A US army lieutenant was subjected to excessive force by two police officers of the Virginia police department at a traffic stop.

The army officer, Caron Nazario, was stopped by the two Virginia police officers for not have permanent license plates in his new Chevrolet Tahoe on December 5, 2020. The army officer, however, claims he did have cardboard temporary plates taped to the inside of the rear window.

Nazario, who is Black and Latino, was dressed in his uniform and tried to find a well-lit area to stop when he was asked to pull over by Daniel Crocker, a Windsor police officer. Crocker, however, claims he thought Nazario was "eluding police" and he considered it a "high-risk traffic stop".

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Army officer LT. Caron Nazario who’s Afro-Latino was pulled over in his car. 
 
When told to get out of the car he said, “I’m honestly afraid to get out.” 
 
Officer said, 
“Yeah, you should be!” 
 
This is how U treat soldiers of color who defend this country? 
 
<a href="https://t.co/E9CoUVjBqp">pic.twitter.com/E9CoUVjBqp</a>
— KID VICIOUS🔪 (@kirkacevedo) <a href="https://twitter.com/kirkacevedo/status/1380858745677258755?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 10, 2021</a></blockquote>
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The army officer said he wanted to stop in a well-lit area "for officer safety and out of respect for the officers," as per a report of the court filing.

Cocker was joined by Joe Gutierrez, who was passing by the same area when he heard his colleague’s call.

However, the lawsuit reports that the license plate was well-visible by the time the two officers reached the SUV.

Upon arriving near the SUV, which had been stopped by Nazario at a gas station, the officers drew out their guns and pointed them at Nazario, attempting to pull him out of his car.

"I don’t even want to reach for my seatbelt, can you please ... My hands are out, can you please – look, this is really messed up," the US army officer could be heard saying.

However, the officers continued yelling and assaulting the officer, while making racist remarks.

"These cameras captured footage of behavior consistent with a disgusting nationwide trend of law enforcement officers who, believing they can operate with complete impunity, engage in unprofessional, discourteous, racially biased, dangerous and sometimes deadly abuses of authority," the lawsuit says.

Nazario has now sued the two officers, demanding $1 million in compensatory damages as he believes the officers violated his rights guaranteed under the First and Fourth Amendments.

A US army lieutenant was subjected to excessive force by two police officers of the Virginia police department at a traffic stop. The army officer, Caron Nazario, was stopped by the two Virginia police officers for not have permanent license plates in his new Chevrolet Tahoe on December 5, 2020.

A US army lieutenant was subjected to excessive force by two police officers of the Virginia police department at a traffic stop. The army officer, Caron Nazario, was stopped by the two Virginia police officers for not have permanent license plates in his new Chevrolet Tahoe on December 5, 2020. The army officer, however, claims he did have cardboard temporary plates taped to the inside of the rear window. Nazario, who is Black and Latino, was dressed in his uniform and tried to find a well-lit area to stop when he was asked to pull over by Daniel Crocker, a Windsor police officer. Crocker, however, claims he thought Nazario was "eluding police" and he considered it a "high-risk traffic stop". Army officer LT. Caron Nazario who’s Afro-Latino was pulled over in his car. When told to get out of the car he said, “I’m honestly afraid to get out.” Officer said, “Yeah, you should be!” This is how U treat soldiers of color who defend this country? pic.twitter.com/E9CoUVjBqp — KID VICIOUS🔪 (@kirkacevedo) April 10, 2021 × The army officer said he wanted to stop in a well-lit area "for officer safety and out of respect for the officers," as per a report of the court filing. Cocker was joined by Joe Gutierrez, who was passing by the same area when he heard his colleague’s call. However, the lawsuit reports that the license plate was well-visible by the time the two officers reached the SUV. Upon arriving near the SUV, which had been stopped by Nazario at a gas station, the officers drew out their guns and pointed them at Nazario, attempting to pull him out of his car. "I don’t even want to reach for my seatbelt, can you please ... My hands are out, can you please – look, this is really messed up," the US army officer could be heard saying. However, the officers continued yelling and assaulting the officer, while making racist remarks. "These cameras captured footage of behavior consistent with a disgusting nationwide trend of law enforcement officers who, believing they can operate with complete impunity, engage in unprofessional, discourteous, racially biased, dangerous and sometimes deadly abuses of authority," the lawsuit says. Nazario has now sued the two officers, demanding $1 million in compensatory damages as he believes the officers violated his rights guaranteed under the First and Fourth Amendments.

Police officers use excessive force on US army officer of Black-Latino origin

Two ex-sheriff’s deputies in Texas have been indicted on second-degree manslaughter charges in the death of a Black driver whom they repeatedly shocked with a Taser during a 2019 traffic stop despite his pleas that he had heart disease and could not breathe, a prosecutor said Tuesday.

The former Williamson County deputies, James Johnson and Zachary Camden, had been accompanied by a television crew from the reality television show “Live PD” at the time of their fatal encounter with Javier Ambler, 40, whom they were pursuing for failing to dim his lights to oncoming traffic.

The charges against Johnson and Camden were announced by José Garza, the district attorney in neighboring Travis County, which includes Austin, Texas, where Ambler crashed his vehicle after the police pursued him over a traffic violation.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/witnesses-to-george-floyds-deadly-arrest-tell-jury-of-their-shock-horror-374391" hreflang="en">Witnesses to George Floyd's deadly arrest tell jury of their shock, horror</a>

“With these indictments, we have taken another critical step towards justice for the Ambler family and for our community,” Garza said in a statement. “While we can never take away the pain of the Ambler family, the grand jury has sent a clear message that no one is above the law.”

Ken Ervin and Doug O’Connell, the lawyers for Johnson and Camden, said in a joint statement Tuesday that Ambler had led the former deputies on a chase for 22 minutes after a series of collisions and had resisted arrest.

“Mr. Ambler’s physical exertion in resisting the three officers it took to get him into handcuffs no doubt contributed to his medical emergency, but Mr. Johnson and Mr. Camden are neither morally nor legally responsible for his death,” the statement said.

Also read |&nbsp;<a data-ctorig="https://www.wionews.com/world/on-the-edge-again-america-watches-developments-closely-374369" data-cturl="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-element-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/world/on-the-edge-again-america-watches-developments-closely-374369&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwim9YKultrvAhV24HMBHWD7BD4QFjAGegQIBhAC&amp;usg=AOvVaw1UPzYIETA_lGtk_m3-vU19" dir="ltr" href="https://www.wionews.com/world/on-the-edge-again-america-watches-developments-closely-374369" target="_blank">On the edge again, America watches developments closely</a>

The lawyers for the former deputies accused Garza of trying to score political points with the indictments, which came a few weeks after Garza announced that a grand jury had returned an indictment against an Austin police officer in the shooting death of a man last year that touched off protests against police violence in the state capital. The lawyers also represent the officer in that case.

Bail was set at $150,000 for Johnson and Camden; both have been released. Their lawyers said the former deputies intended to plead not guilty and turned themselves in Tuesday after their indictments were signed Monday.

Ambler’s father, Javier Ambler Sr., thanked Garza in a statement for pursuing charges against the former deputies.

“Our goal has always been to hold these officers accountable so that there are no more families who have to suffer like ours has,” the statement said.

On March 28, 2019, Williamson County deputies tried to stop Javier Ambler because the vehicle he was driving did not dim its lights to traffic, officials said. After deputies tried to pull Ambler over, the authorities said, he kept driving for more than 20 minutes and crashed his vehicle in downtown Austin.

There, deputies used a Taser on Ambler several times.

“I have congestive heart failure,” Ambler could be heard saying on the body camera video. “I can’t breathe.” As he and the deputies struggled, Ambler said, “Save me.” One deputy yelled, “Do what we’re asking you to do.”

Ambler was transported to Dell Seton Medical Center in Austin and pronounced dead just after 2:30 a.m.

The indictments of the former deputies brought the number of people charged in connection with Ambler’s death to four. Last year, the county’s sheriff at the time of Ambler’s death, Robert Chody, was arrested on an evidence tampering charge related to destruction of recordings of the encounter. He has pleaded not guilty, along with Jason Nassour, a Williamson County assistant attorney, who was also charged with evidence tampering.

“Live PD,” which premiered on A&amp;E in 2016, previously broadcast police officers around the country as they made traffic stops, responded to calls and went on high-speed chases. The show was almost live; a delay helped avoid airing footage that was particularly disturbing.

A disclaimer at the beginning of each broadcast told viewers that “all suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty.” The show did not cover what happened to people who had been arrested. Sometimes, people being filmed shielded their faces or objected to the presence of cameras.

Television shows about policing attracted scrutiny last summer amid nationwide protests following the death of George Floyd in May, and in June, A&amp;E announced that it had ceased production of “Live PD.”

Representatives of A&amp;E did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday.

Two ex-sheriff’s deputies in Texas have been indicted on second-degree manslaughter charges in the death of a Black driver whom they repeatedly shocked with a Taser during a 2019 traffic stop despite his pleas that he had heart disease and could not breathe, a prosecutor said Tuesday.

Two ex-sheriff’s deputies in Texas have been indicted on second-degree manslaughter charges in the death of a Black driver whom they repeatedly shocked with a Taser during a 2019 traffic stop despite his pleas that he had heart disease and could not breathe, a prosecutor said Tuesday. The former Williamson County deputies, James Johnson and Zachary Camden, had been accompanied by a television crew from the reality television show “Live PD” at the time of their fatal encounter with Javier Ambler, 40, whom they were pursuing for failing to dim his lights to oncoming traffic. The charges against Johnson and Camden were announced by José Garza, the district attorney in neighboring Travis County, which includes Austin, Texas, where Ambler crashed his vehicle after the police pursued him over a traffic violation. Also read | Witnesses to George Floyd's deadly arrest tell jury of their shock, horror “With these indictments, we have taken another critical step towards justice for the Ambler family and for our community,” Garza said in a statement. “While we can never take away the pain of the Ambler family, the grand jury has sent a clear message that no one is above the law.” Ken Ervin and Doug O’Connell, the lawyers for Johnson and Camden, said in a joint statement Tuesday that Ambler had led the former deputies on a chase for 22 minutes after a series of collisions and had resisted arrest. “Mr. Ambler’s physical exertion in resisting the three officers it took to get him into handcuffs no doubt contributed to his medical emergency, but Mr. Johnson and Mr. Camden are neither morally nor legally responsible for his death,” the statement said. Also read | On the edge again, America watches developments closely The lawyers for the former deputies accused Garza of trying to score political points with the indictments, which came a few weeks after Garza announced that a grand jury had returned an indictment against an Austin police officer in the shooting death of a man last year that touched off protests against police violence in the state capital. The lawyers also represent the officer in that case. Bail was set at $150,000 for Johnson and Camden; both have been released. Their lawyers said the former deputies intended to plead not guilty and turned themselves in Tuesday after their indictments were signed Monday. Ambler’s father, Javier Ambler Sr., thanked Garza in a statement for pursuing charges against the former deputies. “Our goal has always been to hold these officers accountable so that there are no more families who have to suffer like ours has,” the statement said. On March 28, 2019, Williamson County deputies tried to stop Javier Ambler because the vehicle he was driving did not dim its lights to traffic, officials said. After deputies tried to pull Ambler over, the authorities said, he kept driving for more than 20 minutes and crashed his vehicle in downtown Austin. There, deputies used a Taser on Ambler several times. “I have congestive heart failure,” Ambler could be heard saying on the body camera video. “I can’t breathe.” As he and the deputies struggled, Ambler said, “Save me.” One deputy yelled, “Do what we’re asking you to do.” Ambler was transported to Dell Seton Medical Center in Austin and pronounced dead just after 2:30 a.m. The indictments of the former deputies brought the number of people charged in connection with Ambler’s death to four. Last year, the county’s sheriff at the time of Ambler’s death, Robert Chody, was arrested on an evidence tampering charge related to destruction of recordings of the encounter. He has pleaded not guilty, along with Jason Nassour, a Williamson County assistant attorney, who was also charged with evidence tampering. “Live PD,” which premiered on A&E in 2016, previously broadcast police officers around the country as they made traffic stops, responded to calls and went on high-speed chases. The show was almost live; a delay helped avoid airing footage that was particularly disturbing. A disclaimer at the beginning of each broadcast told viewers that “all suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty.” The show did not cover what happened to people who had been arrested. Sometimes, people being filmed shielded their faces or objected to the presence of cameras. Television shows about policing attracted scrutiny last summer amid nationwide protests following the death of George Floyd in May, and in June, A&E announced that it had ceased production of “Live PD.” Representatives of A&E did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday.

Two ex-deputies face manslaughter charges in black man’s death in Texas

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To Black Americans in the 1960s who were targeted and harassed by the police, 21-year-old Fred Hampton was an empowering figure.

To the FBI and its director, J. Edgar Hoover, Hampton, the chairman of the Illinois Black Panther Party, was a radical threat.

Hampton was killed by Chicago police officers early on the morning of Dec. 4, 1969, during a raid on his West Side apartment, which was a block south of the Black Panther Party’s Chicago headquarters. The ambush, and the months of FBI surveillance of Hampton and the Panthers that preceded it, are dramatized in Shaka King’s film “Judas and the Black Messiah,” which began streaming Friday on HBO Max.

 
At the time of Hampton’s death, Chicago was the site of political protests and violent clashes with law enforcement. The infamous trial of the Chicago 7, a court battle that involved seven Vietnam War protesters charged with conspiring to incite riots during the 1968 Democratic National Convention (a saga chronicled in Aaron Sorkin’s recent film “The Trial of the Chicago 7”), had been underway for a little over two months.

King, who co-wrote the script with Will Berson, drew mostly from fact while taking viewers inside the Black Panther Party in the months leading up to Hampton’s death, though they took a few dramatic liberties. For instance, the film’s star, Daniel Kaluuya, is a decade older than the 21-year-old Hampton was when he was killed.

Here is a guide to the real-life people, groups and events that feature in “Judas and the Black Messiah.” Be warned, there are spoilers, if such a thing is possible when speaking of history.

Who were the Black Panthers?

