De Blasio Denounced After Police Forcefully Clash With Protesters

The mayor drew jeers at a memorial for George Floyd in Brooklyn the day after the police aggressively enforced an 8 p.m. curfew.

Numerous protesters, including some at 50th Street and Third Avenue in Manhattan, were arrested on Wednesday after the 8 p.m. curfew.Credit...Todd Heisler/The New York Times

By Dana Rubinstein and Jeffery C. Mays
New York Times
June 4, 2020

In the first hours after the 8 p.m. curfew fell on New York City on Wednesday, clashes erupted between the police and protesters, including a melee in Downtown Brooklyn that was captured on camera and widely circulated on social media.

The widespread looting that had characterized some of the previous nights seemed to be under control, but the aggression displayed by the police against New Yorkers peacefully protesting the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis presented a fresh crisis for Mayor Bill de Blasio, who has praised the police for their “tremendous restraint” toward protesters.

Former allies denounced his leadership. New Yorkers called for the resignation of Mr. de Blasio and his police commissioner, Dermot F. Shea. Former aides bickered on Twitter about both his performance and whether their desire to distance themselves from the unpopular mayor was rooted in self-interest.

And when it seemed like Mr. de Blasio’s day could not get worse, an assailant stabbed a police officer in the neck, sparking a gunfight that left two additional officers wounded, and propelled the mayor to Kings County Hospital for an early-morning news conference on Thursday.

Mr. de Blasio is under siege, facing what may be the worst moment of his tenure since the 2014 fatal shootings of two police officers by a man seeking retribution for the police killing of Eric Garner on Staten Island.

The mayor’s appearance at a memorial for Mr. Floyd in Brooklyn on Thursday captured the depths of his unpopularity: He drew immediate jeers, despite pleas from one of the organizers, the Rev. Kevin McCall, to “respect George Floyd” and not boo. Instead, people turned their backs on the mayor and chanted “resign” and “I can’t breathe,” drowning out Mr. de Blasio’s roughly 90-second speech.

“George Floyd cannot be allowed to die in vain —” Crowd: “George Floyd! George Floyd!” [crowd chanting] “I thank you for being here … … let me tell you something: All of us who have not walked a mile in the shoes of the black community, communities of color, for all of us who know white privilege, we need do more because we don’t even fully recognize —” [crowd boos] Crowd: “George Floyd! George Floyd! George Floyd! George Floyd!”

The mayor is also still grappling with the coronavirus pandemic, which has claimed more than 21,000 deaths in New York City and has had a profound effect on the city’s economy and municipal budget. Mr. de Blasio said in an interview on MSNBC on Wednesday night that the protests over Mr. Floyd’s death had created “a perfect storm wrapped in another perfect storm.”

Mr. de Blasio said he had yet to see any of the footage showing police officers using batons on protesters, but he defended the overall police response and how the curfew was enforced.

“I am the duly elected mayor, I have put this curfew in place,” he said at his daily briefing.

“In the context of crisis, in the context of curfew, there is a point where enough is enough,” the mayor added. “If officers say now is the point we need you to go home, it’s time to go home.”

He said he saw a “lot of restraint from the N.Y.P.D. overall,” adding that if there was “anything that needs to be reviewed, it will be.”

Wednesday capped a week that included violence between police and protesters, and widespread looting. It featured the local president of Black Lives Matters, Hawk Newsome, demanding Mr. de Blasio’s resignation, and Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo mentioning his vested power to “displace” Mr. de Blasio.

Mr. Cuomo does not necessarily think that’s advisable, but a Republican councilman from southeastern Queens certainly does.

“I just woke up & NYC is still smoldering from civil unrest,” the councilman, Eric Ulrich, wrote on Twitter on Thursday morning. “@NYCMayor has lost control of the situation. Even some of his closest allies have abandoned ship. It’s time for @NYGovCuomo to step in & remove him from office.”

Mr. Ulrich said he would call for a vote of no confidence in the City Council.

“The most charitable assessment is that his mayoralty is currently on life support,” Neal Kwatra, a former adviser to both Mr. de Blasio and Mr. Cuomo, said in a text message.

The list of aides openly doubting the mayor’s leadership included several former top-level staffers who used to serve as proxies, and roughly 400 former and current staffers who have signed a public letter denouncing his approach to policing and demanding he cut Police Department funding.

The letter was galvanized by the images of police cruisers plowing into protesters on Saturday night.

“I would definitely say seeing the cop car and seeing the mayor’s response to it was very disappointing, just incredibly disappointing,” said Essence Franklin, 27, a former adviser in the mayor’s office for economic opportunity. “And to know there were literally people who used to work for the mayor’s office out there that night, who were in that area.”

Tensions worsened on Monday, when the first citywide curfew since World War II went into effect. Curfews are seen by law enforcement as options of last resort, to curb uncontrolled crime or violence. But they invariably lead to more confrontations between police and the communities they are supposed to serve, said Brian Higgins, the former police chief of Bergen County, N.J., who teaches emergency management at John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

“What are the police supposed to say, ‘Pretty please?’” Professor Higgins asked. “No, there has to be some teeth behind it.” He added: “Now what we’re doing is forcing a conflict between the police and the public.”

The police’s attempt at enforcing the curfew led to the clashes cited by some of his former aides as they expressed their disappointment in Mr. de Blasio.

Maya Wiley, Mr. de Blasio’s former counsel, used Twitter to amplify videos of the police using force against protesters, suggesting that witnesses should file a complaint with the Civilian Complaint Review Board.

On Wednesday night, Jonathan Rosen, another former adviser to Mr. de Blasio, urged the MSNBC host Lawrence O’Donnell to ask the mayor about the “horrifying video” he was seeing from clashes between police and protesters in Brooklyn.

When another former aide, Eric Phillips, suggested Mr. Rosen was being unhelpful to the “cause and community,” Mr. Rosen returned fire, targeting Mr. Phillips’s tendency to use Twitter to write about his forays into cooking.

“I mean it ain’t witticisms about spice racks I’ll give you that much but what’s defending busting a few peaceful protesters’ heads,” Mr. Rosen tweeted.

It only escalated from there, with Mr. Phillips suggesting Mr. Rosen was only concerned with creating distance from Mr. de Blasio for the sake of his reputation.

The mayor said on Thursday that while he respected his former aides, he did not believe they had a comprehensive grasp of the situation.

“For anyone out there who is concerned or criticizing, I’m not sure they understand the depth of the reality of what we’ve faced,” Mr. de Blasio said. “We have to keep the peace. We have to keep order. We have to protect our democracy and our democratic rights. We’re striking that balance all the time.”

At the memorial service in Brooklyn, there was no shortage of people willing to criticize the mayor, from the audience and from the stage.

“We have the wrong president, the wrong governor and the wrong mayor for these times that we are in right now,” said the public advocate, Jumaane Williams.

The same energy that the mayor and governor have exerted in protecting property, Mr. Williams said, has not gone into protecting the lives of black people.

Mr. Williams was well received by those in attendance, as was the state attorney general, Letitia James. Even the mayor’s wife, Chirlane McCray, who was initially booed when introduced with the mayor, was allowed to speak without interruption. She spoke for twice as long as her husband.

“The mayor was there to pay his respects and listen,” his press secretary, Freddi Goldstein, said. “It doesn’t take much time to say, ‘We hear you and there will be change.’ That’s what he did.”

It was the mayor’s second public appearance in Brooklyn that day; he had first appeared at the news conference early Thursday outside the hospital, where the injured officers had been taken.

“This is a moment in our history we’ve got to support each other,” Mr. de Blasio said. “No matter what else is happening around us, we’ve got to support each other.”

Alan Feuer contributed reporting.

Jeffery C. Mays is a reporter on the Metro Desk who covers politics with a focus on New York City Hall. A native of Brooklyn, he is a graduate of Columbia University. @JeffCMays

Protester Injured in Pushing Incident with Buffalo Police

SEE Video: Two BPD officers suspended - Five arrests after demonstrators defy curfew
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSBZGv5wzK4

WBEN NEWSROOM
JUNE 04, 2020 - 9:30 PM
Buffalo Police Department

Buffalo Police administer medical attention to a demonstrator who fell and struck his head on the sidewalk in front of city hall(WBEN Photo)

Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - Demonstrations came to a close Thursday evening as a protester suffered a head injury after falling as Buffalo Police were sweeping the area of a small group that remained after the 8pm curfew.

