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

Seattle, US: 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.

In the past two months, the protests have been held almost every weekend in the city, with frequent clashes and confrontations between protesters and the police. On Sunday afternoon, dozens of protesters called for a reform of the police force in a park. Drew, a zookeeper, was one of the organizers, who spoke for the first time in public. As a Korean American, she said she must stand up to protect her rights.

"I think that personally being a Korean American as well, there was this inherent kind of I have to be silent, you know. What is it, it's the model minority kind of thing that goes on in this country," she said. More ordinary people like Drew are showing up in Seattle to protest police brutality, and she believes that the death of Floyd has awakened people to call for police reform and eliminate racial discrimination.

"And although this event was small, there are still events going around all throughout the city where hundreds of people are constantly showing up. There are still marches happening every single day and we are building connections with those groups as well," said Drew.

The Seattle City Council on Aug 10 voted 7-1 to reduce the police department's budget by 3.5 million U.S. dollars, less than one percent of the original budget, which was 409 million, far short of the 50 percent cuts demanded by the protesters.

In addition, the protesters thought that community voices in Seattle Office of Police Accountability have been decreased while the police officers are taking the place of residents. Though the reports on protests against police brutality and racism have dwindled in the media, the people are still striving for their rights.

"I'm not looking for a destination and I don't think there should be one, because no matter what, people are changing, our environment is changing, and there is always going to be new things that need to be handled. And that's the point of starting this conversation," said Drew.

'Unfinished business': Kamala Harris speaks on responsibility as first Black Woman VP candidate

Washington DC, US: In her first extensive interview since being tapped as Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden's running mate, Kamala Harris emphasized Friday there was "a lot of work to do" for both women and African-Americans.

Harris is the first Black woman on a major-party U.S. presidential ticket. The 55-year-old U.S. senator from California, who made her own run for the White House, is also the first Asian-American on a major presidential ticket. Her parents were immigrants, her mother from India and her father from Jamaica. Harris made the comments in an interview from Biden's home state Delaware with Errin Haines, editor-at-large for the the 19th*, a nonprofit news organization hosting a summit marking the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment which gave women the right to vote.

In the interview, Harris said she embraced her role as the first woman of color to appear on a major party ticket. "There's a lot to be to celebrate in terms of the accomplishment," she said. "But also it should motivate us to also be clear-eyed about what yet has to be done in the unfinished business."

Harris emphasized healthcare, child care, and jobs were some of the issues that would spur high voter turnout among Black women. Four years ago, the first dip in Black voter turnout in 20 years contributed to Democrat Hillary Clinton's upset loss to Donald Trump in the presidential election.

"When you have one ticket that can say the phrase, 'Black Lives Matter', and another who has been full-time sowing hate and division in our country, those are the things that are going to motivate Black women to vote," she said. "There will be a point of pride. I don't want to have any false modesty about a Black woman being on the ticket. But it takes more than just that to motivate Black women to vote."

With social unrest over racial injustice rocking the country for months since the death in custody of an African-American man, George Floyd - after a police officer knelt on his neck for about nine minutes - Biden was under pressure to select a Black woman as his running mate.

She became only the second Black female U.S. senator in history when elected in 2016 and will be relied on to help mobilize African-Americans, the Democratic Party's most loyal constituency. Harris, a former prosecutor and state attorney general in California, is known for her sometimes aggressive questioning style in the Senate.

As a presidential candidate, she took Biden to task in a nationally televised debate over his past stances on mandatory busing for students as a means to desegregate schools. The choice of a running mate has added significance for Biden, 77, who would be the oldest person to become president if he is elected.

United States: Protests continue in Seattle months after George Floyd death

US: Protests against police brutality and systematic racism sparked by the death of African American man Gorge Floyd are continuing in Seattle of the United States.

Following the death of Floyd in May, the U.S. has been gripped by nationwide demonstrations against racial discrimination. Two months on, the city of Seattle still sees dozens of people protesting on streets. Most protesters gather near the local Cal Anderson Park in Capitol Hill area, which was once occupied by protesters on June 8. These protesters were cleared by police on July 1, with the cleanup continuing in August.

