George Floyd protests: Minneapolis dispatcher audio conveys concern over officers’ use of force

Protests over racism and police violence continue nationwide, fueled by outrage over the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who was killed last month while in the custody of Minneapolis police.

Authorities have arrested four Minneapolis police officers – Derek Chauvin, Thomas Lane, J.A. Kueng and Tou Thao – in connection with his death. The officers have since been fired.

Floyd, 46, died on Memorial Day after police were called to investigate a report of a man trying to use what looked like a counterfeit $20. Video of his death caught by bystanders and shared on social media showed Chauvin holding his knee to Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes as Floyd pleaded for air.

Live updates for Monday, June 15, continue below:

Seattle City Council bans use of chokeholds, tear gas by police

Update 10:11 p.m. EDT June 15: Seattle’s city council on Monday unanimously passed a ban on the use of both chokeholds and tear gas by police, following an uproar over how the department used crowd-control dispersants against demonstrators, KIRO-7 reported.

“Demonstrators have been grievously injured by these weapons,” said council member Kshama Sawant, who proposed both bans.

On June 5, Mayor Jenny Durkan announced a one-month ban on tear gas at protests.

Email instructs Seattle police to respond only to ‘mass casualty event’ inside autonomous zone

Update 8:04 p.m. EDT June 15: Seattle Police officers have been instructed via email not to respond to calls for service within the “Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone,” unless it is in response to a “mass casualty event” such as an active shooter or a structural fire “likely to endanger human lives,” CNN reported.

For all other calls, complainants are asked to meet police outside the zone, Seattle Police spokesman Det. Patrick Michaud told the network Monday.

The department-wide email, sent June 12, instructs Seattle police officers to continue documenting calls originating from the “autonomous zone,” even in cases “where complainant/victim contact isn’t possible,” CNN reported.

In an attempt to clarify the evolving situation, Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best said during a Monday news conference that despite widespread confusion on the matter, “there is no cop-free zone in the city of Seattle.”

“I think that the picture has been painted in many areas that show the city is under siege – that is not the case. We do have a small area, as you know, in the Capitol Hill area…that we are responding to calls for service in a different manner,” Best said.

U.N. votes to hold ‘urgent debate’ on racism, police brutality following George Floyd killing

Update 7:41 p.m. EDT June 15: The United Nations voted Monday to convene an “urgent debate” on racism and police brutality in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd.

According to NPR, the debate on “the current racially inspired human rights violations, systemic racism, police brutality and the violence against peaceful protests” is slated for Wednesday and was proposed by a group of 54 African countries, headed by Burkina Faso.

“After the widespread indignation over (the killing of George Floyd) it would be inconceivable that the Human Rights Council not deal with these questions, which are very relevant in accordance with its mandate,” Faso said in the statement on behalf of the countries proposing the vote.

Los Angeles Unified schools ban chokeholds, pepper spray

Update 7:19 p.m. EDT June 15: The second-largest public school system in the nation banned the use of chokeholds and pepper spray Monday.

“We cannot ignore legitimate concerns and criticism that students and other members in the school community have about all forms of law enforcement,” Superintendent Austin Beutner said in a statement.

"No person should feel the presence of a safety officer on a campus as an indictment of them or their character,” Beutner added.

The school system includes more than 1,000 schools serving more than 600,000 students.

Connecticut governor bans chokeholds for state police force

Update 7:08 p.m. EDT June 15: Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont announced Monday that he has signed an executive order banning the use of chokeholds for the state police force.

According to a statement issued by Lamont, the executive order also requires the state’s Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection to review the Connecticut State Police Administrative and Operations Manual and update it to require state troopers to, when possible, to deescalate situations, provide a verbal warning, and exhaust “all other reasonable alternatives” before resorting to use of deadly force.

Troopers are also duty-bound to intervene if they witness another officer using excessive force and to report any such incidents to a supervisor, the statement said.

Minneapolis dispatcher audio conveys concern over officers’ use of force on George Floyd

Update 7 p.m. EDT June 15: Previously unheard audio of a concerned police dispatcher released Monday by the Minneapolis Police Department expressed concern over officers’ use of force in their May 25 apprehension of George Floyd that resulted in his death.

