June 13 Black Lives Matter protests

Our live coverage of the anti-racist protests has moved here.

A second Atlanta police officer involved in the Rayshard Brooks case has been placed on administrative duty, Atlanta Police spokesman Carlos Campos tells CNN.?

Campos also said that the Atlanta police officer who shot and killed Brooks on Friday has been terminated.

CORRECTION: This post has been updated to reflect that the officer was placed on administrative duty, not administrative leave.

The Atlanta Police Officer who shot and killed Rayshard Brooks has been terminated, Atlanta Police spokesman Carlos Campos tells CNN.?

A small group of protesters tonight marched from the Lafayette Square area, near the White House, through downtown Washington D.C. and then onto a highway that runs from the city to Northern Virginia.

The demonstrators could be seen on video from CNN affiliate WJLA marching out of DC, using both the incoming and outgoing lanes of highway Interstate 395.

The group was peaceful and music blared as they marched. At one point, protesters and medics kneeled on the highway.?

Police cars were seen following the protesters from a distance, but demonstrators were allowed to continue on their way.?

A separate group of protesters did a similar thing on the same highway, slightly further north.?

There were a few protests in DC throughout Saturday, but they did not draw major crowds.

Watch:

The Atlanta Fire Department is standing by, waiting to safely access the fire burning at the Wendy’s restaurant where a black man was shot dead on Friday night.

“#Atlanta?Fire units are standing by until they can safely get to the fire burning at Wendy’s (125 University Ave). Restaurant is fully involved and adjacent to a gas station. No reports of anyone inside the location,” the Atlanta Fire Department tweeted.???

A group of protesters has gathered outside the Atlanta Police 3rd Precinct near Grant Park, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution.?

A rally in support of the Black Lives Matter movement took place in Taiwan on Saturday, local time.

The organizers also used the march to bring attention to discrimination happening within Taiwan against indigenous groups.

A woman wipes her tears while attending a Black Lives Matter rally in Taipei,?Taiwan, on June 13.

Firefighters are not going into the Wendy’s restaurant which is on fire,?Sgt. Cortez Stafford, Atlanta Fire Rescue’s Public Information Officer has said.

Rayshard Brooks was shot by police on Friday near the Wendy’s.

Stafford said the fire is in the dinning room and spreading through the drive-thru window.

Protesters are still in the streets and around the Wendy’s, making it hard to access the fire. Crews are monitoring the situation to make sure no other structures are impacted, Stafford says.?

Watch:

Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shields.

Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shields has released a statement explaining why she stepped down from her role after a black man was shot dead by an officer.

In a statement released Saturday, Shields said:

Earlier, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said Shields had offered to step aside. Bottoms said this was Shields’ decision, and that she will remain with the city in an undetermined role.?

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp issued a statement earlier this evening via Twitter regarding the shooting death of Rayshard Brooks.

The Governor tweeted that an investigation had been launched into the conduct of the police officers whose actions led to the death of the 27-year-old.

The?Wendy’s where Rayshard Brooks was shot by police Friday is on fire.?

Flames and black smoke can be seen coming from the windows of the restaurant. in Atlanta.

Several small fires are also visible?around the edge of the parking lot.?

Protesters have marched onto the Interstate 85 and Interstate 75 connector in?Atlanta and dozens of police vehicles have lined the highway.

The interstate has been shut down.

Not far away, a fire has been started outside the Wendy’s where Rayshard Brooks was shot dead by police on Friday night.

The situation is ongoing.?

Watch:

Volunteers painted "Black Lives Matter" in front of the Vermont statehouse Saturday.

Volunteers in Vermont’s capital city painted a Black Lives Matter mural on State street in front of the statehouse.

Vermont’s capital – Montpelier – joins a number of cities which have similar murals, including Washington, D.C, where Mayor Muriel Bowser commissioned a mural on the street leading to the White House.

Dozens of people volunteered to help, and each took turns to paint.

Montpelier city council unanimously approved the mural earlier in the week. It was funded by local activists and community members who gave all of the materials to make it happen.

In New Orleans, protesters tore down a statue of John McDonogh – a merchant and slave owner who died in 1850.

After damaging the statue, protesters loaded it onto a trucks and took it to the banks of the Mississippi River where it was thrown into the water, according to the New Orleans Police Department.

McDonogh gifted $2 million in his will to the cities of Baltimore and?New?Orleans?to build public schools. Over 30 schools were built in?New?Orleans?with his name and a number after it, according to the?New?Orleans?historical society.

Many of the schools in?New?Orleans?bearing his name were changed in the 80s and 90s due to the controversies over McDonogh’s slave owning history, according to the Historical Society.

Only one school with?his name remains open in New Orleans,?McDonogh?35, while neighboring Jefferson Parish still has an elementary school named after him,?McDonogh?26.

Here’s what the scene looked like at Duncan Plaza on Saturday:

A protest Saturday in New Orleans

Atlanta Police have used tear gas on a crowd protesting outside the Wendy’s restaurant where Rayshard Brooks was shot dead by police Friday.

A flash bang was heard in the area on Saturday evening, as police worked to clear the crowd.

Not long after, a group of the protesters moved onto the Interstate 85 highway and it is now shut down.

The situation is ongoing.

The attorney for the family of a black man who was shot dead by a police officer has called out a failing in police training.

Rayshard Brooks, 27, was shot in the parking lot of a Wendy’s in southeast Atlanta Friday night, after he scuffled with officers and allegedly ran away with one of their stun guns, according to the?Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

Less than 24 hours later, Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shields stepped down from her job.

“‘They’re going to say it’s (a taser) a deadly weapon. And it’s not,” Justin Miller, an attorney representing Brooks’ family, said a press conference Saturday.

L. Chris Stewart, who is also representing the family, called out the discrepancy between the responses to the coronavirus and racism, highlighting the huge global effort to find a vaccine for Covid-19, while “nobody” tries to “find a vaccine” for civil rights abuses.

“I guess that’s because it doesn’t hit close to home for the people that care.”

Watch:

Marquavian Odom, a protester in Atlanta, spoke with CNN’s Natasha Chen?Saturday about police fatally shooting Rayshard Brooks.

Odom said Brooks’ case is different from George Floyd’s because Brooks was fighting back. In surveillance video of the shooting, Brooks appeared to point the stun gun at the Atlanta officer.

“He was scared for his life. The first thing to do when people are fighting you, you will try to fight back, even though it is authority. He did try to run away from the situation, they were still tasing him, they were still trying to cause him harm and tried to kill him so the first natural thing would be to run.”?

Odom said officers are trained in de-escalation, so they should’ve known “plenty of ways” to de-escalate the situation with Brooks.

Odom called the resignation of Atlanta’s police chief a “beautiful thing.”

Houston Texans defensive end JJ Watt and Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield defended kneeling during the National Anthem Saturday. Watt and Mayfield are both white.