But some protesters return to the area often and stay at the Cal Anderson Park, which has become a shelter for the homeless. There are constant clashes between police and protesters, as demonstrations continue on and off. On Friday, four were arrested after a protest turned violent.

A protester, who preferred not to be shown on camera for safety concerns, said the police have done little to protect people. "Our police force came in, brutalized folks, arrested several and kicked them out of a shelter space, like they're removing people who have nothing from food and community. How does that keep us safe? How does make us safer? It doesn't. It only oppresses," said the protester.

"Do we think this is going to fix everything? No, of course not. We know this is just one step in a very long stairway, but it is a necessary step. The police are murdering people, and they get away with it. That has got to stop," added the protester. Demonstrators hope that through their actions, they can bring about community improvements and social changes.

'We should be able to protect ourselves'- memberships in NY Black gun club on the rise

Monroe, US: At 61-years-old Margaret Powell of El Dorado, Arkansas said she never thought she would want to own a gun...until now.

"At 61 years, I've not needed it, not ever thought of it. I would say 'Get the guns away. no, no no'. But now my views have changed because I guess the world is changing right before our eyes," Powell said just days before she was due to take her first gun safety class. "It's like we're going back in time to maybe the Wild, Wild West or something. Everybody has to have...has a gun. So, you know, It's shocking that at my age, I would be interested in something like this. It's amazing."

Powell is not alone. The insecurity brought by the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns combined with the anger following the death of George Floyd in police custody in May has lead to a higher levels of anxiety, fear and gun ownership, especially among African Americas. According to the National African American Gun Association (NAAGA) gun ownership among Black people is growing.

Founded in Atlanta in 2015, NAAGA started with 30 members. The organization now has 75 active chapters and more than 30,000 members, according to its website. NAAGA's founder Philip Smith said more than 2,000 people joined the group in the 36 hours after the death of George Floyd.

Membership also has grown in New York's Hudson Valley. Nubian Gun Club founder Damon Finch said the group started earlier this year with "a couple of people getting together."

"Our membership almost every night is doubling, tripling. It's just amazing how many people are now joining a group," said Finch, a firearms instructor.

He added, "When asking people why did you join a club, the common denominator that we're hearing is obviously safety, improve the ability to shoot, but also with what's going on in the world, they just want to at least have a game plan for them to protect their families." African Americas are not the only ones considering gun ownership.

Gun sales in June were the highest on record with 3.9 million firearms sold, according to calculations from the Brookings Institution. And gun retailers report about 40% of purchases coming from first-time buyers, according to the trade group the National Shooting Sports Foundation.

According to FBI statistics, the first spike in gun sales came in March after U.S. President Trump declared a national COVID-19 emergency. The week of March 16 saw the highest ever number of background checks for people wanting to purchase a firearm since the government began compiling statistics in 1998. The second highest week for background checks started June 1, following the death of George Floyd. "There's a lot of racial tension. There's a lot of divide in almost every arena that you can think of," said Powell in Arkansas.

Such tensions have galvanized groups such as Black Guns Matter which advocated for African American gun ownership in Minneapolis during recent protests, and the newly formed black militia, the Not Fucking Around Coalition which made its first public appearance in May to protest the shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery, a black jogger shot by two white men in Georgia. NFAC recently rallied in Louisville, Kentucky, where Breonna Taylor was shot and killed by police officers who burst into her apartment.

Every gun club is different. While NAAGA has grown into a political force, the Hudson Valley Nubian Gun Club's offers camaraderie, safety and weapons training. "I feel a little more prepared," said registered nurse and Hudson Valley Nubian Gun Club member Maliuqka (pronounced Maliqua) Burton.

"Self-preservation is universal law. We should be able to protect ourselves,' added gun club member Gahiji (pronounced Gah-ee-jee) Manderson who works in law enforcement. "We're not looking for trouble, but to be able to protect ourselves if trouble comes towards our way," Powell also said her aim is self defense. "My goal to be able to stop a person from getting into my space that is trying to cause me harm."