The Black Panther Party was founded in 1966 in Oakland, California, by a pair of Black college students, Bobby Seale and Huey P. Newton, to oppose police brutality and racism in local neighborhoods. The Panthers, who were known for their military-style black berets, leather jackets and raised-fist salute, believed in removing abusive officers from communities by any means necessary, including armed resistance.

The FBI viewed the Panthers as a radical group capable of galvanizing a militant Black nationalist movement. (Hoover, the bureau’s first director, called the Black Panther Party “the greatest threat to the internal security of the country”). But the Panthers also launched a number of social initiatives: Members ran medical clinics, provided free transportation to prisons for family members of inmates, and started a free breakfast program that fed thousands of schoolchildren.

Who was Fred Hampton?

The charismatic community organizer enjoyed a meteoric rise that took him from campaigning for an integrated community pool and recreational center in his hometown, Maywood, Illinois, to preaching to thousands as the chairman of the Illinois Black Panther Party.

In 1969, a few months after helping to found the party’s Illinois chapter, the 20-year-old Hampton brokered an alliance he called the Rainbow Coalition, which united the Black Panthers, the Young Patriots (Southern white leftists) and the Young Lords (a Puerto Rican civil and human rights organization) in an effort to combat poverty and racism in their Chicago communities.

Hampton’s rapid ascent through the ranks of the Black Panther Party landed him in the cross hairs of a secret FBI counterintelligence program, known as Cointelpro, that Hoover formed to “expose, disrupt, misdirect, discredit or otherwise neutralize the activities of Black nationalist, hate-type organizations.” Targets included both the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Ku Klux Klan. Hoover declared in an internal memo that he sought to prevent the “rise of a ‘messiah’ who could unify and electrify the militant Black nationalist movement.”

Under Cointelpro, the FBI tried a number of tactics to sow discord within the Black Panther Party at the national and local levels, including sending bogus letters to two of its leaders, Eldridge Cleaver and Huey Newton, which claimed that each sought to depose the other. Authorities also arrested Hampton and several other Panthers in an effort to publicly discredit the group.

In the months before the raid on Hampton’s apartment, the Panthers and the police also faced off in two gunbattles: One in July 1969 at the party’s West Side headquarters in which five police officers and three Panthers were injured, and a South Side fight that November that left two officers and one Panther dead.

 
Who was William O’Neal?

At 17, O’Neal (Lakeith Stanfield in the movie) already had a criminal record when the FBI agent Roy Mitchell (Jesse Plemons) tracked him down after he stole a car in 1966. But O’Neal soon took on a new role: FBI informant. Given the choice between facing felony charges or agreeing to infiltrate the Panthers, he opted for the latter: as a security captain in the Illinois Black Panther Party, he infiltrated Hampton’s inner circle.

In 1969, O’Neal sketched a floor plan of Hampton’s West Side apartment, including where everyone slept, which the FBI then shared with the Chicago Police Department, the agency that conducted the fatal raid. But unlike the character in “Judas and the Black Messiah,” the real O’Neal did not see his actions as a betrayal of Hampton or the Panthers. “I had no allegiance to the Panthers,” he recalled in an interview for the PBS docuseries “Eyes on the Prize,” which chronicled the history of the civil rights movement in the United States.

What happened the morning Fred Hampton was killed?

Fourteen Chicago police officers showed up before dawn on Dec. 4, 1969, at Hampton’s apartment, acting on the orders of Edward V. Hanrahan, the Cook County state’s attorney. Over the course of about 10 minutes, more than 80 shots were fired. When the smoke cleared, Hampton, 21, and another party leader, Mark Clark, 22, were dead, and four other Panthers and two police officers were wounded.

At first, the police claimed they killed Hampton in self-defense after people in the apartment began firing shotguns at them as they tried to execute a search warrant for illegal weapons. But ballistics experts determined that only one of the bullets was probably discharged from a weapon belonging to an occupant of the apartment. A federal grand jury investigation also revealed that the “bullet holes” in the apartment’s front door, which officers had cited as evidence that the Panthers had shot at them, were in fact nail holes created by police.

Though the Chicago Police Department had led the raid, the grand jury concluded that it had been coordinated by the FBI as part of Hoover’s mission to cripple the Black Panther Party — and an FBI memo later revealed that the bureau had authorized a bonus payment to O’Neal.

The first federal grand jury declined to indict anyone involved in the raid, and though a subsequent grand jury indicted Hanrahan and the police officers who participated in the shootings, all the charges were dismissed. In 1982, without admitting any wrongdoing, the federal government, the city of Chicago and Cook County agreed to pay $1.85 million to the families of Hampton and Clark and to survivors of the raid.

Clarence M. Kelley, who succeeded Hoover as head of the FBI in 1973, issued a public apology three years later for the bureau’s abuse of power in the “twilight” of Hoover’s career. “Some of those activities were clearly wrong and quite indefensible,” Kelley said. “We most certainly must never allow them to be repeated.”

To Black Americans in the 1960s who were targeted and harassed by the police, 21-year-old Fred Hampton was an empowering figure. To the FBI and its director, J. Edgar Hoover, Hampton, the chairman of the Illinois Black Panther Party, was a radical threat.

To Black Americans in the 1960s who were targeted and harassed by the police, 21-year-old Fred Hampton was an empowering figure. To the FBI and its director, J. Edgar Hoover, Hampton, the chairman of the Illinois Black Panther Party, was a radical threat. Hampton was killed by Chicago police officers early on the morning of Dec. 4, 1969, during a raid on his West Side apartment, which was a block south of the Black Panther Party’s Chicago headquarters. The ambush, and the months of FBI surveillance of Hampton and the Panthers that preceded it, are dramatized in Shaka King’s film “Judas and the Black Messiah,” which began streaming Friday on HBO Max. At the time of Hampton’s death, Chicago was the site of political protests and violent clashes with law enforcement. The infamous trial of the Chicago 7, a court battle that involved seven Vietnam War protesters charged with conspiring to incite riots during the 1968 Democratic National Convention (a saga chronicled in Aaron Sorkin’s recent film “The Trial of the Chicago 7”), had been underway for a little over two months. King, who co-wrote the script with Will Berson, drew mostly from fact while taking viewers inside the Black Panther Party in the months leading up to Hampton’s death, though they took a few dramatic liberties. For instance, the film’s star, Daniel Kaluuya, is a decade older than the 21-year-old Hampton was when he was killed. Here is a guide to the real-life people, groups and events that feature in “Judas and the Black Messiah.” Be warned, there are spoilers, if such a thing is possible when speaking of history. Who were the Black Panthers? The Black Panther Party was founded in 1966 in Oakland, California, by a pair of Black college students, Bobby Seale and Huey P. Newton, to oppose police brutality and racism in local neighborhoods. The Panthers, who were known for their military-style black berets, leather jackets and raised-fist salute, believed in removing abusive officers from communities by any means necessary, including armed resistance. The FBI viewed the Panthers as a radical group capable of galvanizing a militant Black nationalist movement. (Hoover, the bureau’s first director, called the Black Panther Party “the greatest threat to the internal security of the country”). But the Panthers also launched a number of social initiatives: Members ran medical clinics, provided free transportation to prisons for family members of inmates, and started a free breakfast program that fed thousands of schoolchildren. Who was Fred Hampton? The charismatic community organizer enjoyed a meteoric rise that took him from campaigning for an integrated community pool and recreational center in his hometown, Maywood, Illinois, to preaching to thousands as the chairman of the Illinois Black Panther Party. In 1969, a few months after helping to found the party’s Illinois chapter, the 20-year-old Hampton brokered an alliance he called the Rainbow Coalition, which united the Black Panthers, the Young Patriots (Southern white leftists) and the Young Lords (a Puerto Rican civil and human rights organization) in an effort to combat poverty and racism in their Chicago communities. Hampton’s rapid ascent through the ranks of the Black Panther Party landed him in the cross hairs of a secret FBI counterintelligence program, known as Cointelpro, that Hoover formed to “expose, disrupt, misdirect, discredit or otherwise neutralize the activities of Black nationalist, hate-type organizations.” Targets included both the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Ku Klux Klan. Hoover declared in an internal memo that he sought to prevent the “rise of a ‘messiah’ who could unify and electrify the militant Black nationalist movement.” Under Cointelpro, the FBI tried a number of tactics to sow discord within the Black Panther Party at the national and local levels, including sending bogus letters to two of its leaders, Eldridge Cleaver and Huey Newton, which claimed that each sought to depose the other. Authorities also arrested Hampton and several other Panthers in an effort to publicly discredit the group. In the months before the raid on Hampton’s apartment, the Panthers and the police also faced off in two gunbattles: One in July 1969 at the party’s West Side headquarters in which five police officers and three Panthers were injured, and a South Side fight that November that left two officers and one Panther dead. Who was William O’Neal? At 17, O’Neal (Lakeith Stanfield in the movie) already had a criminal record when the FBI agent Roy Mitchell (Jesse Plemons) tracked him down after he stole a car in 1966. But O’Neal soon took on a new role: FBI informant. Given the choice between facing felony charges or agreeing to infiltrate the Panthers, he opted for the latter: as a security captain in the Illinois Black Panther Party, he infiltrated Hampton’s inner circle. In 1969, O’Neal sketched a floor plan of Hampton’s West Side apartment, including where everyone slept, which the FBI then shared with the Chicago Police Department, the agency that conducted the fatal raid. But unlike the character in “Judas and the Black Messiah,” the real O’Neal did not see his actions as a betrayal of Hampton or the Panthers. “I had no allegiance to the Panthers,” he recalled in an interview for the PBS docuseries “Eyes on the Prize,” which chronicled the history of the civil rights movement in the United States. What happened the morning Fred Hampton was killed? Fourteen Chicago police officers showed up before dawn on Dec. 4, 1969, at Hampton’s apartment, acting on the orders of Edward V. Hanrahan, the Cook County state’s attorney. Over the course of about 10 minutes, more than 80 shots were fired. When the smoke cleared, Hampton, 21, and another party leader, Mark Clark, 22, were dead, and four other Panthers and two police officers were wounded. At first, the police claimed they killed Hampton in self-defense after people in the apartment began firing shotguns at them as they tried to execute a search warrant for illegal weapons. But ballistics experts determined that only one of the bullets was probably discharged from a weapon belonging to an occupant of the apartment. A federal grand jury investigation also revealed that the “bullet holes” in the apartment’s front door, which officers had cited as evidence that the Panthers had shot at them, were in fact nail holes created by police. Though the Chicago Police Department had led the raid, the grand jury concluded that it had been coordinated by the FBI as part of Hoover’s mission to cripple the Black Panther Party — and an FBI memo later revealed that the bureau had authorized a bonus payment to O’Neal. The first federal grand jury declined to indict anyone involved in the raid, and though a subsequent grand jury indicted Hanrahan and the police officers who participated in the shootings, all the charges were dismissed. In 1982, without admitting any wrongdoing, the federal government, the city of Chicago and Cook County agreed to pay $1.85 million to the families of Hampton and Clark and to survivors of the raid. Clarence M. Kelley, who succeeded Hoover as head of the FBI in 1973, issued a public apology three years later for the bureau’s abuse of power in the “twilight” of Hoover’s career. “Some of those activities were clearly wrong and quite indefensible,” Kelley said. “We most certainly must never allow them to be repeated.”

'Judas and the Black Messiah': What to know about this much-talked about film

After "scrambling" from police in his youth days, Bocar Ba, an economist from the University of California, used to think about cops behaviour and its impact on civilians.&nbsp;

In 2015, he decided to study an important social question: Does the race of a police officer matter when he uses force or take a decision to stop someone on suspicion?

Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/video-reveals-nine-year-old-girl-cries-for-help-as-cops-pepper-sprayed-on-her-363082">US: Video reveals nine-year-old girl pleading as cops pepper sprayed on her</a>

Ba and his colleagues checked police records from 2012 to 2015 to analyse their actions, the race of the civilian, among other things.

Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/canada-watchdog-says-one-year-old-killed-in-police-firing-363089">Canada: Watchdog says one-year-old killed in police firing</a>

The research noted that Black, Hispanic, and female police officers in Chicago made fewer stops and arrests as compared to their white male counterparts, particularly for petty crimes, reports Sciencemag.&nbsp;

"A lot of other studies out there have tried to use officer race as a benchmark test for discrimination … (but this one) got much more precise estimates of what the police workplace actually looks like," said Jeffrey Fagan, a professor of law at Columbia University.&nbsp;

The data found that on average Black officers in Chicago made 29 per cent fewer stops and 21 per cent fewer arrests than their white counterparts. The Black cops also use 32 per cent force less frequently.&nbsp;

Overall, Black officers stopped 17 per cent fewer white civilians and 39 per cent fewer Blacks.&nbsp;

 
&nbsp;

After "scrambling" from police in his youth days, Bocar Ba, an economist from the University of California, used to think about cops behaviour and its impact on civilians.

After "scrambling" from police in his youth days, Bocar Ba, an economist from the University of California, used to think about cops behaviour and its impact on civilians. In 2015, he decided to study an important social question: Does the race of a police officer matter when he uses force or take a decision to stop someone on suspicion? Also read | US: Video reveals nine-year-old girl pleading as cops pepper sprayed on her Ba and his colleagues checked police records from 2012 to 2015 to analyse their actions, the race of the civilian, among other things. Also read | Canada: Watchdog says one-year-old killed in police firing The research noted that Black, Hispanic, and female police officers in Chicago made fewer stops and arrests as compared to their white male counterparts, particularly for petty crimes, reports Sciencemag. "A lot of other studies out there have tried to use officer race as a benchmark test for discrimination … (but this one) got much more precise estimates of what the police workplace actually looks like," said Jeffrey Fagan, a professor of law at Columbia University. The data found that on average Black officers in Chicago made 29 per cent fewer stops and 21 per cent fewer arrests than their white counterparts. The Black cops also use 32 per cent force less frequently. Overall, Black officers stopped 17 per cent fewer white civilians and 39 per cent fewer Blacks.

