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US Democrats in Congress have proposed sweeping legislation to reform American police, following weeks of protests against police brutality and racism.

The bill would make it easier to prosecute police for misconduct, ban chokeholds, and addresses racism.

It comes as Minneapolis lawmakers vowed to disband the city's police force.

The death of George Floyd at the hands of a white officer there sparked national pressure for change.

However, it was unclear whether Republicans, who control the US Senate, would support the proposed Justice in Policing Act of 2020.

US President Donald Trump wrote on Twitter that "the Radical Left Democrats want to Defund and Abandon our Police. Sorry, I want LAW & ORDER!"

What Trump states make of unrest

Five pieces of context to understand protests

Why I decided not to watch Floyd's video

Timeline: From Kaepernick kneeling to NFL apology

Mr Floyd's brother is expected to testify to the House of Representatives later this week in a hearing on police reform.

What does the bill say?

The Justice in Policing Act of 2020 was introduced on Monday by top Democratic lawmakers House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, black senators Kamala Harris and Cory Booker and members of the Congressional Black Caucus.

As she unveiled the bill, Mrs Pelosi read the names of black men and women who have died at the hands of police in recent years.

The bill forces federal police to use body and dashboard cameras, ban chokeholds, eliminate unannounced police raids known as "no-knock warrants", make it easier to hold police liable for civil rights violations and calls for federal funds to be withheld from local police forces who do not make similar reforms.

"The martyrdom of George Floyd gave the American experience a moment of national anguish, as we grieve for the black Americans killed by police brutality," Mrs Pelosi said.

"Today, this movement of national anguish is being transformed into a movement of national action".

The bill makes lynching a federal crime, limits the sale of military weapons to the police and gives the Department of Justice the authority to investigate state and local police for evidence of department-wide bias or misconduct.

It would also create a "national police misconduct registry" - a database of complaints against police.

Some Republican leaders have said they would consider the possibility of writing their own bill, with a hearing scheduled in the Senate Judiciary committee next week.

However, members of President Trump's party have been largely reticent on signalling support for legislation.

In a break with his party, Republican Senator Mitt Romney on Sunday tweeted pictures of himself marching towards the White House with Christian protesters, with the caption "Black Lives Matter."

What chance does the bill have?

The reform package, crafted by Democratic leaders in Congress, can be viewed as the "official" position of the party - at least for now. It is, in part, an effort to head off more drastic measures that some on the left, under the slogan "defund the police", are pushing.

If the Democrats can keep their liberal ranks in line, they should be able to get the reforms passed in the House of Representatives, where they have a majority. The outlook is less certain in the Republican-controlled Senate - particularly if Donald Trump sees political advantage in trying to paint Democratic proposals as a threat to "law and order".

While there is sure to be plenty of heated rhetoric from national politicians during a presidential election season, the real change may end up coming from local officials who are more directly accountable to the voters in municipalities that have seen the largest protests.

The call to disband the police in Minneapolis, while largely symbolic at this point, could indicate that sweeping changes are very real possibility - with or without federal guidance.

This could be the beginning of series of local experiments in policing reform that take very different forms in different parts of the US.

More on George Floyd's death

VIEWPOINT: Tipping point for racially divided nation

WATCH: 'This is why we are protesting'

TIMELINE: Recent black deaths at hands of police

BACKGROUND: Five pieces of context to understand the protests

CRIME AND JUSTICE: How are African Americans treated?

What is police defunding?

"Defund the police" was a rallying cry during the latest street protests, that at times spilt into violence and looting.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio had already said he would divert money from the city's police department to social services.

"Defunding" advocates have for years been condemning what they describe as the aggressive militarised policing in the US.

They argue that police departments' budgets should be slashed and funds diverted to social programmes to avoid unnecessary confrontation and heal the racial divide.

President Donald Trump has sought to cast his expected presidential challenger, Democrat Joe Biden, as a proponent of defunding police, but Mr Biden on Monday denied that he was a supporter.

"I don't support defunding the police," Mr Biden said in an interview with the BBC's US partner CBS.

"I support conditioning federal aid to police, based on whether or not they meet certain basic standards of decency and... are able to demonstrate they can protect the community and everybody in the community."

Entire city police departments have been disbanded before in the country: in Compton, California, in 2000, and 12 years later in Camden, New Jersey. In both cases they were replaced with bigger new forces that covered local counties.

What's the latest on the protests?

Demonstrators gathered again on Sunday in US cities including Washington DC, New York, and Los Angeles - where a local broadcaster estimated 20,000 people had rallied down Hollywood Boulevard.

The protests were mostly peaceful, and security measures across the US were lifted as unrest started to ease. However, Seattle Police Department said a man drove a car into a demonstration there on Sunday night, before shooting and wounding a 27-year-old bystander.

The UK also saw sizeable weekend protests in support of Black Lives Matter, with demonstrations in cities including London, Manchester, Cardiff, Leicester and Sheffield.

Protesters tear down statue amid anti-racism demos

Protesters in London knelt for a minute's silence before chanting "no justice, no peace".

In Australia, tens of thousands joined anti-racism protests in Brisbane, Melbourne, Hobart, Adelaide and elsewhere, despite warnings from officials over the coronavirus.

Image caption Tributes to George Floyd at a makeshift memorial Image copyright by Getty Images

Image caption Demonstrators in Minneapolis Image copyright by AFP

Image caption Protesters lie on the streets in Portland&comma; Oregon Image copyright by Reuters

Image caption President Trump tweets about the unrest Image copyright by Reuters

Image caption Members of a CNN crew are arrested at a protest Image copyright by Reuters

Image caption Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin after being charged over the death of George Floyd Image copyright by Getty Images

Image caption Demonstrators set fire to rubbish in New York Image copyright by Reuters

Image caption Trump posing with a Bible outside a boarded-up church Image copyright by EPA

Image caption George Floyd's family joined protesters in Houston Image copyright by Getty

Image caption Mourners gather to remember George Floyd Image copyright by Getty

Image caption Protester addresses crowds in Australia Image copyright by Getty

Image caption Pallbearers bring the coffin into the church Image copyright by Getty

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US Democrats introduce sweeping police reform bill

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US Democrats in Congress have proposed sweeping legislation to reform American police, following weeks of protests against police brutality and racism. The bill would make it easier to prosecute police for misconduct, ban chokeholds, and addresses racism. It comes as Minneapolis lawmakers vowed to disband the city's police force.

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Breonna Taylor was killed as police executed a search warrant for her home.

The Louisville, Kentucky, Metro Council unanimously passed Breonna's Law -- named in honor of police-shooting victim Breonna Taylor -- on Thursday evening, outlawing "no-knock" warrants and requiring body cameras be turned on before and after every search.

Taylor, a 26-year-old black woman, was shot by Louisville police when they executed a no-knock warrant while she slept in her home on March 13.

The shooting took place when the home Taylor, a front-line health care worker, shared with her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, was raided by three plainclothes officers. Police said the no-knock warrant was related to drugs.

A standing ovation broke out on the council after the 26-0 vote Thursday. A crowd outside also applauded the decision.

"I'm proud to be a Louisvillian. This is probably the proudest moment I have had as a member of this council. So, it's a good day to be a Louisvillain. The entire world is watching us," District 1 Councilwoman Jessica Green told Louisville ABC affiliate WHAS after the vote.

Taylor's mother, Tamika Palmer, was elated after the vote.

"I know if Breonna was here today, she'd be looking down thinking I'm making history," Palmer said following the council meeting. "She just really cared about saving lives and so she'll get to continue to do that with Breonna's law. I know she'd be blessed. I'm blessed. I'm happy. It's a start."

The officers involved in the shooting were not wearing body cameras, although others in the department wore them. With the passing of Breonna's Law, police officers are now subject to punishment if they do not turn on body cameras five minutes before and after searches.

The detective who applied for the no-knock warrant that resulted in the police death of Breonna Taylor has now been reassigned, authorities said late Wednesday.

Walker, 27, called 911 as shots rang out, and bullets were exchanged between the officers and Walker, a licensed gun owner, according to Sam Aguiar, an attorney for Taylor's family.

"Questions have been raised ... about how and why the search warrant was approved," Louisville Metro acting Police Chief Robert Schroeder said at a news conference Wednesday. "As a result of those questions, I have placed Detective Joshua Jaynes, who applied for the warrant, on administrative reassignment until those questions can be answered."

No charges have been filed in connection with Taylor's death.

The officers who responded that night were previously reassigned.
ABC News' Matt Foster contributed to this report.

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Breonna Taylor case: Breonna's Law passed to ban no-knock warrants

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Breonna Taylor was killed as police executed a search warrant for her home. The Louisville, Kentucky, Metro Council unanimously passed Breonna's Law -- named in honor of police-shooting victim Breonna Taylor -- on Thursday evening, outlawing "no-knock" warrants and requiring body cameras be turned on before and after every search.

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NASCAR has banned the Confederate flag from its races and properties, formally distancing itself from what has been a familiar sight at stock car events for more than 70 years.

NASCAR announced the ban of the Confederate flag ahead of its latest race in Martinsville, Virginia

The only African-American driver in NASCAR Bubba Wallace called for the flag to be banned

NASCAR previously attempted to ban the flag in 2015, but faced a significant backlash from the sports' fans

The move comes amid social unrest around the globe following the death in police custody of George Floyd, an unarmed black man in Minneapolis.

Protests have roiled the nation for days and Confederate monuments are being taken down across the South - the traditional fan base for NASCAR.

Bubba Wallace, NASCAR's lone black driver, called this week for the banishment of the Confederate flag and said there was "no place" for them in the sport.

The Confederate flag has been a common sight in NASCAR infields throughout the sport's history.(AP: Terry Renna)

On Wednesday, NASCAR obliged.

"The presence of the confederate flag at NASCAR events runs contrary to our commitment to providing a welcoming and inclusive environment for all fans, our competitors and our industry," NASCAR said in a statement.

