United States racial unrest (2020–present)
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A wave of civil unrest in the United States, initially triggered by the murder of George Floyd during his arrest by Minneapolis police officers on May 25, 2020, led to protests and riots against systemic racism in the United States,[8][9] such as in the form of police violence and other forms of violence.[10] Since then, numerous other incidents of police brutality have drawn continued attention and unrest in various parts of the country.
United States racial unrest (2020–present) | ||||
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Part of racism in the United States and political violence in the United States | ||||
Date | May 26, 2020 – present (3 years, 11 months, 2 weeks and 4 days) | |||
Location | United States | |||
Caused by |
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Methods | ||||
Resulted in |
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Concessions | Budget cuts and reforms for several police departments | |||
Parties | ||||
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Casualties[needs update] | ||||
Death(s) | 19 confirmed (May 26 – June 8, 2020),[4] see list | |||
Injuries | 2,000+ law enforcement officials and an unknown number of civilians (as of July 31, 2020)[5] | |||
Arrested | Over 14,000 (as of June 27, 2020)[6] | |||
Property damage | $1–2 billion (May 26 – June 8, 2020)[7] |
It was facilitated by the nationwide Black Lives Matter movement. Following the murder of Floyd, unrest broke out in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul area on May 26, and quickly spread across the country and the world. Polls have estimated that between 15 million and 26 million people have participated at some point in the demonstrations in the United States, making them the largest protests in American history.[11][12][13] It was also estimated that between May 26 and August 22, around 93 percent of protests were "peaceful and nondestructive".[14][15] According to several studies and analyses, protests have been overwhelmingly peaceful.[16][17][18][19]
The unrest precipitated a national American cultural reckoning on topics of racial injustice. Public opinion of racism and discrimination quickly shifted in the wake of the protests, with significantly increased support of the Black Lives Matter movement and acknowledgement of institutional racism.[20][21][22] The effects of American activism extended internationally and multiple columnists began to refer to it as an international reckoning on racial issues in early June 2020.[20][21][22][23]
Within Minneapolis, widespread property destruction and looting occurred, including a police station being overrun by demonstrators and set on fire, causing the Minnesota National Guard to be activated and deployed on May 28. After a week of unrest, over $500 million in property damage was reported in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul area, with two deaths linked to the riots.[24][25][26][27] Further unrest quickly spread throughout the United States, sometimes including rioting, looting, and arson. By early June, at least 200 American cities had imposed curfews, while more than 30 states and Washington, D.C, had activated over 62,000 National Guard personnel in response to unrest.[28][29][30] By the end of June, at least 14,000 people had been arrested at protests.[31][32][33] By June 2020, more than 19 people had died in relation to the unrest. According to a September 2020 estimate, arson, vandalism and looting caused about $1–2 billion in insured damage between May 26 and June 8, making this initial phase of the George Floyd protests the civil disorder event with the highest recorded damage in American history.[7][34]
There was also a large concentration of unrest around Portland, Oregon, which led to the Department of Homeland Security deploying federal agents in the city in June 2020. The move was code named Operation Legend, after four-year-old LeGend Taliferro, who was shot and killed in Kansas City.[35] Federal forces were later deployed in other cities which faced unrest, including Kansas City and Seattle.[36][37][38][39] More localized unrest reemerged in several cities following incidents involving police officers, notably following the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin, which led to protests and riots in the city. The protests led to requests at the federal, state and municipal levels intended to combat police misconduct, systemic racism, qualified immunity and police brutality in the United States.[40][41]