United States
Federal
Donald Trump
Bottom: Congress members in Washington, D.C. after the House's passage of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act on June 25, 2020
On May 27, 2020, U.S. president Donald Trump tweeted "At my request, the FBI and the Department of Justice are already well into an investigation as to the very sad and tragic death in Minnesota of George Floyd...." [1]
On May 29, Trump responded to the riots by threatening to send in the National Guard, adding that "Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts." [2] [3] [4] [5] The tweet was interpreted as quoting former Miami Police Chief Walter Headley, who said "when the looting starts, the shooting starts" in December 1967, as Miami saw escalating tensions and racial protests aimed at the 1968 Republican National Convention. [6] [7] Trump's use of the quote was seen by Twitter as an incitement of violence; Twitter placed the tweet behind a public interest notice for breaching its terms of service in regards to incitement of violence. [8] The next day, Trump commented on his original tweet, saying, "Looting leads to shooting, and that's why a man was shot and killed in Minneapolis on Wednesday night – or look at what just happened in Louisville with 7 people shot. I don't want this to happen, and that's what the expression put out last night means...." [9]
In a series of tweets on May 31, Trump blamed the press for fomenting the protests and said journalists are "truly bad people with a sick agenda." [10]
On June 1, in a teleconference with state governors, Trump said they had been "weak" in their response to the unrest and insisted that they "have to dominate ... You've got to arrest people, you have to track people, you have to put them in jail for 10 years and you'll never see this stuff again." [11] He later proclaimed in the White House Rose Garden, "I am your president of law and order" and said he was "dispatching thousands and thousands of heavily armed soldiers, military personnel, and law enforcement officers" to deal with rioting in Washington, D.C. [12] Trump and an entourage subsequently departed the White House and walked to St. John's Episcopal Church, whose basement had been damaged by fire, and posed for pictures in front of it holding up a Bible. Police and federal agents had used tear gas and rubber bullets to clear a crowd of nonviolent protesters from Lafayette Square to ensure an extension of area protective fencing. The forceful clearing of protesters had been originally understood to involve creating a route for Trump to walk down to the St John's Episcopal church where he then staged a photo op with the Bible, an event that initially drew widespread condemnation from military and religious leaders, as well as fellow Republicans. He was later cleared of wrongdoing by an investigative report. [13] [14] Four days after this event Washington D.C. renamed the street corner in front of St. John's Church "Black Lives Matter Plaza" and painted "BLACK LIVES MATTER" in large, yellow letters stretching from Lafayette Square north for two blocks. [15]
U.S. Congress
Republican Senators Ben Sasse (NE), Susan Collins (ME), Tim Scott (SC), and Lisa Murkowski (AK), along with Congressional Democrats including Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi (CA) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (NY), criticized President Trump's handling of the protests. Many other Congressional Republicans either defended the Trump administration's actions or avoided directly responding to questions about the forced clearance of Lafayette Square. [16]
In response to the protests, Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) argued that extremists from the far-left and the far-right wanted to use the unrest to take aim at civil society and could potentially start a Second American Civil War. [17] [18]
On June 7, 2020, Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) participated alongside Black Lives Matter protesters in a march in Washington D.C. as the first Republican Senator to participate in the protests. [19] [20]
Other officials
Surgeon General Jerome Adams said, in relation to the protests, "I remain concerned about the public health consequences both of individual and institutional racism". [21]
Several military officials associated with various presidential administrations—including three former Trump appointees, ex-Secretary of Defense and retired Marine Corps general Jim Mattis, former White House Chief of Staff and Secretary of Homeland Security John F. Kelly, and former Assistant Secretary of Defense Mick Mulroy—criticized Trump's response to the unrest. [22] [23] [24] [25]
Democratic presumptive and eventual president Joe Biden compared the murder of George Floyd to the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968, saying that even "Dr. King's assassination did not have the worldwide impact that George Floyd's death did." [26]
States
Bottom: Georgia National Guard enforce a curfew during protests in Atlanta on June 4.