Watt quote-tweeted a now-deleted tweet from someone who said “Pretty sure you won’t see @JJWatt taking a knee …”

Watt responded:

Mayfield responded to an Instagram user who said?“Please tell Browns fans you’re not going to be kneeling this season”?by saying?“I absolutely am.”

After receiving backlash on social media, Mayfield posted a lengthier statement on his?Instagram story.?

During a protest at Duncan Plaza on Saturday, protesters in New Orleans took down a statue of John McDonogh, a merchant and slave owner, and rolled it into the Mississippi River.

Mayor LaToya Cantrell released a statement through her social media channels saying, “The City of New Orleans rejects vandalism and destruction of City property. It is unlawful.”

After protesters damaged the statue, they drug it into the street and loaded it onto one of two trucks, according to a statement released by the New Orleans Police Department. The trucks took the statue to the banks of the Mississippi River and the statue was then thrown into the river, according to police.

NOPD said police have apprehended the drivers of the trucks.

Here are two videos showing the struggle between Rayshard Brooks and police before he was fatally shot.

One video is surveillance video provided by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

The other is eyewitness video shot from a cell phone.

Watch:

Darryl “TNT” King, a protester in Seattle, spoke with CNN’s Dan Simon Sunday in the part of the city that has been overtaken by protesters.?

King responded to President Donald Trump’s tweets about Seattle.

King also said it’s hard for Trump to emphasize with protesters because Trump has never been in their position, poor and/or oppressed.

Los Angeles Lakers center Dwight Howard before a game between the Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers on March 8.

Los Angeles Lakers center Dwight Howard said in a statement he believes the NBA and other forms of entertainment are an unneeded distraction from important issues facing the nation and the black community right now.?Howard states that as much as he would like to resume the NBA season, he feels that the opportunity for unity among “my people” is a bigger priority.?

Here is Howard’s full statement:

This statement comes as the?NBA?and the NBA Players Association?work to finalize a comprehensive season restart plan following the NBA Board of Governors’ approval of a plan to resume the NBA season with 22 teams competing in Orlando, Florida.

A statement from former Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shields:

Protesters march in Marseille, France, on Saturday, June 13.

France’s High Court, the Council of State, lifted the ban on people protesting in public spaces, Saturday.

In a statement, the court writes that it ended the ban on gatherings of more than 10 people, for the purpose of protesting, after calls from organizations, like France’s Human Rights League, that contested the rules, which are part of France’s coronavirus state of emergency.?

The Court relied on recommendations from the High Council for Public Health, which said there was no reason to restrict movement “as long as some measures are respected (distance of 1 meter or wearing a mask in particular).”

The Council of State added that police still have the authority to ban protests in instances where there is a “disturbance to public order” or for health reasons, and protests of more than 5,000 people are still banned.

UK Home Secretary Priti Patel urged citizens not to protest Saturday because of the ongoing coronavirus threat.

Here is her full statement:

“Well I think it’s just stating the facts. We are in a health emergency right now. I think the fact that we have made this clear in terms of ‘people should not gather’, ‘they should not protest’, the?police?are saying this every single day as well, really speaks to a very real public health message that we are restating to the British public. I would also say one other thing, right now we are seeing the silent law-abiding majority - the British public - who are staying at home, who are following the rules, and who are thinking of the safety and the public health of others following the rules very clearly. I would urge everybody else not to protest, not to participate in these mass gatherings. This is a threat to public health, but also, we’re seeing a small minority use these gatherings to subvert particular causes and to participate in thuggery and violence, that is simply wrong and as I’ve said they will face the full force of the law but I think we should all be very mindful of the fact that these gatherings will spread this disease and put people’s health at risk, and that is simply not acceptable and we want to prevent that.”

Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announced the city’s Police Chief Erika Shields was stepping down Saturday.

Rodney Bryant will become the interim Chief of Police in Atlanta.

Bottoms also called for the termination of an officer who killed Rayshard Brooks. Brooks was shot and killed at a Wendy’s drive-thru in south Atlanta on Friday night after he resisted arrest and a struggle over an officer’s Taser ensued, according to a statement from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

Watch more:

Rayshard Brooks’ cousin, Decatur Redd, provided two photos of the man who was shot and killed by Atlanta police Friday.

Brooks was shot and killed at a Wendy’s drive-thru in south Atlanta on Friday night after he resisted arrest and a struggle over an officer’s Taser ensued, according to a statement from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

Read more here

Rayshard Brooks

Rayshard Brooks

Around 450 businesses across New York City had storefront damage and in some cases were looted in late May and early June, according to the Department of Small Business Services.

The department does not have an estimate for the total cost of damages and notes the estimate of the amount of buildings damaged may change, according to Samantha Keitt, the department’s spokeswoman.

Keitt said the estimate covers damage reported between May 29 and June 9.

Last week,?Mayor Bill de Blasio announced?the Small Business Emergency Grant, which would give grants of up to $10,000 to small businesses impacted by looting and damage to their storefronts, starting in the Bronx.?These grants will help “impacted minority and women-owned businesses as well as those with annual revenues of less than $1.5 million, with their recovery efforts, including repairs, security systems, locks, inventory and more,” according to a?press release.

Funding for the grant was provided by?SOMOS Community Care, which pledged $500,000 and?Signature Bank, which donated $750,000.

Police arrested more than 100 people Saturday across London for protest-related offenses, according to a tweet from the Metropolitan Police.

Protesters showing solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement, as well as counterprotesters, demonstrated across London on Saturday, mostly peacefully.

NFL defensive dnd Michael Bennett.

NFL defensive end Michael Bennett isn’t buying NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell’s video statement where Goodell said last week: “We, the National Football League, believe Black Lives Matter.”??

Goodell said?the league should have listened to players earlier about racism concerns in response to NFL players calling on the league to condemn racism and support its black players.?

“Is the intent of the NFL to really make a positive impact or is it not to be seen as if they don’t respect the players?” Bennett asked.?

“We have to continuously push the NFL to change its core values and change its moral compass on a consistent basis. If not, shame on us and shame us for real. We have the opportunity to hold Roger Goodell and the rest of the bosses,” including team owners like Jerry Jones, he said, to account, and face “the reality of the suppression and oppression of the people.”

Bennett goes on to say about team owners backing President Donald Trump, “If you’re supporting him, then your letter is really null and void.”

In 2018, the three-time Pro Bowler published “Things That Make White People Uncomfortable,” a book in which he discussed racism, police brutality and the role black athletes play as political activists.

Bennett?told CNN?in 2017?that he would not stand for the?National Anthem?until he saw “equality and freedom” as he took a stance against police brutality and injustice?when he played for the Seattle Seahawks. But in 2019, as a member of the Dallas Cowboys, Bennett stood for the anthem because, according to him, his teammates asked him to.