Portland protesters call for positive changes, de-escalation of violence

Portland, US: Protesters in the U.S. city of Portland have camped outside the federal courthouse amid continuous conflicts, saying what they want are positive changes and de-escalation of violence.

Protests against police brutality and racism have been going on in Portland for over two months following the death of George Floyd, an African American who died in police custody late May. Severe conflicts between protesters and federal law enforcement officers occurred almost every night outside the city’s federal courthouse. In the daytime, when staff from the court were busy reinforcing the fence around the building, some protesters on the other side of the road were putting up tents and distributing necessities to other participants and even the homeless.

"We make these bags, so like this bag, it contains like alcohol wipes, face masks, deodorant, tampons. It's free, yeah. So that way they can take care of themselves because some of these people are homeless. These are like self-care products. And then we got toothbrushes, toothpaste. There's food over there so that way they can eat for free. Everything out here is just being distributed for free," said Vil, a protester.

Vil joined the protest five days ago. He works in a tent to provide emergency medical care for injured people during the protests.

"Yeah there have been a few injured people. Some people had to go to the hospital. I've seen that there was a guy just earlier this morning who has suffered a lacerate over his eye, and stuff like that," he told China Central Television reporter.

Protesters placed simple donation boxes in tents. The drinkable water, food, masks and medical supplies at the site are all donations. The tents suffer attacks of tear shells and rubber bullets every night as it’s too close to the court. Brian King is a veteran and he comes to protest almost every night. King said he has been attacked many times and has collected some tear shell and rubber bullets used by federal law enforcement officers.

"If they're doing it to one individual, they're doing it to us all. And we all have a constitutional right," he said. A protester who did not want to give her name said she was disappointed seeing the escalating conflicts in the past two months. "They take an oath to protect us, when in reality I think that the oath is called for 'kill all people of color'. And that's the problem," she said.

Vil said they don’t want to see the violence occurred every night. He hopes that the confrontation will end peacefully, and the federal law enforcement officers can rethink how to improve their way of work and treat vulnerable groups correctly.

"People who don't have the experiences don't really know. But like if you experience police brutality, you know what's up with it. So we hope they can get that resolve. Probably do more training on de-escalation of violence so that it doesn't heightened up. They just need to get people from the neighborhood, from the community, stuff like that. Positive changes," said Vil.

As US police struggle to recruit, young cops seeks more humane approach

New York, US: Stephanie Robinson, 23, a rookie Black police officer on Detroit's West Side, has been challenged by Black residents about her loyalty while on patrol since the death of George Floyd under the knee of a white police officer.

"It's like you're either going to be Black or your going to be a cop. And then when I'm like, well you know, I'm supporting Black people, but at the same time I'm supporting police officers too, good police officers anyway," Robinson said. Robinson says she is committed to the force, but is also openly critical of police training and methods. "We learn how to arrest people, how to do takedowns. We learn how to deal with criminals," she told Reuters. But Robinson said daily dealings with victims of abuse and people with mental illness are not well addressed.

Growing concern among young officers and cadets about racism and brutality in U.S. law enforcement after Floyd's death is the latest complication for police recruiters already struggling to hire and retain new cops. Drops in the number of recruits and increases in officers heading for retirement are so dramatic that the Police Education Research Foundation (PERF) dubbed it a "workforce crisis."

Job applications have plummeted in many police departments over the past five years, falling 50% in Seattle, for example, and 70% in Jefferson County, Colorado, a 2019 study by PERF showed. About 16% of the U.S. police force hits retirement age in the next five years, the study found. As local governments curb police powers, and Congress pushes reform bills, some of the police workforce of the future is also beginning to question how policing is done and their role in it.

This next generation wants better training; a more transparent, flexible and accountable police presence; and closer ties to the communities they serve. "We are not waiting two, three, four years for change. We need to change now - right now," said DeCarlos Hines, a forensic psychology major and president of the Black Student Union at New York City's John Jay School of Criminal Justice, which is one of the biggest feeders into U.S. law enforcement.

