Armed supporters of the police and anti-racism protesters squared off near the famed Kentucky Derby horse race on Saturday, as dueling demonstrations over racial justice and policing continued to grind on across U.S. cities.
A far-right activist and self-described militia member shakes hands with a Black Lives Matter activist during opposing rallies on the day of the Kentucky Derby horse race in Louisville, Kentucky, U.S. September 5, 2020. REUTERS/Bryan Woolston
Lousville has emerged as one flashpoint in a summer of unrest due to the death of Breonna Taylor, a Black 26-year-old woman who was killed when the city’s police burst into her apartment with a “no-knock” arrest warrant in March. Demonstrations against racism and police brutality have swept the United States since May 25 when George Floyd, a Black man, died after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes.In Portland, Oregon — another protest flashpoint — police arrested 27 people overnight, mostly on charges of interfering with law enforcement or disorderly conduct.
The Trump administration deployed federal officers to Portland in July to crack down on the protests. Republican President Donald Trump signed a memo on Wednesday that threatens to cut federal funding to “lawless” cities, including Portland. This week, both Trump and Biden visited Kenosha, Wisconsin. The Midwestern city was the site of clashes among protesters, police and militia after a white policeman there shot Jacob Blake in the back multiple times. Blake, who is Black, was paralyzed from the waist down.Biden met with Blake’s family and spoke with Blake on the telephone, and has expressed sympathy with people protesting police violence.
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