The man could be seen facing officers as they were slowly moving toward demonstrators and fell backwards dramatically and striking his head on the concrete.  Video accounts show the officers pushed the demonstrator before he fell.  Emergency medical attention was administered to the victim, who was conscious and visibly bleeding, and taken via ambulance for treatment.

The two officers involved in the incident were immedately suspended by Commissioner Byron Lockwood after the department reviewed video accounts.

The injured demonstrator was taken to Erie County medical Center and was listed in stable condition Thursday night.

Mayor Byron Brown released the following statement late Thursday night:

“Tonight, after a physical altercation between two separate groups of protesters participating in an illegal demonstration beyond the curfew, two Buffalo Police officers knocked down a 75-year-old man. The victim is in stable but serious condition at ECMC. I was deeply disturbed by the video, as was Buffalo Police Commissioner Byron Lockwood. He directed an immediate investigation into the matter, and the two officers have been suspended without pay. After days of peaceful protests and several meetings between myself, Police leadership and members of the community, tonight’s event is disheartening. I hope to continue to build on the progress we have achieved as we work together to address racial injustice and inequity in the City of Buffalo. My thoughts are with the victim tonight.”

Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz has reviewed the videos of the incident and says the man appears to have been 'shoved by police'.  "It sickens me," he says.

I've seen videos of the incident in front of Buffalo's City Hall in which an older protester appears to have been shoved by police, fell backwards and suffered a serious head injury. It sickens me. I've confirmed he is at ECMC in stable condition. My thoughts are with him now.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has seen the video and tweeted Thursday night, "This incident is wholly unjustified and utterly disgraceful."

Four people were arrested on disorderly conduct charges for blocking traffic in the Square and a 5th person was arrested during a skirmish with other protestors and also charged with disorderly conduct.

The tragic end to a day of demonstrations came after a small contingent gathered on the steps of Buffalo city hall agreed with police to peacefully leave at 8:05pm.  As most protesters slowly exited the sidewalk in front of city hall, a handful of angry demonstrators were shouting obscenities at one another and refusing to leave when Buffalo Police began to make their slow advance across Niagara Square to clear the sidewalk of those remaining.

Demonstrations were active in Niagara Square most of the afternoon as a rally was held that featured Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown at one point who issued an order for Buffalo Police to cease any use of 'choke-hold' tactics.

Protesters left Niagara Square during the dinner hour and marched up the streets of Allentown and winding through the Elmwood and Delaware districts before ending their formal gathering with an eight minute moment of silence in Johnson Park.

It was following the Johnson Park demonstration when some of the protesters made their way back to city hall in advance of the 8pm curfew.

The 8pm to 5am curfew remains in place for the city of Buffal through Monday morning at 8am.

Elderly Man Pushed to Ground by Buffalo Police Starts Bleeding from Head

By Ben Feuerherd
June 4, 2020 | 10:28pm |
WBFO

A Buffalo police officer was caught on video shoving a 75-year-old man to the ground, causing him to bang his head on the sidewalk and start bleeding from the back of skull, according to the local public radio station.

The video shows the elderly man, wearing a face mask, walk up to a line of riot-gear clad police officers near the City Hall building soon after a curfew went into effect on Thursday, according to WBFO.

The officers shout out to the man to move back, then one of them pushes him, causing him to stumble backward and slam his head into the pavement, according to the video.

One of the cops then bends down to check on him, but other officers pull him away and call for a medic, the video shows.

Blood then starts to pour from the back of the man’s head and his ears, according to the video.

“He’s bleeding out of his ears!” a bystander shouts.

“You better get an ambulance for him,” another voice could be heard saying on the video.

The man was rushed to nearby hospital by medics who responded and is in serious but stable condition, Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown said. Two officers involved in the incident have been suspended without pay, he added.

“I was deeply disturbed by the video, as was Buffalo Police Commissioner Byron Lockwood,” Brown said in a statement.

“He directed an immediate investigation into the matter, and the two officers have been suspended without pay,” he added.

Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz said in a tweet Thursday night that the footage “sickens” him.

“I’ve seen videos of the incident in front of Buffalo’s City Hall in which an older protester appears to have been shoved by police, fell backwards and suffered a serious head injury,” he wrote.

“It sickens me. I’ve confirmed he is at ECMC in stable condition. My thoughts are with him now,” he added.

The incident happened soon after a protest finished in the area where five people were arrested.

Brown to Formally Outlaw Use of Choke Holds by Buffalo Police

Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown, center, speaks during a press conference with Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz, left, and Buffalo Police Capt. Jeffrey Rinaldo, right, in Niagara Square on Sunday, May 31, 2020. (Derek Gee/Buffalo News)Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown, center, speaks during a press conference with Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz, left, and Buffalo Police Capt. Jeffrey Rinaldo, right, in Niagara Square on Sunday, May 31, 2020. (Derek Gee/Buffalo News)

By Harold McNeil
Published 6:47 p.m. June 4, 2020|Updated 50 minutes ago

Buffalo Mayor Byron W. Brown told a crowd of protesters Thursday in Niagara Square that he will formally outlaw the use of choke holds on suspects by the Buffalo Police Department.

Brown was joined by Assemblywoman Crystal D. Peoples Stokes, Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz and other elected officials at the site of six days of local protests against police brutality in response to the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers, one of whom pressed his knee onto Floyd's neck for more than 8 minutes May 25.

"I want you to know that today, with the police use of force policy, I directed our Buffalo Police Department to create a policy to end any use of choke holds in the city of Buffalo," Brown told about 200 protesters assembled Thursday in Niagara Square.

"Today, I had the opportunity to meet with some of the agents of change, some of those that have been on the front lines of the protest," Brown said. "I also was on the the telephone with some of the organizers to bring change to this community."

Mayoral spokesman Michael J. DeGeorge and Police Department spokesman Capt. Jeff Rinaldo confirmed that the department has never had a policy that allowed for officers to use choke holds on suspects, nor have officers ever been trained to use that maneuver.

Peoples Stokes espoused some policy changes at the state level, which she said would make it easier to identify bad police officers.

She said her colleagues in the Assembly and other elected officials would support a repeal of a section of the state's civil rights law which would allow access to the work records of public servants, such as police officers.

Peoples Stokes said allowing those records "to be seen by citizens is what's going to help us understand who's fit to be a public servant and wear that badge of honor in blue, and who's not fit to be a public servant."

After the public officials concluded their remarks to the protesters, Poloncarz said he attended to show his disgust for what happened to 46-year-old Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis Police Department officers.

"We wish he was still alive; he is not. We need to ensure that he did not die in vain," Poloncarz said.

"And I'm heartened by what I hear from so many people that they do want to see real reforms. You can't have bad apples in police departments. You need to have reforms in place," he added.

In a statement released late Thursday, Brown clarified the new policy.

"The City of Buffalo is constantly updating its policies and procedures so that officers in the field have clear and consistent guidance. While no police officer is trained to use the chokehold maneuver and are not instructed to use it, I feel it is necessary to explicitly ban the practice in our use of force policy," Brown said.

"My administration will continue to hold ourselves to the highest standards and will seek community feedback as we further examine other changes that will enhance our community-police relations,” Brown added.

Zimbabwe Police Block ZANU-PF Demonstration Against US Racism Outside Embassy in Harare

04 JUN, 2020 - 00:06
Herald Reporter

Police have blocked a Zanu PF demonstration that had been scheduled for today to protest against the continued illegal economic sanctions on Zimbabwe and the brutal killing of an unarmed black man, George Floyd, in the United States recently.

Zanu PF had written to the police advising them of their intention to conduct the demonstration, but Officer Commanding Harare Suburban District, Chief Superintendent Smart Matongo turned down the request.

“This office acknowledges receipt of your notification letter dated 02 June 2020 in which you intend to stage a demonstration against the killing of a black American, George Floyd, by the USA police and illegal economic sanctions at the USA Embassy on 4 June, 2020 at 1000hours.