Study finds non-white Chicago officers made fewer arrests, lesser use of force

A special investigation report has revealed that police shot dead a one-year-old boy after opening fire on his father's truck in rural Canada.&nbsp;

Ontario's special investigations unit in its first public finding on Thursday said a review of the evidence suggested that the child's death on November 26 was due to police gunfire.&nbsp;

Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/alicia-keys-mary-j-blige-speak-out-against-police-brutality-in-powerful-video-357735">Alicia Keys, Mary J. Blige speak out against police brutality in powerful video</a>

"Upon receipt and review of additional forensic evidence in this case, including the results of the postmortem examination performed on a child, and reports prepared by the Centre of Forensic Sciences of analyses conducted with respect to bloodstains in the pickup truck, the trajectory of shots that struck the truck, and firearms, cartridge cases and projectiles, the SIU can today confirm that the child's death … was the result of being shot by police," the watchdog was quoted as saying by The Guardian.&nbsp;

Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/black-lives-matter-after-george-floyd-jacob-blake-becomes-next-victim-of-police-brutality-323047">Black Lives Matter: After George Floyd, Jacob Blake becomes next victim of police brutality</a>

For the unversed, the incident began when police responded to a domestic dispute case and were told that the father had kidnapped his one-year-old son and was potentially armed.&nbsp;

As police attempted to stop the father's truck, it collided with a police car and another vehicle.&nbsp;

Three cops then fired on the vehicle, the SIU said.&nbsp;

The child who was sitting in the back seat was pronounced dead at the scene and his 33-year-old father, who was also injured by the bullet, lost his life a week later.&nbsp;

The SIU added that the investigation is being carried on and no charges were laid on Thursday.&nbsp;

"We are all devastated when a child tragically dies," the province's police said after the findings.&nbsp;

 
&nbsp;

A special investigation report has revealed that police shot dead a one-year-old boy after opening fire on his father's truck in rural Canada. Ontario's special investigations unit in its first public finding on Thursday said a review of the evidence suggested that the child's death on November 26 was due to police gunfire.

A special investigation report has revealed that police shot dead a one-year-old boy after opening fire on his father's truck in rural Canada. Ontario's special investigations unit in its first public finding on Thursday said a review of the evidence suggested that the child's death on November 26 was due to police gunfire. Also read | Alicia Keys, Mary J. Blige speak out against police brutality in powerful video "Upon receipt and review of additional forensic evidence in this case, including the results of the postmortem examination performed on a child, and reports prepared by the Centre of Forensic Sciences of analyses conducted with respect to bloodstains in the pickup truck, the trajectory of shots that struck the truck, and firearms, cartridge cases and projectiles, the SIU can today confirm that the child's death … was the result of being shot by police," the watchdog was quoted as saying by The Guardian. Also read | Black Lives Matter: After George Floyd, Jacob Blake becomes next victim of police brutality For the unversed, the incident began when police responded to a domestic dispute case and were told that the father had kidnapped his one-year-old son and was potentially armed. As police attempted to stop the father's truck, it collided with a police car and another vehicle. Three cops then fired on the vehicle, the SIU said. The child who was sitting in the back seat was pronounced dead at the scene and his 33-year-old father, who was also injured by the bullet, lost his life a week later. The SIU added that the investigation is being carried on and no charges were laid on Thursday. "We are all devastated when a child tragically dies," the province's police said after the findings.

Canada: Watchdog says one-year-old killed in police firing

Mary J. Blige, Alicia Keys, T.I., Khalid, and more stars came together to call out police brutality in a powerful video. In the video celebrities addressed the ways in which Black and brown people have died at the hands of police including while sleeping inside their own home, riding a bike, sitting in a wheelchair, walking down the street, and coping with a mental health condition.

The video highlights individuals including Breonna Taylor, Elijah McClain, Botham Jean, and others who have died at the hands of the police. The video starts with Keys reinstating the 2016 movement of bringing focus to #BlackLivesMatter with '23 ways you could be killed for being black in America'.&nbsp;In conjunction with Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday (Jan. 18), the Black Music Action Coalition and #breathewithme Revolution have shared a new video, titled “17 More Ways You Could Be Killed if You Are Black in America,” featuring numerous music artists bringing attention to African-Americans who were killed as a result of racism. 
 
&nbsp;

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In addition to Keys, Blige and T.I., the three-minute clip also features stars like Khalid, Ty Dolla $ign and Offset stating the cause of death for Black victims like Jordan Edwards, Ronell Foster and Botham Jean, among others. 
 
The video was released in an effort to encourage the forthcoming Biden-Harris Administration to launch a United States Commission on Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation during its first 100 days in office.

Mary J. Blige, Alicia Keys, T.I., Khalid, and more stars came together to call out police brutality in a powerful video. In the video celebrities addressed the ways in which Black and brown people have died at the hands of police including while sleeping inside their own home, riding a bike, sitting in a wheelchair, walking down the street, and coping with a mental health condition.

Mary J. Blige, Alicia Keys, T.I., Khalid, and more stars came together to call out police brutality in a powerful video. In the video celebrities addressed the ways in which Black and brown people have died at the hands of police including while sleeping inside their own home, riding a bike, sitting in a wheelchair, walking down the street, and coping with a mental health condition. The video highlights individuals including Breonna Taylor, Elijah McClain, Botham Jean, and others who have died at the hands of the police. The video starts with Keys reinstating the 2016 movement of bringing focus to #BlackLivesMatter with '23 ways you could be killed for being black in America'. In conjunction with Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday (Jan. 18), the Black Music Action Coalition and #breathewithme Revolution have shared a new video, titled “17 More Ways You Could Be Killed if You Are Black in America,” featuring numerous music artists bringing attention to African-Americans who were killed as a result of racism. In addition to Keys, Blige and T.I., the three-minute clip also features stars like Khalid, Ty Dolla $ign and Offset stating the cause of death for Black victims like Jordan Edwards, Ronell Foster and Botham Jean, among others. The video was released in an effort to encourage the forthcoming Biden-Harris Administration to launch a United States Commission on Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation during its first 100 days in office.

Alicia Keys, Mary J. Blige speak out against police brutality in powerful video

Denver police officers who had wrongfully detained four Black girls on gunpoint in summer 2020 will not be charged for the act,&nbsp;prosecutors reported on Friday.

The incident had come to light after a video of the four Black girls lying facedown in a parking lot was shared widely on social media in which some of these girls could also be seen in tears.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/black-lives-matter-activists-note-contrast-in-police-response-at-capitol-355386">Black Lives Matter activists note contrast in police response at Capitol</a>

However,&nbsp;the district attorney ruled against the girls claiming there was no evidence that the actions of the police officers were anything else other than a&nbsp;reasonable doubt that was carried out to safeguard locals of the area.

The&nbsp;chief deputy district attorney, Clinton McKinzie, has, however, urged the local police department to launch an investigation into this 'disturbing' incident. "What happened to the innocent occupants is unacceptable and preventable," he said.

Police officers in question claim they made the search stop on August 02, they were looking for a motorcycle which had the same license plate number as the car the four girls were driving.&nbsp;

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-to-modify-h-1b-visa-selection-process-to-give-priority-to-wages-skill-level-355281">US to modify H-1B visa selection process, to give priority to wages, skill level</a>

The girls, aged between six to 17, were then asked to stop and were made to lay down in the parking lot, and two of them were also wrongfully handcuffed. While the girls were released immediately, the improper treatment of the incident was protested against.

This incident had occurred at a time when the US was fighting against the racially-motivated mistreatment against the African-American community in the country and the rising police brutality.

"When white cops point guns at small black children, there are no consequences in America," said David Lane, a lawyer for the four Black girls.

Denver police officers who had wrongfully detained four Black girls on gunpoint in summer 2020 will not be charged for the act, prosecutors reported on Friday. The incident had come to light after a video of the four Black girls lying facedown in a parking lot was shared widely on social media in which some of these girls could also be seen in tears.

Denver police officers who had wrongfully detained four Black girls on gunpoint in summer 2020 will not be charged for the act, prosecutors reported on Friday. The incident had come to light after a video of the four Black girls lying facedown in a parking lot was shared widely on social media in which some of these girls could also be seen in tears. Also read| Black Lives Matter activists note contrast in police response at Capitol However, the district attorney ruled against the girls claiming there was no evidence that the actions of the police officers were anything else other than a reasonable doubt that was carried out to safeguard locals of the area. The chief deputy district attorney, Clinton McKinzie, has, however, urged the local police department to launch an investigation into this 'disturbing' incident. "What happened to the innocent occupants is unacceptable and preventable," he said. Police officers in question claim they made the search stop on August 02, they were looking for a motorcycle which had the same license plate number as the car the four girls were driving. Also read| US to modify H-1B visa selection process, to give priority to wages, skill level The girls, aged between six to 17, were then asked to stop and were made to lay down in the parking lot, and two of them were also wrongfully handcuffed. While the girls were released immediately, the improper treatment of the incident was protested against. This incident had occurred at a time when the US was fighting against the racially-motivated mistreatment against the African-American community in the country and the rising police brutality. "When white cops point guns at small black children, there are no consequences in America," said David Lane, a lawyer for the four Black girls.

Denver: Police officers who wrongfully detained Black girls not to be charged

Tainted Christmas: Ohio locals stand against police brutality

French President Emmanuel Macron's administration has agreed to completely rewrite a draft plan that to curb freedom to film police officers on duty.

France: President Macron's administration agrees to rewrite police bill

The death of a black man beaten by white security guards at a supermarket sparked protests across Brazil Friday as the country celebrated Black Consciousness Day.

A video of Thursday night's incident in the southern city of Porto Alegre captured on a witness's mobile phone was broadcast on social networks and Brazilian media.&nbsp;

As the clip went viral, around 1,000 protesters in Sao Paulo marched to a branch of the French-owned Carrefour supermarket chain and stoned the glass storefront before storming the premises, trashing and burning goods, according to an AFP photographer on the scene.&nbsp;

"Carrefour's hands are dirty with black blood," read one banner held up by demonstrators.

Also watch|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/thai-pm-prayut-chan-o-chas-threat-to-the-protesters-344276">Thai PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha's threat to the protesters</a>

Police in Porto Alegre used tear gas and flash bang grenades to disperse a protest that had formed in front of the supermarket where the death occurred, according to local television.

Protests also broke out in the capital Brasilia, Belo Horizonte and Rio de Janeiro, where a crowd picketed a Carrefour supermarket to prevent customers from reaching the checkouts.&nbsp;

"Carrefour can close, it has killed our brother, it will not work!" chanted dozens of young people carrying banners and masks with the slogan "Black Lives Matter".

The video on social media shows 40-year-old welder Joao Alberto Silveira Freitas repeatedly being punched in the face and head by a security guard while he is being restrained by another at the supermarket.

A woman stands beside them, filming with her mobile phone.

Have a look|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/protests-the-thai-way-pool-ducks-hunger-games-salute-drag-queens-344079">Protests the Thai way: Pool ducks, Hunger Games salute &amp; drag queens</a>

The military police in Rio Grande do Sul state said the man had threatened a female worker at the supermarket, who called security.

Silveira Freitas lost consciousness during the assault and died on the spot as medics tried to revive him.

'Could not breathe'

A friend of the victim who witnessed the beating told G1 news that as the security guards were hitting him, Silveira Freitas "screamed that he could not breathe," a scene reminiscent of the death of George Floyd, a black man who suffocated beneath the knee of a white US police in Minneapolis last May.

That killing sparked massive protests across the United States.

Both the supermarket security guards were arrested. One of them was identified as a member of the military police who worked part-time at the supermarket.

In a statement, Carrefour's Brazilian subsidiary deplored the "brutal death" of Silveira Freitas and promised to take "appropriate measures to hold accountable those involved in this criminal case."

Have a look|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/thai-protesters-answer-to-water-cannons-inflatable-yellow-pool-ducks-343957">Thai protesters' answer to water cannons: Inflatable yellow pool ducks</a>

Carrefour said it would cut ties with the security company that employed the guards.

In a series of tweets in Portuguese, the French head of Carrefour, Alexandre Bompard, expressed his condolences and said the images posted on social media were "unacceptable."

"Internal measures have immediately been implemented by the Carrefour Group Brazil, principally on the question of security company contracts. These measures are insufficient. My values, and the values of Carrefour, do not allow for racism and violence," he wrote, calling for a complete review of employee training, diversity and intolerance. &nbsp;

- Structural racism - 
The killing sparked outrage on social networks and overshadowed Brazil's Black Consciousness Day, a holiday in several states.&nbsp;

"From one November 20 to another, and every day, the racist structure of this country brings us brutality as a rule," social activist Raull Santiago said on Twitter.

"It seems that we have no way out... not even on Black Consciousness Day," Brazil international footballer Richarlison said.

"In fact, what conscience? They killed a black man, beaten in front of the cameras. They beat him and filmed. Decency and shame have been lost to violence and hatred," the Everton player said on Twitter.&nbsp;

In Brazil, the last country in the Americas to abolish slavery -- in 1888 -- around 55 percent of the population of 212 million identifies as black or mixed-race.

Brazil's far-right President Jair Bolsonaro had not commented directly on the death late Friday, but tweeted that the country's problems "go beyond racial issues" and that the "great evil" of Brazil continues to be "moral, social and political corruption."&nbsp;

"As president, I am colorblind: everyone is the same color. There is no one color [of skin] better than the others. There are good men and bad men," added Bolsonaro.&nbsp;

Bolsonaro's vice president Hamilton Mourao called the killing "regrettable."&nbsp;

Mourao said it was the work of "a security agent unprepared for the work" and denied that it was a racist act.&nbsp;

"For me, in Brazil, there is no racism. That is something that they want to import here to Brazil. That does not exist here," said Mourao.&nbsp;

Philosopher Djamila Ribeiro, one of the most influential voices in the fight against racism in Brazil, told AFP that "the naturalization and justification of the death of black people as a result of violence is present in political, legal, business and media discourses."&nbsp;

The death of a black man beaten by white security guards at a supermarket sparked protests across Brazil Friday as the country celebrated Black Consciousness Day.

