After the death of a black man from police violence, protests have broken out in the US city of Minneapolis. At first there was a peaceful gathering of hundreds of people, local media reported. But then there were clashes.
After protesters moved from the suspected crime scene to a police station, police vehicles and window panes are said to have been damaged there. According to media reports, emergency services used tear gas and bullets against the demonstrators.
The protests were triggered by a video of around ten minutes from the city in the state of Minnesota, which was posted on Facebook: a white policeman pressed his knee for several minutes to the neck of a black suspect who repeatedly pleaded for help before he passed out lost.
The African American repeatedly said, “I cannot breathe.” He died shortly afterwards in a nearby hospital. Slogans such as “I can’t breathe” appeared on signs from protesters on Tuesday.
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FBI is investigating the case
The case is now being investigated by the Minneapolis police and the FBI federal police. Mayor Jacob Frey was horrified: “It shouldn’t be a death sentence in America to be black.” The four police officers involved in the case were fired.
Police said officials came to the site to investigate a fraud case. The approximately 40-year-old suspect had resisted. Then it says: “The officers were able to handcuff the suspect and found that he seemed to need medical help.” The officers therefore called an ambulance. However, it remained unclear whether the man needed medical help before the police officers acted.
Fall commemorates Eric Garner’s death
In the United States, there are repeated high-profile cases of police violence against black people. The recent incident was reminiscent of the case of African American Eric Garner, also recorded on video. The then 43-year-old was thrown to the ground by New York police officers in 2014; they took his breath away, and later he died in the hospital.
Garner’s last words – “I can’t breathe” – became a slogan for the “Black Lives Matter” movement. This campaigns for equality between blacks and whites and against police violence in the USA. (dpa)
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