"Bringing people together around a love for racing and the community that it creates is what makes our fans and sport special.

"The display of the Confederate flag will be prohibited from all NASCAR events and properties."

The move was announced before Wednesday night's race at Martinsville Speedway in Virginia where Wallace, an Alabama native, was driving a Chevrolet with a #BlackLivesMatter paint scheme.

Wallace got a shout-out on Twitter from several athletes, including NBA star LeBron James, for using the paint scheme in the race.

The flag issue has been a thorny one for NASCAR. Former chairman Brian France tried to ban the flying of Confederate flags at race tracks in 2015, but faced a significant backlash from the sport's conservative fan base.

NASCAR did not address how it would enforce the policy or indicate any penalties for fans who violated it by bringing the Confederate flag to the track.

NASCAR has not raced with fans since the sport resumed last month amid the coronavirus pandemic, but was expected to have minimal fans allowed at races later this month in Florida and Georgia.

Confederate flags still fly high atop infield RVs and are waved by fans in the grandstands at most tracks.

NASCAR has been more open in recent times to the eradication of the Confederate flag.

Several drivers - including two-time Daytona 500 champion Denny Hamlin - said they supported Wallace in his quest to rid the sport of the flag.

The predominantly white field of drivers united over the weekend for a video promoting social change.

A black NASCAR official, Kirk Price, took a knee before Sunday's race near Atlanta in what may have been a first for the series.

Wallace wore a black T-shirt with the words "I Can't Breathe" at the race.

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NASCAR has banned the Confederate flag from its races and properties, formally distancing itself from what has been a familiar sight at stock car events for more than 70 years.

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"This is the time for us to finally make a difference," the N.B.A. superstar said of the new group, which will aim to protect African-Americans' voting rights.

A new voting rights organization represents LeBron James's most significant foray yet into electoral politics. Credit... Brandon Dill/Getty Images

WASHINGTON - The N.B.A. superstar LeBron James and a group of other prominent black athletes and entertainers are starting a new group aimed at protecting African-Americans' voting rights, seizing on the widespread fury against racial injustice that has fueled worldwide protests to amplify their voices in this fall's presidential election.

"Because of everything that's going on, people are finally starting to listen to us - we feel like we're finally getting a foot in the door," Mr. James said in a phone interview on Wednesday. "How long is up to us. We don't know. But we feel like we're getting some ears and some attention, and this is the time for us to finally make a difference."

The organization, called More Than a Vote, will partly be aimed at inspiring African-Americans to register and to cast a ballot in November. But as the name of the group suggests, Mr. James and other current and former basketball stars - including Trae Young, Skylar Diggins-Smith and Jalen Rose - will go well beyond traditional celebrity get-out-the-vote efforts.

Mr. James, 35, said he would use his high-profile platform on social media to combat voter suppression and would be vocal about drawing attention to any attempts to restrict the franchise of racial minorities.

"Yes, we want you to go out and vote, but we're also going to give you the tutorial," Mr. James said. "We're going to give you the background of how to vote and what they're trying to do, the other side, to stop you from voting."

He made no mention of President Trump, whom he has sharply criticized in the past, but he repurposed Mr. Trump's slogan to hail America's beauty, explaining, "We want to be beautiful once again."

The new organization represents Mr. James's most significant foray yet into electoral politics.

He has long said that he believes his greatest legacy will come from his off-the-court achievements. He has poured millions into his native Ohio, helping to underwrite college tuition for low-income students to attend the University of Akron and even opening his own school in the city for children in third through eighth grade.

He has also delved into entertainment, starting a media production company with his close friend Maverick Carter that has produced an HBO series, "The Shop," in which the two men conduct casual interviews in a barber shop. Mr. James has also underwritten a series of documentaries.

Until now, though, his political involvement has mostly been limited to speaking out on social media and appearing at a single rally late in Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign.

The death last month of George Floyd at the hands of the Minneapolis police, however, helped convince Mr. James that he needed "to get out and do a little bit more."

Invoking the names of an earlier generation of athletes who called for social justice, Mr. James, a forward for the Los Angeles Lakers, said he wanted to be a model for future generations.

"I'm inspired by the likes of Muhammad Ali, I'm inspired by the Bill Russells and the Kareem Abdul-Jabbars, the Oscar Robertsons - those guys who stood when the times were even way worse than they are today," Mr. James said. "Hopefully, someday down the line, people will recognize me not only for the way I approached the game of basketball, but the way I approached life as an African-American man."

In some respects, Mr. James's activism reflects a return to an earlier generation of athletes who used their fame to speak out about racial equality and the Vietnam War with little regard to whom it might offend.

And because today's players have come of age in an era of social media, they want to engage in advocacy in their own voice.

"This group of athletes wants to feel empowered in every single way," Mr. Carter said.

Jocelyn Benson, the Michigan secretary of state, said that "trusted voices" like Mr. James's could help break through the din at a moment of rising skepticism toward the news media and both political parties.

"What we're seeing in Michigan is there's a heightened need to inform citizens how to vote in this coronavirus era," said Ms. Benson, a Democrat who is helping advise the group. "We've got to go beyond registering people to vote and talking about the importance of voting to actively combating voter suppression."

The group, which will be organized as a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization and therefore not engage in specific advocacy for a candidate, is still coming together, but Mr. James said he had found only willing ears in his recruiting conversations.

"I'm sick of seeing unarmed black men killed by the police," said Ms. Diggins-Smith, a guard for the Phoenix Mercury, adding that she wanted "to put some action behind my frustrations, behind my anger, behind the helplessness that I've been feeling."

For Mr. James and the other organizers, part of their motivation is to combat apathy among black voters. Older African-Americans are historically reliable voters, but in 2016 there was a drop-off with younger black voters, particularly men.

"We're not letting that happen again," said Mr. Rose, who called Mr. Floyd's death perhaps the most galvanizing killing since the lynching of Emmett Till.

Mr. Young, a 21-year-old breakout star with the Atlanta Hawks, said he was hoping to be a "role model for my generation."

"If people my age see that I'm going out and I'm voting and I'm talking," he said, "maybe the next 21-year-old will."

On Monday, Mr. James convened a call that included Mr. Rose, the Detroit-raised former N.B.A. star; Ms. Diggins-Smith; Draymond Green, a forward for the Golden State Warriors and another Michigan native; Udonis Haslem, a longtime Miami Heat forward who is from Florida; and the N.F.L. running back Alvin Kamara, who is from Georgia. Mr. James has also gotten a commitment from the comedian Kevin Hart, a Philadelphia native, and is speaking to a number of musicians.

Mr. James and Mr. Carter are putting up the initial funding.

The organization will team up with voting rights organizations, including When We All Vote and Fair Fight, and is being advised by Adam Mendelsohn, a former political strategist who has worked with Mr. James for nearly a decade, and Addisu Demissie, who ran Senator Cory Booker's 2020 presidential campaign.

It is Mr. James, though, who has the loudest megaphone. His social media following is unequaled among American athletes: He has over 136 million followers between his Twitter, Facebook and Instagram accounts (just over 137 million people voted in the 2016 presidential election).

Now, he said, it's time for his admirers to do their part.

"There's a lot of people that want change in the black community," Mr. James said, but he added, "if you actually don't put in the work or if you don't have the mind-set, there's never going to be change."

As for his own plans this fall, he said he had not yet talked to Joseph R. Biden Jr., the presumptive Democratic nominee, but he did not rule out appearing on the campaign trail.

"We'll see if we can help a candidate here and there," Mr. James said.

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LeBron James and Other Stars Form a Voting Rights Group

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"This is the time for us to finally make a difference," the N.B.A. superstar said of the new group, which will aim to protect African-Americans' voting rights. WASHINGTON - The N.B.A.

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Protesters in Kentucky are on hunger strike demanding justice for Breonna Taylor, a black woman killed by police in her home in March.

The strike comes as thousands of US workers walk off the job on Monday to protest racism, inequality and police brutality.

The Strike for Black Lives builds the country-wide protests over the death of a black man, George Floyd, in May.

Many of the striking workers are considered "essential" in the pandemic.

Organisers said tens of thousands of workers in at least 25 cities were predicted to protest for at least part of the work day on Monday.

Those unable to leave the job for the entire day are instead holding lunchtime rallies and kneeling for eight minutes and 46 seconds - the time that Minneapolis prosecutors initially said that ex-Officer Derek Chauvin knelt on Floyd's neck, allegedly killing him.

Who is on hunger strike?

Four hunger strikers in Louisville, Kentucky, are demanding that two city officers involved in Taylor's death - Sgt John Mattingly and Detective Myles Cosgrove - be fired and stripped of their pensions.

Ex-Detective Brett Hankison, who was also involved in a raid on Taylor's apartment in March, was fired but is appealing the decision.

The four strikers are also live-streaming their strike on their Facebook page, Hunger Strikers for Breonna.

"In this form, we can control it," one participant, Ari Maybe, told the Courier Journal, adding that the strike will take place on private property.

"It's not like a sit-in, where we can be arrested. It's not like a protest, where there's a beginning and an end. We control the beginning, the end and the entire narrative."

She added that in addition to the four people involved, they have support from around 35 others, including medical personnel and a crew responsible for the Facebook stream.

Why Breonna Taylor's name is chanted at demos

What's changed since George Floyd's death?

Who else is striking?

Fast-food servers, healthcare workers, ride-share drivers, airport workers, cleaning staff and workers from many other industries are taking part in a larger, separate national day of protest, which brings together a coalition of labour unions and social justice organisations.

The strikers are calling for lawmakers to create equal opportunities for racial minorities and for corporations to take stronger action to support civil rights. The diverse group is calling for higher wages for all workers as well as better healthcare access, sick leave, and child support among other demands.

