Reforms pushed in Texas as trial nears in George Floyd death
FILE - In this Monday, June 8, 2020, file photo, local residents and alumni of Jack Yates High School take part in a candlelight vigil to honor George Floyd, in Houston. The George Floyd Act was scheduled to get its first hearing in the Texas Capitol on Thursday, March 25, 2021. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)AUSTIN, Texas – Outside of George Floyd's public memorial last summer in Texas, Republican Gov. Earlier this month in Congress, House Democrats passed the most ambitious effort in decades to overhaul policing nationwide under the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. Ad___Find AP’s full coverage of the death of George Floyd: https://apnews.com/hub/death-of-george-floyd
Floyd's death spurs question: What is a black life worth?
In this June 1, 2020, photo, people gather near the Cup Foods grocery store where George Floyd died in Minneapolis. And for George Floyd, it was an accusation he used a fake $20 bill at a grocery store. The Movement for Black Lives is behind a push for local communities to defund police departments nationwide, and reinvest in struggling black communities to address economic inequality and disparities in education and health care. That is a big piece that I think we need to focus on.Last week, Floyds family forwarded their pleas for racial justice to the United Nations. Nekima Levy Armstrong, a civil rights lawyer and former president of the Minneapolis NAACP, said the demand that black lives are valued like white lives must begin at the community level.
The Latest: Australians draw parallels to inequality in U.S.
(AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)The Latest on the May 25 death in Minneapolis of George Floyd, a handcuffed black man who pleaded for air as a white police officer pressed a knee on his neck:TOP OF THE HOUR: Australians rally, draw parallels to inequality in U.S. Protesters take to New York City streets after curfew, again. Protesters in South Korea condemn what they described as U.S. police brutality toward demonstrators. ___CANBERRA, Australia -- Thousands gathered in Australias capital on Friday to remind citizens that the racial inequality underscored by George Floyds death was not unique to the United States. ___NEW YORK -- Protesters stayed on the streets of New York City after curfew for another day Thursday, spurred by the death of George Floyd. ___WASHINGTON Protests in the nations capital over George Floyds death broke up before dark Thursday as a heavy rain began to fall.
Attorney General: Divide between blacks, police must change
Federal officers stand outside the Department of Justice as Attorney General William Barr speaks during a virtual press conference inside the building Thursday, June 4, 2020, in Washington. But he vowed that the Justice Department would do its part to investigate and prosecute civil rights crimes. I believe that police chiefs and law enforcement officials and leaders around the country are committed to ensuring that racism plays no part in law enforcement, and that everyone receives equal protection of the laws, Barr said. President Donald Trump has called Floyds killing a terrible, terrible thing that happened and called on the Justice Department to expedite its investigation of his death. Federal agents have made 51 riot-related arrests, Barr said, and 114 law enforcement officers have been injured in protests in Washington.