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.

United States: Protests continue in Seattle months after George Floyd death

US: Protests against police brutality and systematic racism sparked by the death of African American man Gorge Floyd are continuing in Seattle of the United States.

Following the death of Floyd in May, the U.S. has been gripped by nationwide demonstrations against racial discrimination. Two months on, the city of Seattle still sees dozens of people protesting on streets. Most protesters gather near the local Cal Anderson Park in Capitol Hill area, which was once occupied by protesters on June 8. These protesters were cleared by police on July 1, with the cleanup continuing in August.

But some protesters return to the area often and stay at the Cal Anderson Park, which has become a shelter for the homeless. There are constant clashes between police and protesters, as demonstrations continue on and off. On Friday, four were arrested after a protest turned violent.

A protester, who preferred not to be shown on camera for safety concerns, said the police have done little to protect people. "Our police force came in, brutalized folks, arrested several and kicked them out of a shelter space, like they're removing people who have nothing from food and community. How does that keep us safe? How does make us safer? It doesn't. It only oppresses," said the protester.

"Do we think this is going to fix everything? No, of course not. We know this is just one step in a very long stairway, but it is a necessary step. The police are murdering people, and they get away with it. That has got to stop," added the protester. Demonstrators hope that through their actions, they can bring about community improvements and social changes.

'We should be able to protect ourselves'- memberships in NY Black gun club on the rise

Monroe, US: At 61-years-old Margaret Powell of El Dorado, Arkansas said she never thought she would want to own a gun...until now.

"At 61 years, I've not needed it, not ever thought of it. I would say 'Get the guns away. no, no no'. But now my views have changed because I guess the world is changing right before our eyes," Powell said just days before she was due to take her first gun safety class. "It's like we're going back in time to maybe the Wild, Wild West or something. Everybody has to have...has a gun. So, you know, It's shocking that at my age, I would be interested in something like this. It's amazing."

Powell is not alone. The insecurity brought by the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns combined with the anger following the death of George Floyd in police custody in May has lead to a higher levels of anxiety, fear and gun ownership, especially among African Americas. According to the National African American Gun Association (NAAGA) gun ownership among Black people is growing.

Founded in Atlanta in 2015, NAAGA started with 30 members. The organization now has 75 active chapters and more than 30,000 members, according to its website. NAAGA's founder Philip Smith said more than 2,000 people joined the group in the 36 hours after the death of George Floyd.

Membership also has grown in New York's Hudson Valley. Nubian Gun Club founder Damon Finch said the group started earlier this year with "a couple of people getting together."

"Our membership almost every night is doubling, tripling. It's just amazing how many people are now joining a group," said Finch, a firearms instructor.

He added, "When asking people why did you join a club, the common denominator that we're hearing is obviously safety, improve the ability to shoot, but also with what's going on in the world, they just want to at least have a game plan for them to protect their families." African Americas are not the only ones considering gun ownership.

Gun sales in June were the highest on record with 3.9 million firearms sold, according to calculations from the Brookings Institution. And gun retailers report about 40% of purchases coming from first-time buyers, according to the trade group the National Shooting Sports Foundation.

According to FBI statistics, the first spike in gun sales came in March after U.S. President Trump declared a national COVID-19 emergency. The week of March 16 saw the highest ever number of background checks for people wanting to purchase a firearm since the government began compiling statistics in 1998. The second highest week for background checks started June 1, following the death of George Floyd. "There's a lot of racial tension. There's a lot of divide in almost every arena that you can think of," said Powell in Arkansas.

Such tensions have galvanized groups such as Black Guns Matter which advocated for African American gun ownership in Minneapolis during recent protests, and the newly formed black militia, the Not Fucking Around Coalition which made its first public appearance in May to protest the shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery, a black jogger shot by two white men in Georgia. NFAC recently rallied in Louisville, Kentucky, where Breonna Taylor was shot and killed by police officers who burst into her apartment.

Every gun club is different. While NAAGA has grown into a political force, the Hudson Valley Nubian Gun Club's offers camaraderie, safety and weapons training. "I feel a little more prepared," said registered nurse and Hudson Valley Nubian Gun Club member Maliuqka (pronounced Maliqua) Burton.

