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A protester claps as a speaker talks to the crowd in Old Town Square. PHOTO BY DEVIN CORNELIUS THE COLLEGIAN
05/25: DEATH OF GEORGE FLOYD Minneapolis resident George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, was killed by a white police officer, Derek Chauvin, after Chauvin knelt on Floyd's neck for Hundreds of Minneapolis residents rallied in the streets to call for justice for Floyd after video footage of his death surfaced on Facebook.
Crowds marched about 2.5 miles to the police precinct.
05/26: PROTESTS IN MINNEAPOLIS BEGIN
eight minutes and 46 seconds while Floyd was handcuffed facedown in the street. According to court documents, two minutes and 53 seconds of this was after Floyd was unresponsive.
05/26: MINNEAPOLIS POLICE FIRES ALL FOUR OFFICERS INVOLVED
The Minneapolis police chief, Medaria Arradondo, made the decision to fire all officers as well as launch an FBI investigation into Floyd’s death.
05/27: FIRES AND LOOTING OCCUR NEAR 3RD PRECINCT IN MINNEAPOLIS
Black Lives Matter: A 2020 protest timeline By Serena Bettis & Laura Studley Design by Amy Noble 06/01: MAYOR HANCOCK ANNOUNCES CURFEW EXTENSION
The curfew in Denver extended from its original date of June 1 to June 4. Additionally, the mayor
06/01: TRUMP TALKS OF DEPLOYING MILITARY ON PROTESTS
extended the curfew time to 9 p.m. “If a city or a state refuses to take the actions that are
06/01: POLICE CHIEF SWOBODA RELEASES ANOTHER STATEMENT
necessary to defend the life and property of their residents, then I will deploy the United States Swoboda addresses the removal of memorial military and quickly solve the posters and candles in front of the police problem for them,” President station on Facebook and the FCPS website, Donald Trump said. saying they do so each night because they do not have “a mechanism to store/preserve this property.”
Protesters lead chants in front of a line of police officers in Kansas City, Missouri, May 31. 06/01: TWO AUTOPSIES RULE FLOYD’S DEATH A HOMICIDE PHOTO BY LUCY MORANTZ THE COLLEGIAN The Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office said Floyd’s death was not only caused by neck compression but
05/28: FIRST PROTEST BEGINS IN DENVER
To quell outbreaks of property damage and violence between police and protesters, Denver Mayor Michael
Hancock placed a curfew from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m through June 1 after Denver saw days of protesting. “We have seen enough,”
Hancock said. Protesters marched through Denver to show solidarity with Minneapolis and demand justice for George Floyd. Denver police deployed tear gas to dispel protesters in the streets.
The walk around Sheldon Lake in City Park intended to give residents a chance
05/31: TWO FORT COLLINS RESIDENTS AND MOTHERS ORGANIZE A “WALK OF SOLIDARITY”
possibly heart disease and drug use of both fentanyl and methamphetamines. The independent autopsy ordered by Floyd’s family concluded that Floyd had passed away due to Chauvin kneeling on his neck and the other officers holding Floyd down. There was “no underlying medical problem that caused or contributed to his death,” according to Dr. Michael Baden, the former chief medical examiner of New York City.
06/02: BLM AND RACIAL UNITY MARCH AT THE OVAL 06/02: PROTESTERS ASK CITY COUNCIL FOR A PERMANENT MEMORIAL SPACE FOR GEORGE FLOYD
A national guardsman stands on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., overlooking the Washington Monument and reflective pool June 6. PHOTO BY LUCY MORANTZ THE COLLEGIAN People burn a car in the Target parking lot at Lake Street and Minnehaha Avenue in Minneapolis May 28. PHOTO BY BEN LEONARD THE COLLEGIAN Countries outside the U.S. begin protesting, including Liberia and Nigeria with others joining in the days to follow.
05/28: INTERNATIONAL PROTESTS BEGIN
Fort Collins Police Services Chief Jeff Swoboda released his first statement discussing the importance of safety in regards to law enforcement, including how FCPS is staying accountable for their actions.
