WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Americans have taken to the streets following the death of George Floyd, who died in Minneapolis on May 25 after a white police officer pinned his knee against his neck for nearly nine minutes.
The Fernandez family members Alaysia, 15, Jerry Sr., 38, Shawn, 3, Jerry Jr., 11, Katrina, 42, Sariah, 10, Rebecca, 9, Janiya, 4, and McKenzie, 6, pose for a portrait as they take part in a protest against racial inequality, in the aftermath of the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody, in Washington, U.S. June 6, 2020. Picture taken June 6, 2020. REUTERS/Leah Millis
Protesters and activists say Floyd’s death, captured on video, is a particularly stark example of why U.S. policing policies should be reformed, and particularly their treatment of black men and women.
Police-involved fatalities in the United States average nearly three deaths per day, a study here published in the American Journal of Public Health showed. Black and Latino men in the United States are twice as likely as white men to die during interactions with police.
Americans of all ages and races are pushing for police reform. Here are five who marched on Saturday in Washington, D.C.
Zeke Thomas and his son Jay. REUTERS/Leah Millis
ZEKE THOMAS
Zeke Thomas, 30, who works at a child welfare agency, attended the protest with his five-year-old son, Jay, in part to “show him how to fight, the proper way to fight.”
Asked what he wanted to see emerge from these protests, Thomas said, “Change, like actions that show that black lives matte