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"Amen" is a Biblical Hebrew word: אמן. It is a word simply meaning "may it be so." It has nothing to do with the word "man" or "woman" because it is FROM HEBREW. This is some of the dumbest s*** I have ever seen in my life.

https://twitter.com/benshapiro/status/1345902894063693832

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4th January 2021

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Democrat lawmaker causes stir after ending congressional prayer with 'amen and awomen'

Some Republicans have hit out at Cleaver's prayer, saying 'amen' does not refer to gender

Leer en Español

Democrat representative Emanuel Cleaver caused a stir online after he ended his congress ional prayer with the words "amen and awoman."

Mr Cleaver was invited to deliver the prayer opening up the 117th Congress on Sunday, when he decided to introduce a gesture towards gender neutrality.

"We ask it in the name of the monotheistic God... God known by many names and by many different faiths. Amen, and awoman," said Mr Cleaver, a representative from Missouri and an ordained United Methodist pastor.

It comes after a committee proposed changes in house rules to "honour all gender identities", and eliminate gendered words like "mother," "father," "he," and "she" in favour of gender-neutral terms.

However, it received strong criticism from Republicans and several others as they pointed out that amen does not refer to gender but means "so be it" in Latin.

Pennsylvania's Republican representative Guy Reschenthaler took to Twitter to voice his objection, and said: "Unfortunately, facts are irrelevant to progressives. Unbelievable."

Conservative blogger Matt Walsh wrote: "Dems open congress with a prayer that ends "amen and awoman." Amen is a Latin word that means "truly" or "so be it". Awoman is a nonsense word that means nothing. Dems find a way to make everything stupid and nonsensical. Utter clowns, all of them."

According to Christianity.com, "amen is a word that came to English from Latin, which got it from Greek, which got it from Aramaic, which got it from Hebrew (technically, Aramaic may have had it anyway, before it became the standard language of the Jewish people a few centuries before the time of Christ)."

Some conservatives also objected to the fact that Mr Cleaver's prayer included the name of "Brahma", the Hindu god, as he talked about "the monotheistic God". A Twitter user Chase wrote: "A Methodist preacher praying in the name of the "monotheistic God....and brahma?? Forget the a-woman, words can't even begin to explain."

Dem lawmaker's gender inclusive 'amen and awoman' prayer causes stir

Dem lawmaker's gender inclusive 'amen and awoman' prayer causes stir

Democrat representative Emanuel Cleaver ended his congressional prayer with the words 'amen and awoman'

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Democrat lawmaker's gender inclusive 'amen and awoman' congressional prayer causes stir

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Democrat lawmaker causes stir after ending congressional prayer with 'amen and awomen' Some Republicans have hit out at Cleaver's prayer, saying 'amen' does not refer to gender Leer en Español Democrat representative Emanuel Cleaver caused a stir online after he ended his congress ional prayer with the words "amen and awoman."

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Dlaczego amerykańscy Murzyni zniszczyli pomnik Kościuszki?

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Podczas protestów w USA ucierpiał też pomnik Tadeusza Kościuszki. Co Afroamerykanie mają do powiedzenia na ten temat?

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Escalating Protests Nationwide Over Death Of George Floyd | NBC Nightly News

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25th May 2020

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On May 25, 2020, George Floyd, an African-American man, died in Powderhorn, a neighborhood south of downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota. While Floyd was handcuffed and lying face down on a city street during an arrest, Derek Chauvin, a white Minneapolis police officer, kept his knee on the right side of Floyd's neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds; according to the criminal complaint against Chauvin, 2 minutes and 53 seconds of that time occurred after Floyd became unresponsive. Officers Tou Thao, J. Alexander Kueng, and Thomas K. Lane participated in Floyd's arrest, with Kueng holding Floyd's back, Lane holding his legs, and Thao looking on as he stood nearby. Preliminary results from the official autopsy found no indication that Floyd died of strangulation or traumatic asphyxia, but that the combined effects of being restrained, underlying health conditions, including coronary artery disease and hypertensive heart disease, and potential intoxicants in his system likely contributed to his death. Attorneys for Floyd's family announced that they have requested an independent autopsy.

