The nationwide violence unleashed against protesters is a continuation and escalation of the murderous assault that cost George Floyd his life. The police are acting with impunity, fully aware that their violent attacks on protesters are supported by the Trump administration. Trump has repeatedly called for attacks on protesters. On Sunday, he retweeted a post that called for the use of “overwhelming force against the bad guys,” which followed his previous statement that “when the looting starts, the shooting starts.” Trump has demanded that state governments deploy the National Guard and has threatened to unleash the military to “take over.”
Journalists across the country were clearly targeted for assault and arrest by the police, in direct violation of the First Amendment’s protection of a free press. MSNBC anchor Ali Velshi was shot in the leg with a rubber bullet. In Louisville, a local TV reporter and her cameraman were targeted and shot with pepper balls during protests Friday. A freelance photojournalist in Minneapolis was permanently blinded in her left eye after being shot by the police with a rubber bullet.
The multiracial and multiethnic demonstrations that are sweeping the country are a protest not only against police violence, but also against intolerable economic and social conditions. https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/06/01/pers-j01.html
