Protesters Gather In Birmingham To Honor George Floyd
Protesters gathered at Kelly Ingram Park in Birmingham on Saturday to honor George Floyd, the African American man killed by police in Minneapolis, MN earlier this week.
The demonstration was organized by the group Alabama Rally Against Injustice. Organizers said they wanted to show solidarity with protesters across the U.S. The group reported that nearly 1,000 people attended the rally, which was their second of the week.
A variety of city and state leaders spoke at the event, including State Senator Linda Coleman.
“Today my heart is heavy. I want to scream. I want to cry,” Coleman said. “I’m sick and tired of hearing the chant ‘Black Lives Matter.’”
Coleman said she is angry about Floyd’s death, but that she does not support the looting and violence that has unfolded in cities like Minneapolis, Atlanta and New York City.
“Just like all black people aren’t bad – all police officers aren’t bad,” Coleman added. “I look at this crowd, and I’m reminded of a piano. It takes the black keys and white keys to make a tune … when I bleed red, you bleed red.”
She said voters can make a difference by electing people to office that support African Americans.
Jefferson County Sheriff Mark Pettway also spoke at the rally. He told the crowd that he plans to provide more education to his officers on how to de-escalate situations.
Demonstrators later marched down 20th Street North for more than a mile chanting “I can’t breathe,” which is what Floyd yelled as an officer kneeled on his neck for nearly five minutes.
The Birmingham chapter of Black Lives Matter continued the demonstration Saturday night outside Hoover City Hall. They protested the death of Floyd and Birmingham’s Emantic Bradford Jr., who was killed by a police officer in November 2018 at the Hoover Galleria Mall.
Hoover police officers told protesters that they could stay as long as they wanted, but warned that they would be arrested if they entered Highway 31 and blocked traffic. Police ended up arresting a number of protestors.
Both Black Lives Matter and Alabama Rally Against Injustice say they plan to hold another demonstration in the coming days. Meanwhile, the City of Birmingham and the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute plan to hold a rally Sunday afternoon at Kelly Ingram Park.
Pipe bomb suspect told FBI he targeted U.S. political parties, memo says
The man accused of placing two pipe bombs in Washington on the eve of Jan. 6, 2021 told investigators someone needed to "speak up" for people who believed the 2020 election was stolen, prosecutors said Sunday.
Chinese military stages drills around Taiwan to warn ‘external forces’
The drills came after Beijing expressed anger at U.S. arms sales, and a statement by Japan's prime minister saying its military could get involved if China were to take action against Taiwan.
Trump and Netanyahu to meet in Florida at a crucial moment for the Gaza ceasefire
President Trump could use the face-to-face at his Mar-a-Lago estate to look for ways to speed up the peace process, as Israel's leader has been accused of not pushing his side to move fast enough.
‘Bomb cyclone’ forecasted to bring heavy snow, blizzard conditions and dangerous travel
A 'bomb cyclone' is intensifying severe winter weather for millions of people across the U.S. The system is expected to knock out power and disrupt holiday travel.
Russia sends 3 Iranian satellites into orbit, report says
The report said that a Russian rocket sent the satellites on Sunday from a launchpad in eastern Russia.
Viral global TikToks: A twist on soccer, Tanzania’s Charlie Chaplin, hope in Gaza
TikToks are everywhere (well, except countries like Australia and India, where they've been banned.) We talk to the creators of some of the year's most popular reels from the Global South.