“Whilst the demonstration is for a noble cause, it contravenes section 5 (1) of SI 83 of 2020 of the Covid-19 lockdown offences. Take note that gatherings of whatever purpose are prohibited during this period save for those exempted in the Statutory Instrument. May you please shelve the idea at the moment until we have passed this pandemic phase,” said Chief Superintendent Matongo in a response to Zanu PF national Political Commissar, Cde Victor Matemadanda.

Party Acting Spokesperson Cde Patrick Chinamasa confirmed that the “event organised by the office of the party’s National Political Commissar Cde Victor Matemadanda to petition the US Embassy following the brutal killing of George Floyd has been aborted”.

“This is in line with the President and Government directive for all Zimbabweans to abide by the national lockdown regulations in so far as the country is fighting to contain the spread of Covid-19 pandemic. Needless political gatherings are therefore contrary to this directive and the nation must stand guided,” said Cde Chinamasa.

Zanu PF Commissariat director, Dr Davison Gomo, said the party will respect the decision by the police.

“We are subject to the laws of the country, just like any other political organ. We will comply with the decision of the police.

“This is perfectly in order. We have always notified the police when we have gatherings or events of this nature. We only proceed when the police allow us.

“Despite the decision of the police, it is important to raise the point that Americans have no basis to declare us an enemy without any grounds at all. There is no basis for that. We pointed out that their police have no right to suffocate and murder a person. As Zimbabweans, we have a right to raise concern when a black person is murdered by the State,” said Dr Gomo.

Zanu PF Acting Deputy Secretary for Youth Affairs, Cde Tendai Chirau, said they were a law-abiding party and will respect the police decision.

“We are going to follow the police order as it is justified, looking into the current situation being faced as a nation. However, we were so hurt by the killing of George Floyd in the United States and that is why we had seen it fit demonstrate. We will, however, continue to make noise over the killing of Floyd,” he said.

This week, Zanu PF, war veterans and other progressive groups of people, have called on the international community to demand justice for the slain black man who met an agonising death at the hands of a white police man in the US.

Floyd’s murder in Minneapolis triggered riots in the US and most parts of the world.

Speaking at a Press conference in Harare, Cde Matemadanda said justice should prevail in America to end the senseless killing of black people, which is all too common.

“I want to talk about the American brutality on black people, which does not come on Floyd as an isolation issue. We know America is the largest global sponsor of imperialism.

“Even though some people might say America itself never physically colonised any country, but America is the largest sponsor of imperialism.

“The idea being that of taking foreign wealth to America, but America also went a step ahead and became the largest importer of colonised Africans in the form of slave trade.

“We know that most activities the world over of slave trade were done in America,” said Cde Matemadanda.

He said when America decides to kill black people arbitrarily, no one is surprised, adding that justice was unlikely going to be served in Floyd’s murder case since black people were not regarded as humans in the US.

Cde Matemadanda described the American justice system, which is seen highly by its sympathisers, as anti-black people.

Zimbabwe Revolutionary War Veterans Blast US Hypocrisy

02 JUN, 2020 - 04:06
Joseph Madzimure
Senior Reporter
Zimbabwe Herald

ZANU PF and war veterans have called upon the international community to demand justice for the slain black man who met an agonising death at the hands of a white police man in the United States.

The murder of George Floyd by a white police officer in Minneapolis triggered riots in the United States amid concerns that the third degree murder charges that have been laid against the white police officer are too lenient.

Speaking at a Press conference in Harare yesterday, Zanu PF political commissar Cde Victor Matemadanda said justice should prevail in

America so as to end the senseless killing of black people, which is all too common.



“I want to talk about the American brutality to the black people, which does not come on Floyd as an isolation issue. We know America is the largest global sponsor of imperialism.

“Even though some people might say America itself never physically colonised any country, but America is the largest sponsor of imperialism. The idea being that of taking foreign wealth to America, but America also went a step ahead and became the largest importer of colonised Africans in a form of slave trade. We know that most activities the world over of slave trade were done in America.

“So when America today decides to willy-nilly kill black people we are not very much surprised and we know even if they say justice is going to follow on this white policeman who man-slaughtered Floyd there is nothing that is going to come we know, because they don’t count black life as life that is worth to be living. That is America for you,” he said.

Cde Matemadanda described the much vaunted American justice system as anti-black people.

“They talk about themselves having the best justice system in the world, yes America have always had a justice system, but a justice system that is racial. They are very worried and concerned about the white Americans and do not care about the lives of black Americans. Whether they are citizens or just people that pass thorough America, they don’t have any right. How would you in a country that has got rights for everyone allow such brutality to take place? How would you suffocate in day light a person and no one decides to intervene to save life, if indeed life was the same?” he queried.

Cde Matemadanda said to show outrage against the killing of the black man, Zimbabweans will march to the US embassy on June 4.

“Preparations are underway for a march on the 4th of June to confront America Embassy in Harare. If it was a white American who was being suffocated, obviously others would have joined to save the live, which they call the precious life of their white American.

“All Zimbabweans are expected to participate and ensure justice prevails.

“We expect Zimbabweans from all corners to come in their numbers to take part on the demonstrations, under Covid-19.

“We expect the people to observe social distancing as we demonstrate,” he said.

Meanwhile, the chairperson of the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association, Ambassador Chris Mutsvangwa yesterday rapped US ambassador to Zimbabwe Brian Nichols for trying to deflect the killing of an unarmed black man by drawing no existence comparisons with Zimbabwe.

None other President Mnangagwa was the lucky escape victim of a heinous assassination attempt at White City Stadium in the run up to the elections in 2018. His ministers and security details were killed or maimed together with other victims. To this day, the culprits are yet to be apprehended. And there is still no justice meted out.

“As he lists unsolved cases, Ambassador Nichols of USA needs to be even handed. He should avoid being selective in his catalogue of unsolved political victimisation. The existence of such victims serves to highlight the magnitude of the political challenges that have burdened President Mnangagwa and the New Dispensation. It also calls for dispassionate treatment from all nations that mean well and especially from the democratic superpower that is USA,” said Mutsvangwa.

Former leader of the Zimbabwe Union of Democrats Margret Dongo also railed against the US hypocrisy and warned opposition parties against consorting with the country that violates human rights.

“It is time African foolish politicians start to think independently for home grown solutions. No evil country in this world is like USA. This is the headquarters of Satan. Over 200 years enslaving Africans. I see fools come to me and tell me God blessed USA. Don’t be brainwashed.

“America was built by brutally eliminating the local natives and over 200 years brutally exploiting African people. These people you call Americans are not Americans. Real Americans have been killed (local natives they nicknamed Red Indians),” said Dongo.

We’ve No Role in US Protests: Says Zimbabwe Foreign Minister

02 JUN, 2020 - 04:06

Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister Dr Sibusiso Moyo welcomes United States Ambassador to Zimbabwe Mr Brian A Nichols to his Munhumutapa Offices in Harare yesterday. — Picture: Foster Thole

Fungi Kwaramba
Political Editor
Zimbabwe Herald

FOREIGN Affairs and International Trade Minister Sibusiso Moyo yesterday told United States Ambassador to Zimbabwe Mr Brian Nichols that the country had no role in the violent protests spreading in the US following the shock murder of an unarmed black man by a white police officer.

This comes after Mr Robert O’Brien, who is the US national security advisor, sensationally claimed that Zimbabwe, along with China and Russia had a hand in the protests that were triggered by the killing of a black man, George Floyd, by a police officer in the city of Minneapolis last week.

The untested claims by Mr O’Brien prompted Minister Moyo to summon Mr Nichols to his Munhumutapa offices to explain to the US diplomat that Zimbabwe does not interfere in affairs of sovereign states.

“The Government of Zimbabwe notes, with astonishment and concern the comments made by Mr Robert O’Brien, US national security advisor, which characterised Zimbabwe as ‘an adversary’ of the United States and which named our country as one-seeking to take advantage of the current unrest situation in the US in order to ‘sow discord and to try to damage democracy’.

“On behalf of the Government, I have today (yesterday) informed the US ambassador that Mr O’Brien’s allegations are false, without any factual foundation whatsoever and that they are deeply damaging to a relationship already complicated by years of prescriptive megaphone diplomacy and punitive economic sanctions,” said Minister Moyo.

The minister reminded the United States that Zimbabwe strictly observes Article 2 (4) of the United Nations Charter which urges nations to respect sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of member states.

