There are 61 article(s) tagged George Floyd:
Protesters distributed a list of “suggested demands” at a weekend rally. Some are easier to achieve than others given the coronavirus-spiked budgeting chaos. All, perhaps, are debatable. But it would do the city great good for the current moment to become a more actionable one.
As hundreds of protesters gathered Downtown Sunday evening and early Monday morning, there was more tension and more strategy than the previous four demonstrations in response to the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police. And some of the tension was among different camps of activists.
The Memphis Grizzlies, determined to put their words into action, offer paid time off for employees to vote in location and national elections.
Critics point out that these tragedies occurred outside of Memphis. They also complain that activists should focus on issues such as joblessness, educational deficits and crime. But in times of crisis, public protest is essential.
The latest in the series of four marches so far began Saturday from the National Civil Rights Museum and saw calls for action in the wake of George Floyd's death in police custody in Minneapolis. The Memphis march was peaceful. But hours later a smaller group of people clashed with police at Beale and Main after the entertainment district closed for the night.
The son of a black mother and a white father, Memphis Redbirds manager Ben Johnson grew up in Whitehaven and Germantown with a foot in both worlds. Even after recent events in Minneapolis, he hasn't lost hope for a more civilized America.
A crowd that swelled to more than 200 gathered in Downtown Memphis for the third consecutive evening of local protests over the Minnesota death of George Floyd.
So, yes, I do not care about whether a college basketball player stands up for an anthem. To complain about such a thing in this moment seems to me pointless, trivial, a kind of profanity.
Saying the time for “hollow words” is over, the Tennessee Black Caucus called for legislative reform to address the needs of African Americans and sought justice in the wake of George Floyd’s death at the hands of Minneapolis police.
What began as a silent protest of the death of a Minnesota man at the hands of police grew heated Wednesday night, May 27, as counter-protesters confronted the group and Memphis Police shut down a portion of Union Avenue.
Memphis forward Lance Thomas tweeted Wednesday that “I’m never pledging allegiance to the American Flag before any of my games or anywhere I’m at ever again." Thomas later took down the tweet, but his anger and disgust is understandable.