As cellphone video documenting the last breaths of George Floyd spread across the internet, so did the collective outrage.
For 10 consecutive days after his murder at the hands of Minneapolis police officers on Memorial Day in 2020, protests erupted across the U.S., not just in major cities but suburbs and small towns, too.
Five years later, the Justice Department under President Donald Trump has canceled a settlement with Minneapolis and Louisville, Kentucky, to reform their police departments.
“It’s a symbolic nod from the state to police departments around the nation that they can continue discriminating and abusing Black people without worry,” the Movement for Black Lives said in remarks exclusive to The Associated Press. “So while they attempt to rollback our wins and erase our history, we will continue to care for one another … so we can keep working toward our vision of freedom and liberation that this administration fears.”
Images from that time show how the risks of a still raging pandemic did not deter demonstrators. Some marched. Others kneeled. Many referenced Floyd’s final words: “I can’t breathe.” His face and “Black Lives Matter” became avatars on signs, streets and public buildings.
Some police officers faced down protesters with riot gear while others knelt in solidarity.
In one image that perfectly encapsulates the tension, a police officer and a protester — both Black — clasp their hands in the middle of a standoff during a New York City rally for justice for Floyd.
This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editor Patrick Sison in New York.
