US protesters welcomed new charges brought on Wednesday against Minneapolis officers in the killing of African American man George Floyd — but thousands still marched in cities across the country for a ninth straight night, chanting against racism and police brutality.
With a key demand met, demonstrators nevertheless staged large and mainly peaceful rallies calling for deeper change in cities from New York to Los Angeles, hours after the new indictments were announced.
In Minnesota, prosecutors had initially charged 44-year-old Derek Chauvin — the white officer filmed kneeling on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes — with third-degree murder.
Photo: AFP
However, on Wednesday they upgraded the charge, roughly akin to manslaughter, to second-degree murder, which does not involve premeditation, but carries stiffer penalties.
The three other officers at the scene of Floyd’s May 25 arrest for allegedly seeking to buy cigarettes with a counterfeit bill were charged for the first time with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
Tou Thao, 34, J. Alexander Kueng, 26, and Thomas Lane, 37, were charged and taken into custody.
Photo: AFP
All four were fired last week. If convicted, they could be sentenced to up to four decades in prison.
The multiple charges against each officer would offer a jury more options to find them guilty.
The arrest of all four officers has been a focus for tens of thousands of protesters who have marched the streets of dozens of US cities, often defying curfews to condemn police brutality and demand racial justice.
Photo: AFP / Hennepin County Jail
US cities including Los Angeles and Washington delayed the start of their curfews by several hours on Wednesday after looting and violence had subsided the previous night, while Seattle scrapped its curfew with immediate effect.
“For those peacefully demonstrating tonight, please know you can continue to demonstrate,” Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan wrote on Twitter. “We want you to continue making your voice heard.”
Several arrests were made in New York after groups of protesters continued to march in Manhattan and Brooklyn after the city’s 8pm curfew had passed.
Photo: AFP
In Manhattan, protester Brian Clark earlier said the charges were “a good start,” but vowed demonstrators would “exercise our right to protest until every black person gets the justice they deserve.”
“It’s not enough,” added fellow demonstrator Elijah B., who did not give his last name. “This could have happened a week ago ... it wasn’t until people started marching on the streets and started tearing things that people started to pay attention.”
A large group also protested at the US Capitol in Washington beyond curfew.
Thousands took to the streets in both Hollywood and downtown Los Angeles, where Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti vowed to redirect US$250 million toward black community health and education from budgets, including the police department.
Floyd’s family, in a statement thanking protesters, called the arrests and new charges a “bittersweet moment” — and a “significant step forward on the road to justice.”
They urged Americans to continue to “raise their voices for change in peaceful ways.”
While condemning Floyd’s death, Trump has adopted a tough stance toward the protesters, saying they include many “bad people” and calling on governors to “dominate the streets.”
“We need law and order,” he repeated on Wednesday.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, speaking after the new charges were announced, said the state and nation need to “seize the moment” and use the wrenching events of the past week to confront the effects of racism, including unequal educational and economic opportunities.
“I think this is probably our last shot, as a state and as a nation, to fix this systemic issue,” he said at a news conference in St Paul.
Nationwide, more than 9,000 people have been arrested in connection with unrest.
At least 12 deaths have been reported, though the circumstances in many cases are still being sorted out.
Additional reporting by AP
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