In the midst of ongoing protests in different parts of America over the unlawful killing of an African American man, George Floyd, surprising scenes have emerged after some of the cities’ police officers were seen kneeling and marching in solidarity with protesters.
It would be recalled that George Floyd was killed last Monday by a White policemen, Derek Chauvin, who knelt on the neck of the victim for over 8 minutes.
This sparked outrage on social media after video of the incident went viral, leading to a physical protest in different cities in the US.
Security operatives have been seen in various videos using rubber bullets, pepper pellets and tear gas to quell nationwide uprisings.
Read Also: Crowds Protest Outside White House Against George Floyd’s Killing
However, in a new development, some officers have taken a different approach in suppressing the revolt, which has led to the destruction of buildings, arrest of hundreds of protesters and even the death of a police officer.
From New York to Des Moines to Spokane in Washington, some members of law enforcement knelt alongside protesters and marched in solidarity with them.
The act has become synonymous with peaceful protests in recent years after football player Colin Kaepernick knelt as part of his protests against police brutality on unarmed black citizens in 2016.
A video circulating widely on Facebook captured two people in uniform joining a kneeling crowd in Queens.
The officers remained as a circle of people began to chant names of black Americans killed in infamous recent cases.
Cheers erupted, too, in the Iowa capital as Des Moines officers took a knee behind a police barricade.
The crowd cheered when a pastor said police would take a knee. Two officers kneeled for a prayer but the rest remained standing. pic.twitter.com/TwXN0dhOQw
— Stephen Gruber-Miller (@sgrubermiller) June 1, 2020
Police kneel with protesters at Merle Hay Mall. pic.twitter.com/2MDrGdYxlW
— DM Register Visuals (@RegisterVisuals) June 1, 2020
Police from Lafayette Square in Washington to Miami to Santa Cruz, California also took to their knees in solidarity.
Officers were filmed outside the courthouse in Spokane, in eastern Washington state, kneeling at the request of protesters instead of pushing them back.
Two Des Moines police officers kneeled and said a prayer that everyone remained safe and left peacefully pic.twitter.com/pLSGHFJk1e
— DM Register Visuals (@RegisterVisuals) June 1, 2020
However, the gesture did not always diffuse the tension, nor did it answer the underlying demands of protesters for an end to police brutality and the disproportionate targeting of black citizens.
Aleeia Abraham, who shot video of officers kneeling in Queens, told CNN the action was insufficient.
She said;
That’s great, it’s a good sign, but what we’re really looking for is action. I’ll be even more impressed when we’re not stepped on and gunned down. That’s the moment I’m looking for.
Chris Freeman, a 31-year-old in Philadelphia, said protesters outside of City Hall were demanding police officers utter the words, “black lives matter,” focusing on black officers in particular.
He said;
People were in officers’ faces, asking, ‘Do you believe black lives matter?’. Sometimes there was silence. Sometimes they said, ‘all lives matter.’
The demands of protesters have caused rebuke in some places. In downtown Washington, a black officer who knelt was yanked up by his supervisor after kneeling.
At 15th and Penn, crowd chanting “Take a knee!” at a line of cops. And one did. He knelt down in the line. The crowd roared, and a supervisor yanked the (black male) officer by his collar out of the line. They argued briefly and he returned to the line. pic.twitter.com/JsOLPGM0O0
— Tom Jackman (@TomJackmanWP) June 1, 2020
In Michigan, Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson marched with demonstrators. So did the police chief in Norfolk.
In Atlanta, the police chief won praise for wading into a crowd of protesters, reaching out her hands and asking about their concerns.
Amazing scene unfolding in Flint, Twp, Michigan. Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson has joined protesters in a peaceful march. Read More: https://t.co/4ioyUnymNv @MichStatePolice @GovWhitmer pic.twitter.com/nMCVuXQ0TZ
— Mid-Michigan NOW (@midmichigannow) May 31, 2020
These scenes are a stark contrast to images of officers ignoring the pleas of protesters in other instances and resorting to the use of overwhelming force, sometimes provoked by the protesters before them.
See some photos of officers who knelt below;
