Remaining fence around U.S. Capitol to be removed
07 July 2021
The U.S. Capitol Police Board on Wednesday notified Congress members and staff that the remaining fence around the Capitol will be removed as early as Friday.
The big picture: The fence had been put in place following the deadly Jan. 6 insurrection, when a mob of Trump supporters stormed the building. Capitol Police removed an outer fence in March, but the interior one remained with signs that said the area was closed to the public, per AP.
What they're saying: "Based on USCP’s assessment of the current threat environment; recent enhancements to USCP response capabilities; and enhanced coordination with local, state and federal law enforcement partners, the Capitol Police Board supports the USCP’s recommendation to remove the temporary fencing around Capitol Square," Karen H. Gibson, the Sergeant at Arms of the U.S. Senate, said in an email, obtained by Axios.
- "Removal is expected to begin as early as Friday, July 9, and conclude within two to three days, weather permitting," she added.
- "USCP will continue to monitor intelligence information and the associated threat environment ... Additionally, though the temporary fencing will be removed, building access restrictions implemented in response to COVID-19 remain in place and will be enforced."
Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times
Section2Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.
Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.
The state of play: The transcripts were released as former officer Thomas Lane seeks to have the charges that he aided in Floyd's death thrown out in court, per the Times. He is one of four officers who have been charged.
- The filings also include a 60-page transcript of an interview with Lane. He said he "felt maybe that something was going on" when asked if he believed that Floyd was having a medical emergency at the time.
What the transcripts say:
- Floyd told the officers he was claustrophobic as they tried to get him into the squad car.
- The transcripts also show Floyd saying, "Momma, I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."
- Former officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes, told Floyd, "Then stop talking, stop yelling, it takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."
Read the transcripts via DocumentCloud.