Scenes in London became chaotic Saturday as a group of men carried an injured man away after he was allegedly attacked by some of the crowd of protesters while police tried to intervene on the Southbank near Waterloo station.

Here’s pictures from the scene:

A group of men carry an injured man away after he was allegedly attacked by some of the crowd of protesters, as police try to intervene on the Southbank near Waterloo station in London on June 13, 2020.

A man rubs his head as he sits on the ground after a group of men carried him away after he was allegedly attacked by some of the crowd of protesters on the Southbank near Waterloo station in London on June 13, 2020.

A group of men carry an injured man away after he was allegedly attacked by some of the crowd of protesters, as police try to intervene on the Southbank near Waterloo station in London on June 13, 2020.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) provided an update on the fatal police-involved shooting of a black man at an Atlanta fast food drive-thru last night.

According to GBI Director Vic Reynolds, at around 10:33 p.m. ET on Friday night, Atlanta Police requested the assistance of the GBI in an officer-involved shooting at a Wendy’s restaurant on University Ave in Southeast Atlanta. The incident involved two Atlanta Police officers and Rayshard Brooks.

The GBI has continuously worked on the investigation since being called into the matter Friday night and has spoken with several witnesses and viewed different surveillance videos including Wendy’s surveillance footage and video taken by witnesses posted to social media, Reynolds said in a news conference Saturday afternoon.

The statement made early Saturday morning by the GBI was released after officials reviewed body cam footage provided by the APD.

What happened, according to the GBI: Reynolds said it appears that Brooks was under investigation by the APD for a suspected DUI offense, and that sometime during the course of the investigation, he became engaged with two Atlanta officers and that engagement turned into a physical confrontation, as seen on video.

During the course of that confrontation, Brooks was able to secure the Taser from one of the Atlanta police officers, Reynolds said.

Based on surveillance footage from Wendy’s, GBI says it appears that Brooks ran off with one of the officers’ Tasers and made it only short distance away, the length of what is described as 5-7 parking spaces, and then turns around, and points the Taser at the Atlanta officer.

Moving forward: Reynolds said he instructed agents to expedite the investigation, saying he wants to be “very, very quick” but still “very thorough.”

“We have to do it the right way.?I’m sure when I speak to the?public that anybody who had a?loved one in this situation on?either side, either as a law?enforcement officer or as?someone who has been involved in?a situation where officers used?deadly force that they want the?investigation done correctly.?They want it done thoroughly,?and they want it done right,” he said.

The GBI says it will make surveillance video of the incident available to the media Saturday evening with a digital enhance of what the GBI focused on in the investigation into the incident.

Read more:

Related article Atlanta police officer shoots a man dead at fast-food drive-thru, authorities say

The US Secret Service issued a statement Saturday saying an “agency employee” used pepper spray on June 1 during efforts to secure Lafayette Park and clear protesters from the area just prior to President Trump’s walk from the White House and across the park.

Trump was headed to his photo op holding a bible outside St. John’s Episcopal Church.

In the statement, the Secret Service noted the agency previously “released information stating the agency had concluded that no agency personnel used tear gas or capsicum spray during efforts to secure the area near Lafayette Park on Monday, June 1, based on the records and information available at the time.?Since that time, the agency has learned that one agency employee used capsicum spray (i.e., pepper spray) during that effort.”

“The employee utilized oleoresin capsicum spray, or pepper spray, in response to an assaultive individual,” the agency also said in the statement.

Earlier this month,?a?spokesperson for the US Park Police said that the department had made a mistake by earlier denying use of tear gas to clear peaceful protesters from a public park outside the White House on June 1.?

Sgt. Eduardo Delgado, a spokesperson for the Park Police, told CNN on June 5, he realized the department could have called the pepper balls it used “tear gas,” and that it was a “mistake” to say the force hadn’t used tear gas during the operation.

Read the statement:

Protesters block University Avenue near the Wendy's fast food restaurant where Rayshard Brooks was shot and killed by Atlanta police on Friday evening.

Protesters have begun to gather at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta and other parts of the city to demonstrate against police brutality following the fatal shooting of a man by a police officer at a fast food drive-thru last night.

According to a Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) statement, an Atlanta police officer shot and killed a man at a Wendy’s drive-thru Friday night after he resisted arrest and struggled for an officer’s Taser.

The GBI identified the slain man as Rayshard Brooks, 27, of Atlanta,?who was African American.

The GBI?is expected to give a news conference shortly.

Watch CNN correspondent Natasha Chen’s reporting from Atlanta:

Atlanta police chief Erika Shields.

The Georgia NAACP branch is calling for Atlanta’s police chief Erika Shields to be terminated immediately after the death of?Rayshard Brooks Friday night.?

“We are done dying,” Georgia NAACP’s president?James Woodall said in a media call Saturday addressing the incident.?

This comes after an Atlanta police officer shot and killed Brooks at a Wendy’s drive-thru Friday night after he resisted arrest and struggled for an officer’s Taser, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said in a statement.

The president also called on Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and Chief Shields to speak publicly on Brooks’ death.?

There has been “complete silence from the City of Atlanta,” NAACP President James Woodall said in the press call. “The silence is deafening.”

Woodall then quoted Martin Luther King Jr saying, “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends,” after calling on the termination of Police Chief Erika Shields.

The NAACP president also said the Georgia branch has hired a private investigator and is calling on Wendy’s to release the surveillance footage from the incident.

CNN has reached to Atlanta Police Department on Saturday multiple times without receiving a response.?

A relative of Rayshard Brooks, Decatur Redd, spoke with reporters and a crowd gathered outside of the Wendy’s in southeast Atlanta where the fatal shooting took place on Friday night.

“I’ve watched this on the internet, from the whole George Floyd situation to us coming together like we’re doing and this whole thing landed on my doorstep with my little cousin,” Redd said.?

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said in a statement that an Atlanta police officer shot and killed a man at a Wendy’s drive-thru Friday night after he resisted arrest and struggled for an officer’s Taser. The GBI identified the slain man as Rayshard Brooks, 27, of Atlanta,?who was African American.

Witnesses provided video to investigators, the GBI said on Twitter.

Redd said he’s seen the video(s) circulating on social media and that it’s the worst thing that he could wake up to, knowing that his whole family saw the video and what happened to their cousin.

Redd pleaded to authorities to investigate the situation and not let Brooks die in vain.?

“We’ve been watching this happen for so many years, with young black boys around the country just dying in vain —I just don’t want that to continue and keep happening like that,” Redd said.

?“I didn’t think it would hit right here, man. I thought this city was better than that. They’ve got to answer. Somebody’s gotta say something,” Redd said, “We need to at least know that the city is with us.”

CNN has reached out to the Atlanta Police Department (APD), GBI and the mayor’s office but they have not responded.

