"Reminiscent of cross burnings": Vandals hit Black churches during pro-Trump protests in D.C.
14 December 2020
Police are investigating as possible hate crimes the tearing down and burning of a Black Lives Matter banner and sign from two historic Black churches during unrest at pro-Trump protests in Washington, D.C., over the weekend.
Why it matters: Saturday's vandalism at the Asbury United Methodist Church and the Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church are "acts of both racial terror and religious violence," per a statement from Yolanda Pierce, dean of D.C.'s Howard University School of Divinity.
- Ianther Mills, a senior pastor at Asbury United Methodist Church, founded in 1836, said in a statement acts were "reminiscent of cross burnings," noting "we face an apparent rise in white supremacy."
Context: Historically, Black churches have been targeted by white supremacists in acts of violence in the U.S.
Driving the news: Violent clashes erupted in D.C. Saturday between supporters of President Trump who refuse to accept his election loss to President-elect Biden and counter-protesters.
- The men, some dressed in "MAGA" hats, who were captured on video burning the banner at the Asbury United Methodist Church, were later identified as members of the far-right group the Proud Boys, according to the Washington Post.
- Another video shows protesters tearing down the sign at the Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church and stomping on it while shouting: "Who's streets? Our streets."
What they're saying: D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) said in a statement Sunday that the Office of Religious Affairs and the Metropolitan Police Department are "engaging the impacted houses of worship."
"DC's faith-based organizations are at the very heart of our community, giving us hope in the face of darkness. They embody our DC values of love and inclusivity. An attack on them is an attack on all of us. This weekend, we saw forces of hate seeking to use destruction and intimidation to tear us apart. We will not let that happen."
Bowser
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.