The dispatcher became concerned watching the officers’ actions on surveillance cameras and alerted a supervisor out of concern for the force applied by the officers involved.

According to CNN, the timestamp on the audio stamp of the recording indicates the call was made at 8:30 p.m. local time on May 25, around the time Floyd was being transported by ambulance to the Hennepin County Medical Center.

"I don't know, you can call me a snitch if you want to, but we have the cameras up for 320's call, and…I don't know if they had to use force or not, but they got something out of the back of the squad, and all of them sat on this man, so I don't know if they needed you or not, but they haven't said anything to me yet,” the dispatcher said on the audio call.

The department also released transcripts from two 911 call, including one placed by an unidentified off-duty Minneapolis firefighter.

“I literally watched police officers not take a pulse and not do anything to save a man, and I am a first responder myself, and I literally have it on video camera… I just happened to be on a walk so, this dude, this, they (expletive) killed him so..." the transcript reads, according to CNN.

Trump to sign executive order on policing Tuesday

Update 3:50 p.m. EDT June 15: President Donald Trump told reporters Monday that he plans to sign an executive order on policing Tuesday, according to reports from the White House press pool.

The president declined to share specifics about the measure, though he said he believes it “will be very comprehensive.”

“The overall goal is we want law and order,” Trump said. “It’s about justice, also. It’s about safety.”

CNN reported Monday that the executive order was still being finalized. However, a source briefed on the order told the news network that it will likely “establish a national certification system for law enforcement agencies and a database to better track excessive use of force by police officers nationwide.”

New York City police disbanding plainclothes anti-crime unit

Update 3:45 p.m. EDT June 15: New York City police announced plans Monday to disband the department’s 600-member plainclothes anti-crime unit.

"Effective immediately we will be transitioning those units, roughly 600 people citywide, into a variety of assignments including detective bureau, neighborhood policing and other assignments,” police Commissioner Dermot Shea said Monday at a news conference.

He said the move was aimed at building trust in the community as protesters take to the streets nationwide to demand police accountability and an end to racism.

“Make no mistake: This is a seismic shift in the culture of how the NYPD polices this great city," Shea said. “It’s a big move when you look at culturally how we police this city. ... What we always struggle with, I believe as police executives, is not keeping crime down, it’s keeping crime down and keeping the community working with us. And I think those two things at times have been at odds.”

Seattle City Council considering permanent ban on tear gas, flash-bangs

Update 2:25 p.m. EDT June 15: The Seattle City Council is considering a ban on the use of crowd-control weapons like tear gas, pepper spray and flash-bangs, KIRO-TV reported.

City councilors are reviewing three proposed police reform ordinances, including one which would ban the ownership, purchase or use of crowd-control weapons, according to KIRO-TV.

The other two ordinances include one which would bar Seattle police from using chokeholds and another which would ban police from covering their badge numbers with traditional mourning bands.

>> Read more on KIRO7.com

Agencies will be required to publish names of disciplined officers in New Jersey

Update 1 p.m. EDT June 15: State, county and local law enforcement agencies in New Jersey will be required to publish the names of officers disciplined under a variety of criteria following a directive signed Monday by state Attorney General Gurbir Grewal.

The order will require officials to submit annual reports including names of officers who have been fired, demoted or suspended for more than five days, Grewal said. The first report is expected to be released at the end of 2020.

Grewal also announced that the New Jersey State Police will release the names of more than 400 state troopers who have “committed major disciplinary violations in the past 20 years."

“It’s time for transparency," Grewal said in a series of Twitter posts Monday. “The vast majority of (New Jersey’s) police officers serve with honor and astonishing courage. ... But their good work is undermined when an officer breaches the public’s trust and dishonors the profession.”

Family remembers Rayshard Brooks as ‘always happy,' calls for police reform

Update 12:50 p.m. EDT June 15: The family of Rayshard Brooks, the man killed Friday by Atlanta police after falling asleep in a Wendy’s parking lot, remembered the 27-year-old as a cheerful man dedicated to his family and called for police reform at a news conference Monday.