Hiring and keeping Black and other minority officers is one of many challenges facing police recruiters, the PERF report says.

Law enforcement agencies are also increasingly struggling to find recruits who are conversant with technology to fight cyber crimes, such as human trafficking online or internet stalking, and able to be more active in addressing an array of social ills like the opioid epidemic.

A patrol officer for just over six months, Robinson says she was not taught how to handle the most common issue she faces: people with mental illness. "Honestly, 90% of the runs I go to every day are mental (health) runs," she said. Young cops are not an organized political force, nor do they have any control over police or university budgets. But police veterans and educators charged with filling jobs as the force ages say their views cannot be ignored.

At the John Jay School in New York, Hines and the student union are pushing for more minority instructors; mandatory anti-racism training for staff, faculty and students; inclusion of minority scholarship in every syllabus and course across the college; and a mandatory course on alternatives to policing, such as social work.

Karol Mason, who leads John Jay, said she is listening. "We need leadership from young voices to tell us how we can do this better," said Mason. John Jay's 15,000 student body is about 80% people of color, but about two-thirds of the faculty is white.

"I will consider it a personal failure if I don't figure out how to change and give our students people who look like them," she said. "You often hear 'You can't be what you can't see.'" Elias Oleaga, 19, joined the Boy Scout-founded Law Enforcement Exploring program when he was 13 and met veteran cops with a strong commitment to serving his Dominican community in the Bronx.

Now a student at John Jay, Oleaga says the national debate about policing has not shaken his desire to become an officer. "Us young guys, we always have the thought of getting the guns off the streets and getting your shield, your gold shield, but I don't think that there is anything better than looking at the cop in front of me and he looks just like me," he said. But because of Floyd's death, Oleaga said he now plans to focus his police career on community relations rather than his original choice, investigations.

Body of civil rights icon John Lewis crosses Bloody Sunday bridge one last time

Selma, Alabama, US: The body of civil rights icon John Lewis crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge on Sunday, July 26, decades after his "Bloody Sunday" beating there drew a national spotlight to the struggle for racial equality.

A military honor guard carried his American flag-draped casket from Brown Chapel AME Church to a horse-drawn carriage, which crossed the rose-petal strewn bridge where the battering of Lewis by a white state trooper during a voting rights demonstration in 1965 became a focal point of the movement. The carriage driver wore black top hat and a white face mask to guard against spread of the coronavirus.

Hundreds of people singing civil rights anthems watched "The Final Crossing" event. It was part of a multi-day celebration of the life of the congressman, whose body will lie in state at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Monday. After his casket crossed the bridge, it was saluted by mask-wearing Black and white Alabama state troopers.

Lewis, who died on July 17 at age 80 after a battle with pancreatic cancer, was a fiercely determined champion of nonviolent protest and was inspired by civil rights giant Martin Luther King, Jr.

Lewis, an Alabama sharecropper's son who strove for equality for Blacks in an America grappling with racial bigotry and segregation, played an outsized role in U.S. politics for six decades, first elected in 1986 to represent Georgia in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The Edmund Pettus Bridge was a searing symbol of the civil rights struggle. On March 7, 1965 non-violent demonstrators calling for voting rights regardless of race marched across the bridge and were met by club-swinging Alabama state troopers at the direction of segregationist Alabama Governor George Wallace. Lewis was beaten so badly on what is now referred to as "Bloody Sunday" that his scars were visible decades later.

The brutality of "Bloody Sunday" inspired President Lyndon Johnson to demand Congress approve legislation removing barriers to Black voting, and lawmakers passed the landmark Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Currently, amid national anti-racism protests and a movement to abolish Confederate monuments and symbols, calls have grown to rename the bridge that is named for Edmund Pettus, who fought in the Confederate Army and robbed African-Americans of their right to vote after Reconstruction. Barack Obama, the first Black U.S. president, awarded Lewis the presidential medal of freedom, America's highest civilian honor, in 2011.

