MINNEAPOLIS, USA, 28 May. - (ANA) - Thousands of people have taken to the streets of Minneapolis to protest against the killing of an unarmed black man by a police officer who was filmed kneeling on his neck for at least eight minutes.

 

The now-viral footage shows George Floyd - described as a “gentle giant” who “took care of people”, according to local newspaper Star Tribune - begging for help as bystanders plead with the officer to stop.

 

Floyd’s death is the latest in a string of similar killings, with research suggesting that about one in 1,000 black men and boys in the US can expect to die at the hands of police.

 

George Floyd’s family demands justice for ‘murder’ of ‘gentle giant’ filmed being forcefully restrained by police.

 

Ash was falling Thursday morning at a shopping center on Lake Street, where the recently renovated Target had been defaced and looted. A nearly completed apartment development across the street had been burned to its concrete lower floor. Other commercial structures were also badly damaged.

 

Mayor Jacob Frey pleaded on Twitter for people to stay at home. “Please, please Minneapolis,” he wrote, “we cannot let tragedy beget more tragedy. Please, help us keep the peace. Stay safe and evacuate the area.”

 

At a news conference on Thursday afternoon, he said the destructive protests were a reflection of the black community’s anger over 400 years of inequality

 

“What we’ve seen over the last two days and the emotion-ridden conflict over the last night is the result of so much built up anger and sadness,” he said.

 

Mr. Frey declared an “all-out effort to restore peace and security” in the city, and said he has authorized a “unified command structure” to protect infrastructure and communities, particularly during the pandemic.

 

“In believing in our city, we must believe that we can be better than we have been,” the mayor said. “We must confront our shortcomings with both humility, as well as hope. We must restore the peace, so that we can do this hard work together.”

 

Mr. Floyd, 46, died on Monday after being handcuffed and pinned to the ground by a white police officer who pressed his knee on Mr. Floyd’s neck for several minutes. A video of the arrest, in which he is heard pleading “I can’t breathe,” spread widely online.  - (ANA) -

 

AB/ANA/28 May 2020 - - -