Officers kneel in solidarity with protesters in several cities

Protesters have been taking to the streets of several U.S. cities for nearly a week in response to the death of George Floyd. There have been a number of violent clashes between law enforcement and demonstrators across the country — but in some cities, officers have knelt in solidarity with demonstrators. 

In Coral Gables, a city near Miami, a peaceful protest attended by hundreds on Saturday included a moment of prayer with police officers, CBS News reports Powerful images from the demonstration show officers kneeling, heads bowed, in solidarity with protesters. Some protesters chanted "Black lives matter!" and "No justice, no peace, no racist police."

WATCH: Police officers across the country kneel and march in solidarity with protesters. pic.twitter.com/QnuWcH6fPL

— CBS News (@CBSNews) June 1, 2020

Chiefs from two Miami-Dade police departments addressed the crowd and answered questions. "These gentlemen behind me stand for bringing justice, just like you're asking for," said Key Biscayne Police Chief Charles Press, according to CBS Miami.

Coral Gables Police Chief Ed Hudak said he and the organizers of the protest will keep the dialogue going this week though Zoom. The two chiefs of police also acknowledged the need for better training and reviewing protocols.

A similar scene played out in parts of New York City. Although there have been clashes in parts of the city, one official in Queens took a knee as demonstrators chanted "thank you" and "keep the peace," CBS New York reported Another officer was seen taking a knee in solidarity in Time Square on Sunday, prompting a hug from a demonstrator.

In Washington, D.C., a group of officers lined up and took a knee in front of the Trump International Hotel. "There was an immediate outburst of joy and fist bumping," tweeted CBS News' Julia Boccagno, who captured video of the scene.

Wife of( Killer Policeman) Derek Chauvin says, in divorce filing, she wants to change her name

The estranged wife of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin intends to change her name and doesn't want any spousal support, her divorce petition revealed on Monday.

Kellie May Chauvin on Saturday, a day after her 44-year-old husband of nearly 10 years, was arrested and charged with third degree murder in the death of George Floyd who died in the hands of US policemen.

Danish-Nigerian arraigned for ‘dealing in hard drugs’

A dual citizen of Nigeria and Denmark, Oladapo Ifedayo Oluseyi, was on Monday brought before a Federal High Court in Lagos for allegedly unlawfully dealing in hard drugs.

Oluseyi, also known as Dayo, was arraigned by the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on a four-count charge of conspiracy, unlawful cultivation of, dealing in hard drugs and unlawful possession of the said banned substance.

According to NDLEA prosecutors Augustine Nwogu and Jonathan Igwubor, the defendant was arrested on May 18, 2020, at 7, Imam Augusto Close, Victoria Island, Lagos.

The NDLEA told Justice Nicholas Oweibo that the defendant was found in possession of 1.127 kilogrammes of cannabis cream; 83 grammes of hashish oil: 123mg THC-70mg CBD and 21kg of cannabis infused ethanol.

The defendant was also alleged to have unlawfully engaged in the hypotonic growing of 80 grammes of fresh cannabis sativa plants and 25 grammes of dried cannabis sativa plants, a drug similar to cocaine, heroin and LSD etc.

White supremacists attending George Floyd protests, Minnesota officials believe

Officials in Minnesota believe that white supremacist “agitators” were inciting chaos at protests against brutality and the killing of George Floyd.

The Minnesota state corrections department said on Sunday that white supremacists were thought to be attending demonstrations in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, and making chaos.

“They’re agitators,” said Department of Corrections Commissioner Paul Schnell on those who have caused destruction during demonstrations.

Mr Schnell added that authorities were moving to break up demonstrations so that outside “agitators” could not create chaos.

Minnesota governor TimWalz announced on Sunday that the state’s curfew would be extended into Monday morning to allow law enforcement to continue targeting “those who meant to do harm”.

Mr Walz added on Twitter that authorities had made several arrests whilst seizing weapons, narcotics, long guns, handguns, magazines and knives.