US Attorney General Barr fend off Democrats attacks over protests

Washington, DC, US: Attorney General William Barr on Tuesday, July 28 parried attacks in the Democratic-led House of Representatives, denying accusations he is doing President Donald Trump's bidding by intervening in high-profile cases and sending federal agents into U.S. cities.

He testified to the House Judiciary Committee for the first time since taking office in February 2019 as the Justice Department faces criticism for sending federal officers to forcibly disperse anti-racism protesters in Portland, Oregon, and Washington, DC. Committee Democrats repeatedly interrupted Barr, often running out the clock before he could answer their questions and drawing criticism from Barr's fellow Republicans, who responded by letting him address the Democrats' criticism during their own allotted time to ask questions - a tactic that made it easier for Barr to stay on message.

During an exchange about the deployment of federal agents to Portland where they have clashed nightly with anti-racism demonstrators who have also set fires and thrown objects, Barr responded, "We have to take a stand and defend this federal property." Democrats argued that the deployment of federal agents to U.S. cities was an effort to boost Trump's re-election campaign.

"There is a real discrepancy in how you react as the attorney general, the top cop in this country when white men with swastikas storm a government building with guns, there is no need for the President to, quote, activate you because they're getting the president's personal agenda done. But, when Black people and people of color protest police brutality, systemic racism and the president's very own lack of response to those critical issues, then you forcibly remove them with armed federal officers, pepper bombs because they are considered terrorists by the president," Representative Pramila Jayapal said.

Barr denied taking actions to help Trump associates, saying they do not deserve special breaks but also should not be treated more harshly than other defendants. The department's internal watchdog launched probes last week into federal involvement in the Portland and Washington, D.C., protests.

Widespread and mostly peaceful protests against racial bias and police brutality have taken place in the United States since May 25 when George Floyd, a Black man, died under the knee of a white officer. Barr has highlighted the arson and violence at some protests, blaming them primarily on far-left "antifa" elements - an assertion that is heavily disputed - and urging federal prosecutors to bring criminal charges whenever possible.

In May, Barr sought to drop the criminal charge against former national security adviser Michael Flynn, setting the stage for an ongoing legal battle with the federal judge who was due to sentence Flynn, who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI. Barr insisted that Trump had not influenced the decision.

Civil unrest rages as protesters and federal agents clash in Portland

Portland, US: Federal agents fired tear gas canisters at Black Lives Matter protesters in the early hours of Tuesday, July 28 as tensions rose again on the streets of Portland, Oregon.

Protesters gathered for the 60th straight day amid public anger over the deployment of federal border patrol officers to Portland against the wishes of local officials. Six U.S. mayors, all Democrats, urged Congress on Monday, July 27 to halt President Donald Trump's deployment of federal forces to their cities, saying the move has escalated tensions at anti-racism protests spreading across the country.

The request came on the same day the U.S. attorney for Oregon announced the arrest of 22 people on charges stemming from clashes with federal and local police at the federal courthouse in Portland. Federal agents dispatched to Portland have drawn national attention for whisking away demonstrators in unmarked cars, beating a U.S. Navy veteran and tear-gassing activist mothers and the city's mayor. The appeal followed a surge in Black Lives Matter protests over the weekend, with an escalation in violence and the appearance of white supremacists and an armed Black militia.

U.S. President Donald Trump has sought to project a law-and-order stance as he seeks re-election on November 3, targeting cities controlled by Democrats who he says are soft on criminals. Critics say the administration is seeking to divert attention from its widely criticized response to the coronavirus pandemic. The U.S. Marshals Service on Monday tweeted it was lining up personnel to send to Oregon.

US Election: Record number of Black women set to run for US Congress

Little Rock, US: A record number of Black women are running for the U.S. Congress in 2020, a year marked by widespread racial justice protests across the country. Democratic Party efforts have focused on flipping seats now held by Republicans.

