More race protests after Floyd’s funeral
Protesters were set to take to the streets across the United States again yesterday one day after the funeral of George Floyd, whose death in police custody has ignited the biggest surge of anti-racism activism since the civil rights era of the 1960s.
Hundreds of protesters in the west coast city of Seattle filled City Hall into early yesterday calling for the mayor to resign and for police reforms. More protests were expected from Atlanta to New York City and Los Angeles in what will be the 16th straight day of demonstrations.
In Washington, one of Floyd's brothers was due to speak to a Democratic-led congressional panel yesterday as lawmakers take on the twin issues of police violence and racial injustice.
At the funeral in Houston on Tuesday, veteran civil rights activist the Rev. Al Sharpton told mourners Floyd was now "the cornerstone of a movement that is going to change the whole wide world".
Floyd, 46, died after a police officer knelt on his neck for almost nine minutes while he was held face down in a street in Minneapolis on May 25. Gasping for air, Floyd's last words were: "Please, I can't breathe," before falling silent and still.
His death unleashed a surge of protests across US cities against racism and the systematic mistreatment of black people. It has also inspired anti-racism protests in several countries in Europe.
Though mostly peaceful, the US protests have been marred by arson, looting and clashes with police, whose often heavy-handed tactics have fueled the rage.
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