Mass demonstrations erupted in cities across the country this weekend to protest the death of George Floyd and draw attention to the ongoing systemic issue of police violence. Tens of thousands of people poured into the streets of cities big and small—Los Angeles, Seattle, Chicago, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Miami, New York City—to say enough is enough.
Many protesters stayed into the night, despite curfews ordered by more than two dozen mayors—the most since 1968, according to The New York Times. Looting and vandalism took place in many cities, as did violent confrontations between law enforcement and the protesters. On social media, videos of smoldering police vehicles in cities like Seattle and Philadelphia underscored the frustration and anger of fed-up communities. In Minneapolis, where Floyd died on Monday after he was pinned to the ground by police officer Derek Chauvin, more than 4,000 National Guard soldiers were called in to try to restore order during a fifth day of unrest.
The chaotic images of U.S. cities flooding social media have people feeling helpless, but there are many ways you can fight against police violence, help the cause of racial justice, and support the broader Black Lives Matter movement. We’ve rounded up a few ways to help below:
- Donate to Black Lives Matter: You can find the main donation page here.
- Get involved with your local BLM chapter: The full list is here.
- Or start your own: More info here.
- Donate to a bail fund: Some Twitter users are crowdsourcing lists of local organizations that help bail out protesters who get arrested. Thread here.
- Or another bail fund: This crowdsourced Google Doc of bail funds keeps getting bigger.
- Support the National Police Accountability Project: This group, a project of the National Lawyers Guild, helps people find legal counsel. More info here.
- Support Campaign Zero, a police reform group that has been working on policy solutions “informed by data and human rights principles.” More info here.
- Sign a petition: Civil rights group Color of Change launched a petition asking that all the officers involved in Floyd’s death are brought to justice. Find it here.
- Or another petition: The “Justice for George Floyd” petition on Change.org already has 8.5 million supporters. That sends a big message. Find it here.
Aerial view shows a large gathering of demonstrators in the streets of Philadelphia as a fire burns amid protests over the death of George Floyd. https://t.co/OdRVqCsGsg pic.twitter.com/B2vQGDUScD
— ABC News (@ABC) May 30, 2020
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