A Movement in Photos: Protests Against Racism and Police Brutality in New York City

A protestor holds up a sign during a march against systemic racism and police brutality, New York, June 2, 2020. Protests erupted across the nation for weeks after the death of George Floyd while being arrested by Minneapolis police. (Max S.

’

26)

On May 25, 2020, George Floyd died in Minneapolis, Minnesota while being arrested by the police. During the incident, which was filmed by a bystander, Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on Floyd’s neck for over eight minutes, while Floyd, who was African American, repeatedly said that he could not breathe. This heinous incident sparked weeks of protests in major cities across America against the killing of George Floyd, police brutality, and systemic racism in American society.

These protests, which took place for days on end in almost every major city, again raised questions surrounding police brutality. While incidents of riots and looting did occur in some cities, the majority of protests were peaceful. However, police were recorded responding to many of these peaceful protests with violence and excessive force, which sparked another wave of outrage and even more activism.

Browning student Max S. ’26 photographed a peaceful protest in the weeks following Floyd’s death as the protestors walked through Manhattan. The photos displayed below, which he took and submitted to the Grytte, are a valuable display of this historic moment.