In Manhattan, workers are protesting outside Trump Tower, calling for Republicans to approve the Heroes Act, a second economic stimulus bill that has already been approved by the Democratic-led House of Representatives.

In Missouri, protesters gathered at a McDonald's restaurant, then marched to a memorial for Michael Brown, a black teenager who was killed by police in Ferguson, Missouri, in 2014.

In Los Angeles, workers led a "car caravan" to the University of Southern California to "demand the nation's second-largest school district and the university drop their use of the [Los Angeles Police Department] on campuses", according to a press release.

What happened to Breonna Taylor?

Police had suspected Taylor's flat was being used to receive drugs by a gang based at a different address 10 miles (16km) away. One of the suspects was an ex-boyfriend of Taylor.

Shortly after midnight on 13 March, officers Hankison, Mattingly and Cosgrove stormed Taylor's apartment by executing a no-knock search warrant - a court document that authorises police to enter a home without permission.

Taylor and her partner, Kenneth Walker, were reportedly asleep as the commotion began.

Police said they knocked before using a battering ram to enter the home, though this account has been disputed by Taylor's family and a neighbour.

The officers exchanged fire with Mr Walker, a licensed gun owner who called 911 in the belief that the drug raid was a burglary. The officers - who fired more than 25 bullets - said they returned fire after one officer was shot and wounded.

During the exchange, Taylor, an emergency medical technician, was shot eight times. She died on her hallway floor. She was 26 years old.

Mr Walker surrendered and was arrested on charges of attempted murder of a police officer, but officials have since motioned to drop the charge.

Taylor was one of three people named on the warrant, according to Louisville NBC affiliate Wave 3. But she was not the main subject of the investigation, the city's Courier-Journal newspaper reports.

No drugs were found in the property.

Timeline of US police killings

Police officer Brett Hankison was accused of "blindly" firing 10 rounds into the apartment, displaying "an extreme indifference to the value of human life".

A lawsuit filed by Taylor's family accuses the officers of battery, wrongful death, excessive force and gross negligence.

According to the family, Taylor took "five to six minutes" to die from her injuries and did not receive urgent medical care from officers at the scene.
Timeline of US police killings

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Hunger strike begins amid US racism protests

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Protesters in Kentucky are on hunger strike demanding justice for Breonna Taylor, a black woman killed by police in her home in March. The strike comes as thousands of US workers walk off the job on Monday to protest racism, inequality and police brutality.

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Tuesday's Black Lives Matter protest in Sydney was stopped by police before it started, yet still worked its poison.

That's because it was a cliffhanger story for weeks - will it go ahead in this pandemic? - and the media gave its organisers a huge platform.

Boy, did they use it to spread their toxic story that police and prison guards were racists, murdering Aborigines who shouldn't even be in jail.

The main organiser, Paddy Gibson, appeared on Channel 10's The Project this week to claim - unchallenged - that we "continue to incarcerate 10-year-old Aboriginal children" and "torture" them.

He went on: "Particularly in the case of David Dungay ... Charge the guards that killed David Dungay Jr!"

Dungay's name is now everywhere in the media. As The Guardian Australia said, "Dungay's 2015 death in custody has become a symbol of the Australian Black Lives Matter movement" because this poor "26-year-old Dunghutti man died after five guards rushed his cell to stop him eating biscuits".

( Read the full column here.)

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There is a specific issue with the Facebook in-app browser intermittently making requests to websites without cookies that had previously been set. This appears to be a defect in the browser which should be addressed soon. The simplest approach to avoid this problem is to continue to use the Facebook app but not use the in-app browser.

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Kenosha became the nation's latest flashpoint in a summer of racial unrest after mobile footage of police shooting Jacob Blake on Sunday about 5pm in broad daylight circulated on social media.

Protesters chanted, "No justice, no peace" as they confronted a line of law enforcement officers who wore protective gear and stood shoulder-to-shoulder in front of the courthouse entrance.

Police first fired the tear gas about 30 minutes after the 8pm curfew took effect and protesters refused to disperse. But hundreds of people stuck around, lighting fires and screaming at police.

The latest confrontation came after protesters set cars on fire, smashed windows and clashed with officers in riot gear on Sunday night over the wounding of 29-year-old Blake, who was hospitalised in serious condition.

On Tuesday morning, local time, his father, also called Jacob Blake, told the Chicago Sun-Times his son is paralysed from the waist down and has "eight holes" in his body. Doctors don't know if the paralysis will be permanent.

The older man was traveling from North Carolina to be with his son at the Milwaukee hospital.

"I want to put my hand on my son's cheek and kiss him on his forehead, and then I'll be okay," his father told the newspaper. "I'll kiss him with my mask. The first thing I want to do is touch my son."

In a widely seen video made by an onlooker, Blake was shot, apparently in the back, as he leaned into his SUV while his three children sat in the vehicle.

Tensions flared anew yesterday after a news conference with Kenosha Mayor John Antarmian, originally to be held in a park, was moved inside the city's public safety building.

Hundreds of protesters rushed to the building and a door was snapped off its hinges before police in riot gear pepper-sprayed the crowd.

Police said they were responding to a call about a domestic dispute. They did not say whether Blake was armed or why police opened fire, they released no details on the domestic dispute, and they did not immediately disclose the race of the three officers at the scene.

The man who claimed to have made the video, 22-year-old Raysean White, said that he saw Blake scuffling with three officers and heard them yell, "Drop the knife! Drop the knife!" before the gunfire erupted. He said he didn't see a knife in Blake's hands.

The officers were placed on administrative leave, standard practice in a shooting by police. Authorities released no details about the officers or their service records.

In the footage of the shooting, Blake walks from the sidewalk around the front of his SUV to his driver-side door as officers follow him with their guns pointed and shout at him.

As Blake opens the door and leans into the SUV, an officer grabs his shirt from behind and opens fire while Blake has his back turned.

Seven shots can be heard, though it isn't clear how many struck Blake or how many officers fired.

White, who claimed to have made the video, said that before the gunfire, he looked out his window and saw six or seven women shouting at each other on the sidewalk.

A few moments later, Blake drove up in his SUV and told his son, who was standing nearby, to get in the vehicle, according to White. White said Blake did not say anything to the women.

White said he left the window for a few minutes, and when he came back, saw three officers wrestling with Blake. One punched Blake in the ribs, and another used a stun gun on him, White said. He said Blake got free and started walking away as officers yelled about a knife.

Blake's partner, Laquisha Booker, told NBC's Milwaukee affiliate, WTMJ-TV, that the couple's three children were in the back seat of the SUV when police shot him.

'We are terrified': Lebron's strong message

NBA and Los Angeles Lakers star Lebron James also weighed in on Blake's shooting, saying there was no need for officers to open fire.

"If you're sitting here and telling me that there was no way to subdue that gentleman or detain him... before the firing of guns, you're sitting here you're lying to not only me, you're lying to every African American, every Black person in the community because we see it over and over and over," he told reporters today.

"If you watch the video, there was multiple moments where, if they wanted to, they could've tackled him, they could've grabbed him, they could've done that.

"Why does it always have to get to a point where we see the guns fired?"

James - who has been a fierce Black Lives Matter advocate in light of several high-profile police shootings of African Americans this year - said his community lives in fear.

"Black men, Black women, Black kids, we are terrified. Because you don't know, you have no idea, you have no idea how that cop that day left the house," he said.

"You don't know if he woke up on the good side of the bed, you don't know if he woke up on the wrong side of the bed, you don't know if he had an argument at home with a significant other.

"You don't know if one of his kids said something crazy to him and he left the house steaming or maybe he just left the house saying today is going to be the end for one of these Black people - that's what it feels like."

Published with The Associated Press.

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'We are terrified': Violent protests over US police shooting of Jacob Blake

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Kenosha became the nation's latest flashpoint in a summer of racial unrest after mobile footage of police shooting Jacob Blake on Sunday about 5pm in broad daylight circulated on social media. Protesters chanted, "No justice, no peace" as they confronted a line of law enforcement officers who wore protective gear and stood shoulder-to-shoulder in front of the courthouse entrance.

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After years of fighting for incremental progress in the White House and the halls of Congress, police-reform activist Nkechi Taifa finds herself leapfrogged by protesters in the streets calling to "defund the police" and reimagine law enforcement across the country.

It's a position she never expected to find herself in. And she's not complaining.

"It's a huge moment. Two months ago, three months ago, four months ago, when we were talking about reform, we were dealing with piecemeal issues," she says. "Little did we know that the activists in the streets would take some of (the) things we've been saying for years and go much further, be much bolder."

Across the country, street protests and confrontations that erupted following the May 25 death of George Floyd after a white Minneapolis police officer kneeled on his neck for almost nine minutes have prompted a broad and lasting discussion about the state of policing in America -- and how communities could or should change it.

Longtime activists like Taifa see this moment as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to dramatically reshape police departments and what happens when people call 911 or encounter an armed officer in their community.

Multiple studies show Black people are killed are much higher rates than whites during encounters with police. Black men in particular are 2.5 times more likely to be killed by police than white men, according to a University of Michigan, Rutgers University and Washington University study released last year. The study found that about 100 Black men and boys per 100,000, and 39 white men and boys per 100,000, are killed by police during their lifetimes.

Decisions being made now by city councils and mayors may have generational impacts, not just on how Black communities are policed, but how drug addiction, evictions and community relations are handled.

Aside from sweeping reforms like hiring social workers or mental-health counselors, removing military-grade equipment and abolishing the qualified immunity that protects officers from being sued personally, communities are also grappling with more basic questions like how many officers they should have patrolling the streets.

"We hear poor and Black communities across this country saying, 'we want a different system in place because this isn't working for us,'" says Arisha Hatch, the vice president and chief of campaigns at the online-based racial justice group Color Of Change. "I don't think it's that radical."

Experts say changing policing in America requires far more than slogans and marches, and demands communities address longstanding issues of violence, drug use and poverty, along with ending structural and systemic racism.

