United States racial unrest (2020–present)

2020 United States racial unrest
Part of the Black Lives Matter movement
Clockwise from top: Protest near the Justice Center in Portland, Oregon Protesters in Minneapolis, Minnesota where the unrest began A burnt-out car dealership in Kenosha The self-declared Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone The Minneapolis Police's 3rd Precinct set ablaze by protesters Protesters with shields and hastily-made barricades advance on the PPB North Precinct US National Guard troops behind concrete barricades in Kenosha
Date	May 26, 2020 – present (4 years, 3 months, 2 weeks and 6 days)
Location	United States Limited unrest outside the US
Caused by	Several deaths related to police activity, notably the killing of George Floyd, while being arrested by Minneapolis Police, Police brutality, Lack of police accountability, Inequality and racism
Methods	Protests, Demonstrations, Riots, Looting, Civil disobedience, Civil resistance, Strike action
Status	Ongoing Federal forces began to be deployed in June 2020 Operation Legend began in July 2020
Concessions	Budget cuts and reforms for several police departments approved in several cities Executive Order on Safe Policing for Safe Communities signed on June 16, 2020 Plans to disband the Minneapolis Police Department announced; provision for a city charter amendment passed by the Minneapolis City Council Referendum on city charter amendment revision originally announced for November 2020, but would later be postponed
Parties
US Government US Army DOJ DHS FBI Law enforcement Counterprotesters: Blue Lives Matter QAnon Movement Three Percenters Patriot Prayer Proud Boys Other groups Other: Boogaloo movement Patriot Front Protesters: Black Lives Matter Antifa NBPP NFAC PSJBGC Other groups Other: Boogaloo movement
Casualties
Death(s)	Total: 40 Protests: 32 George Floyd protests: 30 Kenosha protests: 2 Incidents with police: 6 Killing of George Floyd Killing of Rayshard Brooks Shooting of Breonna Taylor Shooting of Deon Kay Death of Daniel Prude Shooting of Dijon Kizee Other: 2 Boogaloo killings: 2
Injuries	5,000+ 700 Police officers 61 Secret Service agents
Arrested	Over 15,000
Property damage	Over $650 million

The 2020 United States racial unrest is an ongoing wave of civil unrest, comprising of protests and riots, against perceived systemic racism towards black people, especially killings by police officers, in the United States. It is apart of the nationwide Black Lives Matter movement. Large demonstrations initially broke out following the killing of George Floyd, while under under arrest by Minneapolis police officers, on May 26. At the same time, protests also broke out over the killing of Breonna Taylor. Unrest occurred in over 60 American cities, and smaller protests also emerged outside of the USA. More localized unrest also emerged following the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, the killing of Rayshard Brooks in Atlanta, and the killing of Daniel Prude, in Rochester.

Smaller demonstrations and clashes have also broken out, as apart of the broader unrest, driven by left-wing and right-wing groups, such as Antifa and the Three Percenters.

Background

Allegations of police brutality in the United States

Further information: Police brutality in the United States, Crime in the United States, and Race and crime in the United States

Frequent cases of police misconduct and fatal use of force by law enforcement officers in the U.S., particularly against African Americans, have long led the civil rights movement and other activists to protest against the lack of police accountability in incidents involving excessive force. Many protests during the civil rights movement were a response to police brutality, including the 1965 Watts riots which resulted in the deaths of 34 people, mostly African Americans. The largest post-civil rights movement protest in the 20th Century was the 1992 Los Angeles riots, which were in response to the acquittal of police officers responsible for excessive force against Rodney King, an African American man.

In 2014, the shooting of Michael Brown by police in Ferguson, Missouri resulted in local protests and unrest while the death of Eric Garner in New York City resulted in numerous national protests. After Eric Garner and George Floyd repeatedly said "I can't breathe" during their arrests, the phrase became a protest slogan against police brutality. In 2015 the death of Freddie Gray in Baltimore police custody resulted in riots in the city and nationwide protests as part of the Black Lives Matter movement. Several nationally publicized incidents occurred in Minnesota, including the 2015 shooting of Jamar Clark in Minneapolis; the 2016 shooting of Philando Castile in Falcon Heights; and the 2017 shooting of Justine Damond. In 2016, Tony Timpa was killed by Dallas police officers in the same way as George Floyd. In March 2020, the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor by police executing a no knock warrant at her Kentucky apartment was also widely publicized.