Brooks’ niece remembered him as a “loving husband, a caring brother and, most importantly to me, an uncle that I could depend on.”

“He was always happy,” said his cousin, Jymaco Brooks. “He was always smiling.”

L. Chris Stewart, the attorney representing Brooks’ family, said Monday that there needs to be a “mental change in policing." Family members also called for reform, decrying Rayshard Brooks’ death as completely unnecessary.

“If we stand together and unite as one, there will be no more cases similar to Rayshard’s,” said Brooks’ cousin, Tiara Brooks. “How many more protests will it take to ensure that the next victim isn’t your cousin, your brother, your uncle, your nephew, your friend or your companion?”

Journalist pulled from protest coverage in Pittsburgh announces he’s leaving newspaper

Update 11:25 a.m. EDT June 15: One of two Pittsburgh Post-Gazette journalists who was taken off assignments related to recent protests in the area announced Sunday that he’s leaving the newspaper, WPXI reported.

Michael Santiago announced on Twitter that he’s accepted a buyout offered to employees last month.

According to WPXI, leaders at the Pittsburgh Post Gazette decided to pull Santiago and Alexis Johnson off coverage of local protests after Johnson made a post on Twitter comparing the aftermath of a Kenny Chesney concert to the aftermath of looting following protests in the city. WPXI reported Santiago publicly supported Johnson.

>> Read more on WPXI.com

Supreme Court declines to reexamine qualified immunity

Update 10:25 a.m. EDT June 15: The Supreme Court on Monday declined to take up cases on qualified immunity, a legal doctrine that makes successfully filing a lawsuit against a law enforcement officer almost impossible.

Justice Clarence Thomas dissented from the decision, writing Monday that the doctrine “appears to stray from the statutory text.”

According to NPR, the Supreme Court focuses on two questions when applying the qualified immunity doctrine to police: Did police use excessive force and should they have known that use of force was illegal?

Qualified immunity caused a lawsuit to be dismissed against an officer in Georgia who fired at a family dog but instead shot and wounded a child. It was cited in the rejection of a lawsuit against three Fresno, California, police officers accused of stealing almost $250,000 from owners of a business.

The Supreme Court’s decision was announced as protests continue nationwide against police brutality and racism in the aftermath of the death of George Floyd and several other unarmed black men and women at the hands of police.

Brothers create board game, raise more than $80,000 for Black Lives Matter

Update 9:50 a.m. EDT June 15: Two brothers in North Carolina have raised more than $80,000 in support of Black Lives Matter through sales of their board game “Rap Godz,” WSOC-TV reported.

The hip hop-themed game, in which players compete to attain the most record sales, gained momentum last week after popular YouTube personality Danny Plays Gamez pledged to donate $10 to support Black Lives Matter for each sale of “Rap Godz,” according to WTVD. Omari Akil, one of the game’s creators, told WTVD he matched the donation pledge.

“Effectively what happened was the community just rallied behind us,” Akil said, according to WTVD. “Everybody started sharing that post.”

Pledges continued to rise until at $50, game creator Isaac Childres announced he would double the pledge amount, WTVD reported.

“Once that happened, it spread like wildfire,” Akil told the news station.

Petition calls for removal of statue in Boston’s Lincoln Square

Update 7:42 a.m. EDT June 15: People in Boston are calling for the city to remove the emancipation statue in Lincoln Square.

According to WFXT, the statue depicts a slave at the feet of Abraham Lincoln. An online petition has more than 7,800 signatures asking for the statue be taken down.

It is a replica of the Emancipation Memorial in Washington, D.C., and was erected in Lincoln Square in 1879. Critics say its image is offensive and racist.

“What they tried to depict here was the figure rising up toward freedom, but it’s unmistakable when you look at it that they really missed the mark on that,” said Raul Fernandez, associate dean for equity, diversity and inclusion at Boston University Wheelock.

Fernandez has spent countless hours studying similar statues across the country.