For Joyce Elliott, an Arkansas state senator who is seeking an Arkansas congressional seat in November, the decision to run was based simply on the fact that she thought she could win. But months into her congressional run, as the country has grappled with a deadly coronavirus pandemic that has disproportionately sickened and killed Black Americans and racial unrest sparked by police violence, the historical moment has certainly not been lost on her.

"So many of us own and have to deal with all of the things that happen in our families and we see, I think Black women and other women as well, internalize things that are unjust. we are so many times the ones that are trying to make sure that other kids are taken care of. Women, I think, just have a whole different way of looking at the world that is more inclusive, many times, because we are multitaskers and I think we see perspectives differently from men. But as much as anything we have been the voices that have been left out and I think people recognize that," said Joyce Elliott, an Arkansas state senator running to represent Little Rock in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Arkansas' second congressional district, which Elliot has hoped to represent, has voted for a Republican president in every 21st century election. For Elliott running for office is a way to be heard. "The women who have had the chance to serve, I think most of them have become a force where they have made contributions where people see that this is something that should not be an anomaly. It's just really been a way of leaving out too much talent. I know in my case I was recruited to run, so I think that really speaks to other people seeing the value of having Black women in politics," Elliott said.

As a child, Elliott was only the second Black student to attend her mostly White public high school; the first was her older sister. If she is elected in November, she will be the first Black lawmaker from Arkansas ever. "I was 15 when this happened, when I was part of force integration. I had gone to a Black school all that time," Elliott said.

"I think the biggest thing I learned overall is to make sure I never treat other people the way I was treated and I never forget that, and remember when people are hurting and people are excluded this is not the way to build unity. So it just really turned me into the kind of person that I would do everything I could to help America live up to America's promise of unity."

In a country in which voter turnout is often lacking, Black women are among the groups most likely to come out to the polls. In the last presidential election, 63% of Black women who were eligible to vote did so, only outstripped by White non-Hispanic women, according to a 2019 report by the Center for Women and Politics. (White non-Hispanic men voted at the same rate as Black women.)

But voter turnout for Black women has historically not also necessarily meant there are more elected officials who look like them. Though Black women are nearly 8% of the population, they make up 4.3% of all members of Congress, according to a report by the Center of Women and Politics and Higher Heights for America, a political action committee that seeks to elect more progressive Black women to elected office. Black women are also underrepresented in other elected offices as well.

That has started to change in the past 10 years. The number of Black women running for Congress - and winning - has increased at a steady clip since 2011. Glynda Carr, the president and co-founder of Higher Heights for America, expects that trend to continue this year. Elliott hopes that her candidacy, successful or not, helps inspire the next generation of political leaders.

"If you feel fear, feel it, but move on. Do not let that become a reason for you to not step up. Know that you are qualified to do what you have been seeing other people do all this time. That which you don't know make sure you learn it. Other people my age, and someone did it for me, we've laid the groundwork for you to run. Make sure if you want the world to be better don't let anything convince you that you don't have a place in America," Elliott said.

Seattle Black Lives Matter clashes spark 45 arrests, 21 police injured

Seattle, US: Dozens were arrested and many police injured in clashes at a Seattle Black Lives Matter protest on Saturday, July 25, police said.

It was the largest turnout in weeks with demonstrators showing renewed sense of energy sparked by violent clashes between activists and federal agents in nearby Portland, Oregon. Police said officers used non-lethal weapons in attempts to disperse the thousands of marchers in the late afternoon after some protesters set fire to the construction site for a King County juvenile detention facility and courthouse.

By 10 p.m. (0500 GMT), police had "made 45 arrests in connection with today's riot in the East Precinct," the Seattle Police wrote in a Twitter post. It said "21 officers sustained injuries after being struck by bricks, rocks mortars/other explosives. Most officers were able to return to duty. One was treated at a hospital for a knee injury."

Earlier the police had said they were working to secure access for the city's fire department to the blaze, which it said was started by about a dozen people who were part of a large group of demonstrators. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he expanded the deployment of federal police to Seattle, enraging local officials and igniting anger among protesters. The tactics of federal officers in Portland have drawn the ire of local leaders and Democrats in Congress, who say those officers are using excessive force and complain of overreach by the Trump administration. 