Killing of George Floyd

Main article: Killing of George Floyd

According to a police statement, on May 25, 2020, at 8:08 p.m. CDT, Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) officers responded to a 9-1-1 call regarding a "forgery in progress" on Chicago Avenue South in Powderhorn, Minneapolis. MPD Officers Thomas K. Lane and J. Alexander Kueng arrived with their body cameras turned on. A store employee told officers that the man was in a nearby car. Officers approached the car and ordered George Floyd, a 46-year-old African American man, who according to police "appeared to be under the influence," to exit the vehicle, at which point he "physically resisted." According to the MPD, officers "were able to get the suspect into handcuffs, and noted he appeared to be suffering medical distress. Officers called for an ambulance." Once Floyd was handcuffed, he and Officer Lane walked to the sidewalk. Floyd sat on the ground at Officer Lane's direction. In a short conversation, the officer asked Floyd for his name and identification, explaining that he was being arrested for passing counterfeit currency, and asked if he was "on anything." According to the report officers Kueng and Lane attempted to help Floyd to their squad car, but at 8:14 p.m., Floyd stiffened up and fell to the ground. Soon, MPD Officers Derek Chauvin and Tou Thao arrived in a separate squad car. The officers made several more failed attempts to get Floyd into the squad car.

Floyd, who was still handcuffed, went to the ground face down. Officer Kueng held Floyd's back and Lane held his legs. Chauvin placed his left knee in the area of Floyd's head and neck. A Facebook Live livestream recorded by a bystander showed Officer Derek Chauvin kneeling on Floyd's neck. Floyd repeatedly tells Chauvin "Please" and "I can't breathe," while a bystander is heard telling the police officer, "You got him down. Let him breathe." After some time, a bystander points out that Floyd was bleeding from his nose while another bystander tells the police that Floyd is "not even resisting arrest right now," to which the police tell the bystanders that Floyd was "talking, he's fine." A bystander replies saying Floyd "ain't fine." A bystander then protests that the police were preventing Floyd from breathing, urging them to "get him off the ground ... You could have put him in the car by now. He's not resisting arrest or nothing." Floyd then goes silent and motionless. Chauvin does not remove his knee until an ambulance arrives. Emergency medical services put Floyd on a stretcher. Not only had Chauvin knelt on Floyd's neck for about seven minutes (including four minutes after Floyd stopped moving) but another video showed an additional two officers had also knelt on Floyd while another officer watched.

Although the police report stated that medical services were requested prior to the time Floyd was placed in handcuffs, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, Emergency Medical Services arrived at the scene six minutes after getting the call. Medics were unable to detect a pulse, and Floyd was pronounced dead at the hospital. An autopsy of Floyd was conducted on May 26, and the next day, the preliminary report by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office was published, stating "no physical findings that support a diagnosis of traumatic asphyxia or strangulation." Floyd's underlying health conditions included coronary artery disease and hypertensive heart disease. The initial report said that "[t]he combined effects of Mr. Floyd being restrained by the police, his underlying health conditions and any potential intoxicants in his system likely contributed to his death." The medical examiner further said Floyd was "high on fentanyl and had recently used methamphetamine at the time of his death."

On June 1, a private autopsy commissioned by the family of Floyd ruled the death a homicide and found that Floyd had died due to asphyxiation from sustained pressure, which conflicted with the original autopsy report done earlier that week. Shortly after, the official post-mortem declared Floyd's death a homicide. Video footage of Officer Derek Chauvin applying 8 minutes 15 seconds of sustained pressure to Floyd's neck generated global attention and raised questions about the use of force by law enforcement.

On May 26, Chauvin and the other three officers were fired. He was charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter; the former charge was later changed to second-degree murder.