The incident was recorded on the smartphones of several bystanders and later circulated on social media. The arrest was made after an employee at a deli filed a police complaint accusing Floyd of using a counterfeit $20 bill. Police stated that Floyd "physically resisted" after being ordered to exit his vehicle before the video was filmed. Some media organizations, however, have stated that surveillance footage from a nearby restaurant did not show Floyd offering resistance. The criminal complaint stated Floyd "did not voluntarily get in the car and struggled with the officers, intentionally falling down, saying he was not going in the car, and refusing to stand still" based on body camera footage captured by Kueng and Lane. Video recording by a witness, showing the arrested Floyd repeating "Please", "I can't breathe", and "Don't kill me", was widely circulated on social media platforms and broadcast by the media. All four officers were fired the next day.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is conducting a federal civil rights investigation into the incident at the request of the Minneapolis Police Department. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) is also investigating possible violations of Minnesota statutes. On May 29, Chauvin was arrested and charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter for Floyd's death, with Hennepin County attorney Michael O. Freeman saying he anticipated charges to be brought against the other three officers at the scene of Floyd's death.

After Floyd's death, demonstrations and protests in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul area were initially peaceful on May 26, but later that day became violent as windows were smashed at a police precinct, two stores were set on fire, and many stores were looted and damaged. Some demonstrators skirmished with police, who fired tear gas and rubber bullets. Additional protests developed in over 100 cities throughout the United States and internationally. Floyd's death has been compared to the 2014 death of Eric Garner. Garner, also an unarmed black man, repeated "I can't breathe" eleven times after being placed in a chokehold by a New York police officer during an arrest in Staten Island.

People involved

George Floyd

George Perry Floyd (October 14, 1973 - May 25, 2020) was a 46-year-old African-American man who was born in Fayetteville, North Carolina, and raised in Houston, Texas. He attended Yates High School where he played on the basketball and football teams. Floyd was a star tight end for Yates, helping them to the 1992 state championship final game. He played basketball at South Florida Community College from 1993 to 1995. Floyd returned to Houston where he joined the hip hop group Screwed Up Click and rapped under the stage name "Big Floyd". In 2014, Floyd moved to Minnesota. He lived in St. Louis Park and worked in nearby Minneapolis as a restaurant security guard for five years. At the time of his death, Floyd had recently lost his job due to Minnesota's stay-at-home order during the COVID-19 pandemic. Floyd was the father of two daughters, aged 6 and 22, who remained in Houston. He was described as a "gentle giant" by friends and family.

Police officers

Derek Michael Chauvin, a 44-year-old white man, had been an officer in the Minneapolis Police Department since around 2001. Chauvin had 18 complaints on his official record, two of which ended in discipline from the department, including official letters of reprimand. He had been involved in three police shootings, one of which was fatal. According to former club owner Maya Santamaria, Floyd and Chauvin both worked as security guards and had overlapping shifts at the Latin nightclub, El Nuevo Rodeo. She said Chauvin had worked there for 17 years, while Floyd had worked at about a dozen events. She said it was not clear if they knew each other but that she did not believe so. Santamaria said Chauvin got along well with Latino regulars at the club, but said his tactics toward unruly customers on what she referred to as "African American" nights led her to speak to him.

Tou Thao, age 34, attended the police academy in 2009 and was hired to a full-time position with the Minneapolis police in 2012 after being laid off for two years. In 2017, Thao was a defendant in an excessive-use-of-force lawsuit that was settled out of court for $25,000.

Thomas K. Lane, age 37, and J. Alexander Kueng, age 26, were licensed as law enforcement officers in August 2019. Neither had prior complaints on their records.

