Demonstrators have taken to the streets in Atlanta in protest against the fatal shooting by police of a Black man who had fallen asleep in his car while waiting in line at a fast food drive-thru south of downtown.
The Friday night incident comes at a time of heightened tension over police brutality and calls for reforms across the United States following the May 25 death of George Floyd in Minneapolis after a police officer kneeled on his neck for nearly nine minutes.Â
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Police had been called on 27-year-old Rayshard Brooks for sleeping in a car blocking the drive-thru lane of a Wendy’s restaurant on Friday night. After Brooks failed a field sobriety test, the officers attempted to place him into custody, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigations (GBI), an independent agency that has been asked by the Atlanta Police Department to investigate the killing.Â
According to the GBI, Brooks resisted arrest and a struggle ensued, leading an officer to deploy a Taser.Â
When the Taser did not work, Brooks reportedly tried to take it from the officer. A second officer then tried to use a Taser on Brooks, but it had no effect, Atlanta Deputy Police Chief Timothy Peek told reporters after the incident. During the tussle, Brooks was shot and later died at a local hospital.Â
Toppled statues amid anti-racism protests
The GBIÂ said in a statement it was investigating reports “that the male subject was shot by an officer in the struggle over the Taser”.
A crowd of demonstrators gathered at the scene of the shooting on Saturday.
The president of the Georgia NAACP, the Reverend James Woodall, has called for the firing of Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shields, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution newspaper.
The GBI said it was reviewing video footage of the incident taken by witnesses. That video, which was posted on social media, shows Brooks on the ground outside his car, struggling with two police officers. The shooting later occurs out of frame.
Atlanta was among many large US cities where large crowds of protesters have taken to the streets in recent days.
‘People are upset’
Gerald Griggs, a lawyer and vice president of Atlanta’s NAACP chapter, estimated there were 150 people protesting at the scene as he walked with them on Saturday afternoon.
“The people are upset,” Griggs said. “They want to know why their dear brother Rayshard Brooks was shot and killed when he was merely asleep on the passenger side and not doing anything.”
Even though Brooks struggled with officers, Griggs said, “they could have used nonlethal force to take him down”.
The killing of #RayshardBrooks in Atlanta last night demands we severely restrict the use of deadly force. Yes, investigations must be called for – but so too should accountability.
Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard said his office has also “launched an intense, independent investigation of the incident”.
Stacey Abrams, the Georgia Democrat who gained national prominence running for governor in 2018, tweeted on Saturday of the shooting that “sleeping in a drive-thru must not end in death”.
“The killing of #RayshardBrooks in Atlanta last night demands we severely restrict the use of deadly force,” Abrams’s tweet said. “Yes, investigations must be called for – but so too should accountability.”Â
The officers involved in the shooting were not immediately identified.
Following last week’s Covid-19 disparity report, the leak of another report has shown that people from minorities are more likely to catch and die from the disease because of racism, discrimination and social inequalities, as well as other factors.
A draft of a report by Public Health England (PHE) says that “historic racism and poorer experiences of healthcare or at work†could make people from black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) groups less likely to ask for care, or insist on having personal protective equipment.
The report, seen by the BBC, is due to be published this week and contains several recommendations about improving access to healthcare for BAME communities.
According to the BBC, the report states: “The unequal impact of Covid-19 on BAME communities may be explained by a number of factors ranging from social and economic inequalities, racism, discrimination and stigma, occupational risk, inequalities in the prevalence of conditions that increase the severity of disease including obesity, diabetes, hypertension and asthma.â€
It is the second report by PHE examining why death rates are higher for BAME people. Ministers have been under pressure from doctors after 69 pages and recommendations were left out of the first report, which revealed that people of Bangladeshi origin are twice as likely to die as white Britons if they contract Covid-19.
The new report contains several recommendations, the BBC said. They include improving the way data is collected about ethnicity and religion, including on death certificates.
The PHE report also says the health risk assessments for BAME workers should be backed by law.
There also needs to be “culturally sensitive messaging†to understand how to avoid catching the coronavirus, and more work on tackling racism within the health service, including greater diversity in leadership roles.
WASHINGTON — Representative Denver Riggleman, a freshman Republican from Virginia, is facing a primary challenge that will be decided on Saturday in a drive-through state convention following an uproar among local activists after Mr. Riggleman officiated a same-sex wedding.
Mr. Riggleman, a distillery owner and a former Air Force intelligence officer with a libertarian streak, was met with a wave of outrage from conservative activists in his district after he officiated the summer wedding of two men who had volunteered for his campaign. Several party county committees voted to censure him, and Bob Good, a former county official who was once an employee of Liberty University, threw his name into the race to challenge him from the right, arguing Mr. Riggleman “betrayed the trust†of Republicans in the district.