Major protests and riots

According to the Washington Post database of every fatal shooting by an on-duty police officer in the United States, as of August 31, 2020, 9 unarmed black people had been shot by police in 2020. As of that date the database lists four people of unknown race, 11 white people, 3 Hispanic people, and 1 person of "other" race who were shot while unarmed. Black people, who account for less than 13% of the American population, are killed by police at a disproportionate rate, being killed at more than twice the rate of white people.

According to a data set and analysis released by the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED) at the beginning of September, there were more than 10,600 demonstration events across the country between May 24 and August 22 associated with all causes: Black Lives Matter, counter-protests, COVID-19-pandemic-related protests, and others. Black Lives Matter related protests peaked in number sharply at the end of May after Floyd's killing, declining to dozens per week by September, and are characterized as "an overwhelmingly peaceful movement" with more than 93% of protests involving no incidents of violence nor destructive activity. However, large scale looting did occur in Minneapolis, immediately after the death of George Floyd.

Breonna Taylor protests, March 13

Main article: Shooting of Breonna Taylor § Protests

On March 13, Breonna Taylor was shot and killed. Demonstrations over her death began in May 2020, and lasted into August. One person was shot and killed during the protests.

Daniel Prude protests, March 22

Main articles: Killing of Daniel Prude and Rochester protests

On March 22, Daniel Prude was killed by Rochester, New York police officers in what was found by the county medical examiner to be a homicide caused through "complications of asphyxia in the setting of physical restraint". On September 2, the release of a police body camera video and written reports surrounding his death provoked protests in Rochester.

George Floyd protests, May 25

Main article: George Floyd protests

The major catalyst of the unrest was the killing of George Floyd on May 25. Though it was not the first controversial killing of a black person in 2020, it sparked a much wider series of global protests and riots which continued into August 2020. There have been a large number of deaths related to the protests.

Rayshard Brooks protests, June 12

Main article: Killing of Rayshard Brooks § Reactions

Further unrest occurred as a result of the killing of Rayshard Brooks on June 12. An 8-year-old girl was shot and killed during the protests.

Stone Mountain Incident, August 15

In Stone Mountain, armed and pro-Confederate demonstrators affiliated with the Three Percenters arrived to protect the Confederate monument, with their operation dubbed “Defend Stone Mountain”. They were met and vastly outnumbered by the left-wing counterprotesters (many were armed as well), who began pushing them out of the town before The DeKalb County Police Department dispersed both parties.

Portland “Back the Blue” Rally, August 22

The Downtown Portland “Back the Blue” Rally, organized by members of the Proud Boys and QAnon Movement, sparked huge amounts of violence perpetrated by both the right-wing protesters and the left-wing counterprotesters. Within an hour of meeting eachother, both sides began pushing, punching, paint-balling, and macing eachother. There was one incident where a right-wing protester (who was apart of the Proud Boys) pulled a gun at left-wing protesters, but it was quickly resolved with no injuries or deaths.

Kenosha protests, August 23

Main article: Kenosha protests

The shooting of Jacob Blake on August 23 sparked the protests in a number of American cities. Two protesters were shot and killed in an incident during the protests.

Minneapolis downtown riot, August 26

Main article: Minneapolis downtown riot

The Minneapolis downtown riot was an instance of civil unrest which occurred in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The protests, riots, and looting occurred after false rumors that 38 year old Eddie Sole Jr was shot and killed by police. Surveillance video showed that Mr. Sole had actually commited suicide with a gunshot to the head during a manhunt for a homicide suspect in which he was the person of interest. Controversially, the police released the CCTV Camera footage of the suicide in attempts to stop the unrest.

Dijon Kizzee protests, August 31

Main article: Shooting of Dijon Kizzee

Dijon Kizzee, a cyclist was shot and killed in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Westmont on Aug 31 by deputies of the Los Angeles Police Department. For days, protesters gathered outside the heavily guarded South Los Angeles sheriff’s station in tense but peaceful demonstrations. By September 6, those demonstrations escalated to clashes, with deputies firing projectiles and tear gas at the crowds and arresting 35 people over four nights of unrest.

