Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said the United States past few days have been "traumatic" while addressing the demonstrations in the city over George Floyd’s death.
Garcetti said the struggle has been particularly difficult because of how the novel coronavirus pandemic has affected demonstrations.
“Powerful, peaceful, passionate protest is who we are as Americans,” Garcetti said. “No change has ever come to this country without the power of that protest, without our collective voices saying, this is our nation, we belong here, this is a part of it and we demand that this nation treat us all equally for the justice that we deserve.’”
Garcetti talked about making progress in racial injustice by having quiet conversations at dinner tables, in the workplace, or in neighborhoods.
“Racial justice is something that we all own,” he said.
Garcetti previously announced that Los Angeles will invest $250 million in communities of color. He added that $150 million in cuts from the Los Angeles Police Department’s budget “is not enough,” as he addressed the need for advancing police reform.
The Boston Red Sox say have apologized to former Minnesota Twins outfielder Torii Hunter, who said he was subject to racial abuse while in Boston or playing in the city's famed Fenway Park.
Hunter, a five-time All Star and nine-time Golden Glove winner, told ESPN last week that has "been called the N-word in Boston 100 times. … From little kids, and grownups right next to them didn’t say anything."
Hunter said he negotiated no trade-clauses in his contracts while playing professional baseball so he did not have to go to Boston.
“Torii Hunter’s experience is real,” the Red Sox statement says. “If you doubted him because you’ve never heard it yourself, take it from us, it happens. Last year there were 7 reported incidents at Fenway Park where fans used racial slurs. Those are just the ones we know about.
However, the team has been attempting to combat that narrative in recent years. Yawkey Way, an iconic street named after the late Red Sox owner who resisted integration, was renamed in 2017 because of Yawkey's racist legacy.
Both Hunter and Jones posted on Twitter in support of the Red Sox's statement published Wednesday.
The A&E television network is stopping production of "Live PD," a show that follows police officers around the nation, amid the ongoing protests, the network said in a statement.
“This is a critical time in our nation’s history and we have made the decision to cease production on Live PD. Going forward, we will determine if there is a clear pathway to tell the stories of both the community and the police officers whose role it is to serve them. And with that, we will be meeting with community and civil rights leaders as well as police departments.”
Houston,Texas, Mayor Sylvester Turner signed an executive order on police reform on Wednesday.
At a news briefing announcing the order, Turner said he was listening to concerns "and taking some immediate steps which we believe will create a much better system for everyone involved."
Floyd said he went to Capitol Hill because he "wanted to let them know about how the officer put his knee on my brother's neck, and how my brother pleaded for his life."
"I talk for a while trying to let them know that my brother, his death will not be in vein. I didn't want him to be another guy on a t-shirt. I told them how much I loved him, how much he was a role model to people growing up around me," he said.
Benjamin Crump, the Floyd family attorney who appeared beside Philonese Floyd during the interview, said he came away encouraged.
"For the first time, I believe that we have a real opportunity of getting people to come from across the aisle and change the culture and behavior of people across America," Crump said. "We went to congress because we know if there's a change in policing in America, it has to start at the top. And so, the lawmakers even on the other side of the aisle were literally saying that we have to do something about this.
US Sen. Kamala Harris said she and her colleagues are calling for an "immediate review" of the use of rubber bullets by police following their use last week by authorities to dispel protesters across the country.
Rubber bullets, flash bang grenades and tear gas are among some of the "less lethal" options commonly used by police trying to disperse large crowds.
But when fired at close range rubber bullets can penetrate the skin, break bones, fracture the skull and explode the eyeball, he said.
The organization is called "More Than a Vote.” Its purpose is to help get African Americans to register to vote and to cast a ballot in November.
Trae Young, Skylar Diggins-Smith, Jalen Rose, Draymond Green, and Udonis Haslem are some of the current and former basketball players joining to help the organization. Alvin Kamara of the NFL's New Orleans Saints also joined, according to the Times.
“Because of everything that’s going on, people are finally starting to listen to us -- we feel like we’re finally getting a foot in the door,” James said in a phone interview with the Times. “How long is up to us. We don’t know. But we feel like we’re getting some ears and some attention, and this is the time for us to finally make a difference.”
James added: “Yes, we want you to go out and vote, but we’re also going to give you the tutorial. We’re going to give you the background of how to vote and what they’re trying to do, the other side, to stop you from voting.”
Amber Ruffin, a comedian and writer on "Late Night with Seth Meyers," has been sharing stories about troubling experiences with police as a black woman on the show.
Ruffin joined CNN's Anderson Cooper to share some of her stories and talk about why she's sharing them in public now.
In the past, Ruffin said, it has "just felt safe to not be running around talking about it, you know what I mean? And that's kind of sad, but true."
"When you tell a story like that to someone, they could get mad, or the most common reaction is they feel very uncomfortable, and you can tell, and you kind of hurry through the story," Ruffin said. "But I think i's time for them to sit with that discomfort. To hear it and let it really affect them, because it's scary to look at that and know that you're subject to that happening over and over again. And a lot of white people can't even get near that thought, it is too painful. Meanwhile, we're running around, living smack dab in the middle of it. So yeah, let's get uncomfortable."