The death of a black man beaten by white security guards at a supermarket sparked protests across Brazil Friday as the country celebrated Black Consciousness Day. A video of Thursday night's incident in the southern city of Porto Alegre captured on a witness's mobile phone was broadcast on social networks and Brazilian media. As the clip went viral, around 1,000 protesters in Sao Paulo marched to a branch of the French-owned Carrefour supermarket chain and stoned the glass storefront before storming the premises, trashing and burning goods, according to an AFP photographer on the scene. "Carrefour's hands are dirty with black blood," read one banner held up by demonstrators. Also watch| Thai PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha's threat to the protesters Police in Porto Alegre used tear gas and flash bang grenades to disperse a protest that had formed in front of the supermarket where the death occurred, according to local television. Protests also broke out in the capital Brasilia, Belo Horizonte and Rio de Janeiro, where a crowd picketed a Carrefour supermarket to prevent customers from reaching the checkouts. "Carrefour can close, it has killed our brother, it will not work!" chanted dozens of young people carrying banners and masks with the slogan "Black Lives Matter". The video on social media shows 40-year-old welder Joao Alberto Silveira Freitas repeatedly being punched in the face and head by a security guard while he is being restrained by another at the supermarket. A woman stands beside them, filming with her mobile phone. Have a look| Protests the Thai way: Pool ducks, Hunger Games salute & drag queens The military police in Rio Grande do Sul state said the man had threatened a female worker at the supermarket, who called security. Silveira Freitas lost consciousness during the assault and died on the spot as medics tried to revive him. 'Could not breathe' A friend of the victim who witnessed the beating told G1 news that as the security guards were hitting him, Silveira Freitas "screamed that he could not breathe," a scene reminiscent of the death of George Floyd, a black man who suffocated beneath the knee of a white US police in Minneapolis last May. That killing sparked massive protests across the United States. Both the supermarket security guards were arrested. One of them was identified as a member of the military police who worked part-time at the supermarket. In a statement, Carrefour's Brazilian subsidiary deplored the "brutal death" of Silveira Freitas and promised to take "appropriate measures to hold accountable those involved in this criminal case." Have a look| Thai protesters' answer to water cannons: Inflatable yellow pool ducks Carrefour said it would cut ties with the security company that employed the guards. In a series of tweets in Portuguese, the French head of Carrefour, Alexandre Bompard, expressed his condolences and said the images posted on social media were "unacceptable." "Internal measures have immediately been implemented by the Carrefour Group Brazil, principally on the question of security company contracts. These measures are insufficient. My values, and the values of Carrefour, do not allow for racism and violence," he wrote, calling for a complete review of employee training, diversity and intolerance. - Structural racism - The killing sparked outrage on social networks and overshadowed Brazil's Black Consciousness Day, a holiday in several states. "From one November 20 to another, and every day, the racist structure of this country brings us brutality as a rule," social activist Raull Santiago said on Twitter. "It seems that we have no way out... not even on Black Consciousness Day," Brazil international footballer Richarlison said. "In fact, what conscience? They killed a black man, beaten in front of the cameras. They beat him and filmed. Decency and shame have been lost to violence and hatred," the Everton player said on Twitter. In Brazil, the last country in the Americas to abolish slavery -- in 1888 -- around 55 percent of the population of 212 million identifies as black or mixed-race. Brazil's far-right President Jair Bolsonaro had not commented directly on the death late Friday, but tweeted that the country's problems "go beyond racial issues" and that the "great evil" of Brazil continues to be "moral, social and political corruption." "As president, I am colorblind: everyone is the same color. There is no one color [of skin] better than the others. There are good men and bad men," added Bolsonaro. Bolsonaro's vice president Hamilton Mourao called the killing "regrettable." Mourao said it was the work of "a security agent unprepared for the work" and denied that it was a racist act. "For me, in Brazil, there is no racism. That is something that they want to import here to Brazil. That does not exist here," said Mourao. Philosopher Djamila Ribeiro, one of the most influential voices in the fight against racism in Brazil, told AFP that "the naturalization and justification of the death of black people as a result of violence is present in political, legal, business and media discourses."

Protests in Brazil after security guards beat black man to death

An African American woman who was injured by the local police has vowed to avenge the police brutality by challenging the involved officials after the shooting that resulted in the death of her boyfriend.

"I lost the love of my life and the father of my seven-month-old child" when an officer opened fire "while we had our hands raised in the air," said Tafara Williams.

The 20-yer-old was in her car with her 19-year-old boyfriend in the passenger seat when a police officer opened fire at their vehicle, injuring Williams and killing her boyfriend&nbsp;Marcellis Stinnette. The incident took place in Waukegan, a suburb north of Chicago on October 20.

The concerned officer in question is Hispanic and has not been named yet. He has been fired from his station since the incident was reported.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/philadelphia-police-shooting-of-black-man-sparks-unrest-338312">Also read|&nbsp;Philadelphia police shooting of Black man sparks unrest</a>

The police department claims that the police officer was trying to investigate a "suspicious vehicle" calmly but the couple fled. However, a second officer intervened&nbsp;when the couple fled, and upon seeing the second officer the car allegedly backed towards him and thus the officer opened fire.

Williams, however, claims that she was smoking a cigarette in the car with her boyfriend with their car parked outside of their home, and claims she left quickly.&nbsp;"I drove off very slowly... The officer was not following me," she said. When she turned the corner, Williams was met with ä crash".

"I lost control, the officer was shooting at us... I kept shouting, I don't have a gun," she said.

She also claimed that she kept asking why was the officer shooting but received no answer, and she was unable to move due to her injuries.&nbsp;"When you're dealing with African Americans, it's almost as if you shoot first ask questions later," said Ben Crump, who is representing Williams.

The police department has said they will soon be releasing video footage of the whole incident.

An African American woman who was injured by the local police has vowed to avenge the police brutality by challenging the involved officials after the shooting that resulted in the death of her boyfriend.

An African American woman who was injured by the local police has vowed to avenge the police brutality by challenging the involved officials after the shooting that resulted in the death of her boyfriend. "I lost the love of my life and the father of my seven-month-old child" when an officer opened fire "while we had our hands raised in the air," said Tafara Williams. The 20-yer-old was in her car with her 19-year-old boyfriend in the passenger seat when a police officer opened fire at their vehicle, injuring Williams and killing her boyfriend Marcellis Stinnette. The incident took place in Waukegan, a suburb north of Chicago on October 20. The concerned officer in question is Hispanic and has not been named yet. He has been fired from his station since the incident was reported. Also read| Philadelphia police shooting of Black man sparks unrest The police department claims that the police officer was trying to investigate a "suspicious vehicle" calmly but the couple fled. However, a second officer intervened when the couple fled, and upon seeing the second officer the car allegedly backed towards him and thus the officer opened fire. Williams, however, claims that she was smoking a cigarette in the car with her boyfriend with their car parked outside of their home, and claims she left quickly. "I drove off very slowly... The officer was not following me," she said. When she turned the corner, Williams was met with ä crash". "I lost control, the officer was shooting at us... I kept shouting, I don't have a gun," she said. She also claimed that she kept asking why was the officer shooting but received no answer, and she was unable to move due to her injuries. "When you're dealing with African Americans, it's almost as if you shoot first ask questions later," said Ben Crump, who is representing Williams. The police department has said they will soon be releasing video footage of the whole incident.

Black woman to sue US police for killing her boyfriend

As Colombia burnt with protests, the country's Defence Minister apologised on behalf of the national police and administration for police brutality.

The country erupted in protests after the death of a detained man. These protests have lit the cities of Bohota and Soacha on fire. Several hundreds have been injured, while 13 people have lost their lives.

"The national police apologize for any violation of the law or ignorance of regulations by any members of the institution," Defence Minister Carlos Holmes Trujillo said in a video message Friday morning.

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La <a href="https://twitter.com/PoliciaColombia?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PoliciaColombia</a> pide perdón por cualquier violación a la Ley o desconocimiento de los reglamentos en que haya incurrido cualquiera de los miembros de la Institución. <a href="https://t.co/isBULI8qfd">pic.twitter.com/isBULI8qfd</a>
— Carlos Holmes Trujillo (@CarlosHolmesTru) <a href="https://twitter.com/CarlosHolmesTru/status/1304440177373466630?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2020</a></blockquote>
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The protests started after a 46-year-old man, Javier Ordonez, was&nbsp;repeatedly shocked with a stun gun by police while he was pinned to the ground and kept begging to stop with cries of 'Please, no more'. The incident was caught on a video and was widely circulated in the country, which led to the wide outrage. Ordonez, later, died in the hospital where he was undergoing treatment.

President Ivan Duque said on Friday evening that all the deaths would be investigated swiftly and no abuse by security forces would be tolerated.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/colombia-death-toll-rises-to-10-in-rioting-over-police-killing-326730">Also read|&nbsp;Colombia: Death toll rises to 10 in rioting over police killing</a>

Police said Ordonez was found drinking alcohol in the street with friends in violation of coronavirus distancing rules. Two police officers implicated in Ordonez's death have been fired and face charges of abusing authority and homicide. A further five officers connected to his death have been suspended.

Urging his citizens to exercise peace, Duque said during his nightly television broadcast,&nbsp;"We will work quickly so the events in which their loved ones died can have not only clarification but model sentences."

Hundreds of protestors have been injured in the clash between the police and locals. Around 200 police officers have also been injured.&nbsp;At least 60 police stations have been vandalized, as well as dozens of public transport vehicles. Some 140 people have been arrested for vandalism, Duque said.

As Colombia burnt with protests, the country's Defence Minister apologised on behalf of the national police and administration for police brutality. The country erupted in protests after the death of a detained man.

As Colombia burnt with protests, the country's Defence Minister apologised on behalf of the national police and administration for police brutality. The country erupted in protests after the death of a detained man. These protests have lit the cities of Bohota and Soacha on fire. Several hundreds have been injured, while 13 people have lost their lives. "The national police apologize for any violation of the law or ignorance of regulations by any members of the institution," Defence Minister Carlos Holmes Trujillo said in a video message Friday morning. La @PoliciaColombia pide perdón por cualquier violación a la Ley o desconocimiento de los reglamentos en que haya incurrido cualquiera de los miembros de la Institución. pic.twitter.com/isBULI8qfd — Carlos Holmes Trujillo (@CarlosHolmesTru) September 11, 2020 × The protests started after a 46-year-old man, Javier Ordonez, was repeatedly shocked with a stun gun by police while he was pinned to the ground and kept begging to stop with cries of 'Please, no more'. The incident was caught on a video and was widely circulated in the country, which led to the wide outrage. Ordonez, later, died in the hospital where he was undergoing treatment. President Ivan Duque said on Friday evening that all the deaths would be investigated swiftly and no abuse by security forces would be tolerated. Also read| Colombia: Death toll rises to 10 in rioting over police killing Police said Ordonez was found drinking alcohol in the street with friends in violation of coronavirus distancing rules. Two police officers implicated in Ordonez's death have been fired and face charges of abusing authority and homicide. A further five officers connected to his death have been suspended. Urging his citizens to exercise peace, Duque said during his nightly television broadcast, "We will work quickly so the events in which their loved ones died can have not only clarification but model sentences." Hundreds of protestors have been injured in the clash between the police and locals. Around 200 police officers have also been injured. At least 60 police stations have been vandalized, as well as dozens of public transport vehicles. Some 140 people have been arrested for vandalism, Duque said.

Colombia: Defence Minister apologises for police brutality; vows justice

Protests were planned for New York Thursday over the death of a black man who police hooded and forced face down on the road, according to video footage that prompted a probe from the state's attorney general.

Demonstrators will gather in New York City's Times Square to demand justice for Daniel Prude, whose family said he died on March 30 after being removed from life support, seven days after the police encounter in the city of Rochester.

The 41-year-old's family along with activists made his death public on Wednesday, after receiving body cam footage through an open records request.

The revelation -- the latest in a spate of police killings of black people in the United States -- triggered fresh outrage three months after mass demonstrations gripped the United States over the police killing of George Floyd.

Prude's family have called for legal action against the officers involved, who are still on the force. Letitia James, New York state's top prosecutor, said an investigation was underway.

Prude's brother told journalists he had called police on March 23 as Daniel suffered a mental health episode.

"I placed a phone call for my brother to get help, not to get lynched," Joe Prude said outside Rochester's City Hall Wednesday.

"How many brothers&nbsp;have to die for society to understand this has to stop?"

When officers arrived Prude was unarmed and naked in the road, according to the video.

Police ordered an initially compliant Prude to get on the ground, but after being handcuffed he became increasingly agitated.

Officers then put a "spit hood" on him and forced his head to the ground. Moments later he lost consciousness.

An emergency medical technician tried to resuscitate him before he was taken to hospital. He died a week later when life support was switched off.

According to the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, an autopsy called the death a homicide caused by "complications of asphyxia in the setting of physical restraint."

The report also noted a low level of the drug PCP in Prude's blood, listing it as a complication.

"He&nbsp;was treated inhumanely and without dignity," community organizer Ashley Gantt said.

"These officers killed someone and are still patrolling in our community."

On Wednesday some 100 protestors gathered in Rochester, a city home to approximately 200,000 people in western New York state to protest Prude's death.

At a separate news conference Rochester police chief La'Ron Singletary acknowledged anger over Prude's death but emphasized that the delay in releasing the video was "not a cover-up."

Officers generally use spit hoods as defense against blood-borne pathogens if someone apprehended spits or bites.

But they've become the subject of several lawsuits in recent years, raising concerns over their safety.

Since the police killing in May of George Floyd in Minneapolis, demonstrations linked to the Black Lives Matter movement have rocked the nation, with many calling for significant police reforms including defunding or abolishment.

Opponents of the movement have also protested, frequently leading to violent clashes and pushing law and order high up the agenda for November's presidential election.

News of Prude's death comes in the wake of social unrest of the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a black father shot seven times in the back by a white officer in the Wisconsin city of Kenosha.&nbsp;

Protests also sparked in Los Angeles this week after police shot and killed Dijon Kizzee, a black man who was riding a bicycle, apparently in violation of vehicle codes.

Kizzee ran away and when deputies caught up to him, he punched one of them and dropped a bundle of clothing, which police say contained a handgun.