Statements from the police and prosecutor

Shortly after 8:00 p.m. on May 25, Memorial Day, Minneapolis Police Department officers responded to a " forgery in progress" on Chicago Avenue South in the Powderhorn neighborhood of Minneapolis. According to WCCO, the implication was that Floyd "tried to use forged documents at a nearby deli". According to a co-owner of Cup Foods, Floyd attempted to use a $20 bill that a staff member suspected as counterfeit. According to police, Floyd was in a nearby car and "appeared to be under the influence". A spokesman for the police department said the officers ordered him to exit the vehicle, at which point he "physically resisted". In the days following the arrest, these statements appeared to be contradicted by the release of a bystander's video recording, though one video showed that "Officer [Chauvin] struggles to get Floyd out of the car". Later, the criminal complaint filed in court by the Hennepin County attorney on May 29 stated Floyd "did not voluntarily get in the car and struggled with the officers by intentionally falling down, saying he was not going in the car, and refusing to stand still". Surveillance footage from a nearby restaurant showed Floyd falling twice while being escorted by the officers.

As of May 31, the video from the body cameras worn by Lane and Kueng have not been publicly released. The videos from their cameras was turned over to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. The Minneapolis Park Police (MPP) - a different agency than the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) - had one officer at the location of Floyd's detainment who also wore a body camera. The MPP released a heavily redacted version of the officer's body-cam footage on May 28. The footage showed the MPP officer reassuring two passengers from Floyd's car that an ambulance would arrive at the scene, and telling them to "stay put". CNN noted the officer was "not facing the direction of the incident when it happened".

According to the Minneapolis police, officers "were able to get the suspect into handcuffs and noted he appeared to be suffering medical distress", and called for an ambulance. No weapons were used in the arrest, according to a statement from the Minneapolis police. Paramedics from the Minneapolis Fire Department moved Floyd from the location and attempted chest compressions and other lifesaving measures on an "unresponsive, pulseless male". Floyd was taken to Hennepin County Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 9:25.

Videos of the arrest recorded by bystanders and security cameras

Initial viral video

Part of the arrest was recorded by a bystander and streamed to Facebook Live, which quickly went viral. Chauvin is seen on video applying pressure with his knee to Floyd's neck while his hand is in his pocket. Former police officers were critical of Chauvin's left hand appearing to be in his pocket, as if he was striking a casual pose or relaxing as Floyd warned police about his struggle to breathe.

When the video starts, Floyd is already pinned chest down to the ground, and Officer Chauvin is kneeling on his neck. Floyd repeatedly tells Chauvin "Please" and "I can't breathe", while also moaning, groaning, and sobbing. A bystander tells police, "You got him down. Let him breathe."

After Floyd says "I'm about to die", Chauvin tells Floyd to relax. The police ask Floyd, "What do you want?" Floyd answers, "I can't breathe." Floyd states: "Please, the knee in my neck, I can't breathe." Someone tells Floyd to "get up and get in the car" (which Agence France Presse, CBS News and WVLT-TV identify as one of the officers, while Buzzfeed News says it is "unclear" whether it was an officer speaking), to which Floyd replies, "I will ... I can't move." Chauvin would continue to kneel on Floyd's neck as he struggled. Floyd cries out, "Mama!" Floyd says, "My stomach hurts, my neck hurts, everything hurts", and requests water. The police do not audibly respond to Floyd. Floyd begs, "Don't kill me."

Chauvin was described as putting his full body weight onto Floyd's neck. One bystander points out that Floyd is bleeding from the nose. Another tells the police that Floyd is "not even resisting arrest right now". The police tell the bystanders that Floyd was "talking, he's fine"; a bystander replies that Floyd "ain't fine". The bystander protests that the police were preventing Floyd from breathing, urging them, "Get him off the ground ... You could have put him in the car by now. He's not resisting arrest or nothing. You're enjoying it. Look at you. Your body language."

Floyd goes silent and motionless, but Chauvin does not lift his knee from Floyd's neck. The bystanders protest that Floyd is "not responsive", and repeatedly ask the police to check Floyd's pulse. A bystander questions, "Did they fucking kill him?"