Communities will also have to contend with strong opposition to reform from police unions and politicians like President Donald Trump, who in a tweet Monday urged police to "take a stronger stand" against the elected officials to whom they are ultimately responsible. Reform advocates say many police departments operate with little effective oversight from politicians or the public.

In June, Trump also signed an executive order calling for more social workers to assist police, studying ways to better address mental health, homelessness, and addiction, and discouraging the use of chokeholds.

"All Americans are entitled to live with the confidence that the law enforcement officers and agencies in their communities will live up to our Nation's founding ideals and will protect the rights of all persons," the executive order says. "Particularly in African-American communities, we must redouble our efforts as a nation to swiftly address instances of misconduct."

An appetite for change

Those conversations are taking place as a wave of violent crime is plaguing some of our largest cities, with significant increases in violent crime being reported from New York to California. In Chicago, there were 13 fatal shootings last weekend, and 15 fatal shootings during the Fourth of July weekend, and hundreds more have been injured by gunfire.

Hatch says a good starting point would be to start policing Black neighborhoods like white ones, where teenagers who break the law are far more likely to get a second chance than a mandatory minimum, where police officers defer politely to armed Second Amendment protesters instead of shooting them, and where schools are staffed with more nurses than cops.

"Policing in this country is a failed experiment for Black people. We don't need to tweak the hypothesis any. We are very clear there needs to be a very different set of priorities and investments in our communities," says Hatch. "White people are given the benefit of the doubt in the way that Black people and other people of color are not."

More than half of Americans want some change to policing or law enforcement, with 55% of Americans wanting either major change or to redesign it completely, according to a June 29 Public Agenda/USA Today/Ipsos snapshot survey. Just 7% of Americans want it to stay the same, the survey found. Separated by race, the demand for change is more dramatic: nearly 80% of Black/African Americans and 70% of Hispanic Americans want major change compared to 47% of white Americans.

Not everyone believes the country's police departments need wholesale reform. Heather Mac Donald, a researcher with the conservative-leaning free-market think tank Manhattan Institute, argues talking about police violence in Black neighborhoods, particularly shootings of Black men by officers, obscures a more important conversation about why there's so much violence in those neighborhoods already.

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani adopted many of the institute's policies as he presided over a significant drop in violent crime during the 1990s, a drop that many critics say was accompanied by racist policing tactics, including stop-and-frisk.

Mac Donald argues that police will inherently stop and question more Black men in a community in which Black men are accused of committing violence: "What do people think that police activity should look like?"

She added: "It's a lot easier to talk about phony police racism than it is to talk about the uncomfortable issue of Black crime. It is easier to blame the police, and the police are the messenger."

Mac Donald argues that calls to defund the police will cause lower morale and make hiring even harder, ultimately forcing communities to lower their standards in order to hire officers, prompting taxpayers who can leave urban areas to flee to the safer suburbs, hollowing out the tax base further.

Going 'where the crime is'

Police union leader Joe Gamaldi says policing necessarily involves being where crimes are occurring, and if crimes are occurring in Black neighborhoods, "we go where the crime is. If we want to have a larger discussion about crime in America, then let's have that." Gamaldi is the national vice president for the Fraternal Order of Police, and is the president of the police union in Houston, where he's also an officer.

Like many police union officials, Gamaldi argues that the vast majority of officers nationwide are honest and fair, and that deaths like those of George Floyd are an "abhorrent" aberration, not a systemic problem. But like many reform advocates, Gamaldi says police officers are being asked to do too much - from handling neighbor disputes to dealing with the mentally ill or drug addicts.

"Basically over the past 30 years, police officers have become a dumping ground for every other problem," he says, criticizing the idea that funding should be cut from police departments so it can be reallocated to other social programs. "Why are these things mutually exclusive? Why can't we find the money elsewhere? We can't even provide the level of basic police service the community is already asking for."

Gamaldi says police morale across the country is the lowest he's seen in 15 years as an officer, and things are going to get worse the longer protesters attack and criticize officers.

"Who is going to be left to take it? The bottom of the barrel," he says. "The people who we don't want to be police officers."

Former Burlington, Vermont, police chief Brandon del Pozo echoes the same concern: Hiring qualified officers is hard already. Add widespread community criticism and smaller departments, in particular, are going to struggle to hire to meet even basic policing needs.

"If we let the pendulum swing without deliberation, the communities that will suffer most will invariably be the poorest communities, and communities of color," said del Pozo, who is now a postdoctoral researcher focusing on the consequences of substance use and addiction at Rhode Island's The Miriam Hospital and the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. A native New Yorker, del Pozo served 19 years in the New York Police Department before becoming chief in Burlington.

As an example, del Pozo said, his department had to go through 1,200 applications to hire 60 police officers over his four years as chief. Hiring diverse applicants to better reflect the city's demographics - a basic step many reform advocates say could help change the tenor of policing - was a challenge because few Black applicants want to join departments led primarily by white, conservative men.

"How do you tell a young Black or Hispanic applicant to come to this department where everybody superior to you is white and maybe more conservative and then expect them to take the lead? It's a lot to ask anyone to be a diversifier, especially in an industry like policing," del Pozo said.

The need for a 'cultural' change

In rapidly changing cities like Aurora, Colorado, where 20% of residents were born outside of the United States, leaders like newly elected Mayor Mike Coffman face a constant challenge in trying to make the police department's diversity match that of the community.

Starting in 2018, the city has dispatched mental health workers on certain calls with police but that's an effort complicated by a legally binding deal between the city and the police union that requires funding two uniformed officers for every 1,000 residents. Even if Coffman and other city leaders wanted to shift funding from cops to mental health, they'd face a legal challenge because the deal requires uniformed officers, not desk clerks, 911 operators or frontline social workers.

Coffman said the city has worked hard to hire diverse officers but knows more can be done.

"The discussion here is no different than the discussion in the rest of the country. It's not just about more cops on the street. It's about the alternatives to prevent people from going in this direction in the first place, in terms of crime," he said.

Aurora is further along in that discussion than other cities, however, because both state and federal officials are reviewing the 2019 death of Elijah McClain, a 23-year-old Black man who was arrested while walking down the street after police received a report of a suspicious person in a mask - a mask his family says he often wore to stay warm due to a blood condition.

Three officers confronted the young man carrying iced tea, threw him to the ground during a struggle, and then one of them wrapped his arm around McClain's neck in what was officially called a "carotid control hold." Medics then injected McClain, a massage therapist, with the sedative ketamine, after which he had a heart attack and died at a hospital several days later.

Prosecutors declined to file charges against the three officers, sparking widespread protests and clashes with police in late June, exacerbated by revelations that three other Aurora officers had taken and shared mocking photos at the site where McClain died.

"We've got a lot of sets of eyes looking into the case. More reforms will come from this. I think we're on a good path, in terms (of) realizing the need for change," Coffman said.

Taifa, the reform activist, says the tragedy in Aurora highlights the need for changes in the overall law-enforcement culture.

"Until there's really a change in police culture, it doesn't matter if you have officers of color," she says. "We have got to take a step back. We need to try what we can, evaluate, and take whatever the best solutions are and move forward. And it's not going to happen overnight. We need to accept that we might make mistakes, but you've got to start somewhere in making a change. And that's the moment we are in right now."
Follow Trevor Hughes on Twitter @TrevorHughes

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A 'huge moment' for police reform that could reshape Black communities for generations

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After years of fighting for incremental progress in the White House and the halls of Congress, police-reform activist Nkechi Taifa finds herself leapfrogged by protesters in the streets calling to "defund the police" and reimagine law enforcement across the country. It's a position she never expected to find herself in.

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Faith Karimi, Catherine E. Shoichet and Ralph Ellis, CNN

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Dallas shooting: 5 officers die, suspect ID'd

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Dallas police identify the dead suspect in the sniper attack that killed 5 officers as Micah Xavier Johnson, 25, but could other suspects be on the loose?

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NBA teams bowed their heads and knelt during the playing of the U.S. national anthem while wearing Black Lives Matter T-shirts on Thursday as the league returned for the first time since the coronavirus halted play in March with two thrilling games.

Coaches and game officials joined players from the Utah Jazz, New Orleans Pelicans and Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers in taking a knee to protest against racial injustice and police brutality in the first games in 140 days.

Black Lives Matter was also written on the courts at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in the Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, where the NBA plans to finish its season with 22 teams inside a bio-secure bubble.

"The game of basketball has always been bigger than just the ball, the rim, 10 guys on the floor and referees," the Lakers LeBron James said after hitting the game-winning shot in his team's 103-101 win over the Clippers.

"It's an opportunity to use this platform to spread a lot of positivity and love throughout the whole world."

He said that while there has been progress in the fight against systemic racism, the key was to maintain the momentum.

"We want to keep our foot on the gas," he said. "We're dealing with a lot of racism, a lot of social injustice and a lot of police brutality, not only in my neighborhood and not only with Black people, but with all people of color."

Some players had messages like "Equality," "Education Reform" and "Say Their Names" on the backs of their jerseys in place of their names.

Athletes from around the world have united behind anti-racism protests sparked by the death of George Floyd, a Black man in police custody in Minneapolis in May.

In the first game, the Jazz came from behind to defeat the Pelicans 106-104 after the Pelicans' Brandon Ingram's three-pointer at the buzzer rimmed out.

The games are being played without fans, but "virtual fans" appeared on LED screens wrapped around the court and a simulation of a crowd's cheers and jeers could be heard.

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As NBA restarts, teams take a knee before games

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NBA teams bowed their heads and knelt during the playing of the U.S. national anthem while wearing Black Lives Matter T-shirts on Thursday as the league returned for the first time since the coronavirus halted play in March with two thrilling games.

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The killing of an unarmed black man by police in the US city of El Cajon on Tuesday led to a series of protests throughout the city.