“I informed the ambassador that Zimbabwe seeks a normal, cooperative relationship with the US based on mutual understanding, mutual respect and non-interference in each other’s internal affairs. The very opposite of the characterisation voiced by the United States.”

Since the killing of Floyd, whose death was captured on video while he complained that he could not breath, the US has been engulfed by wildcat protests in most cities as irate citizens voice anger against racism and the general ill-treatment of blacks in the US.

The protests have spread to other western capitals where blacks are still yet to find their voices and often are at the receiving end of police excesses.

The murder of the helpless Floyd triggered global condemnation, with the United Nations and the African Union also demanding justice. Zimbabwe, which has been under punitive economic sanctions that have caused untold suffering on the general populace since the turn of the millennium, also voiced its concern over the well documented ill-treatment of black Americans in the US.

“Whereas we certainly add our voice to the many others, including that of the African Union and the United nations — who have expressed deep concern at the killing, by a uniformed white police official, of Mr Floyd, an unarmed, handcuffed, helpless black man — we unreservedly condemn the violence, arson and looting which have turned the usually quiet neighbourhoods into scenes of chaos and destruction and where, tragically, further innocent lives have been lost.

“Our fervent hope is that the situation in the US calms down, that civilian law enforcement agencies and the paramilitary units conduct themselves with maximum restraint, that community leaders succeed in persuading their citizens to honour the memory of Mr Floyd by way of peaceful gathering and that no further life is lost,” said Minister Moyo.

While the United States has constantly bashed Zimbabwe when it takes measures to restore order during often violent and unsanctioned protests by raising abuse of human rights claims, protesters in that country are presently at the mercy of law enforcement agents who have made arbitrary arrests which have fueled more anger.

“With regard to our bilateral relationship with the United States of America, our hope, going forward, is that the US might take a more even-handed and less prescriptive approach; that it might acknowledge the reform efforts being made by the New Dispensation — very significant challenges notwithstanding — and that it might seek to engage in more open, sincere and more practical dialogue about how our nations can work together for the benefit of both nations and peoples.”

Meanwhile, Mr Nichols acknowledged that black Americans still bear the full brunt of racial discrimination and unequal treatment in the US.

“As an African American, for as long as I can remember I have known that my rights and my body were not fully mine . . . In a long, unbroken line of black men and women, George Floyd’s murder was a tragedy that has filled Americans with horror and anger,” said Mr Nichols.

Following the death of Floyd — political analysts have called upon the US, which usually claims to respect human rights, to introspect and end racial profiling and killings of unarmed black people.

‘Zimbabwe Derives No Pleasure from Violence, Hatred’

02 JUN, 2020 - 02:06
Zimbabwe Herald
 
Minister SB Moyo chats with US ambassador Mr Brian Nichols at his Munhumutapa offices in Harare yesterday

Statement issued by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Honourable Lt General (Rtd) Dr Sibusiso B. Moyo

The Government of Zimbabwe notes with astonishment and concern the comments made by Robert O’Brien, US National Security Advisor, which characterised Zimbabwe as “an adversary” of the United States and which named our country as one seeking to take advantage of the current unrest situation in the US in order to “sow discord and to try to damage our democracy”.

On behalf of Government, I have today informed the US Ambassador that Mr O’Brien’s allegations are false, without any factual foundation whatsoever and that they are deeply damaging to a relationship already complicated by years of prescriptive megaphone diplomacy and punitive economic sanctions.

Zimbabwe is not and never has been an adversary of the United States of America.

Even in the face of repeated interference in our own internal affairs, Zimbabwe has been unwavering in its support for Article 2 (4) of the United Nations Charter which expressly urges all member states to respect the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of other states.

I informed the Ambassador that Zimbabwe seeks a normal, cooperative relationship with the USA based on mutual understanding, mutual respect and non-interference in each other’s internal affairs : the very opposite of the characterisation voiced by Mr O’Brien.

I informed the Ambassador that the Government of Zimbabwe derives no pleasure at all from the scenes of violence and hatred which have erupted in cities and towns across the United States of America.

Whereas we certainly add our voice to the many others – including that of the African Union and the United Nations – who have expressed their deep concern at the killing, by a uniformed white police official of Mr George Floyd – an unarmed, handcuffed, helpless black man – we unreservedly condemn the violence, arson and looting which have turned usually quiet neighbourhoods into scenes of chaos and destruction and where, tragically, further innocent lives have been lost.

Our fervent hope is that the situation in the US calms down, that civilian law enforcement agencies and paramilitary units conduct themselves with maximum restraint, that community leaders succeed in persuading their citizens to honour the memory of Mr Floyd by way of peaceful gathering, and that no further life is lost.

We take due note of the measures deployed by the US authorities to deal with the challenges currently confronting them. At the same time, we recall the harsh US criticism and condemnation of our own response to multiple instances of illegal, violent civil unrest incited, largely, by opposition political formations determined to render the country ungovernable; we recall their automatic presumption of state culpability in instances of alleged abduction, and their assumption of an institutionalised disregard for human rights or rule of law within our Government; and we reflect on the lack of balance and even the double standards so evident in US policy towards Zimbabwe.

With regard to our bilateral relationship with the United States of America, our hope, going forward, is that the US might take a more even-handed and less prescriptive approach; that it might acknowledge the reform efforts and progress being made by the New Dispensation – very significant challenges notwithstanding – and that it might seek to engage in a more open, more sincere and more practical dialogue about how our Governments can work together for the benefit of both nations and peoples.

Naturally, I also expressed the gratitude of Government for the support provided by the United States of America towards the on-going battle against Covid-19 and other health challenges, and in bolstering national food security.

Floyd’s Death Exposes US’ Ugly Underbelly

 01 JUN, 2020 - 00:06
Ranga Mataire
Writing Back

There is no doubt that the eight-minute video footage of George Floyd being knee-pinned to death by a white Minneapolis police officer will for years become an “iconic” image of the enduring legacy of the dehumanisation of black people still rampant in the so-called First World.

I remember sometime back musing with a fellow colleague how painful it is that the so-called millennials behave as if they use their loins for thinking and rarely have time to read and think through issues.

We talked about Writing Back to Empire and how it was critical that people understand that the end of colonial rule was not an end in itself, but the beginning of a process of unwinding the untruths that continue to sustain the Western world about Africa and about blacks in general.

We mused painfully about the lack of scholarship among millennials in understanding how skewed the world was and that every black person was duty-bound to unwind the travelogues that fed the West about Africa and its inhabitants.

It is these travelogues that have sustained the myth that Africans are sub-humans.

It is for this reason (the sad state of world affairs) that like Chinua Achebe in “Things Fall Apart” we consummated Writing Back as more than just a post-colonial theoretical framework, but a robust newspaper column that seeks to lay bare the unfinished business of black liberation.

We felt that the endeavour of unwriting the myths, stereotypes and untruths about black people is a noble project that should never extinguish.

The death of George Floyd at the hands of an unflinching white cop laid bare the sad reality that far from being liberated, the white system that governs America and the West in general still suffers from an ignoble past.

We have a duty as a people to unwrite the lies that Empire has for over 400 years peddled about us in justifying their heinous acts. And this appreciation of history is not derived from Instagram, WhatsApp, Facebook or Twitter.

Younger generations need to understand that knowledge is more than the cutting and pasting of pdfs or getting some titbits posted on social media.

Yes, there are positive things derived from information technology but it takes one’s initiative to unearth some truths about how the world works.

While the world is outraged by the cold blooded murder of a black man accused of forgery, the broader expose’ of George Floyd’s death is that it has revealed to the world the ugly underbelly American system, which in the 21st Century still treats its citizen as inferior beings.

We need not go further in understanding the shame and embarrassment caused by the death of George Floyd to all progressives the world over than listening to the words of America’s own former Vice President Mr Joe Biden who is a presumptive democratic presidential nominee for the Democratic Party.

Addressing a star-studded virtual campaign fundraising event last Thursday hosted by Senator Tammy Duckworth and actress Whoopi Goldberg, Mr Biden said: “We can’t ignore that we are in a country with an open wound right now, a wound far older and deeper than …George Floyd’s killing — and this brutal, brutal death capture on film.”