An ambulance eventually arrives, and Chauvin does not remove his knee until emergency medical services put Floyd's unresponsive body on a stretcher. The body is loaded into the ambulance, and taken away. A male bystander says that the police "just really killed" Floyd. This video showed that Chauvin had knelt on Floyd's neck for at least seven minutes.

Other videos

A second bystander video, taken from inside a vehicle, shows Floyd being removed from his vehicle. describes that Floyd "doesn't appear to be resisting - just standing next to his car". The Independent wrote, "The video shows two policemen pulling Mr. Floyd from his car without any apparent resistance."

A six-minute video from a security camera of a nearby restaurant was provided to the news media. It shows two officers removing a man from a vehicle. The man is handcuffed and brought to a sidewalk, where he sits down. A third officer arrives. Later, an officer helps the man stand up again, and two officers bring the man to a police vehicle, where the man falls onto the ground. While police initially claimed that Floyd had resisted arrest, this surveillance video "shows officers calmly detaining him", according to CBS News. The surveillance video "does not support police claims that George Floyd resisted arrest", wrote CNN.

A video of the incident from a different angle showed "three officers have Floyd pinned on the ground, while another stands over him", reported CBS Evening News. The Wall Street Journal described it as "three officers are seen sitting on" Floyd.

On May 26, Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo announced that the officers were placed on leave. Later in the day, the four responding officers were fired. That day, the FBI announced it was reviewing the incident. Civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump is representing Floyd's family.

On May 27, misinformation targeting Chauvin began to circulate on social media. Particularly prominent were claims that Chauvin was the subject of a photo wearing a "Make Whites Great Again" hat and that Chauvin was onstage with President Donald Trump at a political rally; both claims were later proven to be false.

On May 28, the United States Department of Justice released a joint statement with the FBI, saying they had made the investigation into Floyd's death "a top priority". They said they had assigned experienced prosecutors and FBI criminal investigators to the matter, and outlined the investigation's next steps: a "comprehensive investigation will compile all available information and thoroughly evaluate evidence and information obtained from witnesses ... If it is determined that there has been a violation of federal law, criminal charges will be sought." The Wall Street Journal categorized this statement from the Justice Department as "notably strong", given that the department "often takes a more muted tone in describing continuing investigations".

On May 29, Robert Paule, the attorney for Tou Thao, confirmed Thao had left Minnesota and was "safely elsewhere", refusing to comment further. While J. Alexander Kueng was thought to be staying with his family in Minneapolis, Thomas Lane had left the area for an unknown location as of May 29, according to a relative.

Chauvin was arrested on May 29, becoming the first white officer in Minnesota to be charged for the death of a black civilian. Hennepin County attorney Mike Freeman charged him with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. He said he also anticipated charges for the three other officers. Under Minnesota law, third-degree murder is defined as causing another's death without intent to kill, but "evincing a depraved mind, without regard for human life". Second-degree manslaughter also does not imply lethal intent, but that the perpetrator created "an unreasonable risk" of serious harm or death. Benjamin Crump, the lawyer for Floyd's family, called for a first-degree charge for Chauvin, which requires an intent to kill.

The criminal complaint against Chauvin stated that the autopsy "revealed no physical findings that support a diagnosis of traumatic asphyxia or strangulation, that he "had underlying health conditions including coronary artery disease and hypertensive heart disease", and that "[t]he combined effects of Mr. Floyd being restrained by the police, his underlying health conditions and any potential intoxicants in his system likely contributed to his death." Floyd's family retained Michael Baden, a pathologist and a former New York City chief medical examiner who had also conducted a second autopsy on Eric Garner, to perform an independent examination in this case.

Memorials and protests

In the wake of community outrage in Minneapolis, the bus stop at the site of Floyd's death on Chicago Avenue became a makeshift memorial throughout May 26, with many placards paying tribute to him and referencing the Black Lives Matter movement. As the day progressed, more people showed up to demonstrate against Floyd's death. The crowd, estimated to be in the hundreds of people, then marched to the 3rd Precinct of the Minneapolis Police. Participants used posters and slogans with phrases such as "Justice for George", "I Can't Breathe", and "Black Lives Matter".