The incident followed other recent police shootings of black men in the cities of Tulsa and Charlotte, which have brought hundreds to the streets in a call for police reform and to combat police violence against black Americans.

Often at the forefront of such demonstrations is the Black Lives Matter movement, which grew from Facebook post in 2013, to a trending hashtag, to a global movement, and has galvanised support across the world in its efforts to expose what it calls institutionalised racism within US police forces.

Now more than three years after the movement started, what has Black Lives Matter achieved? And does it use the right approach?

In this week's Arena, we debate the tactics of the movement with BLM activist and writer Shaun King and columnist and 1960s activist Barbara Reynolds, who is critical of the protesters' approach.

Follow UpFront on Twitter @AJUpFront and Facebook.

Source: Al Jazeera News

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Black Lives Matter: What has the movement achieved?

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The killing of an unarmed black man by police in the US city of El Cajon on Tuesday led to a series of protests throughout the city. The incident followed other recent police shootings of black men in the cities of Tulsa and Charlotte, which have brought hundreds to the streets in a call for police reform and to combat police violence against black Americans.

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BLM's #WhatMatters2020 aims to vigorously engage underrepresented communities in the electoral process, educate the Black community about candidates and the issues that impact Black voters most, promote voter registration among Millennials, Generation Z, the Black community, and allies, and combat the increased threats of disinformation during this election cycle affecting BLM constituents and the public at large.

Campaign Goals

1.
Vigorously engage our communities in the electoral process:

Millions of Black Americans are repressed within the democratic process, yet data shows Black voters tipped the balance in the 2018 midterm elections. Moving towards 2020, we seek to increase the power of our voices and votes.

2.
Educate our constituents about candidates and the issues that impact us most:

We will amplify and do a deep dive into the issues that affect our communities most and hold our candidates accountable on these issues.

3.
Promote voter registration among Generation Z, the Black community, and our allies:

Demographic shifts means that in the 2020 election, non-whites will account for a third of voters and one in ten voters will be members of Generation Z. We will encourage and provide resources for those seeking to vote.

Campaign Focus

BLM's #WhatMatters2020 will focus on the following issues:

Racial Injustice

Police Brutality

Criminal Justice Reform

Black Immigration

Economic Injustice

LGBTQIA+ and Human Rights

Environmental Conditions

Voting Rights & Suppression

Healthcare

Government Corruption

Education

Commonsense Gun Laws

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BLM's #WhatMatters2020 Goals and Focus - Black Lives Matter

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BLM's #WhatMatters2020 aims to vigorously engage underrepresented communities in the electoral process, educate the Black community about candidates and the issues that impact Black voters most, promote voter registration among Millennials, Generation Z, the Black community, and allies, and combat the increased threats of disinformation during this election cycle affecting BLM constituents and the public at large.

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The Milwaukee Bucks have boycotted Game 5 of their playoff series against the Orlando Magic in protest at the police shooting of Jacob Blake earlier this week.

Blake was shot in the back by police, apparently in front of his children, on Sunday, and his family say he is now paralyzed from the waist down. The shooting occurred in Kenosha, Washington, which is 40 miles from Milwaukee.

The Bucks had been due to come on court for 4pm ET on Wednesday afternoon, but did not emerge from the locker room. "We're tired of the killings and the injustice," Bucks guard George Hill told The Undefeated's Marc J Spears.

There have been protests in Kenosha since the shooting, and police arrested Kyle Rittenhouse, 17, after two people were shot dead at a demonstration in the town on Tuesday night.

Magic players were practicing on court prior to what they thought would be the start of the game but left shortly after they learned the Bucks would not join them.

The Bucks lead the best-of-seven series 3-1 and are one of the favorites to win the title. Their star player and reigning league MVP, Giannis Antetokounmpo, was named NBA defensive player of the year on Tuesday.

This season's playoffs are taking place in an isolated bubble at Florida's Walt Disney World due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

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NBA joined by MLB teams in boycott to protest police shooting of Jacob Blake

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On an extraordinary day for the NBA, the Milwaukee Bucks boycotted Game 5 of their playoff series against the Orlando Magic in protest of the police shooting of Jacob Blake, leading the NBA to reschedule all other Wednesday night playoff games. Milwaukee's baseball team, the Brewers, also confirmed they would not play their game scheduled for Wednesday evening.

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Over the last few days you may have heard or seen the slogan 'defund the police'

It's been everywhere.

The idea of radically scaling back police budgets and spending the money elsewhere, on crime prevention, rehabilitation and social outreach, has long been dismissed by most elected politicians as a fantasy of the far-left.

That's changed. Lizzo, John Legend and other celebrities signed an open letter in support last week. City mayors from New York to Los Angeles are talking about cutting police budgets - something that hasn't happened in a long time.

On Sunday, the Minneapolis City Council went even further - pledging to dismantle the Minneapolis Police Department and create a new system of public safety.

These ideas go against decades of received wisdom that less police equals more crime. As John Legend wrote on Monday, "some hear that word and envision The Purge, some dystopian descent into anarchy."

What would defunding the police look like?

Though it sounds like a decisive break with the past, defunding the police is also just an extension of old ideas that crime prevention is more effective than crime-fighting, and communities are best placed to do this.

One of the community groups behind Minneapolis City Council's majority vote to dismantle the local police force is MPD150, which describes itself as "working towards a police free Minneapolis". In the place of police, MPD150 envisions "community-based models of safety, support and prevention."

"Rather than strangers armed with guns," the group says, "we want to create space for more mental health service providers, social workers, victim/survivor advocates, religious leaders, neighbors, healers, and friends - all of the people who really make up the fabric of a community - to look out for one another."

But what does it actually look like? That's hard to say, as it hasn't been properly done before.

Some proposals call for ending no-knock warrants and military-style raids. Others seek to restrict the flow of military-style gear to police departments and change police tactics used against protesters.

In any case, the change would happen very gradually: police departments would be given less and less money, one annual budget at a time, and the money would be redirected towards the community-based models. The process is not about "snapping our fingers and magically defunding every department," MPD150 says. There are more than 16,000 local, state and federal law enforcement agencies in the US.

Alex Vitale, a criminologist at Brooklyn College, is the author of The End of Policing and an acknowledged global expert on police abolition and defunding. He's often asked, 'But what about the murders and rapists?' He points out many of these people are not caught under the current model. Defunding the police is fundamentally about acknowledging the system is broken and there has to be a better way.

About 10 million arrests are made in the US each year, with black people far more likely to face violent arrests, including shootings, than white people.

A small proportion of these arrests are for violent offenses, with the vast majority for relatively minor infractions such as the use of forged money, the alleged crime by Floyd that police were called to deal with.

"I think it's a problem that at the federal state and local level politicians are saying we're just going to keep turning problems over to the police," Professor Vitale said.

"When we have difficulties we're going to keep giving them more hardware and legal freedom to act in these aggressive and confrontational ways."

Why defund the police?

Police are being asked to do more now than they were ever meant to do, Professor Vitale says. They're being deployed against all kinds of social problems, from homelessness, to domestic violence, to failing schools.

"These are all problems that our politicians have turned over to police to manage," he said.

The US spends twice as much on law and order (police, prisons and courts) as it does on cash welfare. The trajectory of these two spending items diverged around 1980. When coronavirus hit city budgets a couple of months ago, politicians cut 'soft' services but left the police departments untouched. The US Government even bought millions of dollars worth of riot gear, citing unrest caused by the pandemic.

One police officer's riot gear buys enough masks, gowns and gloves for 31 nurses.

Aside from this, there's the fact of police brutality. Much-publicised and celebrated attempts to reform police forces have not worked. Five years ago, a series of police killings of unarmed black men and women led to the first wave of Black Lives Matters protests. Politicians assured the public the police would change.

"The American public were told, 'Don't worry we're going to fix this,'" Professor Vitale said.

"Mayors and local police chiefs said, 'Don't worry we're going to give them police de-escalation training, we're going to give them implicit bias training, we're going to give them body cameras and this is going to fix the problem.'"

"A whole industry of consultants and high-paid academic trainers helped facilitate this idea policing could be fixed by a few training programs."

Minneapolis Police Department was a model example of this approach. It had the full range of 'enlightened' training programs, body cameras, and community dialogues to restore the community's trust in police.

These reforms began in 2015. On May 25, 2020, George Floyd, an unarmed black man in Minneapolis, died after a police officer pinned him to the concrete by holding a knee to his neck for nearly nine minutes. Floyd begged for his life and repeatedly said "I can't breathe". The next day the police department claimed Floyd had "physically resisted" arrest. When video contradicting this circulated, the riots began.

The George Floyd killing marked the widespread loss of faith in police reform and a five-year process that had cost billions of dollars.

"Everyone was supporting the idea we could fix policing through these superficial adjustments without ever interrogating the bigger questions of why we've turned every social problem in the US over to the police to manage," Professor Vitale said.

"That's driving tens of millions of negative interactions between police and low-income communities and communities of colour."

How would it work in Australia?

In Australia, there's been lots of work done on abolishing prisons.

In 2018, Debbie Kilroy, a lawyer who runs the Sisters Inside program that advocates for and works alongside women in prisons, wrote in the Griffith Review: "Prisons have ravaged Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families and communities. In the last two decades, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and girls have been imprisoned at alarming rates across Australia. Pipelined from out-of-home 'care' to youth prisons to homelessness, poverty and adult prisons, women and girls are trapped in a cycle of government failure."

Many of the arguments made about policing in the US apply in Australia, where police forces have also become more militarised and are being asked to deal with social problems they have not been trained for. This is most pronounced in the history of violent interactions between police and Indigenous people.

"At its core, prison abolition is an imaginative project," Ms Kilroy, who spent much of her teens in youth prisons, writes.

"It requires us to imagine a world where we do not rely on police, prisons and child protection authorities to resolve and address violence and harm in our communities."

