Demonstrators in Kenosha, Wisconsin, protest the police shooting of Jacob Blake, an unarmed African American man, in August 2020.
© Kamil Krzaczynski, AFP/Getty Images

Protests erupted in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and elsewhere this week in response to the August 23 shooting of Jacob Blake, an African American man, by a white police officer. The officer shot Blake in the back seven times. Blake was hospitalized but survived.

People in Kenosha and elsewhere have taken to the streets to demonstrate against racism and the police use of force against African Americans. The demonstrations often feature signs reading “Black Lives Matter.” This slogan has become a popular rallying cry in recent years. It is also the name of an activist movement. Black Lives Matter was formed to campaign against racism and what its members consider police brutality against African Americans.

The demonstrations have at time turned violent, with protesters damaging property and police shooting rubber bullets and tear gas. On August 26, two protesters were shot and killed. A third protester was shot, but not fatally. A white 17-year-old from Illinois who claimed to be a member of a militia was arrested in connection with the three shootings.

The shooting of Blake comes in the wake of several other high-profile cases of violence against African Americans by police and others. On Feb. 3, 2020, in Georgia, an African American man named Ahmaud Arbery was shot and killed while jogging. (Arbery’s killers were not law enforcement officers, but many people were angered when it took months of pressure for arrests to be made in the case.) On March 13, 2020, in Louisville, Kentucky, an African American woman named Breonna Taylor was shot and killed by police officers executing a search warrant, who broke into her home in the middle of the night. George Floyd, a 46-year-old African American man, died in police custody on May 25. Cellphone video captured by witnesses showed a white police officer kneeling on the handcuffed Floyd’s neck for several minutes before his death.

In protest of the Jacob Blake shooting, players for the Milwaukee Bucks voted to boycott their National Basketball Association (NBA) playoff game on August 26. Other teams followed, and the league soon canceled the day’s games. Many other sports teams and players sat out games in solidarity.

Protesters with a sign featuring George Floyd’s plea to the officer who knelt on his neck: “I can’t breathe.”
Credit: © Kerem Yucel, AFP/Getty Images

Protests erupted in cities throughout the United States (and even around the world) this week, with people taking to the streets to demonstrate against racism and the police use of force against African Americans. Many protests have remained peaceful, but some have turned violent, with law enforcement shooting protesters with rubber bullets and tear gas and rioters setting fires and raiding stores.

The latest round of protests began in Minneapolis, where George Floyd, a 46-year-old African American man, died in police custody on May 25. Cellphone video captured by witnesses showed a white police officer kneeling on the handcuffed Floyd’s neck for several minutes before his death. The officer, Derek Chauvin, was subsequently fired and charged with murder.

George Floyd, shown here, died in police custody on May 25, 2020, sparking protests against police use of force.
Credit: Offices of Ben Crump Law

From Minneapolis, protests spread to practically every major city in the United States, including Atlanta, Georgia; Los Angeles, California; and Chicago, Illinois. Some law enforcement buildings were set on fire. In several cities, protesters raided or destroyed businesses. Protests began in cities outside the United States, too. In Berlin and London, for example, people marched through the streets in solidarity (unity) with American protesters.

Floyd’s death came in the wake of two other high-profile killings of African Americans at the hands of white people. On Feb. 3, 2020, in Georgia, an African American man named Ahmaud Arbery was shot and killed while jogging. (Arbery’s killers were not law enforcement officers, but many people were angered when it took months of pressure for arrests to be made in the case.) On March 13, 2020, in Louisville, Kentucky, an African American woman named Breonna Taylor was shot and killed by police officers executing a search warrant, who broke into her home in the middle of the night.

Demonstrations throughout the world featured signs reading “Black Lives Matter.” This slogan has become a popular rallying cry in recent years. It is also the name of an activist movement. Black Lives Matter was formed to campaign against racism and what its members consider police brutality against African Americans.

The international protests were set against the backdrop of a pandemic (global outbreak) of the coronavirus disease COVID-19. Since March, much of the country has been under strict lockdown to help in social distancing. Protests led people out of their homes to demand justice, but some authorities worried that chaotic public gatherings could contribute to the further spread of the disease.