“The paternalistic image we see in this statue here is emblematic of how slave holders and even abolitionists viewed black people,” Fernandez said.

The man at the feet of Lincoln is named Archer Alexander. He was a slave in Missouri, but Fernandez said at the time the statue was commissioned, Alexander wasn’t a free man.

“Archer Alexander lived in Missouri and was actually exempt from the Emancipation Proclamation at that time,” Fernandez said.

The original Emancipation Memorial in D.C. was paid for by former slaves, but Fernandez said that even black abolitionist Fredrick Douglass had a problem with the design.

A Boston city official told WFXT that Mayor Marty Walsh is in favor of removing the statue but also interested in creating a dialogue with the community to recommission the statue into one that recognizes equality.

Read more here.

Motorcycle group rides through Charlotte, NC, in protest of racism, social injustice

Update 4:06 a.m. EDT June 15: An international group of motorcycle clubs rode through the Charlotte, North Carolina, on Sunday morning, WSOC-TV is reporting.

Members of Buffalo Soldiers Charlotte rode in protest of racism and social injustices. Several groups met in University City before riding into uptown.

The man who organized it said his group was protesting in a positive way.

“People will see us doing this positive and understand that who we are and what were about. Doing that, I think that will go a long way,” said Joseph Little, president of Buffalo Soldiers Charlotte.

When the riders got to uptown, they took a knee for eight minutes and 46 seconds to reflect on the death of George Floyd.

Seattle area formerly dubbed ‘autonomous zone’ gets new name

Update 2:46 a.m. EDT June 15: Protesters occupying a portion of Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood have given it a new name, KIRO-TV is reporting.

A welcome sign now reads CHOP, which stands for “Capitol Hill Occupied Protest.” The area was first called the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone, or CHAZ.

As demonstrations continued Sunday for the 17th consecutive day, there were talks among the city of Seattle, demonstrators, and people who live and work in that area about the future of the protest zone.

One property owner said there were serious concerns, such as first responders not being able to drive emergency vehicles through the area, which has been busy. Still, he said he believed in a path forward.

Seattle Fire Chief Harold Scoggins was among those also engaged in the talks with key players from the occupied area.

“We’re trying to work through different plans,” Scoggins said. “There have been incidents inside the area, and we’ve been in communication with the teams and working at handoff points and, so that’s been our plan up to this point. But what we know is that’s a limited plan.”

One proposal being considered by the city is to have a smaller protest area, which would keep some parts for walking only while opening up other parts to traffic for first responders and businesses.

Ron Amundson, a property owner, supports that.

“That’s the main concern right now is not having the ability to respond to a life-threatening emergency,” said Amundson, who was involved in the talks. “Many businesses are afraid to open.”

Amundson said some people are packing up.

“Was told eight was leaving one property and many others are leaving the other properties,” Amundson said.

CHOP representatives said crowds in the area could be good for businesses but also expressed a willingness to consider a new footprint for the area. They are also worried that adding drivers to the mix could lead to potential deliberate attacks on protesters.

“It needs leadership and organization, and I think we can do it. I think that what we don’t want to do is allow bad actors and hijack the protest with their agendas. We don’t want this to end badly,” Amundson said.

A property owner told KIRO-TV they don’t have a timeline for moving forward on any changes in the area.

The city said it’s still working with demonstrators on their demands for reforms, which have already led to some police policy changes.

Clemson football players lead racial justice march

Update 1:12 a.m. EDT June 15: Clemson University football players led a group of protesters Saturday who marched for racial justice in Clemson, South Carolina.

According to The Associated Press, the march included a moment of silence for eight minutes and 46 seconds, the length of time prosecutors say George Floyd was pinned under a white Minneapolis police officer’s knee before he died.

Players Trevor Lawrence, Mike Jones Jr., Cornell Powell and Darien Rencher organized the demonstration, the AP reported.

“This is a historic time and a challenging time,” head football coach Dabo Swinney said during the event. “But as I tell my team all the time, challenge is what creates change. … Black lives more than matter; black lives significantly matter and equally matter.”

Read more here.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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