Deon Kay protests, September 2

On September 2, Deon Kay, an 18-year old man, was shot and killed by a police officer in Washington, D.C. Later that day, protesters started gathering outside of the Seventh District Metropolitan Police Department building.

Themes and demands

"Defund the police"

Main articles: Defund the police and Police abolition movement

Activists in the unrest have used the slogan "defund the police", calling for divestment in policing.

Statue removal

Main article: List of monuments and memorials removed during the George Floyd protests

Protesters have called for the removal of statues commemorating historical figures who are perceived as racist by modern standards. Generally those depicted in the statues were responsible for human right violations. A number were either removed by authorities, or vandalized and toppled by protesters.

Deaths

As of September 12, 2020, 34 people have been killed during the course of civil unrest in the United States. Another six have been killed in incidents involving police officers, leading to protests.

May

May 27: In Minneapolis, one mile (1.6 km) from the main protest site, Calvin Horton Jr. died after being fatally shot at a pawn shop that was being looted. The owner of the pawn shop was initially arrested in connection with incident, but he was later released without charges and the case remained open as of late June 2020. Also on May 27, a man known as "Umbrella Man" dressed in black clothes and gas mask, carrying an umbrella and sledgehammer, was recorded on video breaking windows of an AutoZone store, spray painting graffiti, and encouraging looting. Some protesters confronted him and asked him to stop. Initial claims that the "Umbrella Man" was a Saint Paul police officer were debunked by surveillance video released by the Saint Paul Police Department. Police later received an anonymous tip via email that the man may be a 32-year-old man with ties to white supremacist organizations, according to an affidavit obtained by the media. However, the suspect in question has not been charged and the identity of the "Umbrella Man" remains unconfirmed.

May 28: In Minneapolis, on July 20, federal and state authorities recovered a body—which appeared to have suffered thermal injuries—at a local pawnshop that was torched during protests a month prior. Max It Pawn, located several blocks east of the city's third precinct station and in an area of heavy rioting, was destroyed by fire on May 28. In June, a 25-year-old man from Rochester, Minnesota was federally charged with arson for the fire at the pawn shop.

May 29

• In Downtown Detroit, a 21-year-old man was killed when his car was fired upon. He was shot in the middle of police brutality demonstrations, although police claimed the incident had no connection to the protests.
• In Oakland, California, amid unrest, a Federal Protective Service officer, David Patrick Underwood, was fatally shot outside a federal courthouse in a drive-by attack that also wounded another guard. Underwood had been providing security at the courthouse during a protest. The Department of Homeland Security labeled the shooting an act of domestic terrorism. Boogaloo movement member Steven Carrillo was charged with the murder on June 16. He was also implicated in the murder of a Santa Cruz County deputy. The white van allegedly used in the murder had "Boog" and "I became unreasonable" written in blood on the vehicle's hood. Investigators also found Boogaloo symbols including a ballistic vest with a US flag with an igloo instead of stars.
• In Minneapolis, a woman's body with visible trauma was found in the backseat of a car in an area that had been overrun with violence during the overnight hours. Police initiated a suspicious death investigation in response to the suspected killing on May 29th.

May 30

• In St. Louis, Missouri, 29-year-old protester Barry Perkins died after being run over by a FedEx truck that was fleeing from looters.
• In Omaha, Nebraska, 22-year-old protester James Scurlock was fatally shot outside of a bar. The shooter was Jacob Gardner, the bar-owner, who had a scuffle with some protesters and fired several shots, one of which killed Scurlock; the altercation outside and shooting were caught on surveillance video. Two days later, authorities announced that there would be no charges for the bar's owner and that he had opened fire in self-defense. However, after pushback, the matter was referred to a grand jury for review.

