United States: More people join protests in Seattle months after George Floyd's death

Seattle, US: Crowds of people are continuing to participate in the protests against police brutality and racial discrimination in Seattle following the death of African American George Floyd in May.

In the past two months, the protests have been held almost every weekend in the city, with frequent clashes and confrontations between protesters and the police. On Sunday afternoon, dozens of protesters called for a reform of the police force in a park. Drew, a zookeeper, was one of the organizers, who spoke for the first time in public. As a Korean American, she said she must stand up to protect her rights.

"I think that personally being a Korean American as well, there was this inherent kind of I have to be silent, you know. What is it, it's the model minority kind of thing that goes on in this country," she said. More ordinary people like Drew are showing up in Seattle to protest police brutality, and she believes that the death of Floyd has awakened people to call for police reform and eliminate racial discrimination.

"And although this event was small, there are still events going around all throughout the city where hundreds of people are constantly showing up. There are still marches happening every single day and we are building connections with those groups as well," said Drew.

The Seattle City Council on Aug 10 voted 7-1 to reduce the police department's budget by 3.5 million U.S. dollars, less than one percent of the original budget, which was 409 million, far short of the 50 percent cuts demanded by the protesters.

In addition, the protesters thought that community voices in Seattle Office of Police Accountability have been decreased while the police officers are taking the place of residents. Though the reports on protests against police brutality and racism have dwindled in the media, the people are still striving for their rights.

"I'm not looking for a destination and I don't think there should be one, because no matter what, people are changing, our environment is changing, and there is always going to be new things that need to be handled. And that's the point of starting this conversation," said Drew.