Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) on Saturday attended a protest outside the White House as violent unrest rages across the United States over the death of George Floyd, the man who died after a Minneapolis police officer placed his knee on Floyd’s neck while he was handcuffed.
A masked Harris shared a video of herself attending a protest alongside hundreds of other demonstrators chanting “Hands up. Don’t shoot.”
People are in pain. We must listen. pic.twitter.com/5PJ9gqyu1q
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) May 30, 2020
Harris, a contender to be former Vice President Joe Biden’s running mate, shared the video with the caption: “People are in pain. We must listen.”
Harris communications director Sabrina Singh said the California Democrat joined the protesters to advocate for “people to be heard.”
Hours after attending the protest, Harris tweeted:
Too often, Black parents have to sit their teenage children down and tell them they may be stopped, arrested, or even shot because of the color of their skin. Our nation’s history of systemic racism and use of excessive force must be confronted so we can begin to heal.
Too often, Black parents have to sit their teenage children down and tell them they may be stopped, arrested, or even shot because of the color of their skin. Our nation’s history of systemic racism and use of excessive force must be confronted so we can begin to heal.
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) May 30, 2020
Protests erupted in dozens of cities across the United States overnight as activists called for justice for Floyd’s death.
Speaking during a news conference Saturday, Minneapolis Gov. Tim Walz blamed the violence on groups unrelated to the Floyd cause, including anarchists, white supremacists, and drug cartel participants. He said he plans to mobilize the National Guard to keep the peace for any further weekend protests.
“Our cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul are under assault,” he said, blaming riots on “an organized attempt to destabilize society.”
Walz said he spoke with Floyd’s family, who said the violence that had overtaken the city was counterproductive to the message activists were trying to send about the 46-year-old’s death.
Floyd died Monday after Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on his neck during an arrest for nearly 9 minutes. There have been daily protests since the incident — which was recorded on video — calling for the officer and three others present during the arrest to face charges.
Chauvin was charged Friday with third-degree murder and bail was set at $500,000. All four officers, including Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao, were fired from the MPD.
Protesters took to the streets across the country Friday night, many beginning as peaceful demonstrations that later took a more violent turn. Several buildings were torched while businesses were vandalized and looted.
The UPI contributed to this report.
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