U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Washington Brian Moran said in a statement on Friday that federal agents are stationed in Seattle to protect federal properties and the work done in those buildings. The Trump administration has also sent federal police to Chicago, Kansas City and Albuquerque, New Mexico, over the objections of those mayors.

Australia police win halt to Black Lives Matter protest amid COVID-19

Sunday: An Australian court on Sunday, July 26 ordered a halt to a Black Lives Matter protest for this week, accepting police concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic, but the organiser vowed to appeal.

Several thousand people had been expected at the protest in Sydney on Tuesday, July 28 against the deaths of Aboriginal people in custody, building on momentum from the global Black Lives Matter demonstrations for racial justice and against police brutality. The New South Wales state supreme court granted a police application to halt the rally. Police cited concerns about the spread of the new coronavirus to protesters, the public and police officers.

Australian health authorities have been fighting more than 100 outbreaks in the neighbouring state of Victoria, which saw a record 10 deaths overnight, raising fears that small clusters in New South Wales could quickly escalate. Outside the court, organiser Padraic Gibson said he would appeal the decision and the protest would go ahead.

"We are not the problem. We are not the ones responsible for the coronavirus. You have absolutely nothing to fear from our demonstration," he said. But New South Wales police "strongly urged" people to reconsider plans to attend the "unauthorised" protest, referring to public health restrictions on large gatherings.

"Police will not hesitate to take the appropriate action, if required," the police said in a statement.

Protesters are demanding justice for David Dungay Jr, 26, an indigenous man who died after being restrained by police at a Sydney jail in 2015, where footage showed him repeatedly telling officers he could not breathe. A coronial inquest in Nov 2019 found that none of the five guards who restrained Dungay should face disciplinary actions.

Two people shot by fellow protester during Black Lives Matter march in Colorado

Aurora, Colorado, US: At least two people were shot and injured on Saturday, July 25 by a fellow protester who tried to shoot at a vehicle that had barrelled through a crowd that had occupied an interstate freeway during a Black Lives Matter march in Aurora, Colorado, local media reported.

According to an NBC affiliate, hundreds of protesters had gathered on I-255 for a march to demand justice for Elijah McClain and to stand in solidarity with demonstrators who have, for days, faced off with federal law enforcement agents in Oregon when a blue jeep came barrelling down the highway heading straight for the crowd. Aerial footage showed protesters jumping out of the way as the driver sped through. Media reported that the driver did not hit anyone and the jeep was towed by police after the incident.

McClain, 23, was walking along a street in Aurora in August 2019 when he was approached by three officers on reports of a man acting suspiciously, although he had not committed any crimes.

The officers subdued McClain with the carotid chokehold. During the confrontation, McClain said he could not breathe, according to audio recordings released by police.

Paramedics later injected him with the sedative ketamine. McClain lapsed into a coma and died days later. A local prosecutor declined to file charges against the officers or paramedics, citing an autopsy that listed the cause of death as undetermined. Colorado Governor Jared Polis has appointed a special prosecutor to review the case, and this week the FBI and the U.S. Department of Justice said they are investigating whether McClain's civil rights were violated.

McClain's death, which returned to prominence following the May 25 suffocation in Minneapolis police custody of George Floyd, has become a rallying cry in nationwide protests against police brutality and racial bias in the U.S. criminal justice system.

US: Black armed protesters march in Kentucky demanding justice for Breonna Taylor

Kentucky, US: A group of heavily armed Black protesters marched through Louisville, Kentucky on Saturday, July 26 demanding justice for Breonna Taylor, a Black woman killed in March by police officers who burst into her apartment.

Scores of the demonstrators, carrying semi-automatic rifles and shotguns and clad in black paramilitary gear, walked in formation to a fenced off intersection where they were separated by police from a smaller group of armed counter-protesters. The Black militia dubbed NFAC want justice for Taylor, a 26-year-old emergency medical technician who died in a hail of gunfire when drug investigators bearing a "no-knock" warrant entered her Louisville home four months ago.

