Monday, June 1 top news briefs
Hello, welcome to The Daily Moth. It is Monday, June 1. It has been a week since a black man, George Floyd, died in Minneapolis after he was arrested by four police officers. One officer kneeled on his neck for over eight minutes, ultimately killing him. The four officers have been fired and there has been extreme unrest with protests, riots, fires, and President Trump’s rhetoric. America has been rattled for a week now. Here are top news briefs.
On Sunday, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) announced he would appoint Minnesota Attorney Keith Ellison to lead the prosecution of any cases associated with the death of George Floyd.
Gov. Walz said George Floyd’s family wanted Ellison to take over the case, as well as some representatives from the state House. So, Ellison is the lead investigator and prosecutor, and he will be the one to press charges in any cases going forward. Ellison said he would charge the four officers involved to the highest degree of accountability that the law and facts will support. He said he won’t rush to judgment or be pressured by the public, but would pursue justice.
Derek Chauvin, the Minneapolis police officer who was fired and charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter over the death of Floyd, has been transferred to the Minnesota Correctional Facility at Oak Park Heights, a maximum security facility. KARE11 reported that he is in “administrative segregation outside of the general population.” The transfer appears to be for his safety because officials anticipated that there would be protesters arrested in the Minneapolis area who would end up in the same jail as Chauvin. Concern with Covid-19 was named as another reason for the transfer.
Chauvin’s wife, Kellie, filed for a dissolution of marriage, which is the same thing as divorce. CNN reported that Kellie’s attorney said she is devastated by Mr. Floyd’s death and her utmost sympathy is with his family, loved ones, and with everyone who is grieving.
Today an independent autopsy — that was arranged by George Floyd’s family and their attorney — concluded that Floyd died from asphyxiation from sustained pressure to the back of his neck. There were two other officers who kneeled on his back and the family attorney said they also contributed to his death.
[UPDATE: The Hennepin County Medical Examiner said George Floyd’s death was a homicide that resulted from neck compression during his arrest.]
In Louisville, Kentucky, a man named David McAtee was shot and killed by police officers and the Kentucky National Guard at 12:15 a.m. today. Law enforcement said someone shot at them, so they returned fire. McAtee owned a barbecue business. It is not clear exactly what happened. McAtee’s mother went to the scene of the shooting today and was embraced the mayor of Louisville. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said there would be an independent investigation by the Kentucky State Police.
In New York City, two NYPD police SUVs were seen in videos driving into crowds of protesters, knocking several people to the floor. The NYPD Commissioner said it was a very difficult situation for police because they were getting attacked and had to get out as quickly as possible. NY Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D) tweeted that the officers should be brought to justice.
News images and videos show destruction in many cities with burned-out police vehicles, broken storefront windows, stores and malls being looted, and fires burning. Police officers and members of the National Guard are seen dressed head to toe in riot gear, carrying batons, firing tear gas or rubber bullets.
There is a debate on the rioting and looting — critics say it serves no purpose and distracts from the peaceful protesters, while others say it is the natural result of anger over police killings with no justice and systems of oppression.
In Minnesota, a man named Bogdan Vechirko drove a tanker truck straight at a crowd of protesters on an interstate. There were videos that showed people diving out of the way. The truck later came to a stop. Protesters swarmed at the driver, pulled him out, and handed him over to police officers who detained him. He injuries to his face. He has been charged with assault.
In Omaha, Nebraska, a 22-year-old bar owner shot and killed a black protester, but will not be charged. The Douglas County Attorney said videos showed that protesters pushed the bar owner’s father to the ground, which led to a fight. The bar owner fired several times and a bullet hit a protester in the shoulder area, killing him. The D.C. Attorney said it was self defense, but others said it was murder.
President Donald Trump has faced protests outside of the White House. News reports said he went down in a bunker. He tweeted that if protesters got over the fence, they would be met with vicious dogs and ominous weapons. Trump had a call with state governors today and told them to arrest people and dominate protesters. Trump has also blamed Antifa for causing violence and said they would be designated as a terrorist organization.
In Des Moines, Iowa, police officers were seen in a video kneeling in front of a crowd of protesters on Sunday night. USA Today explained that there was a 9 p.m. curfew at the time. The protesters said they would kneel to honor George Floyd and said if the officers kneeled with them, they would leave. A pastor helped to negotiate between the sides and everyone ended up kneeling and said a prayer, then the protesters left.
Joe Biden visited an African-American church in Delaware today to listen from church members and then gave a speech promising to do more in oversight and training for police officers and said he would develop an economic proposal for African Americans.
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With the protests, it can be easy to forget that we are in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic. There are public officials who say they are concerned that there could be a second wave of infections.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) announced that the statewide stay-at-home order has been lifted. Restaurants will be able to open on Monday, but tables have to be six feet apart. People can gather in groups of up to 100 people outdoors, but have to practice social distancing. Michigan had one of the most strictest coronavirus-related orders so it signifies that America is really moving ahead towards reopening.
That is all the news for today. My heart is heavy for what is happening in America. See you tomorrow and stay with the light.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/minnesota-ag-says-4-officers-will-be-charged-highest-degree-n1220956
https://www.kare11.com/article/news/local/george-floyd/former-minneapolis-police-officer-derek-chauvin-transferred-to-oak-park-heights-state-prison/89-99c25a43-342b-4989-aa07-46e7a0174ded
https://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2020/05/31/ex-mpd-officer-derek-chavin-moved-to-hennepin-county-jail/
https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/y3zdyk/independent-autopsy-says-george-floyds-death-was-a-homicide-due-to-asphyxiation
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/one-dead-louisville-after-police-national-guard-return-fire-protesters-n1220831
https://www.wave3.com/2020/06/01/man-shot-dead-th-broadway-identified/
https://www.cnn.com/us/live-news/george-floyd-protests-06-01-20/h_fb17679976dadb4431937d06cb07c066
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/trump-to-meet-with-governors-on-keeping-american-communities-safe-amid-unrest-over-floyd-death-2020-06-01
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/31/us/politics/trump-antifa-terrorist-group.html
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/06/01/des-moines-police-take-knee-george-floyd-protests-crowd-disperses/5307230002/
https://www.npr.org/2020/06/01/866686878/biden-meets-with-black-faith-leaders-in-delaware-following-days-of-protest