Black Lives Matter protests: What you need to know
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Protesters outside the Minneapolis 1st Police precinct during a demonstration against police brutality and racism in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Saturday. Photo: Kerem Yucel/AFP via Getty Images
The death of Rayshard Brooks, another black man fatally shot by police, outside an Atlanta restaurant became a focal point of anti-racism protests across the U.S. on Saturday.
The big picture: Protesters are highlighting systemic racism issues across the U.S. and pressing states to make changes on what kind of force law enforcement can use on civilians. It has prompted officials to review police conduct.
- The demonstrations began some three weeks ago over the death George Floyd, another black man who died in police custody.
What's happening: Atlanta police announced early Sunday that Garrett Rolfe, the the white officer who fatally shot Brooks had been fired and Devin Bronsan, another officer who had been present during the shooting, was placed on administrative duty.
- In Atlanta, police responded with tear gas after protesters set on fire the Wendy's restaurant in Atlanta on Saturday night where Brooks died the previous evening and "blocked traffic on a nearby highway," per AP.
- Lawmakers in Minnesota heard from activists, legislators and the families of of people hurt and killed in confrontations during an hours-long virtual hearing on policing changes proposed by state Democrats, the Star Tribune reports. Among those to testify was Valerie Castile, whose son, Philando Castile, was fatally shot by a police officer in Falcon Heights, Minnesota in 2016.
- Atlanta Chief of Police Erika Shields resigned on Saturday, one day on from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation began its review into the death of Brooks, a 27-year-old, black Atlanta resident.
- A lawyer for the Brooks family disputed during a news conference Saturday night the official account that the shooting happened after Brooks failed a sobriety test, saying witnesses his team had spoken with did not see this.
- The Secret Service on Saturday retracted its initial statement that no one in the agency used tear gas or pepper spray to forcibly clear peaceful protesters before President Trump's photo-op at the historic St. John’s Episcopal Church earlier this month.
- In the United Kingdom, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson condemned on Saturday "racist thuggery" after far-right groups clashed with police in central London during a "counter-protest" following Black Lives matter rallies.
Go deeper:
- The bottom-up revolution goes global, viral
- In photos: People around the world rally against racism
- Confederate monuments become flashpoints in protests against racism
Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.
