The George Floyd protests were a series of demonstrations against police brutality and riots that began in Minneapolis in the United States on May 26, 2020. The protests and civil unrest began in Minneapolis as reactions to the murder of George Floyd, a 46-year-old unarmed African American man, by city police during an arrest. They spread nationally and internationally. Veteran officer Derek Chauvin was recorded as kneeling on Floyd's neck for 9 minutes and 29 seconds; Floyd complained of not being able to breathe, but three other officers looked on and prevented passers-by from intervening. Chauvin and the other three officers involved were later arrested. In April 2021, Chauvin was found guilty of second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter. In June 2021, Chauvin was sentenced to 22+1⁄2 years in prison.
Image: Minneapolis 05 28 20 (49947863357)
Image: Minneapolis unrest May 28, 2020
Image: George Floyd protests in Philadelphia 15
Image: Minnesota State Patrol Troopers on Scene of George Floyd Protest, 29 May 2020
On May 25, 2020, George Floyd, a 46-year-old black American man, was murdered in Minneapolis by Derek Chauvin, a 44-year-old white police officer. Floyd had been arrested after a store clerk alleged that he made a purchase using a counterfeit $20 bill. Chauvin knelt on Floyd's neck for over nine minutes while Floyd was handcuffed and lying face-down in a street. Two other police officers, J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane, assisted Chauvin in restraining Floyd. Lane had also pointed a gun at Floyd's head before Floyd was handcuffed. A fourth police officer, Tou Thao, prevented bystanders from intervening.
The intersection of Chicago Avenue and E. 38th Street on May 30, where Floyd was murdered just left of the awning
Hennepin County Government Center, the venue of the Chauvin trial, April 20, 2021
Security fencing at the Warren E. Burger Federal Building in Saint Paul, Minnesota, January 23, 2022
A protest sign at George Floyd Square on May 18, 2021, referencing the three other officers