Minneapolis, MN – 1500 community members gathered at Girard Avenue and Lake Street in Minneapolis, June 14, for a “March in Honor of Deona Marie,” organized by Black Lives Matter Minnesota. The night before, Deona Marie Erickson was killed by a driver who attacked protesters demanding justice for Winston Smith.

Milwaukee, WI – On the night of May 30, Milwaukee police responded to a call alleging gunshots were fired outside a home near 29th Street and Cleveland Avenue on the city’s South Side. Upon arrival, police claim to have heard additional gunshots before spotting a man with a gun on the front porch of the home referenced in the emergency call.

San Jose, CA – Protesters gathered at San Jose City Hall, June 1, for a candlelight prayer vigil, as well as a march, after the murder of Demetrius Stanley by the San Jose Police Department. San Jose residents, including the family and friends of Demetrius Stanley, arrived at around 7 p.m. Led by B.L.A.C.K. Outreach and HERO Tent, they introduced the program, explaining what led to the murder of Stanley by SJPD. In addition, they allowed community members to express their anger. One community member stated, “The same laws that allow those pigs to kill us, were written 300 years ago. The whole system has to go.”

Tallahassee, FL – This spring, Tallahassee Community Action Committee (TCAC) commemorated the one-year anniversaries of the police murders of Mychael Johnson, Wilbon Woodard and Tony McDade. While these police murders garnered significant attention, the deaths of two other Black men in law enforcement custody in 2020 went largely unnoticed. 43-year-old Little Daniel Owens and 66-year-old Melvin Richardson died inside the Leon County jail in November 2020. The Leon County Sheriff’s Office posted barebones announcements of their deaths on social media and released no additional information.

Tallahassee, FL – This spring, Tallahassee Community Action Committee (TCAC) commemorated the one-year anniversaries of the police murders of Mychael Johnson, Wilbon Woodard and Tony McDade. While these police murders garnered significant attention, the deaths of two other Black men in law enforcement custody in 2020 went largely unnoticed. 43-year-old Little Daniel Owens and 66-year-old Melvin Richardson died inside the Leon County jail in November 2020. The Leon County Sheriff’s Office posted barebones announcements of their deaths on social media and released no additional information.

Tampa, FL – Tampa community members rallied May 29 to demand no new Tampa Police Department (TPD) headquarters. The rally was called by the Tampa Bay Community Action Committee (TBCAC) and was held at the proposed site for the new police headquarters. TBCAC and Tampa community members also demanded that the $100 million-plus earmarked for the project be used instead on social services for East Tampa residents.

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (CAARPR).

On May 25, 2020, the world watched in horror and anger as George Floyd was killed by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. This was the spark that ignited uprisings and massive protests across the United States and around the world. While a hated symbol of the police went up in flames, people from coast to coast were confronting the police, who tried and failed to repress the protest.

Green Bay, WI – The family of Jonathon Tubby, an Oneida Nation man killed by the Green Bay Police Department in October 2018, has vowed to continue fighting for justice even after a federal judge dismissed their wrongful death lawsuit against the city. Speaking at a May 23 press conference, on the Oneida Nation Indian Reservation, the Tubby family responded to Judge William Griesbach's decision with a renewed call for changes to the policing system in the United States.

The lynching of George Floyd sparked an uprising that transformed the Black-led movement against police terror in this country. Fight Back! interviewed several activists who found their places in this movement in the past year – four newer members of Twin Cities Coalition for Justice 4 Jamar (TCC4J) and the Executive Assistant for Families Supporting Families Against Police Violence (FSFAPV). TCC4J is a chapter of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression. FSFAPV is a group of Minnesota families who have lost loved ones to police violence.