Although the protests on the first day were initially peaceful, a smaller group of protesters vandalized the 3rd Precinct, breaking a window, and also vandalized police cars. This led to police officers in riot gear using tear gas and flash grenades on the protesters, while some protesters threw rocks and other objects at the police. The police also used rubber bullets and smoke bombs against the protesters. The media has highlighted the apparent differences in aggression between the police response to black protesters in these protests versus the more measured response to the 2020 United States anti-lockdown protests featuring gun-wielding white protesters. This sentiment also spread on social media.

Those protests later became violent, which continued for days. As of May 31, the Star Tribune estimated 255 businesses across the Twin Cities region had been vandalized or entirely destroyed.

Following protests, a nighttime curfew in Minneapolis-Saint Paul and Dakota County was established on May 29. 500 Minnesota National Guard soldiers were later dispatched to the area to enforce the curfew, but to little effect, with about 1,000 protesters being able to march peacefully on Interstate 35 well into curfew.

Family and friends

Floyd's cousin and two brothers were interviewed by CNN. His cousin, Tera Brown, criticized the police, saying, "They were supposed to be there to serve and to protect and I didn't see a single one of them lift a finger to do anything to help while he was begging for his life." One of his brothers echoed the sentiment, saying, "They could have tased him; they could have maced him. Instead, they put their knee in his neck and just sat on him and then carried on. They treated him worse than they treat animals." Floyd's brother, Philonese, called for peace and said, "Everybody has a lot of pain right now, that's why this is happening, I'm tired of seeing black people dying."

Floyd's longtime friend, former professional basketball player Stephen Jackson, expressed his anger and sadness following the death, saying the arrest video "just destroyed me".

Floyd's girlfriend, Courtney Ross, asked for the community to respond to his death in a way that honors him. She said: "You can't fight fire with fire. Everything just burns, and I've seen it all day - people hate, they're hating, they're hating, they're mad. And he would not want that."

Floyd's uncle, Selwyn Jones, told the Rapid City Journal: "The thing that disturbs me the most is hearing him call for my sister." He wanted people to remember his nephew as a kind, gentle man who loved basketball and bodybuilding. "He always had a smile on his face. He was always smiling and laughing." Jones also said he expressed disgust about the video to his wife before he knew the identity of the victim.

The wife of Derek Chauvin, the officer who knelt on Floyd's neck, filed for divorce and offered her condolences to the Floyd family.

Minneapolis and Minnesota

Minneapolis City Councillor Andrea Jenkins, who represented Ward 8, where the incident occurred, was quoted as saying, "My heart is breaking for the tragic loss of life last night near 38th and Chicago. Our community continues to be traumatized again, and again and again. We must demand answers." Governor Tim Walz, in a press conference on the morning of May 29, said "we have to restore order" before actions can be taken to serve justice and address the issues which caused Floyd's death. Walz also announced that he had activated the National Guard. The day prior, Waltz used the National Guard to quell the unrest resulting from Floyd's death.

Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey said, "Being black in America should not be a death sentence. For five minutes, we watched a white officer press his knee into a black man's neck ... When you hear someone calling for help, you're supposed to help. This officer failed in the most basic, human sense." The day after Floyd's death, the Mayor called the termination of the responding officers "the right call". Two days after Floyd's death, Mayor Frey highlighted the racial nature of Floyd's death, and called for Chauvin to be criminally charged: "If most people, particularly people of color, had done what a police officer did late Monday, they'd already be behind bars. That's why today I'm calling on Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman to charge the arresting officer in this case." In an interview with CBS that evening, Frey was asked: "Do you think that was murder?" He replied: "I do."