"Self-preservation is universal law. We should be able to protect ourselves,' added gun club member Gahiji (pronounced Gah-ee-jee) Manderson who works in law enforcement. "We're not looking for trouble, but to be able to protect ourselves if trouble comes towards our way," Powell also said her aim is self defense. "My goal to be able to stop a person from getting into my space that is trying to cause me harm."

Portland protesters call for positive changes, de-escalation of violence

Portland, US: Protesters in the U.S. city of Portland have camped outside the federal courthouse amid continuous conflicts, saying what they want are positive changes and de-escalation of violence.

Protests against police brutality and racism have been going on in Portland for over two months following the death of George Floyd, an African American who died in police custody late May. Severe conflicts between protesters and federal law enforcement officers occurred almost every night outside the city’s federal courthouse. In the daytime, when staff from the court were busy reinforcing the fence around the building, some protesters on the other side of the road were putting up tents and distributing necessities to other participants and even the homeless.

"We make these bags, so like this bag, it contains like alcohol wipes, face masks, deodorant, tampons. It's free, yeah. So that way they can take care of themselves because some of these people are homeless. These are like self-care products. And then we got toothbrushes, toothpaste. There's food over there so that way they can eat for free. Everything out here is just being distributed for free," said Vil, a protester.

Vil joined the protest five days ago. He works in a tent to provide emergency medical care for injured people during the protests.

"Yeah there have been a few injured people. Some people had to go to the hospital. I've seen that there was a guy just earlier this morning who has suffered a lacerate over his eye, and stuff like that," he told China Central Television reporter.

Protesters placed simple donation boxes in tents. The drinkable water, food, masks and medical supplies at the site are all donations. The tents suffer attacks of tear shells and rubber bullets every night as it’s too close to the court. Brian King is a veteran and he comes to protest almost every night. King said he has been attacked many times and has collected some tear shell and rubber bullets used by federal law enforcement officers.

"If they're doing it to one individual, they're doing it to us all. And we all have a constitutional right," he said. A protester who did not want to give her name said she was disappointed seeing the escalating conflicts in the past two months. "They take an oath to protect us, when in reality I think that the oath is called for 'kill all people of color'. And that's the problem," she said.

Vil said they don’t want to see the violence occurred every night. He hopes that the confrontation will end peacefully, and the federal law enforcement officers can rethink how to improve their way of work and treat vulnerable groups correctly.

"People who don't have the experiences don't really know. But like if you experience police brutality, you know what's up with it. So we hope they can get that resolve. Probably do more training on de-escalation of violence so that it doesn't heightened up. They just need to get people from the neighborhood, from the community, stuff like that. Positive changes," said Vil.

As US police struggle to recruit, young cops seeks more humane approach

New York, US: Stephanie Robinson, 23, a rookie Black police officer on Detroit's West Side, has been challenged by Black residents about her loyalty while on patrol since the death of George Floyd under the knee of a white police officer.

"It's like you're either going to be Black or your going to be a cop. And then when I'm like, well you know, I'm supporting Black people, but at the same time I'm supporting police officers too, good police officers anyway," Robinson said. Robinson says she is committed to the force, but is also openly critical of police training and methods. "We learn how to arrest people, how to do takedowns. We learn how to deal with criminals," she told Reuters. But Robinson said daily dealings with victims of abuse and people with mental illness are not well addressed.

Growing concern among young officers and cadets about racism and brutality in U.S. law enforcement after Floyd's death is the latest complication for police recruiters already struggling to hire and retain new cops. Drops in the number of recruits and increases in officers heading for retirement are so dramatic that the Police Education Research Foundation (PERF) dubbed it a "workforce crisis."

Job applications have plummeted in many police departments over the past five years, falling 50% in Seattle, for example, and 70% in Jefferson County, Colorado, a 2019 study by PERF showed. About 16% of the U.S. police force hits retirement age in the next five years, the study found. As local governments curb police powers, and Congress pushes reform bills, some of the police workforce of the future is also beginning to question how policing is done and their role in it.