And in the capital city Washington police fatally shot an 18-year-old black man after responding to reports of a man with a gun. In a statement the force there said during a foot pursuit Deon Kay brandished a firearm before an officer shot him.

Body camera footage in that incident is under review and the officers involved have been placed on administrative leave.

Protests were planned for New York Thursday over the death of a black man who police hooded and forced face down on the road, according to video footage that prompted a probe from the state's attorney general.

Protests were planned for New York Thursday over the death of a black man who police hooded and forced face down on the road, according to video footage that prompted a probe from the state's attorney general. Demonstrators will gather in New York City's Times Square to demand justice for Daniel Prude, whose family said he died on March 30 after being removed from life support, seven days after the police encounter in the city of Rochester. The 41-year-old's family along with activists made his death public on Wednesday, after receiving body cam footage through an open records request. The revelation -- the latest in a spate of police killings of black people in the United States -- triggered fresh outrage three months after mass demonstrations gripped the United States over the police killing of George Floyd. Prude's family have called for legal action against the officers involved, who are still on the force. Letitia James, New York state's top prosecutor, said an investigation was underway. Prude's brother told journalists he had called police on March 23 as Daniel suffered a mental health episode. "I placed a phone call for my brother to get help, not to get lynched," Joe Prude said outside Rochester's City Hall Wednesday. "How many brothers have to die for society to understand this has to stop?" When officers arrived Prude was unarmed and naked in the road, according to the video. Police ordered an initially compliant Prude to get on the ground, but after being handcuffed he became increasingly agitated. Officers then put a "spit hood" on him and forced his head to the ground. Moments later he lost consciousness. An emergency medical technician tried to resuscitate him before he was taken to hospital. He died a week later when life support was switched off. According to the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, an autopsy called the death a homicide caused by "complications of asphyxia in the setting of physical restraint." The report also noted a low level of the drug PCP in Prude's blood, listing it as a complication. "He was treated inhumanely and without dignity," community organizer Ashley Gantt said. "These officers killed someone and are still patrolling in our community." On Wednesday some 100 protestors gathered in Rochester, a city home to approximately 200,000 people in western New York state to protest Prude's death. At a separate news conference Rochester police chief La'Ron Singletary acknowledged anger over Prude's death but emphasized that the delay in releasing the video was "not a cover-up." Officers generally use spit hoods as defense against blood-borne pathogens if someone apprehended spits or bites. But they've become the subject of several lawsuits in recent years, raising concerns over their safety. Since the police killing in May of George Floyd in Minneapolis, demonstrations linked to the Black Lives Matter movement have rocked the nation, with many calling for significant police reforms including defunding or abolishment. Opponents of the movement have also protested, frequently leading to violent clashes and pushing law and order high up the agenda for November's presidential election. News of Prude's death comes in the wake of social unrest of the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a black father shot seven times in the back by a white officer in the Wisconsin city of Kenosha. Protests also sparked in Los Angeles this week after police shot and killed Dijon Kizzee, a black man who was riding a bicycle, apparently in violation of vehicle codes. Kizzee ran away and when deputies caught up to him, he punched one of them and dropped a bundle of clothing, which police say contained a handgun. And in the capital city Washington police fatally shot an 18-year-old black man after responding to reports of a man with a gun. In a statement the force there said during a foot pursuit Deon Kay brandished a firearm before an officer shot him. Body camera footage in that incident is under review and the officers involved have been placed on administrative leave.

New York probes suffocation death of black man hooded by police

Dozens of protesters staged a 'die-in' protest in central London on Sunday, demonstrating against police brutality and anti-Black racism. Footage showed people laying down in the street and blocking traffic.

BLM protesters stage die-in protest in London

Not much has changed even after three months of the brutal killing of George Floyd, which was followed by nation-wide protests.&nbsp;This time, the state of Wisconsin is on fire.

On august 23,&nbsp;Jacob Blake, a black man, was shot in the back by white police officers in the city of Kenosha. Blake's three young sons were in the back of the car and they witnessed their father being shot.

Blake's fiancée, who was at the scene of shooting, pleaded with the officers to let the kids out but her cries were ignored.

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"That you treat somebody like that - who's not armed, not giving you no problems, he ain't throw no punch or nothing. What you mad because you tased him and he didn't bend, he didn't break, he pulled it out? So you felt intimidated cause you had a gun, so you used it!? You overused it! That's what you did," Blake's fiancée said.

After being shot in the back multiple times, Blake has had a surgery and doctors claims his condition is now stable.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/wisconsin-governor-calls-national-guard-after-protesters-clash-with-police-over-shooting-of-jacob-blake-322910">Also read:&nbsp;Wisconsin governor calls National Guard after protesters clash with police over shooting of Jacob Blake</a>

The police officers have been placed on administrative leave. They were, reportedly, investigating a 911 call about domestic violence. When they arrived on the scene of the crime, they&nbsp;saw Blake leaving in his car, and later started shooting at him after a brief confronttation.

Shortly after the news broke out, hundreds of&nbsp;defied a curfew to demand justice. They demanded the officers to be fired and&nbsp;prosecuted immediately. However,&nbsp;what started as a peaceful protest turned into arson.

Governor Tony Evers had to bring in the national guard to help restore order.

"I would hate to see this not end with Jacob Blake. That's why we have to respond and we know that we can't remedy the white supremacy and the systemic racism that is built into all of our systems in just a couple of years or with any package of legislation. But that doesn't mean we don't act," he said.

Lebron James, a basketball player, also reacted to repeated instances of police brutality against the African-American community in the US. "If you're sitting here and telling me that there was no way to subdue that gentleman (jacob blake) or detain him or just before the firing of guns, then you're sitting here and lying to not only me, you're lying to every african american, and every black person in the community. Because we see it over and over and over," he said.

However, the US President Donald Trump has not reacted to the shooting of Jacob Blake. His competitior, Joe Biden, on the other hand, called for an immediate, full and transparent investigation into the shooting.

Not much has changed even after three months of the brutal killing of George Floyd, which was followed by nation-wide protests. This time, the state of Wisconsin is on fire.

Not much has changed even after three months of the brutal killing of George Floyd, which was followed by nation-wide protests. This time, the state of Wisconsin is on fire. On august 23, Jacob Blake, a black man, was shot in the back by white police officers in the city of Kenosha. Blake's three young sons were in the back of the car and they witnessed their father being shot. Blake's fiancée, who was at the scene of shooting, pleaded with the officers to let the kids out but her cries were ignored. "That you treat somebody like that - who's not armed, not giving you no problems, he ain't throw no punch or nothing. What you mad because you tased him and he didn't bend, he didn't break, he pulled it out? So you felt intimidated cause you had a gun, so you used it!? You overused it! That's what you did," Blake's fiancée said. After being shot in the back multiple times, Blake has had a surgery and doctors claims his condition is now stable. Also read: Wisconsin governor calls National Guard after protesters clash with police over shooting of Jacob Blake The police officers have been placed on administrative leave. They were, reportedly, investigating a 911 call about domestic violence. When they arrived on the scene of the crime, they saw Blake leaving in his car, and later started shooting at him after a brief confronttation. Shortly after the news broke out, hundreds of defied a curfew to demand justice. They demanded the officers to be fired and prosecuted immediately. However, what started as a peaceful protest turned into arson. Governor Tony Evers had to bring in the national guard to help restore order. "I would hate to see this not end with Jacob Blake. That's why we have to respond and we know that we can't remedy the white supremacy and the systemic racism that is built into all of our systems in just a couple of years or with any package of legislation. But that doesn't mean we don't act," he said. Lebron James, a basketball player, also reacted to repeated instances of police brutality against the African-American community in the US. "If you're sitting here and telling me that there was no way to subdue that gentleman (jacob blake) or detain him or just before the firing of guns, then you're sitting here and lying to not only me, you're lying to every african american, and every black person in the community. Because we see it over and over and over," he said. However, the US President Donald Trump has not reacted to the shooting of Jacob Blake. His competitior, Joe Biden, on the other hand, called for an immediate, full and transparent investigation into the shooting.

Black Lives Matter: After George Floyd, Jacob Blake becomes next victim of police brutality

Crowds of people are continuing to participate in the protests against police brutality and racial discrimination in Seattle following the death of African American George Floyd in May.

More people join protests in Seattle months after George Floyd's death

Two police officers have been arrested in Kenya after an apparent "shooting incident" took place in the eastern ciuntry of Garissa.

An investigation has been initiated in the matter which will be conducted by&nbsp;The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA), a body which was set up to investigate cases of police brutality.

The national police issued a statement on Sunday which explained that the the two arrested officers were involved in a shooting incident which took place at the popular&nbsp;Soko Ng`ombe market within the Garissa Township.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/kenyan-police-fire-teargas-arrest-marchers-protesting-at-brutality-311361">Also read:&nbsp;Kenyan police fire teargas, arrest marchers protesting at brutality</a>

"The inspector general has equally directed the directorate of criminal investigations to carry out forensic analysis on the firearms used by the officers," the statement read.

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The matter came to light after&nbsp;Garissa member of parliament Aden Duale released a statement on twitter alleging that the two police officers were involved in shooting of&nbsp;Aden Abdi Madobe and Muhiyadin Adow Shibin during an "arrest mission".

This is not the first time such an incident has come to light. Similar cases of police brutality have been highlighted earlier too in Kenya.

Two police officers have been arrested in Kenya after an apparent "shooting incident" took place in the eastern ciuntry of Garissa. An investigation has been initiated in the matter which will be conducted by The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA), a body which was set up to investigate cases of police brutality.

Two police officers have been arrested in Kenya after an apparent "shooting incident" took place in the eastern ciuntry of Garissa. An investigation has been initiated in the matter which will be conducted by The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA), a body which was set up to investigate cases of police brutality. The national police issued a statement on Sunday which explained that the the two arrested officers were involved in a shooting incident which took place at the popular Soko Ng`ombe market within the Garissa Township. Also read: Kenyan police fire teargas, arrest marchers protesting at brutality "The inspector general has equally directed the directorate of criminal investigations to carry out forensic analysis on the firearms used by the officers," the statement read. × The matter came to light after Garissa member of parliament Aden Duale released a statement on twitter alleging that the two police officers were involved in shooting of Aden Abdi Madobe and Muhiyadin Adow Shibin during an "arrest mission". This is not the first time such an incident has come to light. Similar cases of police brutality have been highlighted earlier too in Kenya.

Two police officers arrested over 'shooting incident' and police brutality in Kenya

United States President Donald Trump on July 14 claimed that “more white people” die while interacting with police officers than black people. This comes in the aftermath of the large-scale global protests against institutional racism and police brutality.

After George Floyd was knelt on and killed by an Officer Chauvin in Minneapolis, the US has roared “Black Lives Matter” across all cities, even amid rising cases of COVID-19.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="/world/trump-calls-covid-school-closures-a-terrible-decision-even-as-death-toll-rises-313341" hreflang="en">Trump calls COVID school closures a 'terrible decision' even as death toll rises</a>

"So are white people", statistics don't agree

While sitting down for an interview with CBS, Trump was asked why people of colour have a higher rate of dying at the hands of police officers. He responded with “so are white people”. He then repeated himself, and said again “so are white people. What a terrible question to ask. So are white people. More white people, by the way. More white people”.

Statistics don’t support the US president. Black people are more likely to be killed in police custody across the US.&nbsp; Based on “Fatal Encounters” - an independent organisation that looks into killings across the US, two researchers Gabriel Schwartz and Jaquelyn Jahn from Harvard University carved out a comparison in data falling in the bracket of 2013-2017. They found that racial inequalities persist in many parts of the country.&nbsp; In south-western US states, black people were killed almost thrice as much as white people. In Chicago, the rate was much higher, with black people six times more likely to be killed by police.

Another 2019 study found that young black men are at the highest risk of being killed by the police in the US.

The Washington Post did a similar follow up which found that even though white people are as killed as much as black Americans, the latter are shot more than the former. The found that even though the black population makes up 13 per cent of the US, they are twice as likely to be killed by the police.

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Trump supports police

In the midst of the growing calls for defunding the police and setting up a social watch programme across the country, people have responded to Floyd’s murder quite intensely.

Trump, while referring to the US police forces said that they “do an incredible job in this country”.

"You can have a rogue, terrible cop, on occasion like you do in any industry, any business, in any profession," the president added.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="/world/us-convinced-many-countries-not-to-use-huawei-its-a-big-security-risk-trump-313340" hreflang="en">US convinced many countries not to use Huawei, it's a big security risk: Trump</a>

The American Civil Liberties Union's Jeffery Robinson called Trump's comments racist in a statement.&nbsp; "Trump's racism is so absolute that he continues to refuse to give even a tacit acknowledgment to the epidemic of police violence against Black people in America," he said. Many others also feel that Trump is still yet to formally acknowledge police brutality against African Americans in the country.

In the aftermath of the protests, many Confederate symbols across the country have been forcibly removed by protesters. It is largely seen as the last remaining symbol of slavery in the country, especially in the southern states.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="/world/trailing-in-the-polls-trump-targets-biden-at-white-house-press-event-313338" hreflang="en">Trailing in the polls, Trump targets Biden at White House press event</a>

During the same interview, Trump implied that not every Confederate symbol is about slavery. “I know people that like the Confederate flag and they’re not thinking about slavery. It’s freedom of speech.”

Yesterday, on July 13, an analysis by the Washington Post claimed that Trump has made over 20,000 false since taking over as the president. On an average, this amounts to 23 lies in one day. And this claim that white people die more at the hands of the police could be another one.

(With inputs from Reuters)

United States President Donald Trump on July 14 claimed that “more white people” die while interacting with police officers than black people. This comes in the aftermath of the large-scale global protests against institutional racism and police brutality.