Though there are fewer organisations explicitly calling for abolition than there are in the US, there are plenty talking about what could replace police and prisons - about 'transformative justice' or 'alternative pathways'. Aboriginal patrols - typically organised by self-funded groups that are independent from police - run most nights nights in many Australian cities and towns. They focus on keeping people safe and preventing contact with state police - perhaps a version of Minneapolis' 'new system of public safety'.

As tens of thousands of people around Australia were marching in support of Black Lives Matter on the weekend, an Aboriginal woman was being reportedly "body slammed" by prison guards at Bandyup Prison in Perth.

She was taken to hospital the following day in a critical condition.

The Department of Corrective Services in WA says there's no evidence of "unreasonable use of force". It also confirmed that, just before marches began, a 40-year-old Aboriginal man had died in custody at a prison near Perth.

There have been more than 430 Aboriginal deaths in custody since the 1991 Royal Commission into Aboriginal deaths in custody, and no police officers or prison guards have been convicted over these deaths.

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'Defund the police': What it means and how it would work

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Over the last few days you may have heard or seen the slogan 'defund the police' It's been everywhere. The idea of radically scaling back police budgets and spending the money elsewhere, on crime prevention, rehabilitation and social outreach, has long been dismissed by most elected politicians as a fantasy of the far-left.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
BLM's #WhatMatters2020 aims to vigorously engage underrepresented communities in the electoral process, educate the Black community about candidates and the issues that impact Black voters most, promote voter registration among Millennials, Generation Z, the Black community, and allies, and combat the increased threats of disinformation during this election cycle affecting BLM constituents and the public at large.

Campaign Goals

1.
Vigorously engage our communities in the electoral process:

Millions of Black Americans are repressed within the democratic process, yet data shows Black voters tipped the balance in the 2018 midterm elections. Moving towards 2020, we seek to increase the power of our voices and votes.

2.
Educate our constituents about candidates and the issues that impact us most:

We will amplify and do a deep dive into the issues that affect our communities most and hold our candidates accountable on these issues.

3.
Promote voter registration among Generation Z, the Black community, and our allies:

Demographic shifts means that in the 2020 election, non-whites will account for a third of voters and one in ten voters will be members of Generation Z. We will encourage and provide resources for those seeking to vote.

Campaign Focus

BLM's #WhatMatters2020 will focus on the following issues:

Racial Injustice

Police Brutality

Criminal Justice Reform

Black Immigration

Economic Injustice

LGBTQIA+ and Human Rights

Environmental Conditions

Voting Rights & Suppression

Healthcare

Government Corruption

Education

Commonsense Gun Laws

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
BLM's #WhatMatters2020 Goals and Focus - Black Lives Matter

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
BLM's #WhatMatters2020 aims to vigorously engage underrepresented communities in the electoral process, educate the Black community about candidates and the issues that impact Black voters most, promote voter registration among Millennials, Generation Z, the Black community, and allies, and combat the increased threats of disinformation during this election cycle affecting BLM constituents and the public at large.

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Black Lives Matter: From social media post to global movement

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Black Lives Matter has sparked a hashtag, grass-roots organisations, and a collective of activists.

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From Cosmopolitan
The recent deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor in the USA have sparked a new wave of protests over the past few weeks, under the Black Lives Matter (BLM) banner.

Black Lives Matter campaigns against violence and systemic racism towards Black people. The international human rights campaign began on social media in 2013 with the #BlackLivesMatter hashtag, and has since gone on to lead calls for Black people to be treated fairly by authorities in the USA and around the world.

According to Black Lives Matter, the movement is "an ideological and political intervention in a world where Black lives are systematically and intentionally targeted for demise. It is an affirmation of Black folks' humanity, our contributions to this society, and our resilience in the face of deadly oppression." In 2018, five years after Black Lives Matter began, co-founder Alicia Garza said in an interview that BLM's "goal is to build the kind of society where black people can live with dignity and respect."

Read our timeline of key Black Lives Matter moments in the US to learn about how the movement has grown from a social media post to a global network.

2013

The Black Lives Matter movement began in 2013, following the death of Trayvon Martin, an African-American teenager who was shot while walking to a family friend's house, and the subsequent acquittal of George Zimmerman, the man who shot him.

The campaign was co-founded by three Black women: Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi, as a response to the police killings of Black people. The phrase "black lives matter" was first used in a Facebook post by Garza after Zimmerman was found not guilty, and was the inspiration for the campaign. Cullors recognised the power of Garza's words and created the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter, and the campaign was born.

2014

The movement quickly gathered pace, with interest and momentum spiking every time a Black person was killed as a result of an altercation with police.

In 2014, Black Lives Matter protested against the deaths of numerous Black and African-American people. In July that year, Eric Garner died in New York City after a policeman put him in a chokehold while arresting him. Then, in August, unarmed teenager Michael Brown was killed by a gunshot from a police officer, Darren Wilson (it was later decided that there was not enough evidence to charge Wilson). Both peaceful protests and riots followed, much of which was done under the banner and hashtag of Black Lives Matter.

In response, co-founder Patrisse Cullors organised the Black Life Matters Ride, which drew a gathering a 600 people and sparked the founding of more localised Black Lives Matter groups and the dissemination of the campaign into a network.

2015

The following year saw another spate of Black people killed by police officers in the USA, including Walter Scott, Freddie Gray, and Meagan Hockaday. Black Lives Matter protested against these and many more. They also organised protests to highlight the injustices faced by Black women and Black transgender women. By the end of 2015, 21 transgender people had been killed that year in the USA, a record number at the time, and 13 of the victims were Black.

2016

2016 saw Black Lives Matter organise many more protests against police brutality towards Black people. Those whose deaths occurred due to police actions included Deborah Danner and Alton Sterling. Early July saw over 100 protests take place across America following Sterling's death on July 5th, and Philandro Castile's shooting the next day.

This year also saw major American sports stars lend their voices to the cause of Black Lives Matter. In July 2016, basketball players including LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony opened an awards ceremony by speaking about recent deaths of Black people, saying: "Enough is enough." Then, from August, many sports stars began taking part in protests during national anthems at sports games, beginning with Colin Kaepernick, who knelt during the anthem ahead of an NFL game.

2017

Black History Month is celebrated in February in the USA (it's marked in October in the UK). In 2017, Black Lives Matter put on their first art exhibition timed to coincide with Black History Month in the US state of Virginia. It featured the work of over 30 Black artists and creators.

Black Lives Matter protest not only the killings of Black people, but also some acquittals and 'not guilty' verdicts in those cases which make it to trial. In June, they held a protest after the officer accused of killing Philandro Castile the year before was found not guilty.

In August, Black Lives Matter campaigners were among counter-protestors at a white supremacist 'Unite The Right' rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.

2018

In an interview with ABC News marking five years of Black Lives Matter, Cullors explained the impact the organisation had had on other causes. She said: "[BLM] has popularised civil disobedience and the need to put our bodies on the line... With things like the Women's March, and Me Too, and March for our Lives, all of these movements, their foundations are in Black Lives Matter."

By May 1st, 2018, a study found that the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter had been used nearly 30 million times on Twitter since the first instance in 2013.

As they marked five years of action, Black Lives Matter continued to highlight the deaths of Black people who had lost their lives at the hands of US police that year, including Grechario Mack and Kenneth Ross Jr.

2019

In February 2019, the rapper 21 Savage was arrested and detained by the US's immigration agency, ICE. As a result, Cullors convened a group of 60 high profile stars from the music and entertainment worlds to advocate for his release.

Then, in May, Oklahoma teenager Isaiah Lewis was shot by police and killed. Days later, Black Lives Matter held a 100-strong rally in protest.

2020

Major protests were sparked at the end of May following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. A video showing a police officer kneeling on Floyd's neck went viral following his death. Police officer, Derek Chauvin, has since been charged with second-degree murder - raised from an initial charge of third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter (the case is yet to go to trial). Three other officers who were there have all been charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter. Their cases are also yet to go to trial.

Black Lives Matter went on to organise protests around the world. In London, two Black activists Aima, 18, and Tash, 21, organised a rally in Trafalgar Square, which was attended by thousands on Sunday, May 31st.

Many more have followed since. At one London protest, Star Wars actor John Boyega joined 15,000 others in Hyde Park, and told crowds:

"Today is about innocent people who were halfway through their process, we don't know what George Floyd could have achieved, we don't know what Sandra Bland could have achieved, but today we're going to make sure that won't be an alien thought to our young ones."
Find out what you can do to demand justice for Black lives here You Might Also Like

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
A timeline of the Black Lives Matter movement

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
From Cosmopolitan The recent deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor in the USA have sparked a new wave of protests over the past few weeks, under the Black Lives Matter (BLM) banner. Black Lives Matter campaigns against violence and systemic racism towards Black people.

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Nov 15, 2016

Nick WagonerESPN Staff Writer

Close

Covered Rams for nine years for stlouisrams.com

Previously covered University of Missouri football

Member of Pro Football Writers of America

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick is well aware of how his decision not to participate in the recent presidential election while promoting a message of change has been received.

Asked Tuesday why he opted not to cast a vote for measures beyond the choice of a president, Kaepernick offered a familiar response in taking aim at the system and stating his belief that voting isn't the only way to make a difference.

"I thought a lot of different things about the process and what I could and couldn't do," Kaepernick said. "Once again, the system of oppression is what I have an issue with."

"There's more than one way to create change."

The Sacramento Bee reported this week that Kaepernick, who has knelt during the national anthem in protest of racial inequality and oppression all season, has actually never been registered to vote in California or in Nevada, where he attended college.

Kaepernick did not confirm that he's never been registered but again pointed to his feelings about the voting system when asked about not registering to vote now or in the past.

"Once again, I addressed that, I continue to address it, I don't agree with the system of oppression and that's something I will continue to not agree with," Kaepernick said.