The GBI is investigating at the request of the APD, the statement said. Once completed, the case will be turned over to prosecutors for review.

Watch Decatur Redd, Rayshard Brooks’ cousin, speak to reporters:

Former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams reacted to last night’s shooting outside of a Wendy’s restaurant in Atlanta.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said in a statement, that an Atlanta police officer shot and killed a man at a Wendy’s drive-thru Friday night after he resisted arrest and struggled for an officer’s Taser.

The GBI identified the slain man as Rayshard Brooks, 27, of Atlanta,?who was African American.

Abrams said in her tweet that last night’s shooting “demands we severely restrict the use of deadly force.

Read more:

Related article Atlanta police officer shoots a man dead at fast-food drive-thru, authorities say

Christopher Bridges, an award-winning hip-hop artist and actor who is?better known as Ludacris, founded a new media platform to help talk to kids about big topics, such as racism.

The rapper said his own children and the outcry of racial injustice across the world inspired him to create KidNation.

“I’m trying to use my?platform to create another?platform for all of the parents?that are doing the online?classes,” he told CNN on Saturday. “How can I?help, in a positive way and have?these conversations and to make?way for the new generation,” he added.

Right now, KidNation has two song on their website –– one called “Get Along” about racism and another called “Stay Clean” about the importance of hygiene.

“We’ll launch the entire site?toward the end of the summer but?I’m trying to do my part in?helping,” Ludacris said.

He said KidNation is just one way he is trying to make change and encouraged everyone to continue to fight for equality.

“I am out there in the streets?with my own people just trying?to continue to fight for all of?the injustices.?So I think if everybody does a?little bit, then we’ll continue?to push forward 100%,” he added.

Watch the interview:

Thousands of people take part in a demonstration against police brutality and racism in Paris on Saturday, June 13.

CNN International anchor Cyril Vanier described the scene in Paris where thousands have gathered to protest against police brutality – an issue symbolized by the 2016 death of a young black man, Adama Traoré, in police custody.

Saturday’s protests have been organized by 17 groups, including the family’s “Truth for Adama” campaign.

According to police, 15,000 people have gathered to protest, Vanier said.

There have been clashes in central Paris, Vanier said, with protesters firing fireworks and police trying to clear the area with tear gas.

There are fewer people gathered now than earlier in the day, Vanier noted. The groups still protesting are looking “to get their message across” with their fist in the air and making eye contact with the police, Vanier said.

While police have not formally banned today’s protests, gatherings of more than 10 people are not permitted under France’s coronavirus laws.

Authorities on Friday urged businesses in Place de la République and Place de l’Opéra to close and to remove anything that could be used as a weapon.

SEE THE PROTESTS IN PARIS:

Police monitor protesters in London, England, on June 13.

Police are telling protesters in London to go home after people gathered for Black Lives Matter (BLM)?demonstrations?and counter-protests.

Right now, it is about half an hour past the 5 p.m. (12 p.m. ET) time that London’s Metropolitan Police said that protesters from both the Black Lives Matter and right-wing demonstrations should leave.

Officials also imposed conditions on what route and area the protesters could use, to try to prevent the two groups clashing and are trying to now get them to leave the area using separate routes.

There are groups in Parliament Square and Trafalgar Square.

CNN International Diplomatic Editor Nic Robertson was at the scene and said police, some on horseback, are working to keep the two crowds separate.

“This is?perhaps going to be over the?next hour or so, the most?difficult moments of the day,” Robertson said.

Earlier today, far-right groups bombarded police with bottles and occasionally scuffled violently with officers as they staged a counter-protest to?anti-racism?Black Lives Matter demonstrations.

The groups, some of them chanting “England” during clashes, said the counter-protest was intended to?“protect” statues?around Parliament Square, including that of wartime prime minister Winston Churchill.

Robertson said police have been working to keep people from both groups apart, and anytime they come together, there have been flashes of violence.

For example, in Trafalgar Square, officers formed barriers between BLM and far-right groups, as authorities in the UK capital urged people to stay away from the protests.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan urged residents to stay away from protests this weekend amid a “high” risk of violence in the city.

“I’d like to make a direct appeal to Londoners to urge you not to take to the streets to protest over the coming few days,” Khan said in a video posted on social media.

WATCH:

The US Embassy in Seoul, South Korea tweeted a message Saturday saying the embassy “stands in solidarity with fellow Americans grieving and peacefully protesting to demand positive change.”

“Our?#BlackLivesMatter?banner shows our support for the fight against racial injustice and police brutality as we strive to be a more inclusive & just society,” the tweet said.

CNN has reached out to the embassy in Seoul as well as the State Department in Washington for comment, but has not received a response yet.?

Here is the tweet:

An Atlanta police officer shot and killed a man at a Wendy’s drive-thru Friday night after he resisted arrest and struggled for an officer’s Taser, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said in a statement.

The GBI identified the slain man as Rayshard Brooks, 27, of Atlanta,?who was African American.

Witnesses provided video to investigators, the GBI said on Twitter.

What happened, according to officials: On Friday, officers responded to a call at 10:33 p.m. about a man sleeping in a parked vehicle in the drive-thru, causing other customers to drive around it, the GBI said in a statement.

Police gave Brooks a field sobriety test, which he failed, the GBI said. He resisted arrest and struggled with officers, the GBI said.

An officer drew his Taser and, witnesses said, the man grabbed it, the statement said. An officer then shot him.

Brooks was taken to a hospital, where he died, the statement said.

One officer was treated for an injury and released, the GBI said.

CNN has reached out to the APD, GBI and the mayor’s office but they have not responded.

The GBI is investigating at the request of the APD, the statement said. Once completed, the case will be turned over to prosecutors for review.

Some background: Brooks’ killing comes amid?global protests and discussion?of racism and?police use of force following the?death of George Floyd?last month in custody in Minneapolis. Atlanta has seen frequent protests, including some that?turned violent.

Six Atlanta Police Department officers were facing?charges of using excessive force?during one, Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard announced June 2. Two of the officers were fired by?Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms.

Watch CNN’s latest reporting on the Atlanta police shooting:

Gov. Andrew Cuomo speaks at a news conference on June 12 in New York.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said that he will require counties and cities to go through a process of redesigning their police force and passing it into law by April 1.

If the process is not undertaken, they will not receive state funding, Cuomo said.

Cuomo said he is calling on “county by county, city by city” to sort over the next 9 months what policing looks like in 2020.

“At the table, activists stake holders police government officials you design your police force and you do it now,” he said at his daily news briefing on Saturday.

“If you don’t do it, local government, you won’t get any state funding, period,” he added.

The state will not tell jurisdictions what to do, but will require them to go through the process and pass a law, he said.

“Demonstration, legislation, reconciliation,” is the “formula” for change, Cuomo said.