Representative Ilhan Omar, of Minnesota's 5th congressional district (which includes Minneapolis), called for a federal investigation, saying, "It is sickening to watch this black man be killed while helplessly begging for help." She later added, "The police officer who killed George Floyd should be charged with murder." Senator Tina Smith and Governor Tim Walz also called for immediate action. Senator Amy Klobuchar reacted on the following day, saying, "We heard his repeated calls for help. We heard him say over and over again that he could not breathe. And now we have seen yet another horrifying and gut wrenching instance of an African American man dying." She called for the declaration on "a complete and thorough outside investigation into what occurred, and those involved in this incident must be held accountable". However, as a former Hennepin County attorney, she was criticized for declining to press criminal charges against police during her eight years in that office, including against Chauvin; some called for her resignation from the Senate.

President Donald Trump sent his condolences on Twitter, saying he requested the FBI to conduct a thorough investigation. He added, "My heart goes out to George's family and friends. Justice will be served!" Trump also described Floyd's death as "sad and tragic". He sparked controversy following the publication of a tweet that read, "These THUGS are dishonoring the memory of George Floyd, and I won't let that happen. Just spoke to Governor Tim Walz and told him that the Military is with him all the way. Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts. Thank you!"

Former U.S. president Barack Obama tweeted a statement calling for a "new normal" that ends the legacy of institutional racism.

U.S. ambassadors in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Tanzania, and Beijing expressed concern and condemnation of the killing.

International

The British Labour Party's MPs Claudia Webbe and David Lammy, criticized the death of Floyd. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that racism was real and existed in both the United States and Canada. He then urged Canadians to stand up against it.

Michelle Bachelet, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, condemned it as yet another killing of unarmed African-Americans, and called on the United States to take "serious action" and end the repeat of such killings. She also urged protestors to "express their demands for justice peacefully" and for police to refrain from restrain further use of excessive force.

Countries criticized by the United States for violations of human rights used the incident to criticize the U.S. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia said the United States had a history of systemic human rights abuse. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan blamed Floyd's death on a "racist and fascist approach" by the United States and said Turkey will be monitoring the issue. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Supreme Leader of Iran, retweeted a tweet saying people with dark skin faced being killed "in the next few minutes" if they walked out on American streets.

African Union officials, including the Chairperson of the African Union Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat, criticized the killing. U.S. embassies in Africa also condemned the incident, in a move that was described by the media as unusual.

The Dalai Lama, in India while teaching students, condemned the killing of George Floyd by saying, "...and then there are some who even take it as a pride to be able to kill somebody."

State and local

The local police union expressed support of the officers involved, saying, "The Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis will provide full support to the involved officers." They also urged the public to remain calm, saying, "Now is not the time to rush to judgement and immediately condemn our officers."

The Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association applauded Minneapolis Chief Arradondo's swift firing of the officers involved.

Police across the country were sharply critical of Chauvin's actions. Leaders from organizations which include hundreds of thousands of police officers condemned the conduct of the arrest. National Association of Police Organizations Executive Director William Johnson called the incident egregious, and said, "I don't know the entire story, but I can't see any legal justification, any self-defense justification, or any moral justification." Fraternal Order of Police President Patrick Yoes said authorities must ensure justice is served in Floyd's death, "whatever the consequences".

Police chief associations from across the country expressed dismay at Floyd's treatment. The heads of both the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) and the Major Cities Chiefs Association (MCCA) condemned what was seen on the video. The MCCA, led by Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo, said, "The death of Mr. Floyd is deeply disturbing and should be of concern to all Americans. The officer's actions are inconsistent with the training and protocols of our profession and MCCA commends Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo for his swift and decisive action to terminate the employment of the officers involved." The National Police Foundation President said, "These actions, and inaction, jeopardize the gains that have been made through the sacrifices and courage of many."