In the run-up to the 2016 election, Kaepernick repeatedly made it clear he didn't approve of either President-elect Donald Trump or Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. On Election Day, Kaepernick said he would not be voting and followed through on that promise.

On Wednesday, Kaepernick told Arizona reporters on a conference call that it "didn't matter" who won the election because neither candidate was a good choice.

On Sunday, Kaepernick said he felt it would be hypocritical for him to vote because it would be the equivalent of showing support for a system he doesn't believe in. He also said the choice of Trump should increase the urgency for everyone to work toward solutions to make the system better.

"I think everybody should feel urgency to make sure that we're doing the right thing, building things the right way in order to be able to protect ourselves from what may come from this," Kaepernick said.

When asked whether he believed the reason for so many no-shows to the voting booth were because many feel the same way as him, Kaepernick said he wasn't sure.

"You would have to ask them that," Kaepernick said. "I don't want to speak for anybody or put anybody in a situation where I am not representing them properly so I really can't say."

Kaepernick has previously pledged to donate $1 million and any proceeds from the sale of his jersey to groups that can help the causes he's working for and he recently held a "Know Your Rights" camp for kids in Oakland that provided guidance on a variety of topics, including education, fitness, money and interacting with law enforcement.

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Kap on not voting: Other ways to create change

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Nov 15, 2016 Nick WagonerESPN Staff Writer Close Covered Rams for nine years for stlouisrams.com Previously covered University of Missouri football Member of Pro Football Writers of America SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick is well aware of how his decision not to participate in the recent presidential election while promoting a message of change has been received.

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From Cosmopolitan
The recent deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor in the USA have sparked a new wave of protests over the past few weeks, under the Black Lives Matter (BLM) banner.

Black Lives Matter campaigns against violence and systemic racism towards Black people. The international human rights campaign began on social media in 2013 with the #BlackLivesMatter hashtag, and has since gone on to lead calls for Black people to be treated fairly by authorities in the USA and around the world.

According to Black Lives Matter, the movement is "an ideological and political intervention in a world where Black lives are systematically and intentionally targeted for demise. It is an affirmation of Black folks' humanity, our contributions to this society, and our resilience in the face of deadly oppression." In 2018, five years after Black Lives Matter began, co-founder Alicia Garza said in an interview that BLM's "goal is to build the kind of society where black people can live with dignity and respect."

Read our timeline of key Black Lives Matter moments in the US to learn about how the movement has grown from a social media post to a global network.

2013

The Black Lives Matter movement began in 2013, following the death of Trayvon Martin, an African-American teenager who was shot while walking to a family friend's house, and the subsequent acquittal of George Zimmerman, the man who shot him.

The campaign was co-founded by three Black women: Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi, as a response to the police killings of Black people. The phrase "black lives matter" was first used in a Facebook post by Garza after Zimmerman was found not guilty, and was the inspiration for the campaign. Cullors recognised the power of Garza's words and created the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter, and the campaign was born.

2014

The movement quickly gathered pace, with interest and momentum spiking every time a Black person was killed as a result of an altercation with police.

In 2014, Black Lives Matter protested against the deaths of numerous Black and African-American people. In July that year, Eric Garner died in New York City after a policeman put him in a chokehold while arresting him. Then, in August, unarmed teenager Michael Brown was killed by a gunshot from a police officer, Darren Wilson (it was later decided that there was not enough evidence to charge Wilson). Both peaceful protests and riots followed, much of which was done under the banner and hashtag of Black Lives Matter.

In response, co-founder Patrisse Cullors organised the Black Life Matters Ride, which drew a gathering a 600 people and sparked the founding of more localised Black Lives Matter groups and the dissemination of the campaign into a network.

2015

The following year saw another spate of Black people killed by police officers in the USA, including Walter Scott, Freddie Gray, and Meagan Hockaday. Black Lives Matter protested against these and many more. They also organised protests to highlight the injustices faced by Black women and Black transgender women. By the end of 2015, 21 transgender people had been killed that year in the USA, a record number at the time, and 13 of the victims were Black.

2016

2016 saw Black Lives Matter organise many more protests against police brutality towards Black people. Those whose deaths occurred due to police actions included Deborah Danner and Alton Sterling. Early July saw over 100 protests take place across America following Sterling's death on July 5th, and Philandro Castile's shooting the next day.

This year also saw major American sports stars lend their voices to the cause of Black Lives Matter. In July 2016, basketball players including LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony opened an awards ceremony by speaking about recent deaths of Black people, saying: "Enough is enough." Then, from August, many sports stars began taking part in protests during national anthems at sports games, beginning with Colin Kaepernick, who knelt during the anthem ahead of an NFL game.

2017

Black History Month is celebrated in February in the USA (it's marked in October in the UK). In 2017, Black Lives Matter put on their first art exhibition timed to coincide with Black History Month in the US state of Virginia. It featured the work of over 30 Black artists and creators.

Black Lives Matter protest not only the killings of Black people, but also some acquittals and 'not guilty' verdicts in those cases which make it to trial. In June, they held a protest after the officer accused of killing Philandro Castile the year before was found not guilty.

In August, Black Lives Matter campaigners were among counter-protestors at a white supremacist 'Unite The Right' rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.

2018

In an interview with ABC News marking five years of Black Lives Matter, Cullors explained the impact the organisation had had on other causes. She said: "[BLM] has popularised civil disobedience and the need to put our bodies on the line... With things like the Women's March, and Me Too, and March for our Lives, all of these movements, their foundations are in Black Lives Matter."

By May 1st, 2018, a study found that the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter had been used nearly 30 million times on Twitter since the first instance in 2013.

As they marked five years of action, Black Lives Matter continued to highlight the deaths of Black people who had lost their lives at the hands of US police that year, including Grechario Mack and Kenneth Ross Jr.

2019

In February 2019, the rapper 21 Savage was arrested and detained by the US's immigration agency, ICE. As a result, Cullors convened a group of 60 high profile stars from the music and entertainment worlds to advocate for his release.

Then, in May, Oklahoma teenager Isaiah Lewis was shot by police and killed. Days later, Black Lives Matter held a 100-strong rally in protest.

2020

Major protests were sparked at the end of May following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. A video showing a police officer kneeling on Floyd's neck went viral following his death. Police officer, Derek Chauvin, has since been charged with second-degree murder - raised from an initial charge of third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter (the case is yet to go to trial). Three other officers who were there have all been charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter. Their cases are also yet to go to trial.

Black Lives Matter went on to organise protests around the world. In London, two Black activists Aima, 18, and Tash, 21, organised a rally in Trafalgar Square, which was attended by thousands on Sunday, May 31st.

Many more have followed since. At one London protest, Star Wars actor John Boyega joined 15,000 others in Hyde Park, and told crowds:

"Today is about innocent people who were halfway through their process, we don't know what George Floyd could have achieved, we don't know what Sandra Bland could have achieved, but today we're going to make sure that won't be an alien thought to our young ones."
Find out what you can do to demand justice for Black lives here You Might Also Like

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
A timeline of the Black Lives Matter movement

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
From Cosmopolitan The recent deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor in the USA have sparked a new wave of protests over the past few weeks, under the Black Lives Matter (BLM) banner. Black Lives Matter campaigns against violence and systemic racism towards Black people.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Nov 15, 2016

Nick WagonerESPN Staff Writer

Close

Covered Rams for nine years for stlouisrams.com

Previously covered University of Missouri football

Member of Pro Football Writers of America

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick is well aware of how his decision not to participate in the recent presidential election while promoting a message of change has been received.

Asked Tuesday why he opted not to cast a vote for measures beyond the choice of a president, Kaepernick offered a familiar response in taking aim at the system and stating his belief that voting isn't the only way to make a difference.

"I thought a lot of different things about the process and what I could and couldn't do," Kaepernick said. "Once again, the system of oppression is what I have an issue with."

"There's more than one way to create change."

The Sacramento Bee reported this week that Kaepernick, who has knelt during the national anthem in protest of racial inequality and oppression all season, has actually never been registered to vote in California or in Nevada, where he attended college.

Kaepernick did not confirm that he's never been registered but again pointed to his feelings about the voting system when asked about not registering to vote now or in the past.

"Once again, I addressed that, I continue to address it, I don't agree with the system of oppression and that's something I will continue to not agree with," Kaepernick said.

In the run-up to the 2016 election, Kaepernick repeatedly made it clear he didn't approve of either President-elect Donald Trump or Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. On Election Day, Kaepernick said he would not be voting and followed through on that promise.

On Wednesday, Kaepernick told Arizona reporters on a conference call that it "didn't matter" who won the election because neither candidate was a good choice.

On Sunday, Kaepernick said he felt it would be hypocritical for him to vote because it would be the equivalent of showing support for a system he doesn't believe in. He also said the choice of Trump should increase the urgency for everyone to work toward solutions to make the system better.

"I think everybody should feel urgency to make sure that we're doing the right thing, building things the right way in order to be able to protect ourselves from what may come from this," Kaepernick said.

When asked whether he believed the reason for so many no-shows to the voting booth were because many feel the same way as him, Kaepernick said he wasn't sure.

"You would have to ask them that," Kaepernick said. "I don't want to speak for anybody or put anybody in a situation where I am not representing them properly so I really can't say."

Kaepernick has previously pledged to donate $1 million and any proceeds from the sale of his jersey to groups that can help the causes he's working for and he recently held a "Know Your Rights" camp for kids in Oakland that provided guidance on a variety of topics, including education, fitness, money and interacting with law enforcement.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Kap on not voting: Other ways to create change

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Nov 15, 2016 Nick WagonerESPN Staff Writer Close Covered Rams for nine years for stlouisrams.com Previously covered University of Missouri football Member of Pro Football Writers of America SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick is well aware of how his decision not to participate in the recent presidential election while promoting a message of change has been received.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The US unemployment rate is expected to hold steady at 5.3% on Friday - the lowest unemployment rate in seven years. Yet there is one group whose unemployment rate is still close to 10%: African Americans. The unemployment rate for black Americans has remained almost twice that of the general population for so long that experts believe it's suffering from the "wallpaper effect" - no one notices anymore. That may be about to change.