United States President Donald Trump on July 14 claimed that “more white people” die while interacting with police officers than black people. This comes in the aftermath of the large-scale global protests against institutional racism and police brutality. After George Floyd was knelt on and killed by an Officer Chauvin in Minneapolis, the US has roared “Black Lives Matter” across all cities, even amid rising cases of COVID-19. Also read: Trump calls COVID school closures a 'terrible decision' even as death toll rises "So are white people", statistics don't agree While sitting down for an interview with CBS, Trump was asked why people of colour have a higher rate of dying at the hands of police officers. He responded with “so are white people”. He then repeated himself, and said again “so are white people. What a terrible question to ask. So are white people. More white people, by the way. More white people”. Statistics don’t support the US president. Black people are more likely to be killed in police custody across the US. Based on “Fatal Encounters” - an independent organisation that looks into killings across the US, two researchers Gabriel Schwartz and Jaquelyn Jahn from Harvard University carved out a comparison in data falling in the bracket of 2013-2017. They found that racial inequalities persist in many parts of the country. In south-western US states, black people were killed almost thrice as much as white people. In Chicago, the rate was much higher, with black people six times more likely to be killed by police. Another 2019 study found that young black men are at the highest risk of being killed by the police in the US. The Washington Post did a similar follow up which found that even though white people are as killed as much as black Americans, the latter are shot more than the former. The found that even though the black population makes up 13 per cent of the US, they are twice as likely to be killed by the police. Trump supports police In the midst of the growing calls for defunding the police and setting up a social watch programme across the country, people have responded to Floyd’s murder quite intensely. Trump, while referring to the US police forces said that they “do an incredible job in this country”. "You can have a rogue, terrible cop, on occasion like you do in any industry, any business, in any profession," the president added. Also read: US convinced many countries not to use Huawei, it's a big security risk: Trump The American Civil Liberties Union's Jeffery Robinson called Trump's comments racist in a statement. "Trump's racism is so absolute that he continues to refuse to give even a tacit acknowledgment to the epidemic of police violence against Black people in America," he said. Many others also feel that Trump is still yet to formally acknowledge police brutality against African Americans in the country. In the aftermath of the protests, many Confederate symbols across the country have been forcibly removed by protesters. It is largely seen as the last remaining symbol of slavery in the country, especially in the southern states. Also read: Trailing in the polls, Trump targets Biden at White House press event During the same interview, Trump implied that not every Confederate symbol is about slavery. “I know people that like the Confederate flag and they’re not thinking about slavery. It’s freedom of speech.” Yesterday, on July 13, an analysis by the Washington Post claimed that Trump has made over 20,000 false since taking over as the president. On an average, this amounts to 23 lies in one day. And this claim that white people die more at the hands of the police could be another one. (With inputs from Reuters)

In a series of bizarre claims, Trump says 'more white people are killed' by the police in the US

Kenyan police on Tuesday fired teargas and arrested activists gathering for a march against perceived government injustice that has been given extra impetus this year by allegations by rights groups of police brutality during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Activists said protesters from several areas had planned to march from their homes to the centre of the capital Nairobi, but many were dispersed or arrested before reaching there. Samuel Kiriro said six of his colleagues from rights group the Ghetto Foundation in the Mathare slum had been arrested.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="/world/swarms-of-locusts-devastate-parts-of-northern-kenya-309626" hreflang="en">Swarms of locusts devastate parts of northern Kenya</a>

For those who made it into the city centre, police fired more teargas and made further arrests, a Reuters witness said.

Activists rally each year on July 7, marking the date in 1990 when opponents of late president Daniel Arap Moi launched a bid to open up multiparty politics. The protest is called "Saba Saba" - "seven seven" in Swahili - because of the date.

This year, protesters have been galvanised by mounting accusations of police brutality during the coronavirus lockdown.

"The police have been killing a lot of people ... During this pandemic, it has gotten worse," said Michael Njau, an activist at Kiamaiko Justice Centre.

Police were not immediately available to respond to multiple requests for comment.

Rights group Amnesty International said Kenyan police had killed at least 100 people in 2020, with 21 related to COVID infractions, such as curfew or mask violations. In March, in the first 10 days of the curfew, at least six people were killed, Human Rights Watch has said.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="/world/kenya-court-rejects-chinas-multi-billion-dollar-bri-rail-project-308428" hreflang="en">Kenya court rejects China's multi-billion dollar BRI rail project</a>

Over the weekend, protesters in western Kenya set fire to a police station after an officer allegedly killed a hawker for selling fake hand sanitisers. The officer was taken into police custody, a police report seen by Reuters said.

Kenya police spokesman Charles Owino told Kenyan TV station NTV in June, responding to allegations of brutality, it was fair to highlight the issues "but it is also important for us to try and get results of investigations for each and every matter" to avoid setting the public against the police.

In April, President Uhuru Kenyatta said there had been "some challenges" in the initial stages, adding: "I want to apologise to all Kenyans maybe for some excesses that were conducted."

Kenyan police on Tuesday fired teargas and arrested activists gathering for a march against perceived government injustice that has been given extra impetus this year by allegations by rights groups of police brutality during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Kenyan police on Tuesday fired teargas and arrested activists gathering for a march against perceived government injustice that has been given extra impetus this year by allegations by rights groups of police brutality during the COVID-19 lockdown. Activists said protesters from several areas had planned to march from their homes to the centre of the capital Nairobi, but many were dispersed or arrested before reaching there. Samuel Kiriro said six of his colleagues from rights group the Ghetto Foundation in the Mathare slum had been arrested. Also read: Swarms of locusts devastate parts of northern Kenya For those who made it into the city centre, police fired more teargas and made further arrests, a Reuters witness said. Activists rally each year on July 7, marking the date in 1990 when opponents of late president Daniel Arap Moi launched a bid to open up multiparty politics. The protest is called "Saba Saba" - "seven seven" in Swahili - because of the date. This year, protesters have been galvanised by mounting accusations of police brutality during the coronavirus lockdown. "The police have been killing a lot of people ... During this pandemic, it has gotten worse," said Michael Njau, an activist at Kiamaiko Justice Centre. Police were not immediately available to respond to multiple requests for comment. Rights group Amnesty International said Kenyan police had killed at least 100 people in 2020, with 21 related to COVID infractions, such as curfew or mask violations. In March, in the first 10 days of the curfew, at least six people were killed, Human Rights Watch has said. Also read: Kenya court rejects China's multi-billion dollar BRI rail project Over the weekend, protesters in western Kenya set fire to a police station after an officer allegedly killed a hawker for selling fake hand sanitisers. The officer was taken into police custody, a police report seen by Reuters said. Kenya police spokesman Charles Owino told Kenyan TV station NTV in June, responding to allegations of brutality, it was fair to highlight the issues "but it is also important for us to try and get results of investigations for each and every matter" to avoid setting the public against the police. In April, President Uhuru Kenyatta said there had been "some challenges" in the initial stages, adding: "I want to apologise to all Kenyans maybe for some excesses that were conducted."

Kenyan police fire teargas, arrest marchers protesting at brutality

The police officer charged with the murder of Rayshard Brooks, who was killed on June 12, has been released from jail, a local television network WSBTV reported.

Garrett Rolfe, the officer in question, has been released on the condition of wearing an ankle monitor and obeying a curfew. The 27-year-old’s bond has been set at $500,000. He was charged with murder.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="/world/ex-atlanta-policeman-charged-with-felony-murder-of-rayshard-brooks-306662" hreflang="en">Ex-Atlanta policeman charged with felony murder of Rayshard Brooks</a>

Brooks, a black man was killed amid protests over the murder of George Floyd at the hands of the police. Protests escalated after news broke that Brooks was shot in the back twice by Atlanta police on June 12, outside of a fast-food restaurant.

Over the last month, protests across the United States soared again racist behaviour by police, with many analysts backing the view that black folks are more susceptible to police brutality in the country, and have a higher rate of dying in an altercation with the police.

<h6><img alt="A Wendy’s burns following a rally against racial inequality and the police shooting death of Rayshard Brooks, in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="fda07367-db75-47e9-959d-fc89c295f261" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design-6_5.jpg" /> 
A Wendy’s burns following a rally against racial inequality and the police shooting death of&nbsp;Rayshard&nbsp;Brooks, in Atlanta, Georgia, US | Reuters 
&nbsp;</h6>

A second officer involved in the murder, Devin Brosnan, 26, was put on administrative duty and charged with aggravated assault. Following the uproar, the city's police chief had resigned.

Protesters had torched the Wendy’s restaurant where Brooks was killed. The employees of the restaurant had called the police saying that a man had fallen asleep in the parking lot.

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Brooks was killed amid a national wave of protests in the US sparked by the murder of George Floyd, a black man who died after a white police officer, Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for nine minutes. He was charged with second-degree murder and other three Minneapolis officers were charged with aiding and abetting.

Brooks was sleeping in his car when the police officer encountered him in the restaurant’s drive-through lane. Rolfe and Brosnan proceeded to administer a sobriety test, which led the situation to escalate.

In a video, Brooks was seen grabbing one of the officer’s Taser stun guns, and pointing it towards Rolfe before he was shot. However, investigators found that Rolfe had full knowledge of the fact that Taser had already been used twice, rendering it useless.

(With inputs from Reuters)

The police officer charged with the murder of Rayshard Brooks, who was killed on June 12, has been released from jail, a local television network WSBTV reported.

The police officer charged with the murder of Rayshard Brooks, who was killed on June 12, has been released from jail, a local television network WSBTV reported. Garrett Rolfe, the officer in question, has been released on the condition of wearing an ankle monitor and obeying a curfew. The 27-year-old’s bond has been set at $500,000. He was charged with murder. Also read: Ex-Atlanta policeman charged with felony murder of Rayshard Brooks Brooks, a black man was killed amid protests over the murder of George Floyd at the hands of the police. Protests escalated after news broke that Brooks was shot in the back twice by Atlanta police on June 12, outside of a fast-food restaurant. Over the last month, protests across the United States soared again racist behaviour by police, with many analysts backing the view that black folks are more susceptible to police brutality in the country, and have a higher rate of dying in an altercation with the police. A Wendy’s burns following a rally against racial inequality and the police shooting death of Rayshard Brooks, in Atlanta, Georgia, US | Reuters A second officer involved in the murder, Devin Brosnan, 26, was put on administrative duty and charged with aggravated assault. Following the uproar, the city's police chief had resigned. Protesters had torched the Wendy’s restaurant where Brooks was killed. The employees of the restaurant had called the police saying that a man had fallen asleep in the parking lot. Brooks was killed amid a national wave of protests in the US sparked by the murder of George Floyd, a black man who died after a white police officer, Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for nine minutes. He was charged with second-degree murder and other three Minneapolis officers were charged with aiding and abetting. Brooks was sleeping in his car when the police officer encountered him in the restaurant’s drive-through lane. Rolfe and Brosnan proceeded to administer a sobriety test, which led the situation to escalate. In a video, Brooks was seen grabbing one of the officer’s Taser stun guns, and pointing it towards Rolfe before he was shot. However, investigators found that Rolfe had full knowledge of the fact that Taser had already been used twice, rendering it useless. (With inputs from Reuters)

Former officer charged with murdering Rayshard Brooks released from jail

The US Department of Homeland Security announce a special new task force Wednesday to protect historic monuments across the country, some of which have come under attack for glorifying the country's racist past. 
 
Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf said in a statement that he was positioning "rapid deployment teams" around the country to protect monuments and statues during the July 4th Independence Day holiday.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="/world/four-men-charged-for-trying-to-pull-down-statue-outside-white-house-309230" hreflang="en">Four men charged for trying to pull down statue outside White House</a> 
 
Many monuments have come under attack, and some pulled down, in the past month as protestors against police abuse of African Americans target figures of the pro-slavery south in the 1860s Civil War and other symbols of the country's legacy of slavery. 
 
But the monument protests have extended to revered early presidents George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, both slave owners. 
 
In some cases, local governments under popular pressure have decided to remove the monuments themselves. 
 
President Donald Trump expressed outrage when on June 22 demonstrators attempted to pull down a statue directly in front of the White House of president Andrew Jackson, another slave owner who presided over the mass expulsion of Native Americans from their homelands in the 1830s.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="/world/trump-issues-wanted-poster-for-people-who-vandalized-statues-308903" hreflang="en">Trump issues 'wanted' poster for people who vandalized statues</a> 
 
Trump demanded US law enforcement arrest and prosecute anyone who damages a monument and imprison them for the maximum 10 years. 
 
"DHS is answering the president's call to use our law enforcement personnel across the country to protect our historic landmarks," Wolf said in the statement.&nbsp; 
 
"We won't stand idly by while violent anarchists and rioters seek not only to vandalize and destroy the symbols of our nation, but to disrupt law and order and sow chaos in our communities." 
 
The new "Protecting American Communities Task Force" will coordinate law enforcement and provide intelligence to protect monuments, he said.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="/world/trump-signs-executive-order-to-protect-statues-makes-it-twitter-official-308907" hreflang="en">Trump signs executive order to protect statues; makes it Twitter-official</a> 
 
Trump tweeted early Wednesday that his recent executive order to protect monuments and statues is now in effect, reminding that damaging federal property could bring more than 10 years in prison. 
 
"Please do not put yourself in jeopardy. Many people now under arrest!" he wrote.

The US Department of Homeland Security announce a special new task force Wednesday to protect historic monuments across the country, some of which have come under attack for glorifying the country's racist past.

The US Department of Homeland Security announce a special new task force Wednesday to protect historic monuments across the country, some of which have come under attack for glorifying the country's racist past. Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf said in a statement that he was positioning "rapid deployment teams" around the country to protect monuments and statues during the July 4th Independence Day holiday. Also read: Four men charged for trying to pull down statue outside White House Many monuments have come under attack, and some pulled down, in the past month as protestors against police abuse of African Americans target figures of the pro-slavery south in the 1860s Civil War and other symbols of the country's legacy of slavery. But the monument protests have extended to revered early presidents George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, both slave owners. In some cases, local governments under popular pressure have decided to remove the monuments themselves. President Donald Trump expressed outrage when on June 22 demonstrators attempted to pull down a statue directly in front of the White House of president Andrew Jackson, another slave owner who presided over the mass expulsion of Native Americans from their homelands in the 1830s. Also read: Trump issues 'wanted' poster for people who vandalized statues Trump demanded US law enforcement arrest and prosecute anyone who damages a monument and imprison them for the maximum 10 years. "DHS is answering the president's call to use our law enforcement personnel across the country to protect our historic landmarks," Wolf said in the statement. "We won't stand idly by while violent anarchists and rioters seek not only to vandalize and destroy the symbols of our nation, but to disrupt law and order and sow chaos in our communities." The new "Protecting American Communities Task Force" will coordinate law enforcement and provide intelligence to protect monuments, he said. Also read: Trump signs executive order to protect statues; makes it Twitter-official Trump tweeted early Wednesday that his recent executive order to protect monuments and statues is now in effect, reminding that damaging federal property could bring more than 10 years in prison. "Please do not put yourself in jeopardy. Many people now under arrest!" he wrote.

