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CITIES ACROSS THE US are in chaos after days of rioting.
At least six people have died in unrest sparked by the response to the death on Monday of last week of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who had been accused of using a fake $20 bill to buy cigarettes.
He lost his life in custody after police officer Derek Chauvin placed his knee on Floyd’s neck for a sustained period of time. His death has sparked protests around the world.
It happened in Minneapolis, a city of 425,000 in the state of Minnesota.
https://twitter.com/FarukFirat1987/status/1265606351901908992
Yesterday, US President Donald Trump floated the idea of using a 213-year-old law in a bid to quash the demonstrations, which have now entered their eighth day.
The 1807 Insurrection Act was signed into law by Thomas Jefferson and gives the sitting president the ability to deploy the military to end “civil disorder, rebellion or insurrection”.
Here’s how events have escalated in the last eight days.
Monday 25 May
George Floyd was 46-years-old when he died.
Police were called after he had been accused of using counterfeit money to purchase a packet of cigarettes in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
He was handcuffed and pinned to the ground by police officer Derek Chauvin, who placed his knee on the back of Floyd’s neck.
Tuesday 26 May
A video of the arrest incident begins to go viral.
In numerous videos shot by passersby, Chauvin is seen with his knee on Floyd’s neck as the handcuffed man repeatedly insists that he can’t breathe. He then calls out for his “mama” before he finally passes out.
Floyd suffered a cardiac arrest and died a short time later, according to the audio of calls between emergency services.
Demonstrations began to form around Minneapolis in the hours after the video was shared. The four officers who were filmed in the arrest videos were all fired by the city’s police chief, who himself called for an FBI investigation into Floyd’s death.
Hundreds of people took to the streets of Minneapolis. Police cars were vandalised and the police precinct where the four police officers were based was set on fire.
Tear gas and rubber bullets were used to disperse the crowds.
Wednesday 27 May
Demonstrations spread across the United States. Los Angeles, California, and Memphis, Tennessee, see scuffles between protesters and police.
Protests continued in Minneapolis meanwhile. More people joined the demonstrations, several of which turned violent during the night.
Police moved in again on the demonstrations, and several people – both police and demonstrators – received injuries.
Sporadic looting took place in shops across the city.
Thursday 28 May
The National Guard is deployed to Minneapolis.
At this time that the Governor of Minnesota, Tim Walz, along with many other commentators and politicians, began to condemn the demonstrators, who they said were not protesting anymore and were simply committing violent acts.
Demonstrations continued across the US.
Friday 29 May
Derek Chauvin, the police officer who was videoed restraining George Floyd with his knee, is charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
Tensions once again rose as news of the charges filtered through to demonstrators, with many of them saying Chauvin should be charged with first-degree murder, an offence which carries much harsher penalties.
It has since emerged that Chauvin and Floyd had worked as bouncers in the same nightclub. Prosecutors are now trying to establish if their paths had crossed during their shifts.
The State Police were deployed to Minneapolis. CNN journalist Omar Jimenez was arrested live on television as he reported on the unfolding crisis.
https://twitter.com/Mr_RyanGuillory/status/1266465847960317953
Donald Trump said he spoke to George Floyd’s family and described them as “terrific people”.
Trump was also criticised for earlier comments in which he called protesters in Minneapolis “THUGS” and warning that “when the looting starts, the shooting starts”.
More violence flared in Atlanta, New York City as well as Washington DC.
Saturday 30 May
US Attorney General Bill Barr claims that far-left extremists and anarchists are behind the violent protests against police brutality in more than a dozen cities, and warns federal law enforcement could take action against them.
Barr blamed “violent radical elements” and said “in many places, it appears the violence is planned, organised and driven by anarchic and far-left extremist groups using Antifa-like tactics, many of whom travel from outside the state to promote the violence”.
An hour later, Trump described the death of George Floyd as “a grave tragedy”, as he watched the liftoff of a crewed space flight in Florida and added that Floyd’s memory had been dishonoured by “rioters, looters and anarchists”.
Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey described the actions of violent protesters as “domestic terrorism”.
One man was shot and killed in Chicago during a violent incident linked to the demonstrations. Another man died in a similar incident in Indianapolis.
https://twitter.com/MayorFrey/status/1266778552072056833
Sunday 31 May
By this stage, hundreds of thousands of people are protesting in the US nightly and the National Guard has been sent to over 20 states to quell violence.
A man was killed in Louisville, Kentucky when shots broke out as the authorities cleared a large crowd. The city’s police chief said officers were fired upon, and that both the police and the National Guard returned fire.
Looting took place in many cities, including Philadelphia, New York and Atlanta.
Fires continued to burn across the US as protesters continued to torch buildings and enter retail outlets, causing damage.
Monday 1 June
An autopsy finds George Floyd was suffocated by a police officer, as cities including New York impose curfews to stop the violence.
He died of “cardiopulmonary arrest complicating law enforcement subdual, restraint, and neck compression,” and the manner of death was “homicide,” the Hennepin County Medical Examiner in Minneapolis said in a statement.
