Demonstrators, police clash during protest over George Floyd's death

(Image credit: Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)

published 27 May 2020

Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Minneapolis on Tuesday night to express their outrage over the death of George Floyd.

Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, died Monday night after a white police officer kneeled on his neck for several minutes. The incident was recorded, and Floyd can be heard in the video saying, "I can't breathe." The four police officers involved were fired on Tuesday, a move applauded by Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, and the FBI will investigate the incident for possible civil rights violations.

Several community activists addressed Tuesday night's crowd. One of them, Al Flowers, warned that "this will happen again if we don't get in front of this." The protesters chanted "Prosecute the police," and a smaller group continued to march to a precinct near where Floyd died. Once there, clashes broke out, with some demonstrators spray painting squad cars and throwing water bottles and rocks at police officers; the officers fired tear gas and stun grenades at the crowd in response.

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

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