Cuomo said there will be no state governmental office or commissioner oversight of the police force redesign process, adding the only requirement is that local governments pass the law.

The state will not second guess the local law, Cuomo said, adding that state laws stay in effect. The state troopers are going through their own process, Cuomo said. “That we will do ourselves,” he said.

The governor also touted the package of sweeping police reform bills he signed this week.?

“We heard you…we agree with you protesters.. now tell us what the police force should look like,” he said.

“It takes 9 months to give birth, and we’re going to birth a new vision for a police force, community by community because there is no one size fits all, it’s what that community wants,” Cuomo added.

The Buffalo Common Council, the city government’s legislative branch, has submitted a resolution to the New York Attorney General’s office to open an investigation into the firing of police officer, Cariol Horne, after she intervened during the chokehold of a suspect, the council tells CNN.

In November of 2006, Horne, a black officer, says she intervened as another officer, a white man, put a suspect in a chokehold, the resolution says.

Horne was later fired for intervening and did not qualify for her pension as a result.

The resolution calls on the Buffalo Police Department to enforce and train officers on the “Duty to intervene” policy within the next 30 days and to check for any attendance discrepancies into the needed days for her to receive her pension.?

The “Duty to intervene” policy calls for officers to protect citizens from unnecessary or excessive use of force, the resolution says.?

CNN has attempted to reach Horne and the Buffalo Police Department for additional comments.?The New York Attorney General’s office tells CNN they will not be commenting on this matter at this time.?

President Donald Trump speaks to cadets at the United States Military Academy commencement ceremony on June 13 in West Point, New York.

Speaking before graduating cadets at the US Military Academy at West Point, President Trump thanked the National Guard for their contribution to “ensuring peace, safety and the constitutional rule of law on our streets.”

Trump also praised the “durability” of American institutions “against the passions and prejudices of the moment.”

“When times are turbulent, when the road is rough, what matters most is that which is permanent, timeless, enduring, and eternal,” he said.

Aside from thanking the National Guard for their role in ensuring “safety,” Trump did not directly address the protests that have been held across the country following the death of George Floyd.

Some background: As of June 12, almost 19,000 members of the National Guard are still activated to help with social unrest across the country.

The role of the National Guard regarding the Washington, DC, protests has come under scrutiny and is under review by the Department of Defense.

The President confirmed during Thursday remarks that the White House is finalizing an executive order on policing standards in the wake of national outcry over George Floyd’s death at the hands of police officers in Minnesota.

Trump said the order “will encourage police departments nationwide to meet the most current, professional standards for the use of force, including tactics for de-escalation.”

Police officers scuffle with members of far-right groups protesting in central London on Saturday, June 13.

Intermittent violent scuffles have broken out between police and far-right protesters in central London.

Video from the scene shows a small number of protesters throwing objects at a line of police, while some officers respond with their batons.

Far-right groups are staging a counter-protest to the Black Lives Matter demonstrations and to “protect” statues around Parliament Square, including that of wartime prime minister Winston Churchill.

Videos captured by CNN’s Chris Jackson also showed the far-right protesters gathering by the boarded up Churchill statue.

Authorities in the UK capital have urged people to stay away from Saturday’s protest activity, given the high likelihood of violence.

UK Home Secretary Priti Patel described the behavior as “thoroughly unacceptable thuggery”.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan also urged residents earlier to stay away from protests this weekend amid a “high” risk of violence in the city.

“I’d like to make a direct appeal to Londoners to urge you not to take to the streets to protest over the coming few days,” Khan said in a video posted on social media.

“I stand with the millions of around the world that say that Black Lives Matter,” he said, adding that the majority of protesters are peaceful.

“However, I’m extremely concerned that further protests in central London could not only risk spreading Covid-19, but also lead to disorder, vandalism and violence.”

Read more about today’s London protests here.

WATCH:

A Houston police officer was relieved of duty after a “social media post with racial undertones,” according to the Houston Police Department (HPD).

In a tweet Friday, HPD said it has initiated an internal affairs investigation.?

President of the Houston Police Officers’ Union Joe Gamaldi called the post “vile” and “disgusting.”

“I am aware of a post circulating that is reported to come from one of our officers. It is is vile, it is is disgusting, I know it is under investigation but I am confident the @houstonpolice department will act swiftly. This is not who we are as Houston Police Officers,” Gamaldi said in a tweet.

Read the police department’s tweet:

Thousands of people demonstrate against police brutality and racism in Paris, France, on June 13.

Thousands of people have gathered in central Paris to protest against police brutality – an issue symbolized by the 2016 death of a young black man, Adama Traoré, in police custody.

Saturday’s protests have been organized by 17 groups, including the family’s “Truth for Adama” campaign.

Speaking ahead of the start of the march, Adama’s sister Assa Traoré called for justice.

“Why did my brother die? Why was my brother pinned down?” she said.?“My brother died the same way George Floyd did.”

In response, a small number of far-right protesters scaled a nearby building to unfurl banners reading: “Justice for the victims of anti-white racism.”

While police have not formally banned today’s protests, gatherings of more than 10 people are not permitted under France’s coronavirus laws.

Authorities on Friday urged businesses in Place de la République and Place de l’Opéra to close and to remove anything that could be used as a weapon.

Attorney Ben Crump speaks with CNN's Victor Blackwell on Saturday morning.

Benjamin Crump, the lawyer for the family of George Floyd, told CNN they will also file a civil lawsuit against the officer who had his knee on Floyd’s neck.

He said the family “intends on holding Derek Chauvin fully accountable in every aspect, criminal and civil.”

Chauvin is currently facing second-degree murder charges, but CNN reported he could still receive more than $1 million in pension benefits during his retirement years even if convicted.

While a number of state laws allow for the forfeiture of pensions for those employees convicted of felony crimes related to their work, this is not the case in Minnesota.

Systematic change: Crump said the culture of police departments is what needs to change.

“It wasn’t just?the knee of Derek Chauvin that?killed George Floyd in?Minneapolis, it was the knee of?the entire police department.?Because when you have that kind?of culture and behavior of a?police department, it is?foreseeable that something like?this is going to happen,” he said.

Crump said changing this culture starts with having transparency not only in how officers are trained, but also how they are fired.

“There’s no discipline when they?do this to black people in?America,” Crump added.

WATCH:

Protesters gathered in Parliament Square, London, on Saturday, where statues including one of Winston Churchill are boarded up.

Black Lives Matters protesters gathered in central London today ahead of the 5 p.m. end time set by authorities concerned after plans by far-right hate groups to stage counter-protests.

Statues of Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi were boarded up in Parliament Square. One self-declared England fan and soccer hooligan confirmed to CNN that there were threats to pull down the Mandela statue.

Workers build a protective barrier around the statue of Nelson Mandela in Parliament Square on June 12 in anticipation of protests on Saturday in London.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan urged residents to stay away from protests this weekend amid a “high” risk of violence in the city.