Mr Biden continued: “Let me breathe, I can’t breathe. It ripped open anew this ugly- ugly underbelly of our society.”

While we acknowledge the existence of voices of reason within the white folk in America, the words of some of their ancestors not so long ago always call for us to remain vigilant.

One Sir Winston Churchill, much venerated individual in the Western hemisphere and former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940-1945 and from 1951 to 1955 once said: “I am strongly in favour of using poison gas against uncivilised tribes. It would spread a lively terror.”

Sir Churchill was referring to blacks and Indians that he said were beastly people practicing a beastly religion. Of course, some of us will say this is history and the world has changed. No, the murder of George Floyd teaches us that the struggle continues.

The murder of George Floyd teaches us that far from being the paragon of virtue, America is a country of inherent disparities.

The society is divided into those who belong (whites) and those who are of the lower caste (blacks).

The death of George Floyd tells us that the legacy of slavery is still alive and embedded in the American psyche for how can a normal human being kill another in the full glare of the public like he is some rat or a wild dog?

The death of George Floyd teaches us that far from being a reformed and democratic society, the American system like Brother Cornel West says, “the system is unable to reform itself” from its gory past.

Floyd’s murder exposes some local opposition politicians who are in the habit of always referencing America including physically appealing to the country to meddle in our internal affairs.

We need to say this openly. It is equally disingenuous for America’s representatives in this country to harp about human rights abuses and reforms when back home black citizens continue to be lynched on daily basis.

Imagine the uproar if an African Head of State has said “looting leads to shooting, and that’s why a man was shot and killed in Minneapolis on Wednesday night.”

Of course, they have already started threatening Zimbabwe, Russia and China with action for calling them out. They are attempting to browbeat little Zimbabwe.

Why not issue the same threat to the United Nations (UN) and the African Union (AU), which have issued statements condemning the killing of George Floyd?

Let me end by quoting one brother Eddie S. Glaude Jr who, in an article published in the Time magazine of 28 April titled “George Floyd’s Murder Shows Once More that We Cannot Wait for White America to End Racism,” says: “One wonders how we will survive it all.

That will depend, in part, on white America’s willingness to leave the shibboleths of American racism behind — to give up this insidious belief that because they are white they ought to be valued more than others. But we cannot wait on them. We, those of us who will dare to actually learn from our history, must figure out how to be together differently in a New America.”

Sudan Calls for UN Security Council Intervention on Ethiopia’s Plan to Fill the Dam

Sudan is seeking UN Security Council intervention on filling of Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) until agreement is reached. Ethiopia plans to start filling in a month.

by Bernabas Shiferaw
Borkena
June 3, 2020

Sudan’s Foreign Ministry sent a letter yesterday to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) calling on the council to put pressure on both Ethiopia and Egypt to not to take a unilateral actions concerning the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). It emphasize on Ethiopia to delay its plan to fill the dam until an agreement has been reached between all the three countries. 

Sudan’s letter came following the involvement of the UNSC in the matter by Egypt’s initial appeal in an attempt to put pressure on Ethiopia and the subsequent response by Ethiopia. Sudan’s Minister of foreign affairs said that Sudan decided to voice its perspective regarding the matter as it has a national interest in it.

The letter expounds on the significance of the Nile to Sudan mentioning, among other things, that 70 percent of the irrigation in Sudan has Nile as its source of water. It also describes historical, cultural, and economic significance of the Nile to the peoples of the region.

While acknowledging Ethiopia’s right to utilize its natural resources, Sudan has stressed the need for consultation and cooperation among the three countries in order to avoid the harm lower stream countries could suffer as a result of Ethiopia’s activities.

Concerning the GERD, Sudan highlighted the benefits and threats that could follow its construction. It acknowledged the benefits the dam could have in helping manage periodic flooding and in raising Sudan’s capacity to generate Electric power.

On the other hand, Sudan claimed that the construction of the dam could change the flow line of the river and that it could affect Sudanese citizens negatively if the design, construction, and filling works are not followed daily and closely.

Thus, agreements need to be reached with Ethiopia concerning these matters and these agreements should include the filling and daily activities of construction and operation of the dam. “Otherwise,” reads the letter, “the dam presents Sudan with great danger.”

Concerning previous negotiations and agreements between the three countries, Sudan has highlighted talks held since the dam’s inception in 2011, which it credits for narrowing the differences between the countries. It mentions the ‘Declaration of Principles’ signed in 2015 as one of the major achievements of these talks.

“These talks had continued (recently) with the USA and World Bank playing the role of observers. However,” says Sudan, “the war of words that broke out between Ethiopia and Egypt through press conferences given by their officials brought the discussion to a stop.”

It is stated in the letter that Sudan has taken the lead to bring the two countries back to the discussion table, mentioning its role in initiating the video conference between the prime ministers of all three countries that took place two weeks before as an example.

On Ethiopia’s side, preparations are underway to start filling in July as per its original plan. Many commentators are urging the government to bring the issue before the AU and other African entities and have objected to the involvement of the USA, the World Bank, and the UNSC. These suggestions stem from their understanding that talks involving non-African entities are dominated by interests of the great world powers and the issue is bound to be further complicated than peacefully resolved.

Lack of Testing Facilities, Illegal Entry Continues to Pose a Threat to Ethiopia’s Fight against COVID19

Efforts against COVID-19 Spread Threatened By Illegal Migration and Low Testing Capacity in Border Areas

By Bernabas Shiferaw
Borkena
June 2, 2020

Despite Ethiopia’s decision to close all its border entrances to prevent new cases of COVID-19 from border areas of neighboring countries, migrants had been entering the country crossing borders illegally.

Moreover, many of the immigrants applying to enter the country are Ethiopians and the government cannot refuse them entrance.

Taking these facts into account, the government reconsidered the matter and decided to reopen border stations with facilities for the facilitation of legal migration, quarantining and testing migrants. However, the capacity for testing and quarantining patients in these border areas is very low compared to the volume of immigrants.

The regional government of Gambella has announced today that 3,000 North Sudanese citizens have crossed the border and entered the region in the last five days. According to the region, although all border entrances have been closed, these migrants have entered Ethiopia illegally at a place called Tegak. The migrants have been made to enter a shelter near the border. Of the 3,000 immigrants that arrived in the last five days, only 100 of the immigrants have been tested for COVID-19 so far.

The taskforce operating in the Amhara region had announced last week that both material and human resources are lacking to effectively tackle the spread of the disease in the border town of Metema and its surrounding, through which most of the cross border trade between Ethiopia and Sudan is conducted. Most of the COVID-19 cases registered in the region so far were from this area. Last week, 17 confirmed cases were registered in the area in one day.

Health officers in the town of Galafi, located on the Ethio-Djibouti border, have also reported that given the large volume of people crossing the border every day and the extremely hot weather in the area, the human resources at hand are not enough.

95 percent of Ethiopia’s international trade items come in and go out of the country through the town. Over 200,000 people, excluding drivers and other workers in the logistics sector, have come to Galafi in the last four months.

Of these, over 350 people have been quarantined, suspected of carrying the virus. But since there is no testing facility in the area, the samples are sent to Semera, the regional capital, or to Addis Ababa. Over 20 confirmed cases have been registered so far. 

Low Number of the Coronavirus Cases in Africa Baffles Scientists

WEDNESDAY JUNE 03 2020

Face masks are manufactured at Rivatex East Africa Limited in Eldoret on April 14, 2020 to help safeguard Kenyans against coronavirus. PHOTO | JARED NYATAYA | NATION MEDIA GROUP

Summary
Except for North Africa, where 1,900 deaths have been reported, the other regions – East, West, Central and Southern Africa – had registered 2,394 combined by yesterday.
Africa has about 152,500 Covid-19 cases, with 4,344 deaths and 64,047 recoveries.
Compared with other parts of the world and initial disease models, Africa is doing well in terms of the number of infections and deaths.

By BERNADINE MUTANU

Like most African countries, Kenya has recorded few coronavirus deaths and infections.

With 71 fatalities and slightly more than 2,000 cases, Kenya may be lucky even as the pandemic ravages Europe, the United States, South America and other parts of the world.

Except for North Africa, where 1,900 deaths have been reported, the other regions – East, West, Central and Southern Africa – had registered 2,394 combined by yesterday.