One police officer involved in the raid was fired by the city's police department in June. Two other officers have been placed on administrative reassignment. No criminal charges have been filed against any of the three. Taylor's death, which returned to prominence following the May 25 suffocation in Minneapolis police custody of George Floyd, has become a rallying cry in nationwide protests against police brutality and racial bias in the U.S. criminal justice system.

The NFAC first drew attention on July 4 when they rallied in Stone Mountain Park near Atlanta to demand the removal of the giant Confederate rock carving at the site that civil rights activists consider a monument to racism. In Louisville on Saturday, three members of the group were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries when a weapon was accidentally discharged, police said.

Protesters and police clash again outside federal courthouse in Portland

Portland, US: A standoff between federal agents and Black Lives Matter protesters continued outside a federal courthouse on Friday evening, July 24 in the 56th straight day of anti-racism protests across the United States.

Federal agents were seen firing tear gas canisters at demonstrators, only to be met with leafblowers that sent clouds of tear gas back over a steel fence dividing federal officers and protesters. Protesters were also seen throwing lit tear gas canisters and fireworks over the fence. The specially equipped federal police agents sent to Portland have drawn scrutiny from the Justice Department inspector general, who announced an investigation of their use of force as a judge temporarily blocked the arrest of journalists and legal observers. 

Prosecutors also charged 18 protesters in Portland with assaulting federal officers, trespassing and arson during the protests, the Justice Department said. Portland has been rocked by nearly two months of demonstrations for racial equality, part of a movement that has swept the United States since the death of George Floyd in May.

"Global support for justice in fight against racism brings hope" said George Floyd family

The aunt of murdered African American George Floyd has opened up about the tragic death of her nephew and the wave of support that came from around the world calling for change following his death in an exclusive interview with the China Global Television Network (CGTN), with Saturday marking two months since Floyd's death.

Angela Harrelson, the aunt of the 46-year-old Floyd who was killed in Minneapolis on May 25 after a white police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes, spoke of how the family has been coming to terms with the tragedy which went on to spark huge worldwide protests against police brutality and systemic racism.

On Monday, tens of thousands of workers across the United States, including staff members at airports, fast food restaurants, nursing homes and on farms, staged a nationwide strike to protest racial injustice against African Americans, in an event dubbed 'Strike for Black Lives'.

It was a continuation of the anti-racism demonstrations that have swept the nation after the death of Floyd, and was planned amid a surge in violent incidents across the nation that have tragically resulted in the deaths of a number of young children.

Speaking with CGTN, Harrelson recounted how she watched the horrifying footage of Floyd being forcefully detained by the white police officer in video pictures which have shocked the world.

"Everything just dropped, I just fell. And then I kept asking myself, did I just watch a modern day lynching?," she said. Harrelson had helped the father-of-five establish himself in Minneapolis but says she feels robbed and in some ways guilty that she could have done more to help her nephew.

"Now he's like when you go places, he's everywhere but he's not here. He's on somebody's wall. You go to the store, his face is there. And when that happened to him, that tragedy, for a few days I carried a lot of guilt. Because I feel like I wasn't there for him. And I had to really deal with that," said Harrelson. The heated protests that immediately erupted in Minneapolis in the wake of Floyd's death not only spread to other U.S. cities, but also around the world before long.

The level of support which followed from many countries was a source of great strength for the Floyd family, Harrelson said.

"When this first happened and I started hearing about [protests in] Germany and London and I was like, my god, they are really standing beside us. I was just so overwhelmed with so much love," she said.

Harrelson represented the family at a recent court hearing for the four police officers charged with killing Floyd. She called for justice for all the people who have suffered from racism- a hope that is shared by many across the world. "Of course we want justice. His death has opened up a conversation that never took place before. Racism is no longer in the denial process. And that's a beautiful thing. And it's something that is getting the respect that it should. And that's why I have so much hope," she said.