Protests were also organised in countries across the world. In Dublin, thousands took to the streets in a protest that ended at the US embassy in Ballsbridge.
In New Zealand, about 2,000 people marched to the US Consulate in Auckland chanting “no justice, no peace” and “black lives matter”.
There were also protests at Dam Square in Amsterdam.
Police in the US fired tear gas outside the White House as anti-racism protestors again took to the streets to voice fury at police brutality.
With the Trump administration branding instigators of six nights of rioting as domestic terrorists, there were further confrontations between protestors and police and fresh outbreaks of looting.
Violent clashes erupted repeatedly in a small park next to the White House, with authorities using tear gas, pepper spray and flash-bang grenades to disperse crowds who lit several large fires and damaged property.
Trump slammed the protests in Washington DC, in particular, where some properties and monuments were vandalised as police struggled to disperse crowds.
“What happened in the city last night was a total disgrace,” he said in a national address yesterday.
“As we speak I am dispatching thousands and thousands of heavily armed soldiers, military personnel and law enforcement officers to stop the rioting, looting, vandalism, assaults and wanton destruction of property.”
He called on State governors to “dominate the streets”.
His announcement came as police under federal command forced back peaceful demonstrators in the city with tear gas so that Trump could walk to a nearby church and pose with a bible.
Tuesday 2 June
Four US police officers are shot and wounded in the Midwestern city of St Louis, Missouri, during protests which turned violent.
Meanwhile, it emerges Australia is investigating a US police attack on two Australian television journalists outside the White House.
Footage showed one officer shoving Channel 7 News cameraman Tim Myers with a shield before punching him. Another officer was seen swinging at Myers as well as the station’s US correspondent Amelia Brace.
A Las Vegas police officer is also on life support after being shot in the head during scuffles between police and protesters.
More violence is expected across the US today.
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Too much paperwork. This only adds to the burnout that many child protection workers face. The job of a social worker has become too administrative and less front line
@Alison Maguire: Do you think its the front line(visiting dysfunctional homes were there’s child abuse) or the admin element that causes turnover in staff ……
@Murr Paul: the frontline also deal with a lot of admin
I believe there is room for all, please note that some of the private agencies are social enterprises that re-investing the children in their care.
As a country though we need to really start investing in support of vulnerable families from pregnancy, good preschools good family support. Our legislation also needs a complete overhaul with a much stronger emphasis on what’s in a child’s best interest not the parents. A child in foster care can at any time be returned to the birth parents, how can a child fully commit to a new family if they are aware of this.
@Anne Kearney: A child in foster care can at any time be returned to the birth parents, how can a child fully commit to a new family if they are aware of this.
A child will always want to return to their parents as when turned 18 kick out by foster families regardless.
@Murr Paul: a significant number of foster carers would and do keep the child in their care after the age of 18. I feel some of the issue is the after care work that goes on from 15 or 16 preparing for independence can instill a fear in the child so there is increased acting out that causes the placement to break down. I reject you before you reject me. A lot of children during access are told that they can go home also the foster carers in their own eyes is only temporary. We need to be able to make a home more permanent for some children and carers.
Why do they try and privatise everything???
Never has a good outcome
In no way am I comparing a Child to a dog here but look what’s happened with privatization re Ashton Dog Pound. Neglect, Abuse, and power pulling where everyone in Dublin is in fear of calling for the dog warden.
@Margaret Doyle: You don’t want to compare the two, and yet you do.
€325 not much to cover all the costs involved with children who have been neglected. The government trying to do all the really important stuff on the Cheap again.
@Alan Kelly: what costs do they have more then any other child? They also receive child benefit, social welfare CDA increases etc. I know cases were they claimed the foster children were disabled to get carers allowance, care grant and domicile care allowance all untaxed. A right little money earner.
@Murr Paul: you cannot just CLAIM someone is disabled!!
Do you know the trauma these kids have been through? Do you know the time that goes into making sure all the needs of these kids at met?
@Murr Paul: would you work 24/7 for 1.93 euro an hour and take the child’s expenses out of that too.
@Murr Paul: What is wrong with you? The state is neglecting and allowing lifelong damage to occur to children. They are pouring money into private companies and you point to a baseless, imaginary problem of welfare fraud. Do you think that so you can feel better or are you just bitter or thick or both?
@Alan Kelly: Making foster caring financially too appetizing is far too dangerous. It attracts the worst of people, to the detriment of these especially vulnerable children. Of course low income families with the right intentions shouldn’t be excluded from fostering simply because they can’t afford it. But that’s why the system allows for specific expenses for the particular foster child in question (with receipts and review process with regards to expenses etc). But just a nice lump sum lodged into your account with no questions asked every month will end up attracting too much interest for all the wrong reasons.
The cost factor here must be quantified, the cost given of €1,000 in a private placement includes other support. It includes the cost of social work support available 24 hours a day 7 days a week not currently provided by Tusla. The private fostering agencies also provide support services such as educational supports child care workers etc.
The private agencies also may be asked to locate careers for children with a complex level of care needs.
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