Africa has about 152,500 Covid-19 cases, with 4,344 deaths and 64,047 recoveries.

Compared with other parts of the world and initial disease models, Africa is doing well in terms of the number of infections and deaths.

And now, researchers say Africa is a unique case.

A youthful population and warmer weather are reducing the transmission of the deadly virus, according to a study published in the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

The research by a team of Kenyan scientists says a combination of the two factors “is likely to contribute even more to the low transmission and reduced disease severity in Africa”.

The researchers reviewed recent studies conducted elsewhere and analysed and compared disease patterns and trends in Italy, the United States, Nigeria and Kenya.

“The contrasting trends of the pandemic in countries presented and the studies cited make the combined effects of warmer weather and youthful population a compelling explanation of the low Covid-19 transmission and severity in Africa,” the report says.

The study adds that the premise that Africans are not getting the coronavirus or dying from it because of pre-existing immunity from exposure to cross-reacting coronaviruses “is intriguing but requires further studies”.

The researchers argue that due to the high transmissibility of Covid-19 in vulnerable populations, the few cases introduced in Africa could have triggered a full-blown local epidemic.

But the rate of transmission is still low in Africa, months after the first cases were reported.

African countries’ mitigation measures seem less stringent compared with Europe and the US.

Social distancing is almost non-existent in Africa while lockdowns were not practicable “because of poverty and reliance on the informal economy”.

It means that while measures taken by governments to control the spread of the virus may have worked, they may not have been effective in controlling a spiral infection.

The continent is poor and it was expected that increased Covid-19 infections would overwhelm its health systems.

A team of researchers from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine did a mathematical modelling in April, which projected that Africa would have 450,000 coronavirus cases by the second week of May.

The researchers projected that every country in East Africa would have at least 10,000 cases by May 10.

At the beginning of May, WHO predicted that 183,000 to 190,000 people could die of Covid-19 and 29 million to 44 million could get infected in the first year of the pandemic “if containment measures fail”.

The lower transmission rate of Covid-19 in Africa, says the UN agency, suggests “a more prolonged outbreak over a few years”.

But it appears Africa is resilient, and many countries are considering reopening their economies.

A recent study showed that Africans are four times less likely to die from Covid-19 compared with Europeans and North Americans.

They are two times less likely to die from the disease compared with Asians and South Americans.

The researchers, however, said if the WHO prediction comes to pass, where Africa could still record increased cases and deaths in the coming months as demonstrated in Brazil, the progression may dispel the hypotheses the study deemed compelling.

Uhuru Takes Full Control of Nairobi With Executive Order

By Collins Omulo
June 3rd, 2020  2 min read

sonko state house
PHOTO | COURTESY

The Nairobi Metropolitan Service (NMS) has finally been published as one of the offices under the Executive Office of the President.

The new development, contained in a new revised Executive Order by President Uhuru Kenyatta, now legally recognises the new outfit as a public office and therefore a legal entity.

The office that is headed by Major General Mohammed Badi as its director-general will now be one of the offices under the Executive Office of the President.

It is tasked with the implementation of the Deed of Transfer of functions executed between the National Government and Nairobi City County Government.

NMS came into existence on March 18, 2020, when the Deed of Transfer of Functions signed between Governor Mike Sonko and the State on February 25, 2020, came into effect.

Under the Deed, four county functions –health, transport, planning and management, and public works and ancillary services– were transferred to the National Government.

Last month, however, the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) President Nelson Havi said NMS is not a legal entity as it does not meet the criteria of a public office.

Mr Havi was responding to a request by NMS deputy director-general Enosh Onyango for LSK to nominate an advocate of the High Court to be a member of a soon-to-be-formed NMS Physical and Land Use Planning liaison committee.

In the May 15, 2020 letter, Mr Havi declined the request arguing that since the establishment of NMS lacks any legitimate legal foundation, they cannot nominate any of its members to serve in the liaison committee.

This, he said, is because there is no statutory instrument establishing NMS and therefore it is not a body established or recognised by law.

The LSK boss further pointed out that there isn’t the publication of any statutory instrument prescribing and establishing NMS as an institutional framework pursuant to Article 7.1 of the Deed and made in accordance with provisions of the Statutory Instruments Act, 2013.

Article 7.1 of the Deed stipulates that the National Government shall prescribe and establish an institutional framework for the execution of the transferred functions.

Consequently, Mr Havi explained, NMS fails to meet the criteria of a public office as outlined under article 260 of the Constitution.

“After careful consideration of the above, and in the absence of a statutory instrument establishing NMS, we have made the conclusion that NMS is not a body established or recognised in law,” said Mr Havi in the letter.

“The same article further outlines state offices and state organs established under the Constitution. NMS does not make the list. It is therefore imperceptible from your letter under which written law NMS is established,” he added.

Activists Fight in Court Over Whether Children Should Return to School

WEDNESDAY JUNE 03 2020
   
The government shut schools to curb coronavirus in mid March. PHOTO | JOSEPH KANYI | NATION MEDIA GROUP

Summary
They opposed the reopening of schools without consideration of guidelines issued by UNESCO.

By MAUREEN KAKAH

Seven activists have moved to court to stop reopening of learning institutions during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The activists, Michael Otieno, Evance Oloo, Mary Akach, Irene Ojwang, Robert Oluoch, Millicent Adhiambo and Evans Odhiambo claim that many children from poor and rural areas are disadvantaged by the ongoing virtual learning.

In the suit filed against the Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha, the Attorney-General and the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD), the activists argue that there are learners who lack access to electricity, have special needs or have been affected by floods besides the Covid-19 pandemic.

They opposed the reopening of schools without consideration of guidelines issued by UNESCO.

“Recognising that the concept of education is the most fundamental duty and necessity in any democracy, children are the supreme assets of any nation being the greatest gift to humanity, they deserve equality, right to life and highest standards of attainable health status,” they said.

According to the UN guidelines on reopening of schools amid the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, public health and socio-economic factors must be central to national and local authorities’ decisions on this matter after assessing the associated benefits as well as risks to education.

UNESCO, UNICEF, World Food Programme and World Bank have already indicated that the closure of schools due to the Covid-19 pandemic has brought about many unprecedented risks to children’s education as well as their well-being even though there is no enough evidence on disease transmission rate.

In the said guidelines, governments have been urged to prioritise education for all children including the marginalised and strengthen distance learning and establish support for reopening of schools.

Governments have also been urged to consider how various school going children, teachers and communities are coping with the pandemic in various contexts and how decision makers can best give support while considering risk factors on one hand and benefits of classroom learning on the other.

According to the petitioners, most parents have been affected by the pandemic and the cost of virtual learning besides settling bills, feeding their children and supervising their learning at home has been overwhelming.

They want the case certified urgent and the ongoing broadcast on learning programmes to primary and secondary students as set by KICD be temporarily suspended.

They also want the timetable set by KICD to be halted and any plans by the government to reopen schools suspended until when the institutions will be pandemic compliant.

Kenyans Adopt New Greeting Habits Amid Covid-19 Pandemic

WEDNESDAY JUNE 03 2020
   
President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto cemented the greeting in Kenya's formal circles on Monday when they used it during Madaraka Day celebrations in Nairobi. PHOTO | PSCU

Summary
One such a greeting that is taking Kenya by storm is elbow bump as citizens consider it much safer.
From the old to the young, men and women, elbow bumps have now become the official greetings of Kenyans both in formal and informal settings like homes.

XINHUA

As Covid-19 cases take an upward trend in Kenya, reaching 2,093 on Tuesday, citizens are adopting new greeting habits, such as elbow bumps, which are helping people socialize as they maintain hygiene and keep social distance to curb the spread of the disease.

With handshakes, hugs, cheek kisses and shoulder bumps among other forms of salutations dead, thanks to the new coronavirus disease pandemic, new forms of greetings considered safer are taking root in Kenya, both in official and informal circles.

One such a greeting that is taking Kenya by storm is elbow bump as citizens consider it much safer.

From the old to the young, men and women, elbow bumps have now become the official greetings of Kenyans both in formal and informal settings like homes.

President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto cemented the greeting in Kenya's formal circles on Monday when they used it during Madaraka Day celebrations at State House.

Wearing masks, clenching their fists and smiling, Kenyatta and Ruto bumped their elbows to greet each other.