This next generation wants better training; a more transparent, flexible and accountable police presence; and closer ties to the communities they serve. "We are not waiting two, three, four years for change. We need to change now - right now," said DeCarlos Hines, a forensic psychology major and president of the Black Student Union at New York City's John Jay School of Criminal Justice, which is one of the biggest feeders into U.S. law enforcement.

Hiring and keeping Black and other minority officers is one of many challenges facing police recruiters, the PERF report says.

Law enforcement agencies are also increasingly struggling to find recruits who are conversant with technology to fight cyber crimes, such as human trafficking online or internet stalking, and able to be more active in addressing an array of social ills like the opioid epidemic.

A patrol officer for just over six months, Robinson says she was not taught how to handle the most common issue she faces: people with mental illness. "Honestly, 90% of the runs I go to every day are mental (health) runs," she said. Young cops are not an organized political force, nor do they have any control over police or university budgets. But police veterans and educators charged with filling jobs as the force ages say their views cannot be ignored.

At the John Jay School in New York, Hines and the student union are pushing for more minority instructors; mandatory anti-racism training for staff, faculty and students; inclusion of minority scholarship in every syllabus and course across the college; and a mandatory course on alternatives to policing, such as social work.

Karol Mason, who leads John Jay, said she is listening. "We need leadership from young voices to tell us how we can do this better," said Mason. John Jay's 15,000 student body is about 80% people of color, but about two-thirds of the faculty is white.

"I will consider it a personal failure if I don't figure out how to change and give our students people who look like them," she said. "You often hear 'You can't be what you can't see.'" Elias Oleaga, 19, joined the Boy Scout-founded Law Enforcement Exploring program when he was 13 and met veteran cops with a strong commitment to serving his Dominican community in the Bronx.

Now a student at John Jay, Oleaga says the national debate about policing has not shaken his desire to become an officer. "Us young guys, we always have the thought of getting the guns off the streets and getting your shield, your gold shield, but I don't think that there is anything better than looking at the cop in front of me and he looks just like me," he said. But because of Floyd's death, Oleaga said he now plans to focus his police career on community relations rather than his original choice, investigations.

Body of civil rights icon John Lewis crosses Bloody Sunday bridge one last time

Selma, Alabama, US: The body of civil rights icon John Lewis crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge on Sunday, July 26, decades after his "Bloody Sunday" beating there drew a national spotlight to the struggle for racial equality.

A military honor guard carried his American flag-draped casket from Brown Chapel AME Church to a horse-drawn carriage, which crossed the rose-petal strewn bridge where the battering of Lewis by a white state trooper during a voting rights demonstration in 1965 became a focal point of the movement. The carriage driver wore black top hat and a white face mask to guard against spread of the coronavirus.

Hundreds of people singing civil rights anthems watched "The Final Crossing" event. It was part of a multi-day celebration of the life of the congressman, whose body will lie in state at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Monday. After his casket crossed the bridge, it was saluted by mask-wearing Black and white Alabama state troopers.

Lewis, who died on July 17 at age 80 after a battle with pancreatic cancer, was a fiercely determined champion of nonviolent protest and was inspired by civil rights giant Martin Luther King, Jr.

Lewis, an Alabama sharecropper's son who strove for equality for Blacks in an America grappling with racial bigotry and segregation, played an outsized role in U.S. politics for six decades, first elected in 1986 to represent Georgia in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The Edmund Pettus Bridge was a searing symbol of the civil rights struggle. On March 7, 1965 non-violent demonstrators calling for voting rights regardless of race marched across the bridge and were met by club-swinging Alabama state troopers at the direction of segregationist Alabama Governor George Wallace. Lewis was beaten so badly on what is now referred to as "Bloody Sunday" that his scars were visible decades later.

The brutality of "Bloody Sunday" inspired President Lyndon Johnson to demand Congress approve legislation removing barriers to Black voting, and lawmakers passed the landmark Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Currently, amid national anti-racism protests and a movement to abolish Confederate monuments and symbols, calls have grown to rename the bridge that is named for Edmund Pettus, who fought in the Confederate Army and robbed African-Americans of their right to vote after Reconstruction. Barack Obama, the first Black U.S. president, awarded Lewis the presidential medal of freedom, America's highest civilian honor, in 2011.