“I stand with the millions of people around the world who are saying loud and clear that Black Lives Matter,” he said, adding that the majority of protesters are peaceful. “However, I’m extremely concerned that further protests in central London could not only risk spreading Covid-19, but also lead to disorder, vandalism and violence.”

“We know that extreme far-right groups, who openly advocate hatred and division, are planning counter protests.

“This means that the risk of disorder is high.”

Khan said the counter-protests were clearly designed to provoke violence, and the best way to respond was to stay home and ignore them.

He said more than 60 police officers had already been injured while responding to previous demonstrations, adding that authorities will respond forcefully to those causing violence this time.

The UK’s official Black Lives Matter group also asked protesters to stay in their local areas, and an anti-racism charity warned about the possibility of violence from “football hooligans” and far-right groups.

An earlier version of this post misidentified the statues boarded up in London. Statues of Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi have been covered.

WATCH:

Lawrence Moore, 64, grew up in Lancaster, South Carolina, where he both observed prominent civil rights figures condemning racial injustice on TV and witnessed the specter of white violence hanging over his own community.

In 1972, when Moore was in high school, the mysterious death of a well-known black football player at a local police station further inflamed mistrust among Lancaster’s black residents.

For Moore, then, that decades-old slogan is true:?The personal is political.?His work has ranged from organizing local civil rights marches in the 1980s to taking on the role of the South Carolina political director for Bernie Sanders’ 2016 presidential campaign.

As a?1972 New York Times headline?describes it: “Jim Duncan, 1946-1972: The Case is Closed, but the Mystery Remains.” The story shines a light on how, despite the coroner’s announcement that Duncan “came to his death by a self-inflicted .38‐caliber gunshot wound,” black residents thought otherwise.

“When I fast-forward to the present, I see how police brutality has been a part of my life as a black man. I grew up in the 1960s – I was 12 years old when the 1968 riots happened – and was moved by watching figures like Stokely Carmichael and John Lewis and Martin Luther King Jr,” Moore added.

Read the full story here:

Related article 'People go to protests to be heard': Reflections on the '60s and today

A Christopher Columbus statue was beheaded in Boston and has since been removed.

As protests around the world continue over police brutality and the deaths of?Breonna Taylor?and?George Floyd, change is happening across the US.

Conversations, self-reflection and education are taking place across the country around institutional racism in the US, as well as changes in public life.

Changes in police departments:

Minneapolis has banned the use of choke holds, as have Washington, DC, Chicago and Denver –?among other locales.?

The Aurora Police Department in Michigan banned the carotid control hold, a move that cuts off blood flow to the brain, after police used it to restrain Elijah McClain, an unarmed black man who?wasn’t accused of any crime.

Phoenix also banned the technique following protests, and the mayors of Chicago, Cincinnati and Tampa, Florida, and the police chiefs of Baltimore, Phoenix and Columbia, South Carolina, have come together to create the?Police Reform and Racial Justice Working Group.

After public protests, prosecutors upgraded charges against Derek Chauvin and the other three officers involved?were charged. The FBI launched an investigation into the?death of Breonna Taylor?after local public pressure.

Read the full story here:

Related article The race-related things that have changed since protests began around George Floyd's death

A still from "Selma," directed by Ava DuVernay.

Following the wave of demonstrations sparked by the killing of George Floyd, many of us have been thinking about the history of race in America, and the ongoing narrative of police violence. We are all looking for resources to help better understand the moment.?

Movies can offer a different perspective on how African Americans have contended with white authority over the decades and centuries. They both speak to and echo what is happening now.?

These films range from underground classics to big-studio productions, and all put a human face on timely and difficult social justice issues that have shifted the conversation on racial equality in America in a way that only movies can.?

If you’ve seen the films on this list, you can rewatch them in a new light. And if it’s your first time, you might recognize something that resonates with the Black Lives Matter and anti-racism protests that have erupted worldwide calling for wide-reaching reform.

Read the full story here:

Harriet

Related article These films explore black lives impacted by white authority

President Donald Trump will address a socially distanced group of 1,100 graduates at the US Military Academy at West Point for the?annual commencement exercises?Saturday morning.

As to what the President’s message will be and whether he would comment on the controversy over?renaming some Army bases named for Confederate military leaders, White House deputy press secretary Judd Deere told CNN:

Trump isn’t the only one looking to convey a message to the graduates. On Thursday, a group of?US Military Academy graduates issued a message?to the Class of 2020 outlining concerns that “fellow graduates serving in senior-level, public positions” are undermining the credibility of an apolitical military and betraying their “commitment to Duty, Honor, Country.”

The “Concerned Members of the Long Gray Line,” a coalition of several hundred West Point alumni who collectively served across 10 presidential administrations, wrote following protests over the murder George Floyd.

Their letter came in the aftermath of Trump’s walk from the White House to a nearby church after law enforcement officials violently cleared protesters peacefully demonstrating in the area. Trump was accompanied a number of officials, including Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Milley, who?apologized?for his presence at the extended photo-op, did not study at West Point, but Secretary of Defense Mark Esper and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo are both graduates of the class of 1986.

Read the full story here:

West Point cadets salute as the Class of 2020 participate in a commencement ceremony on the parade field, at the United States Military Academy in West Point, NY, Saturday, June 13, 2020.

Related article Trump will address a socially distanced West Point graduation Saturday

A woman holding a sign reading "South Asians with / 4 / by Black Lives Matter," as protesters gathered in the death of George Floyd and support of Black Lives Matter, in Los Angeles, on Friday, June 5.

It’s a common rule in Asian American households: Don’t bring home a black boyfriend or girlfriend.?

It’s one that many young people ridicule or challenge when talking with their parents, but it helps illustrate the racism and anti-blackness characteristic of some older Asian immigrants.

Joyce Kang, a 30-year-old Korean American from Washington, D.C., has heard her friends share similar experiences.?

But?George Floyd’s death?and?global protests?supporting the Black Lives Matter movement have helped change the discussion. Young Asian Americans are increasingly engaging in difficult conversations with their parents and community about uprooting their anti-black sentiments and supporting African Americans.

Kang decided to help by joining the “Letters for Black Lives” project and translating the open letter into Korean. She is one of more than 330 people who have helped translate it into?26 languages.

The letter was written in 2016 after the?shooting of Philando Castile, a black man who died during a routine traffic stop. Recently, however, it has been rewritten to include Floyd’s death and to better reflect the current state of the nation.?

Read the full story here:

Related article Meet the Asian Americans helping to uproot racism in their communities

London’s Metropolitan Police have imposed a time limit on Saturday’s Black Lives Matter and right-wing protests expected to take place in the UK’s capital that means they will have to end at 5 p.m. local time (12 p.m. ET).