US creates force to protect monuments amid anti-racism protests

The United States is currently witnessing two crises: COVID-19, and stressful race relations which have spurred protests across the country.

What largely began in retaliation against the police killing of a black man, George Floyd, has turned into a bigger debate about racism in America, and police brutality targeting people of colour.

Japan’s richest man feels this will impact the global perception of the United States.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/16-americans-who-went-to-a-bar-in-florida-return-home-with-covid-19-306553" hreflang="en">16 Americans who went to a bar in Florida return home with COVID-19</a>

In a conversation with CNN, Tadashi Yanai, the CEO of Uniqlo’s Fast Retailing said that he hopes the ongoing protests have a “positive impact” in the long-term, while juxtaposing it with the Civil Rights Movement.

The 71-year-old is Japan’s biggest billionaire, and one of the world’s most prosperous individuals. His company Fast Retailing is Asia’s biggest clothing retailer. As per Bloomberg data, his net worth is about $31.3 billion.

The company operates globally and its operations across major US cities like New York, Los Angeles have been hit hard. Yanai also referred to the political situation in the US as “untenable”, while calling for quick reformative action to end discrimination.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/second-wave-of-coronavirus-in-the-us-six-states-record-most-cases-ever-306544" hreflang="en">Second-wave of coronavirus in the US? Six states record most cases ever!</a>

He further told CNN that companies like his own are using this moment to bring about change in their own organisational set-up, and the purpose they serve in a post-pandemic world, where the distinctions between essentials and non-essentials become more pronounced.

The US is also witnessing a surge in the number of COVID-19 infections. The six American states to report record-high cases are Arizona, Florida, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, and Nevada. This comes in the aftermath of what many researchers claimed was the end of the country’s coronavirus peak. Many states have been forced to reopen in the middle of an economic crisis, with the country recording record unemployment rates after the lockdown.

The United States is currently witnessing two crises: COVID-19, and stressful race relations which have spurred protests across the country. What largely began in retaliation against the police killing of a black man, George Floyd, has turned into a bigger debate about racism in America, and police brutality targeting people of colour.

The United States is currently witnessing two crises: COVID-19, and stressful race relations which have spurred protests across the country. What largely began in retaliation against the police killing of a black man, George Floyd, has turned into a bigger debate about racism in America, and police brutality targeting people of colour. Japan’s richest man feels this will impact the global perception of the United States. Also read: 16 Americans who went to a bar in Florida return home with COVID-19 In a conversation with CNN, Tadashi Yanai, the CEO of Uniqlo’s Fast Retailing said that he hopes the ongoing protests have a “positive impact” in the long-term, while juxtaposing it with the Civil Rights Movement. The 71-year-old is Japan’s biggest billionaire, and one of the world’s most prosperous individuals. His company Fast Retailing is Asia’s biggest clothing retailer. As per Bloomberg data, his net worth is about $31.3 billion. The company operates globally and its operations across major US cities like New York, Los Angeles have been hit hard. Yanai also referred to the political situation in the US as “untenable”, while calling for quick reformative action to end discrimination. Also read: Second-wave of coronavirus in the US? Six states record most cases ever! He further told CNN that companies like his own are using this moment to bring about change in their own organisational set-up, and the purpose they serve in a post-pandemic world, where the distinctions between essentials and non-essentials become more pronounced. The US is also witnessing a surge in the number of COVID-19 infections. The six American states to report record-high cases are Arizona, Florida, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, and Nevada. This comes in the aftermath of what many researchers claimed was the end of the country’s coronavirus peak. Many states have been forced to reopen in the middle of an economic crisis, with the country recording record unemployment rates after the lockdown.

Global public perception of the US at stake, suggests Japan's richest man

Syria's central bank devalued the Syrian pound on Wednesday giving in to weeks of depreciation on the black market as new US sanctions took effect. 
 
The central bank raised the official exchange rate from 704 to 1,256 Syrian pounds to the dollar, in a statement published on its social media pages.&nbsp; 
 
The previous rate had been in force since March.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="/opinions-blogs/china-shows-greater-interest-in-syria-amid-coronavirus-pandemic-and-deteriorating-ties-with-the-us-305295" hreflang="en">China shows greater interest in Syria amid coronavirus pandemic and deteriorating ties with the US</a> 
 
Earlier this month, the war-torn country's currency hit a record low on the black market of around 3,000 pounds to the dollar, sparking rare protests, before appreciating slightly after an apparent injection of dollars. 
 
On Wednesday, the rate on the parallel market stood at around 2,600 to 2,800 pounds to the dollar, traders told AFP. 
 
The devaluation comes as the United States prepares to implement new sanctions this week under the Caesar Act, targeting foreigners doing business with the Damascus government, as well as reconstruction of the country. 
 
Zaki Mehchy, a senior consulting fellow at the London-based Chatham House think tank, said the central bank was trying to minimise the gap between the official and black market rates.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="/world/syria-records-20-new-coronavirus-cases-in-largest-single-day-increase-300964" hreflang="en">Syria records 20 new coronavirus cases in largest single-day increase</a> 
 
"It is trying to encourage people to use the official channel instead of the black market," he said. 
 
But the pound would probably continue its slide, punctuated by short periods of appreciation, he said.&nbsp; 
 
Syria's economy has been battered by nine years of war, and is now reeling from the knock-on effects of a financial crisis in neighbouring Lebanon that has stemmed the flow of dollars into government-held areas. 
 
Analysts have said the recent lows on the black market are likely due to worries ahead of the introduction of new US sanctions, and the sudden fall from grace of tycoon and cousin of the president, Rami Makhlouf, which has set other top businessmen on edge. 
 
The Damascus government has long blamed the country's economic crisis on international sanctions. 
 
Last week, President Bashar al-Assad sacked his prime minister of four years after criticism of the government's handling of the crisis. 
 
Before the conflict, the exchange rate stood at 47 Syrian pounds to the dollar.

Syria's central bank devalued the Syrian pound on Wednesday giving in to weeks of depreciation on the black market as new US sanctions took effect. The central bank raised the official exchange rate from 704 to 1,256 Syrian pounds to the dollar, in a statement published on its social media pages.

Syria's central bank devalued the Syrian pound on Wednesday giving in to weeks of depreciation on the black market as new US sanctions took effect. The central bank raised the official exchange rate from 704 to 1,256 Syrian pounds to the dollar, in a statement published on its social media pages. The previous rate had been in force since March. Also read: China shows greater interest in Syria amid coronavirus pandemic and deteriorating ties with the US Earlier this month, the war-torn country's currency hit a record low on the black market of around 3,000 pounds to the dollar, sparking rare protests, before appreciating slightly after an apparent injection of dollars. On Wednesday, the rate on the parallel market stood at around 2,600 to 2,800 pounds to the dollar, traders told AFP. The devaluation comes as the United States prepares to implement new sanctions this week under the Caesar Act, targeting foreigners doing business with the Damascus government, as well as reconstruction of the country. Zaki Mehchy, a senior consulting fellow at the London-based Chatham House think tank, said the central bank was trying to minimise the gap between the official and black market rates. Also read: Syria records 20 new coronavirus cases in largest single-day increase "It is trying to encourage people to use the official channel instead of the black market," he said. But the pound would probably continue its slide, punctuated by short periods of appreciation, he said. Syria's economy has been battered by nine years of war, and is now reeling from the knock-on effects of a financial crisis in neighbouring Lebanon that has stemmed the flow of dollars into government-held areas. Analysts have said the recent lows on the black market are likely due to worries ahead of the introduction of new US sanctions, and the sudden fall from grace of tycoon and cousin of the president, Rami Makhlouf, which has set other top businessmen on edge. The Damascus government has long blamed the country's economic crisis on international sanctions. Last week, President Bashar al-Assad sacked his prime minister of four years after criticism of the government's handling of the crisis. Before the conflict, the exchange rate stood at 47 Syrian pounds to the dollar.

Syria devalues currency as new US sanctions hit

A group of scientists have unearthed inconsistencies in the global body World Health Organization’s (WHO) study about the risks of contracting/spreading COVID-19 within a certain distance.

Recently, the United Kingdom announced plans to relax the two-metre physical distancing rule. Scientists warned that the study in question should not ideally be used to justify the relaxation.

After WHO earlier stipulated two metres as the ideal distance between two people, critics across the globe called it too cautionary a tale.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="/world/coronavirus-spreading-like-wildfire-in-africa-test-kits-needed-who-305077" hreflang="en">Coronavirus spreading like wildfire in Africa, test kits needed: WHO</a>

The WHO research now being questioned claimed that a reduction in social distancing from two to one metres would increase increase the infection risk from 1.3 per cent to 2.6 per cent.

However, scientists believe the aforementioned research is short-sighted and should not be used as the blueprint to enforce distancing measures.

“The analysis of infection risk at 1 metre versus 2 metre should be treated with great caution,” Professor&nbsp;David Spiegelhalter, from Cambridge University told the Guardian. “I’m very suspicious of it”, Spiegelhalter added.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="/world/after-saying-asymptomatic-carriers-spreading-covid-19-very-rare-who-clarifies-304664" hreflang="en">After saying asymptomatic carriers spreading COVID-19 very rare, WHO clarifies</a>

Another researcher from Open University referred to WHO’s analysis as “inappropriate”, while adding that the research “should not be used in arguments about how much greater the infection risk is at 1-metre minimum distance as opposed to 2 metres”.

This brings into question the veracity of research papers published on online portals like the Lancet and New England Journal of Medicine. Researchers found that some papers are being hurriedly written and published, making the conclusions hard to process and verify.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="/world/confusion-in-the-times-of-coronavirus-who-is-a-poor-example-to-follow-304928" hreflang="en">Confusion in the times of coronavirus: WHO is a poor example to follow</a>

The two portals mentioned above were recently forced to retract a few studies after flaws surfaced.

Boris Johnson recently said that the two metre distancing rule will be put under review.

(With inputs from Reuters and AFP)

A group of scientists have unearthed inconsistencies in the global body World Health Organization’s (WHO) study about the risks of contracting/spreading COVID-19 within a certain distance.

A group of scientists have unearthed inconsistencies in the global body World Health Organization’s (WHO) study about the risks of contracting/spreading COVID-19 within a certain distance. Recently, the United Kingdom announced plans to relax the two-metre physical distancing rule. Scientists warned that the study in question should not ideally be used to justify the relaxation. After WHO earlier stipulated two metres as the ideal distance between two people, critics across the globe called it too cautionary a tale. Also read: Coronavirus spreading like wildfire in Africa, test kits needed: WHO The WHO research now being questioned claimed that a reduction in social distancing from two to one metres would increase increase the infection risk from 1.3 per cent to 2.6 per cent. However, scientists believe the aforementioned research is short-sighted and should not be used as the blueprint to enforce distancing measures. “The analysis of infection risk at 1 metre versus 2 metre should be treated with great caution,” Professor David Spiegelhalter, from Cambridge University told the Guardian. “I’m very suspicious of it”, Spiegelhalter added. Also read: After saying asymptomatic carriers spreading COVID-19 very rare, WHO clarifies Another researcher from Open University referred to WHO’s analysis as “inappropriate”, while adding that the research “should not be used in arguments about how much greater the infection risk is at 1-metre minimum distance as opposed to 2 metres”. This brings into question the veracity of research papers published on online portals like the Lancet and New England Journal of Medicine. Researchers found that some papers are being hurriedly written and published, making the conclusions hard to process and verify. Also read: Confusion in the times of coronavirus: WHO is a poor example to follow The two portals mentioned above were recently forced to retract a few studies after flaws surfaced. Boris Johnson recently said that the two metre distancing rule will be put under review. (With inputs from Reuters and AFP)

Scientists question WHO's study on relaxing social distancing norms

The death of another Black man by a police officer in the United States, Rayshard Brooks, in Atlanta has triggered a fresh wave of protests in the country against police brutality and racism.

Brooks was shot at by an officer, who succumbed to gun shot wounds in the back.

The Fulton country medical examiner’s office has ruled it as homicide, while protests continue to rage for the fourth straight week in the country.

Brooks, 27, died from blood loss and organ injuries caused by the gunshot wounds, the autopsy revealed.

The statement from the medical examiner’s office referred to the manner of death as “homicide”.

<h6><img alt="A burned Wendy’s restaurant is seen on the second day following the police shooting death of Rayshard Brooks in the restaurant parking lot June 14, 2020, in Atlanta, Georgia" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="4ac1257b-f9fb-4f2a-9220-9d5f1fab23c3" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design-3_20.jpg" /> 
A burned Wendy’s restaurant is seen on the second day following the police shooting death of Rayshard Brooks in the restaurant parking lot June 14, 2020, in Atlanta, Georgia | AFP 
&nbsp;</h6>

Allegedly, Brooks was asleep in the drive through lane of a Wendy’s restaurant in Atlanta, after which an employee called the police. In the process of this, he was shot in the back, leading to his death.

Protests soon circled a Wendy’s store and set it on fire, the visuals of which made rounds on social media.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="http://wionews.com/videos/video-released-of-moment-man-was-shot-by-2-cops-in-atlanta-watch-it-306020/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Earlier, George Floyd was knelt on by a police officer for almost 9 minutes which led to his death and spurred global outrage spreading as far as New Zealand and France.

Protesters in Atlanta were heard chanting “This is not a riot” while demanding justice for the murder.

The body camera footage of the police encounter with Brooks showed the conversation beginning in a friendly manner, but as officers proceeded to arrest him, there was restraint. As he fled with a taser gun, one of the officers shot him, after which he fell to the ground.