Their greeting did not only acknowledge the popularity of the salutation amid the pandemic, but it also confirmed to citizens that they can use it.

Several dignitaries at the event that was attended by few government officials and opposition leaders also used the elbow bump to greet each other.

"I have been using the elbow bump since last month, some people have been comfortable with it, others are not, avoiding contact but when I saw the president use it on Monday, I felt happy, that this is the greeting for those of us who are used to handshakes," said Gilbert Wandera, a businessman in Nairobi.

Wandera, who sells computers, had shunned any form of contact greeting when the disease broke out to maintain hygiene.

"But I changed my mind as people embraced face masks and other sanitation measures. Besides, elbow bumps are a little safer because chances that you will touch your face with the elbow are nil," he said.

The greeting has also been embraced in households, corporate offices, operators of public transport vehicles commonly known as matatus, commuters, motorbike taxi riders and traders among others as it quenches citizens' thirst to shake hands.

Besides elbow bumps, other forms of greetings that Kenyans are using include foot taps and hand on my heart, what the World Health Organization recommends. But these are not as popular as elbow bumps.

Another culture that has taken root in the east African nation, thanks to the pandemic is the wearing of face masks. Initially, wearing of masks was seen as a mark of style mainly done by the sophisticated or wealthy, but it has now been embraced by all citizens, with thousands hardly venturing out of their houses without the gadget.

"I am also finding myself maintaining the 1.5m social distance in public places naturally. No one is reminding me to keep distance in supermarkets, at ATMs, in public transport vehicles or in the office. And this is what many other people are doing. It is now a culture that is helping curb the disease," said Victoria Selima, a government auditor.

Initially, funerals in the east African nation would attract hundreds of people, some who would stay at the affected families' homes for days mourning.

But with Covid-19, citizens have learnt to keep away from the events without being forced by government officials, noted Victor Mulanda, who traveled to western Kenya on Monday from the capital for a funeral.

Rashid Aman, Kenya's health chief administrative secretary, noted Tuesday that citizens must be responsible and embrace new norms to beat the disease that is currently deeply entrenched in community across the east African nation.

Floyd Family Members Join 60,000 Protesters at Houston Rally

By JUAN A. LOZANO and JAMIE STENGLE

Members of George Floyd's family speak during a Houston rally on Tuesday, June 2, 2020. Floyd died after a Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee into Floyd's neck for several minutes even after he stopped moving and pleading for air. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

HOUSTON (AP) — The family of George Floyd, the man whose death in Minneapolis police custody triggered nationwide protests, joined a crowd city officials estimated at 60,000 demonstrators to rally and march Tuesday in Houston to protest Floyd’s death.

Floyd, a black man who died after a white officer pressed his knee into Floyd’s neck for minutes, even after he stopped moving, grew up in Houston and a public memorial and burial is planned there for next week.

Meanwhile in Dallas, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott said Tuesday that Texas would not request military support after President Donald Trump threatened to deploy troops across the U.S. to confront violence that has erupted in the wake of Floyd’s death.

Protesters marched from a downtown Houston park to City Hall where, at a rally that lasted a little over an hour, various local and congressional officials, activists and members of Floyd’s family spoke.

Mayor Sylvester Turner told the crowd that the rally and march were about “lifting up the family of George Floyd.”

“Today we want to love on them. We want them to know that George did not die in vain,” he said.

Turner said about 16 members of Floyd’s family participated in the march and rally. Several members of Floyd’s family spoke at the rally, telling protesters of their appreciation for their support and asking them to not be violent in any protests in which they participated.

Before the start of the Houston march, Houston rapper Bun B, who organized the event with fellow Houston rapper Trae Tha Truth, told the crowd the march and rally would be peaceful and he asked the crowd to look out for anybody who could cause trouble.

Bun B then led the crowd of at least several thousand on a chant as he said “What’s his name?” and the crowd replied, “George Floyd.”

“That’s right and don’t you ever forget it,” Bun B said.

Police officers lined the route of the march and large city dump trucks blocked some downtown streets. Afterward, Police Chief Art Acevedo told the crowd to not let violence hijack their peaceful protests.

“God as my witness, change is coming,” Acevedo said regarding the impact of Floyd’s death. “And we’re going to do it the right way.”

Former President George W. Bush criticized any effort to squelch protests of George Floyd’s death while in Minneapolis police custody.

In a statement issued Tuesday by his office in Dallas, the former Republican president said he and wife Laura Bush “are anguished by the brutal suffocation of George Floyd and disturbed by the injustice and fear that suffocate our country.”

“It is a strength when protesters, protected by responsible law enforcement, march for a better future. ... Those who set out to silence those voices do not understand the meaning of America — or how it becomes a better place,” he said.

In Dallas, protesters assembled outside Dallas City Hall as Abbott met inside with local officials. The governor condemned Floyd’s death as a “horrific act of police brutality” and called Texas a leader in criminal justice reform and mentioned the Sandra Bland Act passed in 2017. The law mandates police deescalation training and is named after a black woman who died in a Texas jail following a confrontational traffic stop with a white state trooper. Video of the traffic stop and her death stirred national outrage.

Abbott did not suggest any changes to Texas policing or laws in the wake of Floyd’s death, and Democrats criticized his words as insufficient.

More than 3,000 state troopers have been assigned across Texas to bolster local law enforcement amid the protests.

Since Friday, there have been nearly 880 arrests during protests in Dallas, according to police and the county sheriff’s office. Of those, 674 people were arrested Monday during a largely peaceful protest that police ended after the group marched onto a bridge. The protesters in that mass arrest were charged with obstructing a roadway but released without being sent to jail, police spokeswoman Tamika Dameron said.

Dallas officials expanded a 7 p.m.-6 a.m. curfew zone Tuesday to include the bridge where the Monday night mass arrest happened. No expiration date has been set for the curfew, which covers central Dallas and some adjoining neighborhoods.

Austin police say a 20-year-old black protester was critically injured after being struck by a beanbag fired by a police officer. Police Chief Brian Manley says the officer had been aiming at another demonstrator but missed.
___

Stengle reported from Dallas. Associated Press writers Paul J. Weber in Austin and Jake Bleiberg in Dallas also contributed to this report.

False Claims of Antifa Protesters Plague Small U.S. Cities

By AMANDA SEITZ

A demonstrator raises a fist in the air during a peaceful march in downtown New Orleans, Tuesday, June 2, 2020. They were protesting over the death of George Floyd, a black man who was in police custody in Minneapolis. Floyd died after being restrained by Minneapolis police officers on Memorial Day.(AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

CHICAGO (AP) — In the days since President Donald Trump blamed antifa activists for an eruption of violence at protests over police killings of black people, social media has lit up with false rumors that the far-left-leaning group is transporting people to wreak havoc on small cities across America.

The speculation was being raised by conservative news outlets and pro-Trump social media accounts, as well as impostor Facebook and Twitter accounts.

Twitter and Facebook busted some of the instigators behind the unsubstantiated social media chatter. Twitter determined Monday that a tweet promising antifa would “move into residential areas” and “white” neighborhoods was sent by the white supremacy group Identity Evropa. The tweet was shared hundreds of times and cited in online news articles before Twitter removed it Monday, a company spokesperson said.

Yet the tweet continued to circulate Tuesday on Facebook and Instagram.

Facebook, using information shared by Twitter, announced Tuesday night it also took down a handful of accounts on its platform that were created by white supremacy groups like Identity Evropa and American Guard, some of them posing as part of the antifa movement.

For years, some social media users have tried to delegitimize controversial or political protests with baseless theories that they were organized by wealthy financiers or extremists organizations. Over the weekend, Trump singled out antifa as being responsible for the violent protests triggered by the killing of George Floyd, saying in a tweet: “It’s ANTIFA and the Radical Left.”

“Usually you see this when there’s an interest to deflect conversations from protests to just accusing the protests of being violent, organized or having backers that are evil,”said Filippo Menczer, a professor of informatics and computer science at Indiana University. “The president mentioning it, of course, has generated a huge spike.”

The theories about antifa — short for “anti-fascists” and an umbrella term for lefitst militant groups that confront or resist neo-Nazis and white supremacists at demonstrations — have trickled through cities across the country in recent days.