“We have reason to believe that bad actors continue to infiltrate the rightful protests of George Floyd’s murder, which is why we are extending the curfew by one day,” announced the governor overnight.

Minnesota corrections department commissioner John Harrington also announced later on Sunday that authorities had located several caches of flammable materials.

Mr Harringon added: “The fact that we’ve seen so many of them in so many places now makes us believe that this is part of that pattern that shows that this in fact an organised activity and not some random act of rage”.

It comes amid accusations that outside groups are behind the destruction witnessed in cities across the US, and in Minneapolis where Mr Floyd was killed in police custody last week.

Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, who represents the district where he was killed, pleaded with Minneapolis protesters on Saturday night to stay indoors so that “agitators” could be caught.

Source: The Independent

#JusticeForUwa trends in Nigeria after student murdered in church

There is outrage in Nigeria following the murder of a 22-year-old student, Uwavera Omozuwa in a church.

The hashtag #JusticeForUwa is trending in Nigeria, with her family appealing for help to track down her killers.

Uwavera had been studying in a "quiet" church near her home in Benin City when she was killed, her sister, Judith, told BBC Pidgin.

The student, who had wanted to become a nurse, died in hospital on Saturday, three days after the attack.

Trump Threatens To Use the Military To stop Protests

President Trump vowed Monday night to put an end to the violent protests over the killing of George Floyd, delivering a forceful statement from the White House Rose Garden as Washington law enforcement officers fired tear gas and rubber bullets into crowds of protesters gathering a block away.  The president waited until just minutes before a 7 p.m. ET curfew was set to go into effect in the nation’s capital to deliver his six-minute statement. It came after two nights of looting, vandalism and violent clashes between police and protesters in the District of Columbia.

“I am your president of law and order and an ally of all peaceful protesters,” Trump said, as microphones picking up the sounds of the clashes just beyond the White House. “But in recent days our nation has been gripped by professional anarchists, violent mobs, arsons, looters, criminals, rioters, antifa and others.”

Demonstrations against police brutality have erupted in dozens of U.S. cities, and the president has responded by expressing dismay at Floyd’s death while urging harsh measures against those he calls “thugs,” warning that “when the looting starts, the shooting starts.” On Monday, Trump said he would deploy the military to restore order in states where governors and mayors failed to establish “overwhelming law enforcement presence.”

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George Floyd was killed in a homicide caused by asphyxia due to neck and back compression, an independent autopsy found

Courtesy of Philonise Floyd

• George Floyd died on May 25 of asphyxia due to compression of the neck and back, an independent autopsy found.

• A video that has sparked outrage across the nation showed a white Minneapolis police officer pinning the handcuffed 46-year-old black man's neck on the ground beneath his knee.

• The way he was restrained restricted not only "blood flow into his brain, but also airflow into his lungs," said Antonio Romanucci, an attorney working with the Floyd family.

• These findings contradict a Hennepin County Attorney's Office autopsy that found no evidence of "traumatic asphyxia or strangulation."

• The attorney Ben Crump thanked thousands of people for protesting police brutality and demanding justice on Floyd's behalf but said that "the violence is absolutely unacceptable.

George Floyd died on May 25, handcuffed and gasping for breath, pinned under the knees of three white Minneapolis police officers.

Ben Crump, an attorney representing Floyd's family, said on Monday that an independent autopsy found that the 46-year-old black was killed by asphyxia due to compression of the neck and back.

"We acknowledge that additional medical information including toxicology and further investigation are necessary for a final report," said Dr. Allecia Wilson, the director of autopsy and forensic services at the University of Michigan. "However, the evidence is consistent with mechanical asphyxia as the cause of death and homicide as the manner of death."

Antonio Romanucci, another attorney working with the family, said two "physical mechanisms" killed Floyd, calling it "the lowest level of human respect and dignity that any community should ever have to endure."

'The ambulance was his hearse'

The weight of the arresting officer Derek Chauvin's knee on Floyd's neck — as well as the knees of two other officers who pressed on Floyd's back — stopped not only "blood flow into his brain, but also airflow into his lungs," Romanucci said.

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