'Mayhem': 4 police officers shot during long night of violence and destruction in St. Louis
“The idea of a man being killed for no reason, for what was essentially a citation, and the ease with which he was killed — that’s a problem,” Turner said.
The 46-year-old Floyd died after a convenience store clerk called police about a customer who attempted to pass a counterfeit $20 bill. Several officers held Floyd down in an apparent effort to take him into custody and one knelt on his neck for more than five minutes. An autopsy determined asphyxiation was a cause of his death.
Jennifer Lunceford of St. Louis came to the protest with friends because they were “sick and tired of being sick and tired.” But the decision to come made Lunceford uneasy, she said, because she’d seen videos online of police firing tear gas at protesters in other parts of the country. Police also fired tear gas at protesters in Ferguson on Sunday night after fireworks and projectiles were thrown at police.
“Honestly, the whole police state needs to be reformed,” she said.
Kyla Stanley of St. Louis came to the protest with her brother Kylin and their friends.
“The white cops need to give us a chance to talk instead of targeting us like we’re the enemy,” said Stanley, who is black. “It’s sad how white cops treat us. We’re all humans. We should be treated with the same respect we give them ... they deserve every riot and every protest right now.”