On May 30, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo stated that the riots have exposed the "inequality and discrimination in the criminal justice system" and that "When you have one episode, two episodes maybe you can look at them as individual episodes. But when you have 10 episodes, 15 episodes, you are blind or in denial if you are still treating each one like a unique situation". [27]
Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms called for protesters to express their anger through "non-violent" means. She decried the riots as illegitimate and accused them of harming Atlanta rather than helping. [28]
Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds and Des Moines Mayor Frank Cownie, while sympathizing with the anger of protesters, asked for citizens to stop the violence and have a "Respectful, peaceful dialogue". [29]
After two people were charged with a hate crime for vandalizing a Black Lives Matter mural in Martinez, California, Contra Costa County District Attorney Diana Becton said the BLM movement "is an important civil rights cause that deserves all of our attention." [30]
General public
An early June 2020 Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll indicated the majority (64%) of American adults are "sympathetic to people who are out protesting right now" and a slight majority (55%) disapprove of Trump's handling of the protests. [31] An Emerson poll of registered voters conducted between June 2–3 indicated that among American voters, 46% approve of the protests, 38% disapprove and 16% were neutral; 76% of voters disapprove of looting and property destruction during the protests, while 17% approve. [32]
Industry
Middle: A website for a children's organization expresses support for Black Lives Matter on June 3
Bottom: Private security and boarded up storefronts at Saks Fifth Avenue in New York City on June 7
In response to George Floyd's murder and the subsequent protests, various companies made public statements against racism and injustice and displayed other forms of support. [33]
On June 4, the CEO of LinkedIn apologized after a company meeting to address the George Floyd protests saw some employees make racially insensitive comments. [34]
In response to complaints on social media reflecting similar complaints mentioned in a racial discrimination lawsuit, Walmart announced it would no longer store hair care products appropriate for most African Americans in locked security cases–products for other types of hair were not similarly locked away–in the few stores that had done so. [35]
Media industry
The entertainment industry was overwhelmingly supportive of the protests, exhibited by corporations voicing support for Black Lives Matter causes and a number of celebrities attending protests and making donations.
Actors such as Jamie Foxx, [36] Nick Cannon, [37] and Kendrick Sampson [38] —among others—attended protests, while Blake Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds donated a record $200,000 to the NAACP. [39] Actor Cole Sprouse was reportedly taken into custody among other protestors during protests in Santa Monica, California. [40] Much of the music industry called for an organized "blackout" on June 2 [41] [42] while prominent musicians such as Ariana Grande, [43] Beyonce, [44] Chance the Rapper, [45] Halsey, [46] J. Cole [47] and Joe Jonas [48] attended protests or otherwise voiced support for the cause. Jay-Z spoke to the Governor of Minnesota to weigh in on justice for George Floyd [49] while Drake [50] and The Weeknd [50] donated to pro-Black Lives Matter causes. Taylor Swift made headlines by denouncing President Trump on Twitter for "stoking the fires of racism." The tweet went on to become the 15th most liked tweet of all time, garnering 2.2 million likes as of June 2020. [51] [52] K-pop group BTS, with the support of their agency BigHit Entertainment, donated $1,000,000 to the BLM movement. [53] Following this announcement, fans of the group ran a #MatchAMillion campaign, which raised an additional $1,026,531 within a day to be split between various BLM-related organizations. [54] Kanye West donated $2,000,000 to the families of George Floyd, set up a 529 college fund for George Floyd's daughter, and funded Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery's attorney fees. He was also seen attending a protest in Chicago. [55]
Television networks owned by ViacomCBS, including BET, CBS Sports Network, CMT, Comedy Central, Logo TV, MTV, Nickelodeon, Paramount Network, Pop TV, the Smithsonian Channel, TV Land, and VH1 suspended regular programming for 8 minutes and 46 seconds on June 1 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time as a tribute to George Floyd. The networks aired a video with the caption "I can't breathe" accompanied with breathing sounds, while Nickelodeon aired a separate scrolling video containing language from the Declaration of Kids' Rights, which the network first created on June 7, 1990. [56] [57] On June 2, Discovery, Inc. displayed blackout screens as part of "Blackout Tuesday" for the same length of time on its 19 domestic channels in the U.S. [58] On June 9 and 10, the same channels suspended programming for an hour each day at 9 p.m. Eastern time to broadcast a virtual roundtable discussion with African-American politicians, commentators, and entertainers. The show, moderated by Oprah Winfrey, was called OWN Spotlight: Where Do We Go From Here? [59] Procter and Gamble was a presenting sponsor, and Essence magazine also bought air time to promote a contest for black female entrepreneurs.