May 31

• In Kansas City, Missouri, 50-year-old Marvin Francois was shot and killed by robbers while picking up one of his sons from a protest.
• In Chicago, 32-year-old John Tiggs was fatally struck in the abdomen by shots fired inside a Metro by T-Mobile store while walking into the building to pay his bill during lootings in the city's South Side.
• In Riverside, Illinois, 22-year old Myqwon Blanchard from Chicago was fatally shot by a gunman during the looting of the North Riverside Park Mall.
• In Indianapolis, two people were fatally shot in the vicinity of protests or riots downtown. One of them was 18-year-old Dorian Murrell, killed around 2:30am on June 1; a 29-year-old man turned himself in to the police, maintaining Murrell had pushed him down, and was subsequently charged with murder on June 2. The other was 38-year-old Chris Beaty, a local business owner, who was shot shortly before midnight May 31.

June

June 1

• In Louisville, local restaurateur David McAtee was killed as a Louisville Metro Police and Kentucky National Guard curfew patrol fired at him. Authorities stated that the patrol returned gunfire after McAtee fired at them. McAtee's gunshot occurred after the patrol appeared to fire a pepper ball into McAtee's restaurant, nearly striking his niece in the head. According to McAtee's sister, the gathering was not a protest but rather a regularly scheduled social gathering at which McAtee served food from his barbecue restaurant. An investigation of the killing is ongoing. LMPD Chief Steve Conrad was fired later that day, as officers and troops involved in the shooting did not wear or failed to activate body cameras. Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer admitted that the city had shown an "inability to apply [curfew] evenly."
• In Davenport, Iowa, two people were fatally shot on a night with significant rioting. One of the victims was 22-year-old Italia Marie Kelly, killed in an apparent random shooting as she was leaving a demonstration. Another person, Marquis M. Tousant, was found dead at the scene of an ambush on an unmarked police truck that left a police officer wounded.
• In Cicero, Illinois, two men were fatally shot in separate incidents following an "afternoon of unrest"; this was confirmed by Cicero Police. Town spokesman Ray Hanania said the shots were fired by "outside agitators." The two men were both described as bystanders and were identified as 28-year-old Jose Gutierrez and 27-year-old Victor Cazares Jr.
• In Las Vegas, police shot and killed Jorge Gomez, who was walking among protesters and reportedly reached for his firearm when he was shot.

June 2

• In Philadelphia, two deaths occurred during the fourth day of unrest. A man in his twenties was fatally shot by the owner of the gun shop Firing Line Inc., while trying to break into the store in the south section of the city. Mayor Jim Kenney said he was "deeply troubled" by the killing and that he did not condone vigilantism. In a separate incident, a 24-year-old man was severely injured after attempting to use an explosive device to destroy an ATM machine. He was rushed to a local hospital before being pronounced dead.
• In St. Louis, 77-year-old retired police captain David Dorn was shot and killed by looters at a pawn shop. The shooting was streamed on Facebook Live.

• In Vallejo, California, Sean Monterrosa, a 22-year-old man, was shot and killed by police while on his knees. Monterrosa lifted his hands, which revealed a 15-inch hammer tucked in his pocket police said they mistook for a handgun. A police officer in a vehicle then fired on him five times through the windshield. Monterrosa later died at a local hospital. The police were responding to a call over alleged looting at a Walgreens, according to police chief Shawny Williams. The day after his death police revealed that "there had been an 'officer-involved shooting'" at a press conference, yet declined to offer further details, including the name of the officer involved. The event reportedly sparked intense outrage in the Bay Area, particularly in Vallejo, which was identified as having a long history of police violence, excessive force complaints, and high-profile killings like the shooting of Willie McCoy.

June 3–29

June 3: In Bakersfield, California, Robert Forbes, a 50-year-old man was killed after being struck by a vehicle while marching between California Avenue and Oak Street. The incident was caught on video and distributed widely on social media. Forbes was transported to Kern Medical Center, where he remained in critical condition for three days before dying. Police deny that Forbes was hit intentionally, while others dispute this claim. The police did not restrain the driver with handcuffs and allowed him to smoke a cigarette, which caused indignation on social media. A candlelight vigil was held for Forbes on June 6.