The death of another Black man by a police officer in the United States, Rayshard Brooks, in Atlanta has triggered a fresh wave of protests in the country against police brutality and racism.

The death of another Black man by a police officer in the United States, Rayshard Brooks, in Atlanta has triggered a fresh wave of protests in the country against police brutality and racism. Brooks was shot at by an officer, who succumbed to gun shot wounds in the back. The Fulton country medical examiner’s office has ruled it as homicide, while protests continue to rage for the fourth straight week in the country. Brooks, 27, died from blood loss and organ injuries caused by the gunshot wounds, the autopsy revealed. The statement from the medical examiner’s office referred to the manner of death as “homicide”. A burned Wendy’s restaurant is seen on the second day following the police shooting death of Rayshard Brooks in the restaurant parking lot June 14, 2020, in Atlanta, Georgia | AFP Allegedly, Brooks was asleep in the drive through lane of a Wendy’s restaurant in Atlanta, after which an employee called the police. In the process of this, he was shot in the back, leading to his death. Protests soon circled a Wendy’s store and set it on fire, the visuals of which made rounds on social media. Earlier, George Floyd was knelt on by a police officer for almost 9 minutes which led to his death and spurred global outrage spreading as far as New Zealand and France. Protesters in Atlanta were heard chanting “This is not a riot” while demanding justice for the murder. The body camera footage of the police encounter with Brooks showed the conversation beginning in a friendly manner, but as officers proceeded to arrest him, there was restraint. As he fled with a taser gun, one of the officers shot him, after which he fell to the ground.

Brooks shooting in Atlanta was 'homicide', claims medical examiner

The Democratic National Committee's council on climate change irked party leadership when it published policy recommendations this month that ventured beyond presidential candidate Joe Biden's plan, according to three people familiar with the matter.

The party tension shows the tricky nature of climate politics as Biden seeks to court young and more progressive voters without turning off voters in energy-producing swing states like Pennsylvania and Ohio, where a boom in shale gas drilling had created blue-collar jobs.

Members of the DNC Environment and Climate Crisis Council,&nbsp;formed last year, published proposals for the party's four-year platform on June 4 in a press release, calling for up to $16 trillion in spending to shift the U.S. economy away from fossil fuels while banning hydraulic fracturing and oil and gas exports.

The council's proposals far exceed Biden's current climate plan, which bans new oil and gas permits on public lands and dedicates $1.7 trillion to accelerate the transition to renewable energy, but allows continued fracking and exports in the meantime.

Biden's campaign is updating its climate plan as it prepares for the Nov. 3 election contest against Republican President Donald Trump, a fervent advocate of fossil fuel drilling and mining who has downplayed climate change risks and unwound hundreds of environmental regulations.&nbsp;

Biden is being advised by a panel led by U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who has called for a vast government-run effort to move away from fossil fuels, and John Kerry, who helped negotiate the Paris climate agreement as President Barack Obama's Secretary of State.

One senior Democrat familiar with the DNC's workings said climate council members overstepped by putting out recommendations ahead of the convention that are unlikely to be adopted in the party's platform, which will be drafted by a DNC committee by its August convention.

"It's a nonstarter," said the Democrat, who requested anonymity to discuss the matter. "Nobody takes them seriously. Joe Biden will be writing the platform for our national convention."

Two people close to the DNC said the council blindsided the party by publicly releasing the 14-page document.

"They acted like insurgents within the party trying to stake out a left flank before the convention," one of the sources said.

DNC and Biden campaign officials declined to comment.

The DNC agreed to create the council last year after angering environmental activists and progressives for declining to hold a standalone climate debate among competitors for the party's presidential nomination.

Council Chair Michelle Deatrick said the council has been in touch with both Biden's climate advisory panel and the campaign but published the recommendations ahead of the convention to help galvanize support for an aggressive plan.

"We are advocating to ensure these recommendations are adopted in the Democratic Party platform. We have strong support, and are building a coalition of environmental groups, Democratic Party groups and more," she said.

Deatrick was a campaign surrogate of Biden rival Bernie Sanders, who had released a $16 trillion climate plan last year before dropping his bid for the party nomination. Other council members include representatives and activists from conservation and environmental justice groups.

Cecil Roberts, president of the United Mineworkers Union, said the recommendations would have "political consequences."

"I can assure you that the mere issuing of this report has already cost Democrats potential votes in places like Pennsylvania, Ohio and Michigan," he said.

The Democratic National Committee's council on climate change irked party leadership when it published policy recommendations this month that ventured beyond presidential candidate Joe Biden's plan, according to three people familiar with the matter.

The Democratic National Committee's council on climate change irked party leadership when it published policy recommendations this month that ventured beyond presidential candidate Joe Biden's plan, according to three people familiar with the matter. The party tension shows the tricky nature of climate politics as Biden seeks to court young and more progressive voters without turning off voters in energy-producing swing states like Pennsylvania and Ohio, where a boom in shale gas drilling had created blue-collar jobs. Members of the DNC Environment and Climate Crisis Council, formed last year, published proposals for the party's four-year platform on June 4 in a press release, calling for up to $16 trillion in spending to shift the U.S. economy away from fossil fuels while banning hydraulic fracturing and oil and gas exports. The council's proposals far exceed Biden's current climate plan, which bans new oil and gas permits on public lands and dedicates $1.7 trillion to accelerate the transition to renewable energy, but allows continued fracking and exports in the meantime. Biden's campaign is updating its climate plan as it prepares for the Nov. 3 election contest against Republican President Donald Trump, a fervent advocate of fossil fuel drilling and mining who has downplayed climate change risks and unwound hundreds of environmental regulations. Biden is being advised by a panel led by U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who has called for a vast government-run effort to move away from fossil fuels, and John Kerry, who helped negotiate the Paris climate agreement as President Barack Obama's Secretary of State. One senior Democrat familiar with the DNC's workings said climate council members overstepped by putting out recommendations ahead of the convention that are unlikely to be adopted in the party's platform, which will be drafted by a DNC committee by its August convention. "It's a nonstarter," said the Democrat, who requested anonymity to discuss the matter. "Nobody takes them seriously. Joe Biden will be writing the platform for our national convention." Two people close to the DNC said the council blindsided the party by publicly releasing the 14-page document. "They acted like insurgents within the party trying to stake out a left flank before the convention," one of the sources said. DNC and Biden campaign officials declined to comment. The DNC agreed to create the council last year after angering environmental activists and progressives for declining to hold a standalone climate debate among competitors for the party's presidential nomination. Council Chair Michelle Deatrick said the council has been in touch with both Biden's climate advisory panel and the campaign but published the recommendations ahead of the convention to help galvanize support for an aggressive plan. "We are advocating to ensure these recommendations are adopted in the Democratic Party platform. We have strong support, and are building a coalition of environmental groups, Democratic Party groups and more," she said. Deatrick was a campaign surrogate of Biden rival Bernie Sanders, who had released a $16 trillion climate plan last year before dropping his bid for the party nomination. Other council members include representatives and activists from conservation and environmental justice groups. Cecil Roberts, president of the United Mineworkers Union, said the recommendations would have "political consequences." "I can assure you that the mere issuing of this report has already cost Democrats potential votes in places like Pennsylvania, Ohio and Michigan," he said.

US Democratic Party irked by council's 'insurgent' climate plan

The United Nations Human Rights Council is set to hold a debate on the ongoing crisis of racial discrimination clubbed with “ systemic racism, police brutality, and violence against peaceful protesters”.

According to UNHRC’s latest statement, the body will analyse related events in the United States.

The issue was brought to the body’s notice by African countries, and on a request made by Burkina Faso.

The United States does not hold the membership of the 47-member UNHRC in Geneva. Two years ago the US had quit the forum for its alleged bias against Israel.

<h6><img alt="People react on Highway 395 during a demonstration against racial inequality in the aftermath of the death in Minneapolis police custody of George Floyd, in Washington, U.S., June 14, 2020" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="10e9d976-6fa6-4f92-811f-870b32e263cf" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design-3_19.jpg" /> 
People react on Highway 395 during a demonstration against racial inequality in the aftermath of the death in Minneapolis police custody of George Floyd, in Washington, US, June 14, 2020 | Reuters 
&nbsp;</h6>

"The death of George Floyd is unfortunately not an isolated incident," said the letter which was marked to UNHRC.

The letter referred to the murder of George Floyd, who was knelt on by a police officer, following which he died on May 25 in the US city of Minneapolis. This stirred nationwide protests that have now spawned into a global movement against racial injustice and police brutality.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/virus-has-exposed-deep-seated-internal-crises-in-us-putin-305979" hreflang="en">Virus has exposed deep-seated internal crises in US: Putin</a>

"The numbers of previous cases of unarmed people of African descent who met the same fate because of uncontrolled police violence are legion," the letter said.&nbsp;“The international outrage provoked by the death underlined the importance of the Human Rights Council discussing these issue”, it further&nbsp;said.

The letter also claimed that 600 activist groups and relatives of victims have demanded a special session to address racism.

Amid calls to defund the police, the Minneapolis City Council on Friday approved a resolution which would disband contemporary policing methods in favour of a community driven safety mechanism for the citizens.

Just on Friday, another Black man Rayshard Brooks was shot by the police in Atlanta, which spurred protests across the country again.

(With inputs from Reuters and AFP)

The United Nations Human Rights Council is set to hold a debate on the ongoing crisis of racial discrimination clubbed with “ systemic racism, police brutality, and violence against peaceful protesters”.

The United Nations Human Rights Council is set to hold a debate on the ongoing crisis of racial discrimination clubbed with “ systemic racism, police brutality, and violence against peaceful protesters”. According to UNHRC’s latest statement, the body will analyse related events in the United States. The issue was brought to the body’s notice by African countries, and on a request made by Burkina Faso. The United States does not hold the membership of the 47-member UNHRC in Geneva. Two years ago the US had quit the forum for its alleged bias against Israel. People react on Highway 395 during a demonstration against racial inequality in the aftermath of the death in Minneapolis police custody of George Floyd, in Washington, US, June 14, 2020 | Reuters "The death of George Floyd is unfortunately not an isolated incident," said the letter which was marked to UNHRC. The letter referred to the murder of George Floyd, who was knelt on by a police officer, following which he died on May 25 in the US city of Minneapolis. This stirred nationwide protests that have now spawned into a global movement against racial injustice and police brutality. Also read: Virus has exposed deep-seated internal crises in US: Putin "The numbers of previous cases of unarmed people of African descent who met the same fate because of uncontrolled police violence are legion," the letter said. “The international outrage provoked by the death underlined the importance of the Human Rights Council discussing these issue”, it further said. The letter also claimed that 600 activist groups and relatives of victims have demanded a special session to address racism. Amid calls to defund the police, the Minneapolis City Council on Friday approved a resolution which would disband contemporary policing methods in favour of a community driven safety mechanism for the citizens. Just on Friday, another Black man Rayshard Brooks was shot by the police in Atlanta, which spurred protests across the country again. (With inputs from Reuters and AFP)

UN's human rights body to examine racism and police brutality in the United States

One of the most-widely used dictionaries, Merriam-Webster is set to change the definition of “racism” after a young black woman suggested the word should reflect the oppressive realities faced by many people of colour.

A graduate from Drake University in Iowa, Kennedy Mitchum contacted the dictionary makers to improve its definition of racism.

"I basically told them that they need to include that there's a systematic oppression upon a group of people," she told a local news outlet. "It's not just, 'Oh, I don't like someone.'"

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Peter Sokolowski, the editorial head of Merriam-Webster told news agency AFP that Mitchum’s request will be entertained and the meaning updated.

According to the Sokolowski, the dictionary has three available definitions of racism, and that it does touch on oppression. But with the new definition coming up, they intend to “make that even more clear in next release".

Racism is defined as "a doctrine or political program based on the assumption of racism and designed to execute its principles," and "a political or social system founded on racism” in the current edition.

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"This is the kind of continuous revision that is part of the work of keeping the dictionary up to date, based on rigorous criteria and research we employ in order to describe the language as it is actually used," Sokolowski told AFP.

Not just the word, but corollary worlds about racism will be updated to acknowledge oppression. He said, words "related to racism or have racial connotations" will be updated based on the new definition.

Additionally, he also apologised on behalf of the company for not addressing the issue sooner. "We apologize for the harm and offense we have caused in failing to address this issue sooner”.

The company has been publishing dictionaries since 1847.

One of the most-widely used dictionaries, Merriam-Webster is set to change the definition of “racism” after a young black woman suggested the word should reflect the oppressive realities faced by many people of colour.

One of the most-widely used dictionaries, Merriam-Webster is set to change the definition of “racism” after a young black woman suggested the word should reflect the oppressive realities faced by many people of colour. A graduate from Drake University in Iowa, Kennedy Mitchum contacted the dictionary makers to improve its definition of racism. "I basically told them that they need to include that there's a systematic oppression upon a group of people," she told a local news outlet. "It's not just, 'Oh, I don't like someone.'" Also read: New York votes on scrapping law which protects disciplinary records of police officers Peter Sokolowski, the editorial head of Merriam-Webster told news agency AFP that Mitchum’s request will be entertained and the meaning updated. According to the Sokolowski, the dictionary has three available definitions of racism, and that it does touch on oppression. But with the new definition coming up, they intend to “make that even more clear in next release". Racism is defined as "a doctrine or political program based on the assumption of racism and designed to execute its principles," and "a political or social system founded on racism” in the current edition. Also read: NYC police officer who shoved protester charged with assault "This is the kind of continuous revision that is part of the work of keeping the dictionary up to date, based on rigorous criteria and research we employ in order to describe the language as it is actually used," Sokolowski told AFP. Not just the word, but corollary worlds about racism will be updated to acknowledge oppression. He said, words "related to racism or have racial connotations" will be updated based on the new definition. Additionally, he also apologised on behalf of the company for not addressing the issue sooner. "We apologize for the harm and offense we have caused in failing to address this issue sooner”. The company has been publishing dictionaries since 1847.

Merriam-Webster will reframe definition of 'racism' to address oppression

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