Netflix was the first major studio to issue a statement supporting Black Lives Matter in the wake of protests. [60] YouTube pledged $1,000,000 to combat social injustice. [61] Lego announced they would cease advertising White House and police-related toys, pledging $4 million towards education on racism and helping African American children. [62] [63] The Walt Disney Company pledged $5 million supporting nonprofit organizations advancing social justice, including a $2 million donation to the NAACP. [64] CEO Bob Chapek and executive chairman Bob Iger released a statement to Disney employees promising "real change" in the wake of George Floyd's death. The cast of Brooklyn Nine-Nine , a police comedy series, along with showrunner Dan Goor, donated $100,000 to The National Bail Fund Network while also condemning Floyd's death. [65] Stephanie Beatriz, who plays Rosa Diaz on Brooklyn Nine-Nine, made a personal donation to the fund while encouraging actors who portray police on television to do so as well. [66] Meanwhile, Amazon Studios issued a statement supporting Black Lives Matter. [67] Amazon Prime Video started displaying African-American themed selections in a prominent Black Lives Matter category.
Many members of the video game industry supported the protests and Black Lives Matter. Electronic Arts, 2K Games and Humble Bundle committed US$1 million towards black-oriented charities and foundations. Ubisoft, Square Enix, and The Pokémon Company also made significant financial commitments to the cause. [68] [69] [70]
Sports industry
Much of the sports industry was supportive of the protesters demanding justice for George Floyd. Several footballers across different leagues including Jadon Sancho, Romelu Lukaku, Marcus Rashford, among other, have shown full solidarity towards the issue. [71] In June 2020, Raheem Sterling on the BBC programme Newsnight, reacting to anti-racism protests around the world said that this is the time to speak up against injustice, especially in football. The forward remarked that there are 500 players in the Premier League of which one-third constitute of blacks, but the hierarchy has no black representative for blacks in the management. "It's not just taking the knee, it is about giving people the chance they deserve," he lamented on Floyd's death and lack of acceptance for black worldwide. [72] On June 17, 2020, more than 3 months after the Premier League resumed, Aston Villa and Sheffield United players took a knee in support of the BLM movement before the match. [73]
Six-time Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton, who is the sport's first and only black driver has criticized the industry for the silence over the matter on Instagram. This has led to his fellow drivers expressing their views with several others supporting the campaign. [74] Formula One also issued a statement echoing Hamilton's post. [75] Hamilton has also launched a commission to improve diversity in racing, [76] with Formula One launching an initiative known as "We Race As One" to tackle racial injustice. [77] Former Formula One Group chairman Bernie Ecclestone caused controversy when he questioned Hamilton's initiative and adding that "Black people are more racist than what White people are". [78] This has caused Hamilton to hit back at Ecclestone, calling Ecclestone as "ignorant and uneducated", [79] [80] with Formula One issuing a statement saying that they "completely disagree with Bernie Ecclestone’s comments that have no place in Formula 1 or society". [81]
NASCAR has banned Confederate flags at all of their events, following a call by driver Bubba Wallace for a ban of the flags. [82] An incident occurred during the GEICO 500 weekend, when a noose was discovered in Wallace's garage at the Talladega Superspeedway. [83] Following an investigation, the FBI concluded that Wallace was not a victim of hate crime, but the noose had been there since October 2019. [84]
CrossFit CEO Greg Glassman was forced to resign over his response to Floyd's murder; over a thousand gyms, top CrossFit athletes, and Reebok and Rogue Fitness dropped partnerships with the company. [85]