Black unemployment has been about twice as high as that of white Americans since 1954, the earliest that the Department of Labor has unemployment rate by race. In June, the unemployment rate for black Americans was 9.5%. That's more than twice the unemployment rate of white Americans, which was 4.6%.

Until recently, politicians have felt content to nod and say it's always been this way. But as 2016 presidential campaigns get under way, Americans and specifically black Americans are letting their elected officials know that this answer is no longer good enough. Black lives matter and so should the black unemployment rate.

Status quo

The "wallpaper effect" is to blame for the lack of attention to African American unemployment, said Valerie Rawlston Wilson, director of the race, ethnicity and economy program at the Economic Policy Institute.

"It is true that black unemployment has always been about twice as high as white unemployment - give or take a few tenths of a decimal. The lowest the ratio has ever been in any month is 1.7 and the highest is 2.8. The two rates have never even been close to being the same," she said.

"It's been that way for so long that people have come to expect it and even make excuses for it like blaming it on education or skills," she said, pointing out that Latinos, who have lower education attainment rates than black people, also have a lower unemployment rate. "I think that until we own up to the fact that racism and racial bias - explicit or implicit, directly or indirectly - are a major part of this ongoing disparity and do something to directly address these issues that little or nothing will change."

There are a handful of presidential candidates who are speaking out on the issue. In a number of interviews, Vermont senator Bernie Sanders has spoken about the need to address youth unemployment, especially among black Americans. Last week, Hillary Clinton once again spoke about racial inequality that contributes to the opportunity gap in America.

Many voters have become disillusioned by persistent racial inequality even after the first black president took office in 2008. They feel the change and hope they were promised is nowhere in sight. As a result, 2016 presidential hopefuls are coming under pressure to explain in more detail how they hope to improve the lives of black Americans.

So far, most of the comments that have been made are too sweeping, too general and lacking in details. Consequently, the candidates and their remarks are seen as pandering to black voters.

"We expect Hillary to take us for granted. We expect her to talk about mass incarceration and police brutality, but it would be naive to expect an explicit plan that would create lasting change," Sabaah Jordan, a 24-year-old Black Lives Matter activist, told the Guardian when Clinton officially launched her campaign. "We know historically that the overwhelming majority of black people who vote, vote Democrat. For that reason our communities are sold promises that aren't delivered."

Clinton and Bush take competing views on race inequality to Florida conference

And those promises keep coming.

According to Jordan, who said that she was skeptical of Obama's presidency, the only thing that could get her excited about a presidential candidate at this time is "a plan that includes measurable goals, a timeline and an explicit admission of the exploitation of black people in this country".

She is not the only one demanding this.

Last month, Sanders and fellow Democratic presidential candidate Martin O'Malley were interrupted by Black Lives Matter activists while speaking at the Netroots Nation conference in Phoenix, Arizona. The activists asked candidates to present a platform for how they plan to tackle racial inequality. The two Democrats struggled to come up with a suitable answer as the crowd heckled them off the stage.

'American injustice, you in trouble now!'

Just hours before Sanders and O'Malley faced off with Black Lives Matter activists, Jumanee D Williams took the stage at the Eric Garner rally in Brooklyn. It's been a year since Garner died on a Staten Island sidewalk after being put in a chokehold during an arrest for selling loose cigarettes. His death was one of the defining moments of the Black Lives Matter movement.

Wearing a shirt emblazoned with Garner's dying words, "I can't breathe", Williams - a New York City council member - looked over the crowd and spoke plainly and passionately about the issues holding back black communities. He articulated what Sanders and O'Malley struggled to put into words.

The Confederate flag came down in Charleston, but the poverty rate of black Americans remained unchanged, Williams said. The crowd nodded their heads in agreement.

In Freddie Gray's neighborhood, more than a third of households are in poverty

"Nothing has really changed, but I am encouraged," he said, adding that seeing "a lot of white brothers and sisters, non-blacks saying black lives matter" has given him faith.

Leaning into the podium, he continued:

American injustice, you in trouble now! Systemic racism, you in trouble now! They are holding up signs. It doesn't say 'all lives matter', even though that's a fact. It doesn't say 'white lives matter', even though that's a fact. They understand every single day in this country that message is already reinforced. So they hold signs that say purely 'black lives matter'.

Black communities do not need more community policing, he said. They need jobs, better education and better housing. It was that sentiment that led Black Lives Matter activists to march with Fight for $15 and led Barack Obama to speak about workplace bias in Charleston after the fatal shootings at the city's historic Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal church.

"Maybe we now realize the way racial bias can infect us even when we don't realize it, so that we're guarding against not just racial slurs, but we're also guarding against the subtle impulse to call Johnny back for a job interview but not Jamal," he said.

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A job seeker holds literature while waiting to speak with a hiring manager at a career fair in San Francisco in July. Photograph: Robert Galbraith/Reuters

It's not just 'those other racists'

One of the main reasons why racial inequality persists in the workforce, according to experts, is because of the way employees recommend others for jobs in their workplace.

"There is almost no attention to the biasfor people, specifically that whites are biased in preference for other whites and provide information, opportunity and influence on behalf of people that they think of as like them," said Nancy DiTomaso, professor at Rutgers Business School, author of The American Non-dilemma: Racial Inequality Without Racism and an expert in diversity in labor force.

A while back DiTomaso went to a conference where she met a CEO who wanted to hire more black employees. He knew all about unconscious bias, was attuned to issues of diversity and was passionate about changing middle management composition which he said was "too male, stale and pale".

There's an unconscious race bias at work. I know, because I've taken the test

"That was his language, not mine," she said. "And yet at dinner that night, one of the HR people proudly said that most of the people they hired were recommended by their current employees. [The CEO] had never thought about that. He was so focused on ridding the company of bias against non-whites, he never considered that maybe what was reproducing the lack of diversity in the middle management was that they were hiring the friends of their current middle managers."

DiTomaso points out that Americans still live a very segregated life with whites "disproportionately in the positions with higher income, more influence, more skills and training". As such, companies need to pay attention to their entire hiring process as well as what kind of candidates are coming down the pipeline thanks to current employees' references.

Jada Williams, 18, sat in protest to raise minimum wage to $15 in front of McDonald's in Flint, Michigan. She was arrested for blocking traffic. Photograph: Jake May/AP

Rawlston Wilson said there were practical ways to tackle racial inequality. One way to do this is by enacting targeted employment programs in areas with chronically high unemployment and poverty. Many of these areas have significant black populations. Local, state and federal governments could also invest in infrastructure in ways that will create jobs while providing job training, job placements and childcare services.

Employers often reject those who strike or protest: 'I am willing to do whatever it takes to lead a better life'

Among others programs that could lead to a lower unemployment rate among black Americans are re-entry services for ex-offenders and the removal of criminal record questions from job applications. Oftentimes minor infractions like being arrested at a protest can become part of a permanent criminal record, which could adversely affect future job prospects.

After analyzing records of 7,335 randomly selected people in their 20s, researchers at the University of South Carolina found that 49% of black people had been arrested by the age of 23, compared to 38% of white people.

Additionally, there needs to be consistently strong enforcement of anti-discrimination laws, transparency around hiring and concerted effort by employers "to make diversity a priority", said Wilson.

"We focus so much on racism and discrimination as the source of the problem that that allows most whites to believe that race has nothing to do with them, that it's somehow about those racists - 'Those other people, not me'. That legitimates the ongoing racial inequality, because whites don't believe that they are part of the problem," explained DiTomaso.

"They think they are part of the solution because they all say: 'I believe in civil rights, I believe in equal opportunity and that nobody should discriminate.' And yet, they don't recognize in their own lives the way they reproduce racial inequality."
Topics

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us unemployment and employment statistics

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#BlackLivesMatter and so should the high unemployment rate

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The US unemployment rate is expected to hold steady at 5.3% on Friday - the lowest unemployment rate in seven years. Yet there is one group whose unemployment rate is still close to 10%: African Americans.

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BLM's #WhatMatters2020 aims to vigorously engage underrepresented communities in the electoral process, educate the Black community about candidates and the issues that impact Black voters most, promote voter registration among Millennials, Generation Z, the Black community, and allies, and combat the increased threats of disinformation during this election cycle affecting BLM constituents and the public at large.

Campaign Goals

1.
Vigorously engage our communities in the electoral process:

Millions of Black Americans are repressed within the democratic process, yet data shows Black voters tipped the balance in the 2018 midterm elections. Moving towards 2020, we seek to increase the power of our voices and votes.

2.
Educate our constituents about candidates and the issues that impact us most:

We will amplify and do a deep dive into the issues that affect our communities most and hold our candidates accountable on these issues.

3.
Promote voter registration among Generation Z, the Black community, and our allies:

Demographic shifts means that in the 2020 election, non-whites will account for a third of voters and one in ten voters will be members of Generation Z. We will encourage and provide resources for those seeking to vote.

Campaign Focus

BLM's #WhatMatters2020 will focus on the following issues:

Racial Injustice

Police Brutality

Criminal Justice Reform

Black Immigration

Economic Injustice

LGBTQIA+ and Human Rights

Environmental Conditions

Voting Rights & Suppression

Healthcare

Government Corruption

Education

Commonsense Gun Laws

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BLM's #WhatMatters2020 Goals and Focus - Black Lives Matter

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BLM's #WhatMatters2020 aims to vigorously engage underrepresented communities in the electoral process, educate the Black community about candidates and the issues that impact Black voters most, promote voter registration among Millennials, Generation Z, the Black community, and allies, and combat the increased threats of disinformation during this election cycle affecting BLM constituents and the public at large.