Further adding to the treacherous political terrain for Mr. Riggleman is the unusual way the primary will be decided. Across a sprawling congressional district, as many as 3,500 party delegates were expected to cast ballots on Saturday at a socially distanced drive-through convention held in Lynchburg, Va., the result of state laws that allowparty organizations to choose congressional nominees by conventions instead of traditional primary elections.
Mr. Riggleman has denounced the setup, which was decided by a Republican district committee, as “a bizarre Dairy Queen convention.†And he has fiercely defended his decision to officiate the wedding of his two former volunteers.
“The Republican Party, when you look at the creed to protect civil liberties and religious liberties, could be the most inclusive party in the country,†Mr. Riggleman told Politico in an interview. “Why aren’t we a big-tent party? Why aren’t we looking at liberties first? Why aren’t we allowing people to live the way they want to live and stopping the government from reaching into every aspect of our lives?â€
Mr. Riggleman, whom President Trump endorsed in December for re-election, has raised over $1.3 million, far outpacing his opponent, who raised less than $200,000. But that may mean little in this primary contest where Mr. Good, a former athletic official at Liberty University, the evangelical college co-founded by Jerry Falwell Sr., has touted a socially conservative platform.
Further complicating the race is that Mr. Good, a former Campbell County supervisor, failed to correctly file the paperwork to be named on the ballot in November’s general election, setting up a possible catastrophe for Republicans should he advance. The Virginia Republican Party has asked the state board of elections to extend the filing deadline.
The mostly rural district is the largest in the state, spanning from west of Washington to the Virginia-North Carolina border. For some delegates, casting their vote may have required driving up to three hours to the church in Lynchburg where the convention was being held.
On Saturday, delegates lined up in their cars outside the church’s parking lot, with some waiting for over an hour to cast their ballots, according to The Roanoke Times.
“Long waits to submit a ballot in Virginia’s Fifth Congressional District mean that only the most intense voters will end up voting,†said Stephen Farnsworth, a professor of political science at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Va. “This is what a terrible system looks like.â€
WASHINGTON — The United States Secret Service said Saturday that one of their agents had used pepper spray to clear protesters from Lafayette Square ahead of President Donald Trump’s photo op, reversing an earlier statement claiming that no one from the agency had done so.
“On June 5, the U.S. Secret Service released information that the agency had concluded that no agency personnel used tear gas or capsicum spray during efforts to secure the area near Lafayette Park on Monday, June 1, based on the record and information available at that time,†the Secret Service said in a statement shared on Twitter.
“Since that time, the agency has learned that one agency employee used capsicum spray (i.e., pepper spray) during that effort,†the statement continued.
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The Secret Service said that the agent used pepper spray “in response to an assaultive individual.â€
The Secret Service statement is the latest reversal from a law enforcement agency on what happened on the evening of June 1 outside the White House grounds. Statements from law enforcement officials have frequently contradicted what protesters and on-the-ground reporters say happened and what many people witnessed happen on live TV.
Just days after the incident, a U.S. Park Police spokesperson said it was a “mistake†to say in an earlier statement that the agency did not use tear gas to clear peaceful protesters, while another Park Police official continued to insist the chemical was never used.
Attorney General William Barr initially told reporters that he had personally ordered the advance on protesters, but later backpedaled that claim saying he did not give a command to disperse the crowd though he did support the decision to do so.
While White House and law enforcement officials have yet to give a conclusive account of what happened, those on the ground say rubber bullets, pepper spray, tear gas and flash-bang grenades were used to force peaceful protesters out of the street in front of Lafayette Square so that Trump could walk across the grounds to take a picture holding a Bible in front of St. John’s Episcopal Church.
Although it remains unclear who directly ordered the peaceful protesters to be forcibly removed on June 1, Trump has been heavily criticized for what occurred that evening and for his threats to use military force to quell the protests in response to George Floyd’s death.
Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, apologized Thursday for his role in Trump’s church photo op, saying he shouldn’t have been at the scene.
Other military officials including Colin Powell, who served as secretary of state under former President George W. Bush and was previously chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and James Mattis, Trump’s former Defense Secretary, have criticized Trump for how he handled the protests.
Lauren Egan
Lauren Egan is a reporter for NBC News based in Washington.
Chile President Sebastian Pinera has replaced Health Minister Jaime Manalich amid controversy over the country’s figures for deaths from the coronavirus outbreak.
Pinera said on Saturday Manalich had spared “no effort” in carrying out his “difficult and noble duty” to protect Chileans’ health. He replaced him with Oscar Enrique Paris, an academic and medical doctor.