June 6: Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Department deputies arrived at the residence of Carrillo, previously responsible for the murder of a security guard in Oakland, in Ben Lomond, California. In response, Carrillo fired at the deputies with an AR-15 style rifle, seriously injuring one deputy and killing Sheriff Sgt. Damon Gutzwiller. Two nearby California Highway Patrol officers responded to the scene, and were met with gunfire, wounding one officer. Deputies and officers were also attacked with improvised explosive devices.

During the shootout, Carrillo was hit and fled on foot to a nearby highway where he hijacked a car. He abandoned the car minutes later. According to the criminal complaint against him, Carrillo scrawled messages in his own blood on the hijacked car that said "I became unreasonable", "stop the duopoly", and "Boog".

Carrillo tried to take another car from where it was parked at a home, but was restrained by the homeowner and another civilian. Carrillo was arrested in connection with the attack.

June 20: In Seattle, a 19-year-old man, Lorenzo Anderson, was killed and another person was hospitalized with life-threatening injuries after being fired on multiple times inside the city's Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone. Police stated they were denied entry to the area to render aid; instead, Capitol Hill Organized Protest medics took the two victims to Harborview Medical Center. A later investigation by KUOW showed that miscommunication between Seattle Police and Seattle Fire delayed city response to the victim.

June 27: A shooting occurred at Jefferson Square Park in downtown Louisville, Kentucky during a protest. A 27-year-old photographer who supported the protests against racism and police brutality was killed. Another person was injured. Overnight camping at the park was banned after the shooting, and police removed tents from the park. One suspect was arrested, interviewed by homicide detectives, and charged with murder and wanton endangerment. The suspect was hospitalized as he was wounded by gunfire from civilians defending themselves.

June 29: In Seattle, a 16-year-old boy was killed and a 14-year-old was critically injured in their Jeep Grand Cherokee after being shot in the Capitol Hill Organized Protest (CHOP) zone.

July–August

July 4: In Seattle, 24-year-old Summer Taylor died after being hit by a vehicle while protesting on Interstate 5. A second person also hit was in critical condition. A suspect was taken into custody a few hours later after the incident.

July 4: In Atlanta, 8-year-old Secoriea Turner was fatally shot when the driver of an SUV (in which she was a passenger), tried to get past what police say was a "makeshift roadblock manned by various armed individuals" near the site where Rayshard Brooks was killed in June. Police have said as many as four people fired in the shooting that killed Secoriea, but only one has been arrested. 19-year-old Julian Conley, one of the men who had been at the scene, turned himself in to police after his photo was released as a person of interest. Conley said he was armed but did not use his weapon when he witnessed the SUV hit one of the men at the roadblock, who then fired at the vehicle.

July 5: In Indianapolis, 24-year old Jessica Doty Whitaker was killed after she, her fiance, and two other friends got into an argument with another group of people regarding the Black Lives Matter movement. The argument between the two armed groups allegedly began when someone in Whitaker's group used a slang version of the 'N-word.' Whitaker responded to chants of "Black lives matter" by saying "all lives matter," and though her fiance seemingly deescalated the situation, as the two groups were parting, Whitaker was hit by gunfire and later died in the hospital.

July 25: Downtown Austin, 28-year old Garrett Foster was killed in a shooting at a Black Lives Matter protest. The incident happened around 9:52 p.m. near East Sixth Street and Congress Avenue, according to Austin-Travis County EMS. Police said initial reports indicate that Foster was carrying an AK-47 style rifle, and was pushing his fiancee's wheelchair moments before he was killed. Witnesses on the ground reported a driver accelerating their vehicle into a crowd of people. The suspect then pulled out his own firearm and shot Foster. Foster was then taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. The driver accused of shooting Foster was brought in by police for questioning, and his handgun and car were secured for evidence. The driver was released pending further investigation. Two memorials to Foster were built in downtown Austin within 24 hours of his death. On July 28, one of the memorials was defaced by an unidentified person.

