

Protests over police violence against people of color have continued for nearly two weeks, following the police killing of a black man in Minneapolis. The protests are among the largest seen in the US since the 1960s, and have led to similar protests around the world.

Though most protests have been peaceful, there was also some violence and looting, especially soon after Mr. Floyd’s death. In response to the protests, there have been many cases of violence by the police.

US President Donald Trump has encouraged a strong show of force against the protesters. Last week he brought National Guard soldiers into Washington, D.C. He thought the city’s police needed help controlling the protesters. The city’s mayor disagreed.

Other leaders have encouraged the protesters, and even joined them. Over the weekend, there were large protests across the US, including Minneapolis, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Miami, New York City, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C.

In the US, people are allowed to protest peacefully. It’s one of the rights protected by the country’s “Bill of Rights”. The US is proud of this, and the US government has sometimes complained about the way other countries treat their protesters.

For example, over the last year, the US has largely taken the side of the protesters in Hong Kong. There, the police have often used violence, though some protesters were also violent.

Now, the strong police reaction to the protests, along with Mr. Trump’s eagerness to use force, has given countries like China and Russia the opportunity to criticize the treatment of protesters in the US.

But concern about police violence against people of color has struck home in other countries around the world. There have been large protests in many countries, including Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, South Korea, and the United Kingdom.

Many protesters are suggesting taking money away from police departments. People in favor of this idea believe that police spend too much money on things like body armor, shields, helmets, and army-style weapons. Above, police in Hollywood, Florida on June 7.

One of the big ideas being pushed by protesters is taking money away from police departments. People in favor of this idea believe that police spend too much money on things like body armor, shields, helmets, and army-style weapons.

Police are meant to protect the communities they serve – not fight them. But some people say that when police are dressed and armed like soldiers, it’s not surprising if they treat protesters like enemies. For this reason, some people want to train police to work with their communities and lower tensions.

Police are meant to protect the communities they serve – not fight them. Some people want to train police to work with their communities and lower tensions. Above, a police officer talks with a protester in Hollywood, Florida on June 7.

There have been protests in the US over police violence against people of color before – from the beginning of the Black Lives Matter movement in 2014, back to the 1992 riots over the beating of Rodney King, and back even further.

But there are some reasons to believe that the protests are making a bigger difference this time. Already, several cities and states are changing the rules for police.

On Monday, Democrats  in Congress  are expected to introduce new bills tackling police violence and the unfair treatment of people of color. The ideas behind the bills were created by the Congressional Black Caucus, a group of over 50 black members of the Senate and the House of Representatives.