On 4th June 2020 the #BlackLivesMatter protests included all 50 states and 18 additional countries, making it the largest civil rights movement in world history.
Here is a list of some of the positive changes since the protests for George Floyd began:
- 4 officers fired for murdering George Floyd
-University of Minnesota cancelled its contract with police
- Activists commandeer hotel to provide shelter to homeless
- Officer Chauvin who killed George Floyd was arrested
- Louisville Mayor suspends "no-knock" warrants in response to Breonna Taylor's killing
-Total ban on no-knock warrants
- US Embassies across Africa (in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and DR Congo) condemn police for murder of George Floyd
- TWE Local 100 Bus Operators refuse to transport arrested protesters in NYC
- 2 abusive officers were fired in Atlanta, GA for pulling a peaceful Black couple out of their car and tasing them
- Minneapolis public schools ended contract with police amongst aims to reduce funding for the police force
- Confederate Monument was removed from Birmingham, AL
-CA Prosecutors launched a campaign to stop DA's from accepting police union money
- Tulsa Mayor Bynum agrees to not renew Live PD contract
- Louisville police chief fired after shooting David Mcatee at BBQ joint
- Confederate statue in Bentonville,AR ordered to be removed
-Dems and Reps begin to push to shut down a Pentagon program that transfers military weapons to local law enforcement departments
-Minnesota AFL-CIO calls for the resignation of Bob Kroll (president of Minneapolis police union)
-Statue in Philadelphia of racist ex-mayor removed
-In Alexandria,VA Confederate soldier statue removed
- 6 abusive officers in Atlanta charge for violence against residents and protesters
- Robert Lee statue removed
- Civil Rights investigation of Minneapolis Police Dept launched
- Resolution to prevent law enforcement from hiring officers with a history of misconduct announced in San Francisco,CA
- NJAG announced policing reforms
-Minneapolis City Council members publicly call for disbanding the police and replacing with community-oriented, nonviolent public safety and outreach capacity
- Officer fired in Denver,CO for tweets promoting violence against peaceful protesters
-Minneapolis Institute of Arts, First Avenue, Walker Art Centre end use of MPD for events
-Ella Jones was elected as the first Black Mayor in Ferguson (also their first female Mayor!)
-Removal of Robert E Lee statue announced
- Officer Chauvin charges changed to a 2nd degree Murder and other three officers also charged and taken into custody
-Richmond Mayor announces RPD reform measures:establish "Marcus" alert for people experiencing mental health crisis, establish independent Citizen Review Board, on ordinance to remove Confederate monuments and implement racial equity study
- County commissioners deny proposal for $23 million expansion of Fulton County jail, Atlanta
-US Army tells soldiers to disobey any orders to attack peaceful protesters
-LA announces $100-$150 million cut from LAPD budget that will instead be invested into communities, moratorium on gang database, sharper discipline against abusive cops (info on 'refunding the police')
-Seattle changes mind and withdraws request to end federal oversight/consent decree of police department
-Breonna Taylor case reopened in Louisville
- Portland schools superintendent 'discontinues' presence of armed police in schools
- MBTA board orders buses wont transport police to protests or protesters to police
- King County Labor Federation issue ultimatum to police unions to admit to and address racism in Seattle PD or be removed
- A bill was introduced in Colorado that will address abusive law enforcement policies
-Bipartisan push to end a program that supplies police departments wit surplus military gear
-A unanimous passing of mandatory police education and bias training passed though Michigan's Senate
-Edward Colston statue pushed into Bristol docks by protesters
-Statue of King Leopold II removed in Antwerp
-Robert Milligan slave trader statue was removed from east London
-Three years after originally announcing the decision to change its name, the 'Colston Hall' signage has been removed'
-Colston tower in Bristol has removed it's name
-Congress is shutting down program that provides military weaponry to police departments
-Ahmaud Arbery's case is advancing to trial court
-Governor Cuomo is pushing the 'Amy Cooper' bill which will make it a hate crime to call 911 with a false accusation based on race
-San Francisco have claimed police officers will be 'replaced by trained, unarmed professionals to respond to calls for help on noncriminal matters involving mental health, the homeless, school discipline and neighbour disputes' as a part of a new wave of police reform
-The Supreme Court has ruled you can no longer be fired for being LGBT+ in 26 US states you could still be discriminated against, this has been celebrated by the BlackLivesMatter movement who campaign for all Black lives including Black LGBTQ+ lives.
However it is not all going in the right direction:
-Extreme right wing groups and anti-BLM protesters have been responding to the Black lives matter protests with violence which has lead to protests being advised against as they pose a threat protesters safety.
-Bristol statue of Jamaican play writer and actor Alfred Fagon has been attacked with bleach and erosive chemicals in response to the removal of slave trader Edward Colston by white supremacists.
-Thomas Lane one of the officers charged with George Floyds murder leaves jail after receiving $1million donations on a site to bail him out
-Police have lured protesters by kneeling with protesters and then spraying them with pepper spray and gas (this is really important to be aware of and research as pictures in the media of policemen kneeling are often framed and convey false solidarity)
-Donald Trump has targeted Black people in a racist speech saying, 'You live in your poverty, your schools are no good, you have no jobs, 58% of your youths are unemployed. What the hell do you have to loose?'
-Donald Trump has made it legal to refuse healthcare to trans people. This human right violation will disproportionately affect tans women of colour of which 34% already live in poverty, 50% of trangender male teens have reported suicide attempts,12 transgender or gender non-conforming people have been fatally killed in 2020 with little media coverage.
-Olowatoyin Salau a 19 year old BlackLivesMatter activist went missing and was found dead after tweeting about being sexually assaulted by a black man who comprised her safe haven at a church she was staying at due to unjust living conditions during COVID-19. Petition for justice, other ways to help)
-Tony McDade a Black trans man was killed by the police after being shot 5 times in the back in Tallahassee (petition for justice here) along with 122 further people that have been killed by police in the United States in the 20 days after George Floyd's murder (source Marilyn D. Davis a US political strategist)