George Floyd was killed by Minneapolis police on Monday, May 25th. Protests have erupted in cities across the United States to fight against police brutality and racial injustice. On Thursday, May 28th, protests came to a head when several buildings in Minneapolis were lit on fire, and escalations in New York City resulted in the arrest of over 40 protesters.
I came upon the downtown protests near the World Trade Center by accident and was able to capture a few minutes of footage. The protests began peacefully as demonstrators marched North up the West Side Highway. Suddenly, I saw a group of several dozen police officers running towards the crowd, and the tense encounters you see in these videos ensued.
Rather than sharing only the raw video I captured, I decided to include some commentary on the situation and my own thoughts on what I experienced at the NYC protests. My thoughts go out to George Floyd and his family, all of those who have been affected by police violence or racial injustice, and all of the good cops out there for whom the bad ones tarnish their reputation and put them in even greater danger.
Please share your thoughts and comments below.
Time Stamps:
0:00 First Arrest
0:16 Initial Thoughts - The Killing of George Floyd
1:26 Protests Begin (Peaceful)
2:12 Explanation of Context for Arrests
2:32 Arrests Begin (3+ on camera)
3:49 Damage
4:20 Another Arrest
4:45 Final Thoughts
Thanks for watching, and stay safe.