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The sudden reshuffle comes as Chile faces its toughest month in the pandemic so far, with spiralling active cases and death rates.
The country now has the highest number of confirmed cases per million people in Latin America, reporting 167,355 cases on Saturday and 3,101 deaths.
Manalich, a tough-talking kidney specialist who once ran one of Chile’s top hospitals, has won praise for an aggressive campaign to keep hospitals supplied with ventilators and protective equipment and leading detailed daily news conferences.
But there have been frequent reports of spats among health ministry officials, and Manalich has been criticised by opposition politicians, mayors, medical experts and social groups for refusing to release more detailed contagion data or apply lockdowns sooner and for successive changes in criteria for recording deaths and cases.
On Saturday, a Chilean investigative website, Ciper, reported that the health ministry had told the World Health Organization that as many as 5,000 deaths in the country were linked to coronavirus.
The health ministry’s statistics department reported figures to the global body of people who had died after testing positive for coronavirus, as well as deaths suspected to be linked to COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus.
The new minister, Enrique Paris, is a former head of the Chilean College of Doctors (Colmed) and a university deacon.
Jose Miguel Bernucci, Colmed’s national secretary, welcomed the appointment, saying he was looking forward to a more consensual approach and a “change in strategy to jointly confront the pandemic”.
Federal Railways Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmad has been shifted to the Military Hospital Rawalpindi as he was feeling unwell, said his ministry’s spokesperson Sunday.
The minister had been feeling quite unwell since evening, said the spokesperson.
“Sheikh Rashid is doing better,†said the federal minister’s spokesperson.
The Awami Muslim League (AML) leader has tested positive for novel coronavirus earlier in the week. However, he said he had been taking necessary precautionary measures and there was no symptoms of the pandemic disease in him. He said he was feeling better himself.
He went into self-isolation at home after he contracted the infection.
The minister’s close aide, Syed Asim, who managed his social media presence, died earlier on Saturday.Â
As the current month began, the pneumonic pandemic’s rampage intensified with several top politicians testing positive for COVID-19. They include former prime ministers Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Yousuf Raza Gilani, PML-N President and Opposition Leader in National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif, Governor Sindh Imran Ismail, former federal minister Ahsan Iqbal, PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb, PTI MPA from Sindh Khurrum Sher Zaman, PTI MNA Jai Prakash, PPP MPA Sharjeel Memon and PML-N Punjab Assembly lawmaker Mian Naveed Ali from Pakpattan.Â
Atlanta resident Rayshard Brooks was shot by an officer during a struggle and died after surgery, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
Wochit
A 27-year-old Black man was shot by an Atlanta officer while fleeing froma struggle at a Wendy’s drive-thru late Friday night and died after surgery at a local hospital, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. One officer was treated for an injury and discharged.
Rayshard Brooks had been asleep in his car in a Wendy’s drive-thru, causing other customers to drive around the car, the Bureau of Investigation said. Police were dispatched to the Wendy’s around 10:30 p.m., and conducted a sobriety test on Brooks, who failed the test, according to the officials.
“During the arrest, the male subject resisted and a struggle ensued,” the Bureau of Investigation said. “The officer deployed a Taser. Witnesses report that during the struggle the male subject grabbed and was in possession of the Taser. It has also been reported that the male subject was shot by an officer in the struggle over the Taser.”
Georgia Bureau of Investigation Director Vic Reynolds said Saturday afternoon that the agency had gathered surveillance video from the Wendy’s, police body cam video and bystander video posted to social media. They agency had spoken with at least one witness, who corroborated the videos, Reynolds said.
Reynolds said Brooks had been under investigation by police for a suspected DUI. Reynolds said that, based on the videos, Brooks appeared to have a Taser in his hand as he ran from officers and, when he was a “relatively short distance away” or “five, six, seven parking spaces,” Brooks turned around and pointed the Taser at the officers. That’s when one officer took out his weapon and fired it, Reynolds said.
“It does appear in the video that he is fleeing from the Atlanta police officers,” Reynolds said.
Reynolds said he not sure how many shots were fired. He did not comment on whether the officer’s use of force was appropriate.
The agency planned to make video available to the public by Saturday night, Reynolds said.
“We have not digitally enhanced that video yet. We will,” Reynolds said.
Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard, Jr. said in a statement Saturday that his office had already launched an “intense, independent” investigation of the incident, and that members of his office were on the scene shortly after the shooting.
“Our thoughts and our sympathies are extended to the family of Rayshard Brooks as we must not forget that this investigation is centered upon a loss of life,” Howard said.
Bystander video of Brooks’ encounter with the police began to circulate on social media Friday night. USA TODAY could not independently verify the video.