Police departments say people are phoning in “tips” they see on social media claiming antifa is sending buses or even planes full of antifa activists to their area.

In Payette County, Idaho — a rural county of 24,000 — the calls started early Monday morning after one Facebook user said the sheriff had spotted antifa rioters in the area. The calls didn’t taper off until the sheriff’s office debunked the rumor on Facebook.

“It’s really a small community, where our citizens know us pretty well,” said Payette County Sheriff Lt. Andy Creech. “When the post got out there, we started getting phone calls directly.”

Meanwhile, Facebook users were also warning their friends to stay clear of a shopping center in a New Jersey suburb, saying it would be the center of antifa destruction on Tuesday.

But police had “no credible information” that antifa would be present in the area, Toms River Police Department media specialist Jillian Messina said in an email. The police aren’t aware of anyone showing up at all, she added.

Identical Facebook and Twitter posts about busloads of antifa protesters also stumped the Sioux Falls Police Department, where officers in the South Dakota city said they didn’t see any unusual bus activity in town. But the claims still spread for days ahead of a planned protest this Saturday, said Sam Clemens, a public information officer for the department.

“Everyone heard there were going to be buses of people,” Clemens said. “It was very specific: there were three busloads.”

Even the owner of a Michigan limousine business was forced to refute online rumors when two of his buses became the center of a conspiracy theory that liberal financier George Soros was funneling protesters to Milan, Michigan. Social media users widely shared a manipulated photo of his white buses, edited to show the words “Soros Riot Dance squad” emblazoned on the sides.

The buses belong to Sean Duval, the owner of local transportation company Golden Limousine International, and don’t have any words printed on them.

Said Duval: “It’s frustrating when people from the outside start instigating and try to turn American against American.”
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Associated Press writers Barbara Ortutay in Oakland, Calif., Beatrice Dupuy in New York and Ali Swenson in Seattle contributed to this report.

Protesters Return to the Streets as Trump Decries ‘Lowlifes’

By ZEKE MILLER and TIM SULLIVAN

With the White House in the background, a line of police forms behind a fence in Lafayette Park as demonstrators gather to protest the death of George Floyd, Tuesday, June 2, 2020, in Washington. Floyd died after being restrained by Minneapolis police officers. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Undeterred by curfews, protesters streamed back into the nation’s streets Tuesday, hours after President Donald Trump pressed governors to put down the violence set off by George Floyd’s death and demanded that New York call up the National Guard to stop the “lowlifes and losers.”

As more demonstrations began taking shape around the country, and cities including Washington prepared for the possibility of more violence, the president amplified his hard-line calls of a day earlier, in which he threatened to send in the military to restore order if governors didn’t do it.

“NYC, CALL UP THE NATIONAL GUARD,” he tweeted. “The lowlifes and losers are ripping you apart. Act fast!”

One day after a crackdown on peaceful protesters near the White House, thousands of demonstrators massed a block away from the presidential mansion, facing law enforcement personnel standing behind a black chain-link fence. The fence was put up overnight to block access to Lafayette Park, just across the street from the White House.

“Last night pushed me way over the edge,” said Jessica DeMaio, 40, of Washington, who attended a Floyd protest Tuesday for the first time. “Being here is better than being at home feeling helpless.”

The crowd remained in place after the city’s 7 p.m. curfew passed, defying warnings that the response from law enforcement could be even more forceful. But the protest lacked the tension of the previous nights’ demonstrations. The crowd Tuesday was peaceful, polite even. At one point, the crowd booed when a protester climbed a light post and took down a street sign. A chant went up: “Peaceful protest!”

On Monday, law enforcement officers on foot and horseback aggressively drove protesters away from Lafayette Park, clearing the way for President Donald Trump to do a photo op at nearby St. John’s Church. On Tuesday, pastors at the church prayed with demonstrators and handed out water bottles.

Protests ranged across the U.S., including in New York City, Los Angeles, Miami, Houston, St. Paul, Minnesota, Columbia, South Carolina, and Orlando, Florida, where more than 1,000 people gathered in the afternoon to decry the killings of black people.

“This has to change,” said 39-year-old Aisxia Batiste, an out-of-work massage therapist in Orlando. “Something has to give. We’re done. This is the beginning of the end of something. It has to be.”

In New York, midtown Manhattan was pocked with battered storefronts after Monday’s protests. Macy’s flagship store was among those hit when crowds of people smashed windows and looted stores as they swept through the area. A police sergeant was hospitalized after being hit by a car in the Bronx, where people walked Tuesday between ransacked buildings and a burned-out car on the Grand Concourse, a commercial thoroughfare.

Police made nearly 700 arrests and Mayor Bill de Blasio extended an 8 p.m. curfew all week.

“We’re going to have a tough few days,” he warned, but added: “We’re going to beat it back.” He pleaded with community leaders to step forward and “create peace.”

Thousands of protesters marched Tuesday night in a string of demonstrations across Manhattan and Brooklyn after merchants boarded up their businesses, fearing a repeat of the night before. Many people remained on the streets after the curfew hour. Police eventually ordered them to move along and began taking some into custody.

More than 20,000 National Guard members have been called up in 29 states to deal with the violence. New York is not among them, and de Blasio has said he does not want the Guard. On Tuesday, Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo called what happened in the city “a disgrace.”

“The NYPD and the mayor did not do their job last night,” Cuomo said at a briefing in Albany.

He said the mayor underestimated the problem, and the nation’s largest police force was not deployed in sufficient numbers, though the city had said it doubled the usual police presence.

Tuesday marked the eighth straight night of the protests, which began in Minneapolis, where Floyd died, and quickly spread across the country.

The mother of George Floyd’s 6-year-old daughter, Gianna, said she wanted the world to know that her little girl lost a good father.

“I want everybody to know that this is what those officers took,” Roxie Washington said during a Minneapolis news conference with her young daughter at her side. “I want justice for him because he was good. No matter what anybody thinks, he was good.”

On Monday, scattered violence flared in multiple protests, including an officer who was shot and gravely wounded outside a Las Vegas hotel and casino, and four officers shot in St. Louis. They were expected to recover.

About a dozen other deaths have been reported around the country over the past week. And nearly 8,000 people nationwide have been arrested, according to a count by The Associated Press.

Some protesters framed the burgeoning movement as a necessity after a string of killings by police.

“It feels like it’s just been an endless cascade of hashtags of black people dying, and it feels like nothing’s really being done by our political leaders to actually enact real change,” said Christine Ohenzuwa, 19, who attended a peaceful protest at the Minnesota state Capitol in St. Paul. “There’s always going to be a breaking point. I think right now, we’re seeing the breaking point around the country.”

“I live in this state. It’s really painful to see what’s going on, but it’s also really important to understand that it’s connected to a system of racial violence,” she said.

Meanwhile, governors and mayors, Republicans and Democrats alike, rejected Trump’s threat to send in the military, with some saying troops would be unnecessary and others questioning whether the government has such authority and warning that such a step would be dangerous.

“Denver is not Little Rock in 1957, and Donald Trump is not President Eisenhower. This is a time for healing, for bringing people together, and the best way to protect civil rights is to move away from escalating violence,” Colorado Gov. Jared Polis and Denver Mayor Michael Hancock, both Democrats, said in a statement, referring to Eisenhower’s use of troops to enforce school desegregation in the South.

A senior White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the president is not rushing to send in the military and that his goal was to pressure governors to deploy more National Guard members.

Such use of the military would mark a stunning federal intervention rarely seen in modern American history.

Amid the protests, nine states and the District of Columbia held presidential primaries that moved Joe Biden closer to formally clinching the Democratic presidential nomination. Voters waited in long lines hours after polls closed, brushing up against curfews in Washington and Philadelphia, two cities rocked by protests.

Also Tuesday, Minnesota opened an investigation into whether the Minneapolis Police Department has a pattern of discrimination against minorities. Floyd died May 25 after a white Minneapolis officer, Derek Chauvin, pressed his knee on the handcuffed black man’s neck for several minutes.

Chauvin has been charged with murder. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said prosecutors are working as fast as they can to determine if the three other officers at the scene should be charged too. All four have been fired.
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Sullivan reported from Minneapolis. Associated Press journalists across the U.S. contributed to this report.