Leaders of individual police departments from around the United States spoke out against the officer at the center of the video, with what The Washington Post called "disgust", and the Los Angeles Times called "blunt criticism". The Los Angeles Times said: "It was a rare moment when police leaders were unequivocal in their public disdain for the conduct of one of their own." Leaders condemning the officer's actions included the New York City Police Commissioner, the Sheriffs of Los Angeles and San Diego counties, and the Police Chiefs of Los Angeles, Boston, Miami, Houston, and Austin, as well as a former Police Chief from Seattle. Police chiefs of smaller cities spoke out as well: Chiefs of Police from Buffalo Grove, Illinois; Tucson, Arizona; Round Rock, Texas; the University of Texas at Austin; Pflugerville, Texas; and Omaha, Nebraska, all issued statements against Floyd's treatment.

A deputy sheriff in Jones County, Mississippi was fired for posting on social media: "If he can scream he can breath (sic), something else was going on."

Experts on the use of force by police condemned Chauvin's actions. Mylan Masson, a longtime Minneapolis police officer and former director of the Hennepin Technical College's Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Center, which instructs approximately half of Minnesota's police officers, said a form of the technique seen in the video of Floyd's death was taught until at least 2016. He added: "Once the [officer] is in control, then you release. That's what use of force is: you use it 'til the threat has stopped." George Kirkham, a former police officer and professor emeritus at Florida State University's College of Criminology and Criminal Justice, said: "It was outrageous, excessive, unreasonable force under the circumstances. We're dealing with a [suspected] property offender. The man was prone on the ground. He was no threat to anyone." Seth Stoughton, an associate professor of law at the University of South Carolina, who was also a former police officer, stated that placing suspects lying face-down with their hands handcuffed behind their backs for a long period of time was dangerous because it risked positional asphyxia. If an officer places their knee on a suspect's neck in this position, it could cause injury or even death.

Institutions

The University of Minnesota announced that it would be limiting ties with the Minneapolis Police Department, and would no longer contract the local police department for assistance at major events. Three members of the Minneapolis School Board will present a resolution at its next meeting on June 2 proposing to terminate its relationship with the Minneapolis Police Department.

References

External links

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On May 25, 2020, George Floyd, an African-American man, died in Powderhorn, a neighborhood south of downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota. While Floyd was handcuffed and lying face down on a city street during an arrest, Derek Chauvin, a white Minneapolis police officer, kept his knee on the right side of Floyd's neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds; according to the criminal complaint against Chauvin, 2 minutes and 53 seconds of that time occurred after Floyd became unresponsive.

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Space fans on Twitter got a new mascot Friday.

A small stuffed owl blasted off to the International Space Station with a trio of space explorers Friday, catapulting it into our hearts at the same time.

The little owl was a gift given to Russian cosmonaut Alexei Ovchinin by his daughter before launching on the Russian-made Soyuz spacecraft to the station.

This cute talisman serves an important purpose.

The three crewmembers - Ovchinin, cosmonaut Oleg Skripochka, and NASA's Jeff Williams - hung the stuffed animal from the Soyuz to see when they enter weightlessness.

When the owl started floating, they knew they were also weightless, despite being strapped tightly into their Soyuz seats.

The pink owl was also one of the stars of a press conference before the new crew blasted off to the space laboratory.

The tiny gravity-monitoring owl is far from the first stuffed toy to fly to orbit.

"The tradition of carrying small toys as weightless indicators dates back to the very first time a human was launched into space 55 years ago next month," Robert Pearlman, a space historian and the editor of collectSPACE.com, told Mashable.

"Yuri Gagarin launched on Vostok 1 with a small doll and a tradition was born."

A plush R2-D2 was used as the talisman on a Soyuz mission in 2015.

And a 2014 crew used a stuffed snowman Olaf from the movie Frozen as their gravity talisman.

"My youngest daughter is 8 years old and she selected that as a talisman," cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov said during a pre-launch news conference.

Another snowman also flew to space more recently aboard the Soyuz carrying astronaut Scott Kelly and cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko to the station for a yearlong mission in 2015.

The snowman belongs to Gennady Padalka, the commander of the Soyuz that brought the three crewmembers to space.

