Labor Day protests took place across the country 100 days after George Floyd’s death
This Labor Day weekend, as the summer fades nearly 100 days later, his death and the experiences of other Black people during interactions with police continue to spur protests across the country.
In Louisville, Kentucky, protesters demonstrated over the killing of Breonna Taylor; in Rochester, New York, for justice in the killing of Daniel Prude; and in Portland, Oregon, where they have often become violent.
Here’s a look at the weekend’s social movements and demonstrations.
Video of a fatal police encounter in Rochester that was released on Wednesday spurred protests over the weekend as demonstrators accused police and local leaders of a cover-up.
Back in March, Rochester police officers put a so-called “spit sock” over Daniel Prude’s head and pinned him to the ground in a prone position as he was in the midst of a mental health crisis. Prude stopped breathing and was declared brain dead at the hospital, and he died a week later.
An autopsy declared his death was a homicide and the medical examiner’s report cited complications of asphyxia in a setting of physical restraint as a cause of death. The report also cited excited delirium and acute PCP intoxication as causes.
But the details of his death only became public this week when his family’s attorneys released the video.
Friday night’s protest ended with authorities dispersing the crowds with tear gas and pepper balls following incidents of vandalism and violence, officials said. 11 people were arrested and three officers were hurt, police said.
On Saturday, police arrested at least nine people for charges including possession of a weapon, rioting, assault against an officer and unlawful assembly, according to a preliminary report from police.
There were no arrests in Sunday’s protests after the mayor called for restraint from both police and protesters. Partly that was due to community “elders” in attendance who formed a buffer line between about 1,000 protesters and police.
Louisville, Kentucky
Activists demanding justice for the police killing of Breonna Taylor protested Saturday near the 146th Kentucky Derby in Louisville.
The Justice and Freedom Coalition, one of several groups that organized the protest, said demonstrators aimed to shift attention from America’s most famous horse race to Taylor’s case.
Protesters met a couple hours before post time on Saturday at South Central Park, less than a mile from Churchill Downs Racetrack in Louisville, and began marching there, said Timothy Findley, a founder of the coalition.
Far-right counterprotesters, many of them armed, also marched in Louisville and the two groups did clash. At least three people were arrested Saturday in relation to the protests, Louisville Metro Police Department Assistant Chief LaVita Chavous said. But none of the arrests were made at the location of the confrontations between protesters and counterprotesters.
Louisville Metro Police Department officers fatally shot Taylor on March 13 while executing a “no-knock” search warrant at her apartment. Gunfire broke out after her boyfriend fired at plainclothes officers he believed were intruders. Taylor, a 26-year-old EMT who was unarmed, was killed by police in the barrage of gunfire.
Two officers involved are on administrative duty while a third officer was fire. None of the officers has been charged with a crime and an investigation into the incident led by Kentucky’s attorney general is ongoing.
Portland, Oregon
Portland police arrested more than 50 people during fiery demonstrations on Saturday night, the 100th night of protests in the city since Floyd’s death.
The arrests came after some people in the crowd threw “multiple fire bombs” at officers, one of which set a community member on fire, police said. Officers located the injured person, who was treated by Portland Fire and Rescue and then taken to a hospital in a private vehicle, police said.
Another 15 people were arrested Sunday night after demonstrators marched to the North Precinct Community Policing Center and set several mattresses on fire, the department said in a press release.
Portland has had a tumultuous week, capping off a summer of protests and, at times, rioting. Last Saturday, a supporter of a right-wing group was shot and killed in Portland during a day of clashes between pro-Trump groups and left-wing protesters. On Thursday night, authorities then shot and killed the man suspected in that murder as they moved to arrest him in Washington state.
CNN’s Alaa Elassar, Artemis Moshtaghian, Alanne Orjoux, Polo Sandoval and Alta Spells contributed to this report.