In June 2020, The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) showed staunch support towards the black lives matter movement and acknowledged that cricket is also not immune to systematic racism. However, the board affirmed that it will address the issue and try to bring “meaningful and long-term change” to the game. “We will now work to engage community leaders and black influencers within cricket so that we can review and evolve our existing inclusion and diversity work and specifically address the issues raised by the black community,” it added. [86]
In July 2020, Patty Mills said that he would play in the NBA restart and donate his entire salary for 2020 towards fighting racism. The NBA star revealed that the amount would precisely be $1,017,818.54 and said that it would be bifurcated and donated towards Black Lives Matter Australia among other racism related concerns. [87]
Philanthropy
A report by the McKinsey Institute for Black Economic Mobility "analyz[ed] the announced financial commitments of more than 1,100 companies and philanthropic institutions" up to May 2021, concluding "that companies have dedicated $200 billion to increase efforts toward racial justice since the murder of George Floyd on May 25, 2020" (with almost 90% of this sum coming from financial institutions), and that "Much of these funds are being committed to providing affordable housing, lending in low- and middle-income and minority communities, and community development. [88] Similarly, an August 2021 Washington Post analysis found that "America’s 50 biggest public companies and their foundations collectively committed at least $49.5 billion since Floyd’s murder last May to addressing racial inequality — an amount that appears unequaled in sheer scale." [89] However, it noted that "more than 90 percent of that amount — $45.2 billion — is allocated as loans or investments they could stand to profit from, more than half in the form of mortgages. Two banks — JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America — accounted for nearly all of those commitments." [89]
George Soros' Open Society Foundations announced in July 2020 it would make US$150 million in grants for Black-led racial justice groups, and US$70 million in local grants for criminal justice reform and civic engagement opportunities. Its president said the foundations saw this as a way to harness the momentum toward racial justice, a moment it has been "investing in for the last 25 years”. The New York Times expected that the initiative would "reshape the landscape of Black political and civil rights organizations", signaling the extent to which race and identity have become the explicit focal point of American politics in recent years, and position Soros' foundation "near the forefront of the protest movement". [90]
Community organizations
Various community organizations have responded to the events with messages condemning racism.
Organizations representing most religious organizations in the United States, including the National Council of Churches, [91] numerous bishops representing various churches, [92] 26 Jewish organizations, [93] the Hindu American Foundation (HAF), [94] the Sikh Coalition, [95] the Buddhist Churches of America [96] and others released statements condemning the murder of George Floyd and calling for racial justice.
Multiple community organizations representing South Asians including the Association of Indian American Doctors [97] and various branches of the Federation of Indian Associations [98] [99] have also issued statements about the incident.
Backlash
The protests were met with counter-protesters and disruption in some places, such as in rural Oregon. [100] There have been various reports of Proud Boys and people with anti-federal government and/or white supremacist ideals such as the Boogaloo movement infiltrating protests as part of a larger strategy of causing a "race war", or a "second Civil War." [101] [102] Individuals associated with these movements have been charged in connection with terrorist plots, car attacks, and shootings that have taken place in conjunction with the protests. [103] [104] [105]
A spate of anti-Black hate crimes has been reported amidst the protests, [106] [107] along with increased online hate speech. [108] Some George Floyd murals have been vandalized. [109] A number of Facebook groups have reportedly used George Floyd's name as a cloak to help spread white supremacist rhetoric. [110]