"I do have a lucky charm," Padalka said before launch. "It's a snowman. I've taken it with me on my last three flights. My youngest daughter gave it to me, so I'll take it along this time as well."

Cosmonauts have also used a plush Angry Bird toy and a Smokey Bear among others as talismans.

"Over the years, the cosmonauts added to the tradition by having their children, or their crewmates' children, select the doll for the flight," Pearlman added.

"That has led to some interesting and popular choices, including Frozen's Olaf snowman, a red Angry Bird and small hippopotamus wearing a cosmonaut flight suit - complete with a miniature version of the crew's mission patch."

Aside from the talismans, NASA astronaut Karen Nyberg also sewed a stuffed dinosaur for her son made from scraps of material found on the Space Station during her stay in 2013.
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Stuffed animals in space: An appreciation

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Space fans on Twitter got a new mascot Friday. A small stuffed owl blasted off to the International Space Station with a trio of space explorers Friday, catapulting it into our hearts at the same time. The little owl was a gift given to Russian cosmonaut Alexei Ovchinin by his daughter before launching on the Russian-made Soyuz spacecraft to the station.

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The only thing cooler than humans going to space is humans going to space with an adorable stuffed animal.

On Saturday afternoon, NASA launched astronauts into space aboard the Crew Dragon, a spacecraft built by Elon Musk's company, SpaceX. The two NASA astronauts who launched into orbit were Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley, but they didn't embark on their historic journey alone. They brought a sparkly stuffed dinosaur to keep them company.

Now, the two astronauts are cool as hell, obviously. But in some ways, this little stuffed pal was the star of the launch. The light bouncing off the dino's sequins really caught the camera, and when the spaceship reached zero gravity he slid out of his seatbelt and gracefully floated up towards the lens.

To anyone wishing they could buy their very own replica of the stuffed dino that went into space, we have good news: You can!

SpaceX is, of course, selling sparkly Demo 2 Dinosaur Plush Toys for $25.00. But before you purchase one from there you might be interested to know that the SpaceX toy looks exactly - we're talking exactly - like a retired Beanie Baby. And you might be able to buy that one for less money.

What gives, SpaceX?

As The Verge noted, geophysicist Mika McKinnon identified the dino on Twitter earlier in the week, the day the mission would have originally launched if not for bad weather. It's called Tremor Dinosaur, and it's from the TY Flippables collection, which makes perfect sense because its sequins flip from blue to pink.

Though you may no longer be able to acquire a Tremor Dinosaur plush from TY Inc., Joann Fabric and Learning Express stores appear to be selling them for only $9.99. ( Michael's and Barnes & Noble also have some plushes available for purchase in select stores, but they seem to be sold out online.)

The toys also appear to be sold out on Amazon and Walmart, and snagging one on eBay seems like a bit of a stretch. (At one point the plush was selling on the site for $36.95. LOL.)

A few lucky people out there don't have to buy the plush dinos because they realized they already had family members of the space dino at home.

Though the idea of a stuffed animal accompanying astronauts might seem hilarious and odd for anyone new to launches, stuffed animals have been flying to space for years and they're not just on board to look cute. The plush toys can serve an important role in the flight, as they help indicate when the spacecraft has reached zero gravity and astronauts are experiencing weightlessness.

An Earth-shaped plush flew aboard the test flight of Crew Dragon in March 2019, and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk tweeted a photo. And in a 2016 article, Mashable noted several other times when plushes accompanied astronauts.

Behnken, Hurley, and Tremor the plush dinosaur are expected to reach the International Space Station (ISS) on Sunday. We eagerly await updates.

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The real star of the SpaceX astronaut launch was a sparkly stuffed dinosaur

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The only thing cooler than humans going to space is humans going to space with an adorable stuffed animal. On Saturday afternoon, NASA launched astronauts into space aboard the Crew Dragon, a spacecraft built by Elon Musk's company, SpaceX.

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30th/31st May 2020

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NASA and SpaceX launch astronauts from U.S. soil for the first time since 2011