They have also imposed conditions on the route and area the protesters can use, to try to prevent the two groups clashing.

In a statement released Friday, Met Police Commander Bas Javid said:

CNN has previously reported comments from Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick that her forces have “information that people are intent on coming to cause violence and confrontation” at BLM marches across London this weekend.

The UK’s official Black Lives Matter group distanced themselves from the protest that they had planned in central London on Saturday and asked demonstrators to march in their local areas.

UK anti-racism charity Hope Not Hate had warned about the possibility of violence from “football hooligans” and far-right groups at protests this weekend. “While the hooligans claim that they are coming to London to ‘protect the war memorials’ [it] is also clear from the racist comments of many that they also hope to confront BLM and anti-fascists,” Hope Not Hate wrote in a statement on Monday.?

Actors John Cleese (left) and Michael Gwynn in a scene from "Fawlty Towers," broadcast on December 23, 1974.

BBC-owned streaming platform UKTV will reinstate a controversial episode of the 1970s British comedy series “Fawlty Towers” “in the coming days” once “extra guidance has been added.”?

An episode of the 1970s British comedy series was temporarily removed from the streaming platform while a review was carried out into the use of “racial slurs” in an episode titled “The Germans.”

The episode in question – from 1975 – included a passage in which a character made racially derogatory remarks about the West Indies and Indian cricket teams.

The series was written by and starred former “Monty Python” member John Cleese.

A community is demanding answers after a 24-year-old black man was found hanging from a tree this week in northern Los Angeles County.

Shortly after 3:30 a.m. Monday, a passerby noticed a man, later identified as Robert L. Fuller, hanging from a tree in Palmdale, California. Fire department personnel who responded to the scene determined he was dead, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said in a statement.?

Palmdale city described it as “an alleged death by suicide.”

On Friday, dozens of people gathered at the Palmdale city council chambers to attend a news conference on the death.?When a spokesperson for the sheriff’s department announced the preliminary findings, outraged crowds demanded an investigation and to see footage of the incident.

A city official said there was no footage and it was an ongoing investigation, with a full autopsy underway.

“We will fully cooperate with the Sheriff’s Department, the Los Angeles County’s Coroner’s Offices, and any and all investigative agencies looking into the matter,” Hofbauer said.

Investigators have been in contact with Fuller’s family members and are continuing their investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

Read the full story here:

We hope you will join us on Monday, June 15, 2020, from 2-4 P.M. for a virtual town hall meeting for Lancaster/Palmdale residents, hosted by Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva, Lancaster Sheriff's Station Captain Weber and Palmdale Sheriff's Station Captain Shaffer. This meeting is regarding the death of Robert Fuller, 24, of Palmdale, California 16193952: CA Palmdale Suicide/Lynching Meeting [Palmdale, US]

Related article A community demands answers after a young black man is found hanging from a tree in Los Angeles County

At an old stone harbor in the English city of Bristol, young people gather at a bent railing by the water and peer into the murky deep. They’re looking for the defaced?statue of the 17th century slave trader?Edward Colston. And just maybe, they’re looking at an era gone by.

Protesters last weekend wrenched Colston’s statue from the plinth, rolled it down cobbled streets and tossed it into the very same waters on which his ships arrived hundreds of years ago, carrying shackled African men, women and children for him to sell on as slaves in the Americas.

The police killing of George Floyd in the US last month has galvanized a global anti-racism movement. Now it is forcing Europeans to?re-examine their colonial histories?and even question their national identities.

Few Europeans will explicitly defend their country’s historical use of slavery. Yet challenging the celebration of the very leaders and merchants who profited from slavery and the horrors of colonialism is proving a less comfortable conversation.

In Bristol, schools, streets, pubs and the main hall bear the name Colston, in celebration of the merchant’s philanthropy on which the city was built. Colston is as entwined with Bristol as Rockefeller in New York or Eiffel in Paris.

And therein lies the problem.

Read more:

A picture taken on June 10 2020 in Brussels shows the vandalized statue of King Leopold II of Belgium. - The statue was vandalized during a protest action amid discussions to remove all Leopold 2 statues due to the misdeeds in his personal property Congo. (Photo by THIERRY ROGE / various sources / AFP) / Belgium OUT (Photo by THIERRY ROGE/Belga/AFP via Getty Images)

Related article An American policeman killed George Floyd. Now Europe is re-examining its colonial history

Bubba Wallace, the only full-time African American driver in NASCAR’s Cup Series, spoke with CNN’s Don Lemon Friday about?fan reaction to the auto racing body’s decision to ban the Confederate flag at all events.

Wallace said he’s gotten both negative and positive responses from fans, but “there’s obviously been more good than there is bad.”

Read more:

Driver Bubba Wallace waits for the start of a NASCAR Cup Series auto race Wednesday, June 10, 2020, in Martinsville, Va. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

Related article Bubba Wallace says there's more good than bad in fan reaction to NASCAR's Confederate flag ban

A New Jersey police officer was charged with two counts of assault on Wednesday after allegedly deploying pepper spray on two people “without provocation,” the Camden County Prosecutor’s office said?in a press release.

Ryan Dubiel, 31, a police officer with Woodlynne Police Department, was charged with two counts of simple assault, prosecutors announced.

Dubiel and another officer were dispatched on a call in the afternoon of June 4 for a complaint of possible trespassing and loitering, according to a recording of a?911 call released?by prosecutors.

Body camera footage was also released by prosecutors and shows Dubiel talking with several young men sitting on a front porch. An officer is heard on the video telling the men they are responding to a call for trespassing. Officers are seen on video asking the people on the porch for their names and other identifying information, but many refuse. One of the young men goes to call his brother and Dubiel tells him to put his phone down. When the young man continues to call, Dubiel is seen proceeding to pepper spray multiple people.

In addition to the charges, Dubiel has been suspended from the department without pay.

Dubiel has been with the Woodlynne Police Department for 10 months. It’s the ninth police department where he has served, prosecutors said.

It was not immediately clear if Dubiel retained an attorney. CNN has attempted to reach Dubiel for comment.

Read more:

Related article New Jersey police officer charged with assault after allegedly deploying pepper spray 'without provocation'

The mother of an African American man who was shot and killed by a white police officer in Charlotte, North Carolina, last year has filed a federal wrongful death lawsuit.

Deborah Franklin is suing the city government and officer Wende Kerl, who shot Danquirs Franklin on March 25, 2019. Deborah Franklin is seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages for her son’s death and the loss of financial and emotional support for his three children.

The shooting caused several days of street protests in Charlotte after?police body camera video?was released.

The district attorney?decided not to file charges?last August, saying he didn’t think he could prove to a jury that “Officer Kerl’s belief that she faced an imminent threat of death of great bodily harm was unreasonable.”

CNN has reached out for comment from the city of Charlotte and the officer involved for comment.

