One month after George Floyd was killed by Minneapolis police officers, protests in support of Black lives and against police brutality continue across the U.S. Here in New York, activists have set up a 24-hour protest encampment outside City Hall, demanding $1 billion in cuts to the city’s $6 billion police budget, with the money reinvested in healthcare, housing and social services.
In Seattle, protesters have largely ended their occupation of a six-block “autonomous zone” known as the Capitol Hill Occupied Protest. In a statement, protest leaders wrote, “We successfully built a self-governing community and convinced city leaders to enact meaningful police reform, including substantial budget cuts to the [Seattle Police Department].”
In Oakland, California, the school board voted unanimously Wednesday to eliminate its police force. Meanwhile, Chicago’s school board voted 4 to 3 to keep police in public schools.