Brook’s death comes amid thousands of protests worldwide against police killings of Black people. The mass protests began at the end of May, following the death of George Floyd, a Black man who was killed as a white Minneapolis police officer held his knee into Floyd’s neck for more than eight minutes.
Protesters gathered outside the Wendy’s Friday night and again on Saturday.Â
Speaking to a group of reporters Saturday, Brooks’ cousin, Decatur Redd, told CNN that “I don’t know how to do this because I ever knew I was going to have to do this. I watched this on the internet from the whole George Floyd situation . . . and this whole thing landed on my doorstep with my little cousin.”
Redd said that he and his two sons had seen the video.
“The most hurtful thing for me is to watch that video – to wake up and watch that video,” Redd told CNN.
In a statement Saturday, the Georgia NAACP called for Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shields and Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms to be held “accountable for the continued threat on innocent Black lives in their community.”
“Atlantans woke up to disturbing videos and reports of Rayshard being killed by the Atlanta Police Department. At this time, we must address the over-saturated police presence in Atlanta’s Black communities. This is not the first time a Black man was killed for sleeping,” the organization said in a statement. “The City of Atlanta must address this not only with their words, but also with their actions and budgetary decisions.”Â
Georgia Democrat Stacey Abrams condemned the shooting on Twitter Saturday morning.
“The killing of #RayshardBrooks in Atlanta last night demands we severely restrict the use of deadly force. Yes, investigations must be called for – but so too should accountability,” Abrams wrote. “Sleeping in a drive-thru must not end in death.”
Other local officials in Georgia have also attracted scrutiny in recent months for their handling of the killing of Ahmaud Arbery. In February, 25-year-old Arbery, who was Black, was fatally shot by three white men while out jogging about 2 miles from his home in a neighborhood outside Brunswick, Georgia. It took more than two months for murder charges and arrests in Arbery’s case,which was eventually handed over to the Georgia Bureau of Investigations.
“I was just thinking ironically it was about a month or so ago I stood in front of you upstairs as the GBI got involved in the Arbery matter down in Brunswick,” Reynolds said Saturday. “As with the Arbery matter in Brunswick, we will ask again for the community’s patience.”
The killing of #RayshardBrooks in Atlanta last night demands we severely restrict the use of deadly force. Yes, investigations must be called for – but so too should accountability.
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Matt Lucas and David Walliams have apologised for using blackface make-up during some sketches in Little Britain.
They both posted a statement to their Twitter accounts, with Lucas writing: “David and I have both spoken publicly in recent years of our regret that we played characters of other races. Once again we want to make it clear that it was wrong and we are very sorry.”
The programme has been pulled from several catch-up and streaming services – including NOW TV, Britbox and BBC iPlayer – amid the heightened global spotlight on racism that has been spearheaded by the Black Lives Matter movement.
Image: Little Britain has been pulled from BBC iPlayer and Netflix after facing criticism for its blackface characters. Pic: BBC
Little Britain has long been criticised for its portrayal of black and Asian characters by the white comedians, as well as gay characters and those with disabilities.
They include an obese Caribbean woman called Desiree, for which Walliams wore blackface, and a mail-order bride named Ting Tong. Others included Daffyd – “the only gay in the village” – and Andy, who was in a wheelchair.
David and I have both spoken publicly in recent years of our regret that we played characters of other races. Once again we want to make it clear that it was wrong and we are very sorry.
The BBC said it decided to remove the show as “times have changed” since the comedy first aired in 2003.
Walliams and Lucas’s other series, Come Fly With Me, which also featured blackface, has also been removed.
More from Black Lives Matter
The stars have both said previously that they would make Little Britain differently today.
It joined a string of shows that have been entirely or partially taken off catch-up and streaming services.
Fawlty Towers has had one of its episodes temporarily removed from UKTV over “racial slurs” and “outdated language”.
Image: Channel 4 has pulled Bo Selecta from their streaming service
NOW TV, Netflix and Sky have all removed the The League of Gentlemen, which aired on the BBC between 1999 and 2002. One character played by Shearsmith, Papa Lazarou, wore blackface.
Channel 4 has pulled Bo’ Selecta from their streaming service after Leigh Francis apologised for playing characters in blackface.
Episodes of Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly’s Saturday Night Takeaway show have disappeared from ITV’s online catch-up service, with the stars saying they had taken steps to ensure the footage was removed. In 2004, they dressed up as two Japanese girls.
The Paramount Network removed long-running US TV show Cops at the end of May after its theme tune, reggae song Bad Boys, came under fire for glorifying police aggression.
As the issue of systemic police racism in the US was brought into the spotlight following the death of George Floyd, the Paramount Network removed the show from air at the end of May, with no plans for it to return.
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