 |
| ~ Protests in Memory of George Floyd in The City of Brotherly Love ~ |
DEMONSTRATORS FLOCK INTO CENTER CITY PHILADELPHIA
Saturday’s eighth day of protests in Philadelphia over police brutality against Black Americans in the wake of the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis began with a massive, yet largely, peaceful noon gathering at the Art Museum. More than 14,000 had responded to a Facebook post that they planned to attend.
As the crowd began moving toward City Hall about 1:15 p.m., one of the protesters, who identified herself as Jasmine, held a painting she created in honor of the 1985 MOVE bombing in West Philadelphia. She said there’s a clear connection between the city’s actions during the bombing then and what demonstrators are protesting today.
George Floyd protests
The George Floyd protests in Philadelphia are a series of ongoing protests occurring in the City of Philadelphia. Unrest in the city began as a response to the killing of George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis on May 25, 2020. Numerous protests, rallies and marches have taken place in Philadelphia in solidarity with protestors in Minneapolis and across the United States. These demonstrations call for justice for Floyd and protest police brutality. After several days of protests, Philadelphia leadership joined other major cities, including Chicago in instituting a curfew, beginning Saturday, May 30, at 8 p.m.
Main article: Killing of George Floyd
On May 25, 2020, George Floyd, an African-American man, was killed in the Powderhorn community of Minneapolis, Minnesota. While Floyd was handcuffed and lying face down on a city street during an arrest, Derek Chauvin, a white American Minneapolis police officer, kept his knee on the right side of Floyd's neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds; according to the criminal complaint against Chauvin, 2 minutes and 53 seconds of that time occurred after Floyd became unresponsive. Officers Tou Thao, J. Alexander Kueng, and Thomas K. Lane participated in Floyd's arrest, with Kueng holding Floyd's back, Lane holding his legs, and Thao looking on and preventing intervention by an onlooker as he stood nearby.
Floyd's death is one of many widely-publicized killings of African-American men in the United States by police. The killing has been compared to the 2014 death of Eric Garner. Garner, also an unarmed black man, repeated "I can't breathe" eleven times after being placed in a chokehold by a New York police officer during an arrest in Staten Island, New York.
In response to the killing, protests began in Minneapolis, and later spread across the United States, including to Philadelphia.
May 30
Protests began outside Philadelphia City Hall at noon. At City Hall, protestors knelt and engaged in nine minutes of silence, referencing the amount of time Chauvin knelt on Floyd's neck. At around 1 p.m., protestors marched from City Hall to the Philadelphia Museum of Art for a planned 2 p.m. demonstration. Around 5 p.m. many of the protesters walked onto I-676, halting traffic in both directions. Police then used tear gas and pepper spray to disperse the crowd. At it's height, the crowd of protestors was estimated to number 3,000 to 5,000.
Later protests included the burning of several police vehicles. Several businesses in Center City Philadelphia were looted and a large fire broke out in a three-story building at 17th Street and Walnut Street. A statue of Frank Rizzo, a former mayor and police commissioner known for his open racism and enthusiastic support for police violence, was spray-painted, and unsuccessful attempts were made to tear it down. Removal of the statue has been discussed by Philadelphia officials since at least 2017. A total of 13 police officers were injured and at least 14 people were arrested. A police officer was hit by a car while attempting to stop looters at 7th Street and Chestnut Street; the officer was taken to the hospital with a broken arm and other injuries. Mayor Jim Kenney issued a curfew effective at 8 p.m. on Saturday night.
May 31
The Pennsylvania National Guard was called into Philadelphia during the second day of protests. Workers and volunteers cleaned broken windows and trash in Center City. Streets in Center City were closed to traffic. Looting and destruction spread to other parts of the city including Northeast Philadelphia, North Philadelphia, and West Philadelphia. Police cars were set on fire in West Philadelphia. A curfew went into effect at 6 p.m.
June 1
Hundreds of protesters blocked traffic on Interstate 676 (Vine Street Expressway) and led to the shutdown of the Benjamin Franklin Bridge. This prompted police to fire rubber bullets and tear gas on the protesters. Police arrested two dozen arrested after a second group of protesters attempted to shut down the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, and restrained others while pepper spraying them in the eyes. A curfew went into effect at 6 p.m.
June 2
Some streets in Center City Philadelphia were closed to traffic. Hundreds of people participated in peaceful protests through the streets of the city. In the Fishtown neighborhood, police officers hugged and kneeled alongside protesters. A curfew went into effect at 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday night.
A looter was fatally shot by the owner of a gun shop, while trying to break into the store. Another looter was killed either in the explosion of an ATM machine he blew up or after being shot by police as he attempted to run away with the money he took from the exploded ATM.
June 3
In the early morning, the statue of former Philadelphia mayor Frank Rizzo was removed from the steps of the Municipal Services Building and placed in secure storage at the Department of Public Property. Current mayor Jim Kenney commented, "The statue is a deplorable monument to racism, bigotry, and police brutality for members of the Black community, the LGBTQ community, and many others. The treatment of these communities under Mr. Rizzo's leadership was among the worst periods in Philadelphia's history." More peaceful protests occurred in the city on June 3, with streets in Center City Philadelphia closed and a curfew in effect at 6 p.m.
In the early morning, the statue of former Philadelphia mayor Frank Rizzo was removed from the steps of the Municipal Services Building and placed in secure storage at the Department of Public Property. Current mayor Jim Kenney commented, "The statue is a deplorable monument to racism, bigotry, and police brutality for members of the Black community, the LGBTQ community, and many others. The treatment of these communities under Mr. Rizzo's leadership was among the worst periods in Philadelphia's history." More peaceful protests occurred in the city on June 3, with streets in Center City Philadelphia closed and a curfew in effect at 6 p.m.
No comments:
Post a Comment