05/28: FIRST STATEMENT RELEASED BY FORT COLLINS POLICE SERVICES
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey asked Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to deploy the National Guard in response to protests. Walz sent nearly 60 state troopers to Minneapolis.
05/28: MINNEAPOLIS MAYOR ASKS FOR DEPLOYMENT OF NATIONAL GUARD
Fort Collins residents gathered outside the FCPS station on Timberline Road to honor Floyd, Breonna Taylor and other lives lost to police brutality.
05/29: FORT COLLINS COMMUNITY HOLDS VIGIL FOR FLOYD
Kev Kat Martinez holds a candle outside of Fort Collins Police Services May 29. PHOTO BY MATT TACKETT THE COLLEGIAN The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension arrested Chauvin Friday morning. He faces charges that carry a combined maximum 35-year sentence.
05/29: CHAUVIN CHARGED WITH THIRD-DEGREE MURDER AND SECOND-DEGREE MANSLAUGHTER
to practice embodied activism and show their support for the protests across the U.S.
06/05: DENVER CURFEW LIFTED
Denver protesters filed a lawsuit on June 4 against Denver police, claiming their actions violated protesters’ constitutional rights. The next day, a U.S. District Court ordered Denver police to stop use of tear gas, plastic bullets and flash grenades.
06/05: DENVER POLICE ORDERED TO STOP USE OF “LESS-THAN-LETHAL” FORCE
Protesters gathered in Old Town Square and marched through the City to rally against police brutality and police in the Poudre School District. Protesters also made a mural for Breonna Taylor outside the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office.
06/05: PROTEST IN OLD TOWN
A man speaks to the crowd of protesters in Old Town Square, Fort Collins June 5.
PHOTO BY DEVIN
CORNELIUSTHE COLLEGIAN Protesters gathered at The Oval for the independently organized march that finished at City Hall along Howes Street. FCPS moved the memorial site due to inclement weather and inadequate storage. Objects such as memorial posters and burned candles were donated to the Museum of Discovery to be preserved and archived as a piece of national and Fort Collins history. Sponsored by all of Colorado’s Democratic lawmakers, this bill seeks to require “body-worn cameras to their officers and requires all recordings of an incident be released to the public within 14 days after the incident,” repeal the “fleeing felon rule,” which allows officers to use deadly force on a potential suspect if it is believed to be reasonably necessary, banning chokeholds, requiring an annual report to be made about each agency’s use of force, as well as require cops to have an “objective justification” for making stops.
06/03: COLORADO BLACK ROUND TABLE MEETS ONLINE
Several Black speakers, including Hancock, met virtually to discuss the racial crisis in the U.S. and the impact it has on Denver and the metro area.
06/03: THREE FORMER OFFICERS CHARGED
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison charged three former police officers, Tou Thao, J.
Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane, with aiding and abetting the murder of
Floyd. Chauvin’s charges were elevated to second-degree murder from third-degree, according to NBC News.
06/03: SENATE BILL 217 INTRODUCED TO HOLD POLICE ACCOUNTABLE 06/04: MEMORIAL HELD FOR GEORGE FLOYD IN MINNEAPOLIS The post has been reported to Student Conduct
Services and CSU’s Bias Assessment Team, according to the email. The president said she was “disgusted” and
“angry” with the behavior and that the impact of such a post is “visceral and painful” to the CSU community. 06/07: MINNEAPOLIS CITY COUNCIL PLEDGES TO DISBAND POLICE DEPARTMENT Nine City Council members — a veto-proof majority — announced to protesters Sunday afternoon their vow to begin the process of ending the Minneapolis Police Department. 06/08: PROTESTERS DEMAND ACTION FROM THE POUDRE SCHOOL DISTRICT Over 100 students, alumni and faculty gathered outside the PSD administration building Monday afternoon.
Demands included that PSD teach anti-racism and more inclusive history and act upon instances of bias and hate with more than an emailed statement.
