US Democrats propose ban on police chokeholds, racial profiling and require nationwide use of body cameras and more.
- United States congressional Democrats plan to unveil a sweeping package of legislation to combat police violence and racial injustice after two weeks of protests across the nation sparked by George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis police custody.
- The public will be able to view George Floyd’s casket on Monday in his hometown of Houston, the final stop in a series of memorials in his honour.
- Floyd’s funeral will be held on Tuesday, followed by burial, where he will be laid to rest next to his mother, Larcenia Floyd.
Monday, June 8:
16:50 GMT – Denver fully bans chokeholds, requires report for aimed guns
Denver’s police department announced it is changing policies regarding its use of force and body cameras.
In a statement released on Sunday the department said it has banned the use of chokeholds with no exceptions effective immediately. Previously, the practice was barred except in lethal encounters, The Denver Post reported.
The department also said that officers who intentionally point their gun at someone will be required to notify a supervisor and file a report to help collect data on such incidents. Members of its SWAT team will also have to activate their body cameras when they are performing tactical operations, the department said.
16:25 GMT – Crossfit founder apologises for tweet after Reebok split
CrossFit founder Greg Glassman has apologised for a tweet that equated Floyd’s killing to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In response to a tweet by research firm Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation that classified racism and discrimination as public health issue, Glassman, who is also the chief executive of CrossFit, had posted, “It’s FLOYD-19”.
It’s FLOYD-19.
The fallout was fast. Adidas AG-owned Reebok ended its 10-year-old partnership with CrossFit and updated its US homepage in support of the ‘Black Lives Matter’ campaign.
[email protected]: “I, CrossFit HQ, and the CrossFit community will not stand for racism. I made a mistake by the words I chose yesterday.
My heart is deeply saddened by the pain it has caused. It was a mistake, not racist but a mistake.
In a statement on Twitter, Glassman said: “I, CrossFit HQ, and the CrossFit community will not stand for racism. I made a mistake by the words I chose yesterday. My heart is deeply saddened by the pain it has caused. It was a mistake, not racist but a mistake.”
16:05 GMT – Officer charged in Floyd’s death has 1st court appearance
Derek Chauvin, the Minneapolis police officer charged with second-degree murder in George Floyd’s death is scheduled to make his first court appearance. He is also charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
Chauvin is being held at a state prison in Oakdale. The other three officers – J. Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao – are charged with aiding and abetting. They remain in the Hennepin County jail on $750,000 bond.
16:00 GMT – Floyd’s casket arrives at Houston church ahead of public viewing
The body of George Floyd arrived at a church in Houston for a final public memorial.
His body arrived in a gold-colored casket that was escorted to The Fountain of Praise church by Houston police. A six-hour viewing that is open to the public was scheduled to begin in the afternoon.
Before the casket arrived, workers outside the church assembled a large floral arrangement with white roses on one side in the shape of a heart and with the initials “BLM” for Black Lives Matter created from blue roses and placed on top of the heart. The other side of the floral arrangement was made up of red roses and appeared to be in the shape of a raised fist.
15:00 GMT – Democrats unveil ‘Justice in Policing’ act to make wide-ranging changes to US police policy
The legislation address excessive use of force, qualified immunity and racial profiling, answering calls from protesters across the country after the death of George Floyd and other Black Americans while in police custody.
“It will demilitarize the police by limiting the transfer of military weaponry to state and local police departments,” said Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the US House of Representatives.
It also proposes banning ‘no-knock’ warrants, that allow police officers to enter a residence without warning. The legislation would require support by US Republicans who control the upper house of the legislature.
14:20 GMT – US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi leads silence for George Floyd
Members of the US Congress went down on one knee in Emancipation Hall in the US Capitol building, in silence for eight minutes 46 seconds – the length of time that George Floyd spent pinned down by three police officers on a Minneapolis street corner. He was pronounced dead shortly afterwards.
Floyd’s death has sparked worldwide protests that call for an end to police brutality and what many protestors call systemic racism in US police forces.
Demonstrators have been calling for the defunding or dismantling of police forces and a shifting of their budgets to community, education or other programmes.
13:00 GMT – Congressional Democrats to unveil sweeping US police reform proposal
US congressional Democrats plan to unveil a sweeping package of legislation to combat police violence and racial injustice.
The proposal is expected to ban police chokeholds and racial profiling, require nationwide use of body cameras, subject police to civilian review boards and abolish the legal doctrine known as qualified immunity, which protects police from civil litigation, according to congressional sources.
It is unclear whether the proposal will receive support from Republicans, who control the US Senate. Their support and that of Republican President Donald Trump would be needed for the measure to become law.
12:45 GMT – Trump opposes police defunding
Protesters are pushing to “defund the police” after the death of George Floyd and other Black Americans killed by law enforcement.
Their chant has become a rallying cry – and a stick for President Donald Trump to use on Democrats as he portrays them as soft on crime.
Trump has said he opposes the idea, and is set to meet with members of law enforcement at the White House on Monday afternoon.
LAW & ORDER, NOT DEFUND AND ABOLISH THE POLICE. The Radical Left Democrats have gone Crazy!
Supporters say it is not about eliminating police departments or stripping agencies of all of their money. They say it is time for the country to address systemic problems in policing in the US and spend more on what communities across the country need, like housing and education.
Al Jazeera’s podcast The Take spoke to protesters. Listen here.
12:30 GMT – Houston to hold six-hour public viewing of Floyd’s casket
Mourners will be able to view George Floyd’s casket Monday in his hometown of Houston, the final stop in a series of memorials in his honour.
A six-hour viewing will be held at The Fountain of Praise church in southwest Houston. The viewing is open to the public, though visitors will be required to wear face masks and gloves to comply with coronavirus-related guidelines.
Floyd’s funeral will be Tuesday, followed by burial at the Houston Memorial Gardens cemetery in suburban Pearland, where he will be laid to rest next to his mother, Larcenia Floyd.
See Sunday’s coverage here.
12:25 GMT – New York City mayor announces police reforms including shifting of funding from to youth programmes
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Sunday a series of police reforms that he said were part of a “transformative movement.”
He said funding would be shifted from the New York Police Department (NYPD) to youth and social services, moving the enforcement for street vending out of the police department to a civilian agency, and adding community ambassadors to the NYPD to serve as liaisons between officers and New Yorkers.
“People did not protest for the sake of protest. They protest to achieve change, and now we must deliver that change,” de Blasio said.
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