On May 25, Minneapolis police officers arrested George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, after a 911 call accused Floyd of using a counterfeit $20 bill. Three Minneapolis police officers pinned themselves on top of Floyd, one officer pinned his knee over Floyd’s neck, which several autopsies are reporting resulted in his death.
Derek Chauvin, the officer who can be seen most clearly in witness videos pinning Mr. Floyd to the ground with his knee over Floyd’s neck has been charged with murder and manslaughter by the Hennepin County Attorney, Mike Freeman. The day after Floyd’s death, the Minneapolis Police Department fired all four of the officers involved.
Since the death of Floyd, there have been peaceful protests and demonstrations speaking out about the injustice of not only Floyd’s death but of the ongoing injustice of law enforcement toward black communities.
Protests have reached at least 140 cities, and at least five people have died, according to the New York Times. Many of the protests and demonstrations are being shared live on social media by the participants and news media. Videos show of peaceful protests on the streets of downtown cities. However, videos also show of violent clashes between the police and protestors around the country as well as looting and arson of stores and vehicles.
Both protesters and police officers have been injured. Thousands of people have been arrested and fires, looting, and vandalism have caused millions of dollars in damage to buildings and businesses, according to the New York Times.
On June 1, 2020, video shows a man setting the San Bernardino DMV office on fire during a night of looting. The day before, the Redlands Police Department met with local protestors and was present for several peaceful demonstrations that were held in various parts of the City.
“Our goal was both to protect public safety and property, but also to ensure that the constitutional right to free speech and assembly was also protected, said Chief of Police Chris Catren.
“We met with the organizers of the protests ahead of time and came to a mutual agreement on these principles. Each of the demonstrations was conducted peacefully.”
Catren reported that the Redlands Police Department was called in to help their neighboring city San Bernardino late Sunday afternoon amid looting in the city.
Several cities in Southern California established curfews Sunday and Monday night in attempts to limit the looting and vandalism within their community. Riverside county issued a county-wide curfew from 6 pm- 6 am. San Bernardino County has not currently set a county-wide curfew, as of Tuesday afternoon, and has let the decision fall under city jurisdiction. Below is the most current curfew information on the cities that City News covers.
- Colton- has not announced a curfew
- Grand Terrace- curfew established from 7 pm- 5 am until further notice
- Loma Linda- curfew established from 6 pm- 5 am until further notice
- Moreno Valley- curfew established from 6 pm- 6 am until further notice
- Redlands- has not announced a curfew
- San Bernardino- 6 pm- sunrise until further notice
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