August 25: In Kenosha, Wisconsin, during the Kenosha protests, several businesses were attacked and looted, leading to armed civilians appearing to protect them. On August 25, 17 year old Kyle Rittenhouse, who was armed with an AR-15 style rifle, was attacked by a group of protesters, and fired several shots, killing two and injuring one. Video footage later revealed that one of the protesters had been armed with a handgun.

August 29: In Portland, Oregon, Aaron “Jay” Danielson was shot in the chest and killed on the night of August 29, amidst protests and riots in the city. In videos of the incident and its aftermath, two shots can be heard ringing out, and Danielson lying in the street, face-down and motionless. The man who was with Danielson at the time of the shooting claims that Danielson was targeted and killed because of his hat—which had an insignia of Patriot Prayer, a far-right group based in Vancouver, Washington that has clashed with protesters in the past. Michael Forest Reinoehl, responsible for the shooting, and a self-described supporter of Antifa, said, in an Associated Press video interview earlier in the summer, that he had provided security for other protesters.

September

September 3: Michael Forest Reinoehl was shot and killed when authorities attempted to apprehend him on a murder warrant. He was allegedly responsible for the fatal shooting of Aaron “Jay” Danielson of Patriot Prayer during clashes between pro-Trump groups and left-wing protesters in Portland, Oregon on August 29. He was wanted by the Multnomah County Circuit Court on a charge of second-degree murder.

Related racial unrest outside the US

History professor Brenda Gayle Plummer, writing in Foreign Affairs magazine, noted that "The particulars of Floyd's murder, taking place against the backdrop of the pandemic, may well have been the dam-break moment for the global protest movement. But they are only part of the story. International solidarity with the African American civil rights struggle comes not from some kind of projection or spontaneous sentiment; it was seeded by centuries of black activism abroad and foreign concern about human rights violations in the United States."

Netherlands

Related racial unrest in the Netherlands included widespread participation in George Floyd protests. The unrest has led to a change in public opinion on Zwarte Piet, a blackface character used in Dutch Christmas celebrations. Leaving the appearance of Zwarte Piet unaltered has traditionally been supported by the public but opposed by anti-racism campaigners, but a June 2020 survey saw a drop in support for leaving the character's appearance unaltered: 47 per cent of those surveyed supported the traditional appearance, compared to 71 per cent in a similar survey held in November 2019. Prime Minister Mark Rutte stated in a parliamentary debate on June 5, 2020 that he had changed his opinion on the issue and now has more understanding for people who consider the character's appearance to be racist.

United Kingdom

Main article: George Floyd protests in the United Kingdom

The 2020 United States racial unrest has triggered major protests, political gestures and policy changes in the United Kingdom, both in solidarity with the United States and in comparable protest against systemic racism in the UK. The debate over statues has been a defining feature of the unrest in the United Kingdom, following the unauthorised removal of the statue of Edward Colston in Bristol on June 11 during a George Floyd protest. Her Majesty's Government (HMG) opposes even the legal removal of statues, with culture secretary Oliver Dowden writing a three-page letter to MPs, peers and councillors defending them as part of Britain's heritage. Prime Minister Boris Johnson and home secretary Priti Patel condemned protesters who defaced the statue of Winston Churchill in Parliament Square in London and HMG ordered that the statues be boarded up and protected.

Maps

• 
  Minneapolis Civil Unrest - East Lake Street
• 
  Saint Paul Civil Unrest - University Avenue West
• 
  Minneapolis Civil Unrest - Nicollet Avenue
• 
  Seattle Civil Unrest - Capitol Hill
• 
  Portland Civil Unrest - Downtown
• 
  Kenosha Civil Unrest - Downtown

See also

• 2020 United States racial reckoning
• Black Lives Matter
• List of incidents of civil unrest in the United States
• Mass racial violence in the United States
• List of George Floyd protests outside the United States

Similar unrest

• Ghetto riots in the United States (1964–1969)
  • 1965 Watts riots
  • Long, hot summer of 1967
  • 1968 King assassination riots
• 1980 Miami riots
• 1992 Los Angeles riots
• 2014 Ferguson unrest
• 2015 Baltimore protests