Read more:

Danquirs Franklin

Related article Mother of African American man killed by police in Charlotte, North Carolina, files wrongful death lawsuit

President Donald Trump?announced late Friday he is rescheduling a?rally that was to be held on June 19?— Juneteenth, the holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States — “out of respect for this holiday.”

Trump’s decision to hold his first campaign rally in months on the holiday was?met with widespread criticism?amid the national outcry following George Floyd’s death at the hands of police officers and nationwide protests about police brutality and racial inequality.

Read more:

U.S. President Donald Trump makes remarks as he participates in a roundtable with law enforcement officials in the State Dining Room of the White House, June, 8, 2020 in Washington, DC. From L-R is Attorney General William Barr, Daniel J, Cameron Attorney General for the Commonwealth of Kentucky, Trump.

Related article Trump reschedules Tulsa rally 'out of respect' for Juneteenth

Vickey Scott speaks to Don Lemon on CNN.

Vickey Scott, whose son Derrick died after being arrested and telling police “I can’t breathe,” said the renewed interest in her son’s death has been difficult “because I did not know the?truth from the beginning.”

Oklahoma City police this week released body-camera video of the 2019 incident, when Derrick Scott was arrested. He died not long after, saying repeatedly during the encounter that he couldn’t breathe.

The police footage of Derrick Scott’s arrest was released to media after a recent Black Lives Matter protest in front of a city police station.

Vickey Scott said she didn’t learn of her son’s death until four days after he died. She wasn’t allowed to see his body until the day before his funeral, eight days after the incident, she said.

She said she hasn’t watched all of the body-camera video because it was too painful.

“No mother or father should have to go through this,” she told CNN’s Don Lemon.

Watch:

As municipalities across the United States?revisit?the naming and display of monuments honoring people with histories of racism and violence toward minorities, the Christopher Columbus statue and Columbus Circle in New York City have come under fire for commemorating the man often credited with “discovering” America.

A?petition?has started on change.org asking for the renaming of the circle and the removal of the statue “from public view.” However, recent comments from New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and state Gov. Andrew Cuomo suggest that neither the statue, nor the name of the circle, is going anywhere.

Cuomo said at a press conference Thursday that he felt the statue of Columbus, who originally hailed from Italy, was an important symbol for Italian Americans.

“The Christopher Columbus statue represents in some ways the Italian American legacy in the country, and the Italian American contribution in this country,” he said. “I understand the feelings about Christopher Columbus and some of his acts which nobody would support, but the statue has come to represent and signify appreciation for the Italian American contribution to New York so for that reason I support it.”

De Blasio said Friday he would stick by the January 2018 decision the Mayoral Advisory Commission on City Art, Monuments and Markers. A majority of commission members “advocated for keeping the Columbus statue and fostering public dialogue,” according to the commission’s?report.

Read more:

The statue of Christopher Columbus on June 12, 2020, at Columbus Circle in New York City. Governor Andrew Cuomo defended the statue at the circle on June 11, 2020, as a symbol of "Italian-American legacy" after calls to remove it mounted. - Statues of Christopher Columbus from Boston to Miami have been beheaded and vandalized as calls to remove sculptures commemorating colonizers and slavers sweep America on the back of anti-racism protests sparked by the death of George Floyd.

Related article Cuomo, de Blasio don't want to see Christopher Columbus statue removed or NYC's Columbus Circle renamed

The words "Black Lives Matter" are painted in the middle of East Pine Street in the "Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone" in Seattle on June 11.

CNN’s Dan Simon was inside an area in Seattle near a downtown police precinct that protesters have occupied and are referring to as the “Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone.”

Simon said it felt like a “Friday night social scene.”

Watch his report here:

A Twitter spat with the President: With demonstrators refusing to leave the Capitol Hill neighborhood, police were told to board up and empty the neighborhood’s East Precinct building.

President Donald Trump has been highly critical on Twitter of how Mayor Jenny Durkan has handled the situation. He accused her of letting “anarchists” take over the city.

Durkan told CNN’s Chris Cuomo Friday night that there’s nothing about the city’s “autonomous zone” to be concerned about.?

Durkan said authorities are going to “continue to analyze whether that’s the best place for police to operate.”

Read more:

SEATTLE, WA - JUNE 10: A sign welcomes visitors to the so-called "Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone" on June 10, 2020 in Seattle, Washington. The zone includes the blocks surrounding the Seattle Police Departments East Precinct, which was the site of violent clashes with Black Lives Matter protesters, who have continued to demonstrate in the wake of George Floyds death. (Photo by David Ryder/Getty Images)

Related article Right-wing media says Antifa militants have seized part of Seattle. Local authorities say otherwise

Actress and comedian Tiffany Haddish spoke with CNN about the racism she experiences as a black woman in America.

Haddish shared her frustration about being a good citizen and working hard but not being able to drive around without getting stopped.

“I shouldn’t be afraid when I see those lights come on,” Haddish said while referring to the lights on a police car. “I got PTSD watching my friends being killed by the police.”

Haddish, who is known for her roles in “Girls Trip” and “Like a Boss,” expressed concern for certain family members of hers that may not come back when they walk out the door.

“It’s devastating, it’s scary. Sometimes I want at least two white friends to go out with me,” she added.

Watch:

Within hours of his call to 911 outside a convenience store, Sterling Higgins lay dead, after video shows him being forcibly restrained on the floor at the Obion County Jail in Union City, Tennessee.

A?surveillance camera video?from that morning, 15 months ago, shows a correctional officer gripping Higgins’ neck and head for nearly six minutes, and part of that time his arresting officer with one foot on him. Then, Higgins’ limp body was dragged to a restraint chair and wheeled into a cell.

The video, submitted in a wrongful death lawsuit filed in federal district court in Tennessee, is at the heart of a claim that yet another black man needlessly died in custody because of law enforcement misconduct. All the defendants have denied the allegations in legal filings.

Those videos were never shown to a grand jury that, last October, declined to indict any of the officers involved, as?first reported?by WSPD, in Paducah, Kentucky. The 27th District attorney general, Tommy Thomas, told CNN he didn’t see the need to show jurors the video because he already had decided not to seek criminal charges against the officers.

He said that while he doesn’t believe the officers handled the situation correctly, “that’s a long way from being criminally responsible for a homicide.”

Edwin Budge, a Seattle-based attorney representing Higgins’ estate, said the videos are crucial evidence and that the grand jury “should have been provided with those facts; and now it’s our job as civil attorneys to bring these facts to light.”

Higgins’s death raises questions not only about the events of that night, and the officers’ use of force, but also about police training and practices in how to handle people behaving bizarrely or who seem to be mentally distressed.

Read more:

Sterling Higgins with his daughter and her mother, Jennifer Jenkins, the administrator of Higgins' estate.

Related article Videos raise question about death in custody