George Floyd protests in Nebraska

This is a list of list of protests and unrests in the US state of Nebraska related to the death of George Floyd on May 25, 2020.

George Floyd protests in Nebraska
Part of George Floyd protests
Nebraska National Guard and state troopers at the Nebraska State Capitol in Lincoln on May 31
DateMay 29, 2020 – present (2 months, 2 weeks and 6 days)
Location
Nebraska, United States
Caused by
StatusOngoing

Locations

Alliance

On June 9, 2020, roughly 40 people attended a Black Lives Matter protest in downtown Alliance. Many more residents of Alliance honked their cars in approval. The protestors held various signs in support of George Floyd, James Scurlock, and against police brutality more generally. The demonstrations are ongoing.

Ashland

On June 13, 2020, more than 40 people marched from Sabre Heights neighborhood, on the west edge of Ashland, to the downtown. A rally was held on Silver Street, which was barricaded with permission from city government. One speaker told of her experiences with racism as a Chinese teenager in Ashland. Another discussed the power of voting in local elections.[1]

Bellevue

On May 31, a peaceful protest took place along the corner of N-370 and Galvin Road in Bellevue. Police officers joined the protesters arm in arm, with a Bellevue Police Department sergeant speaking out against corrupt officers.[2]

Chadron

In the northwest Nebraska town of Chadron, dozens of students and others voiced their solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement.[3] The protesters carried signs and held a lie-in on June 3, 2020.[4]

Columbus

On June 2, 150 people gathered at 23rd Street and 33rd Avenue in Columbus to hold signs and chat to passing traffic. Organizer Ashley Rodriguez told the Columbus Telegram that her goal was to help people of color in Columbus, saying "I want to protect them as much as I can. I love everyone, but as of right now, Black lives matter." She was inspired by the protests she witnessed in Omaha and Lincoln, and her heartbreak over the killing of George Floyd. Locals donated pizza to protestors.[5]

Grand Island

A group estimated at 300 people marched towards Pioneer Park in the center of Grand Island, on June 1, 2020.[6] Officials said that people in a passing car sprayed protesters with "a foul-smelling liquid that might have been urine."[7]

Harvard

An estimated 50 people, many of them students, and some young families, gathered June 2, 2020, in the center of Harvard, to protest the killing of George Floyd and to call attention to the work that needs to be done in their own community.[8]

Hastings

On Juneteenth, dozens came to Highland Park in Hastings to show support for Black Lives Matter. Speakers of color explained the history of the holiday, expressed a desire for more Black history to be taught in public schools, and related experiences of racism in central Nebraska. Demonstrators then marched along 14th Street to Burlington Avenue. Participants were asked to wear masks and not include profanity on signs.[9]

Kearney

On Saturday, May 30, people gathered near downtown Kearney to protest the death of George Floyd.[10] The peaceful protesting continued with over 100 participants on Sunday, May 31, when protestors gathered at the Museum of Nebraska Art, marched to the main intersection of the town, and back. The May 31 protests included recognition of Omaha resident, James Scurlock, who was murdered at a protest in Omaha the previous night. Small groups of protestors continued to gather throughout the first week of June.[11] Protests were ongoing as of June 8th, when 75 people demonstrated downtown in the afternoon.[12]

Lincoln
A tear gas canister fired by police at protestors, found the morning of June 1 on O Street in Lincoln. A banana has been included for scale.

On the morning of Friday, May 29, people gathered at the State Capitol to protest.[13] In the early morning hours of May 30, people gathered at around 27th and O Streets to protest.[14] Eight police officers were injured with one requiring advanced medical treatment, several businesses and police vehicles were damaged.[15] Tear gas and rubber bullets were used, and arrests were made.[14]

Police attacked a May 30 protest in front of the County-City Building. A teenaged protestor named Leo Celis was intentionally shot in the face by police while he was kneeling with his arms linked with other protestors. A projectile tore through Celis' right cheek, breaking bones in the face and blinding Celis in his right eye. Medics providing aid to Celis and others were also shot by police.[16]

On May 31, police activated their full field force team for the first time since 2004. The field force team attacked protestors at intersection of 12th and H streets with tear gas, rubber bullets, and riot shields. Police shot protestors and medics in the head and face, including a teenage volunteer medic named Elise Poole who was shot in the face with a rubber bullet while attempting to aid a protestor incapacitated by tear gas. Doctors later told Poole her nose bones resembled "broken eggshells."[16] Lincoln Journal-Star reporter Chris Dunker was tackled and detained by police while live-streaming.[17] The reporter captured video of protestors extinguishing fires that hot police tear gas canisters had started in bushes near the Capitol Building.[16]

On June 11, an estimated 600 people met near SouthPointe Pavilions, a shopping mall, to march on South 27th Street and though residential subdivisions. This was the first march in south Lincoln. People watched from their front lawns; some joined the march. Marchers carried a large banner reading "reparations" at the front of the march.[18]

In early July, residences with Black Lives Matter yard signs found handwritten notes taped to the signs. The notes opposed Black Lives Matter and claimed the movement wanted to kill police. In response, one couple delivered letters to their neighbors offering dialogue about their sign. Another household posted the note in a Country Club neighborhood online discussion group, where it promoted a July 9 anti-racist march through the Country Club neighborhood.[19]

On August 3, activists testified at a city council meeting against a police budget increase proposed by mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird. The meeting stretched late into the night because so many testified. Outside the building, activists chanted and banged drums. Local groups Jews Against White Nationalism and the Black Leaders Movement attended.[20]

Norfolk

About 300 people gathered peacefully in Norfolk on the weekend following the death of George Floyd.[7] Dozens gathered again on 13th and Norfolk Avenue on June 3, 2020, to show solidarity for the Black Lives Matter movement and to protest the death of Floyd and the fatal shooting of James Scurlock in Omaha.[21]

North Platte

An estimated 500 people gathered on the afternoon of June 7 at a church on the outskirts of North Platte.[22] Demonstrators traveled the city streets, calling their march a "peace walk". A local printer made 50 anti-racist signs to hand out to protestors; others carried homemade signs.[23]

Oakland

About 50 protestors gathered in the city park of Oakland, Nebraska on June 9th, 2020, to draw attention to the problem of continued racism in the United States. The protest was organized by a young woman from the nearby town of Craig.[24]

Omaha
Broken windows of a shop in Omaha, Nebraska

Thousands of people protested on Friday, May 29 outside Crossroads Mall in West Omaha. Protests were peaceful until Omaha Police fired tear gas at protestors at 8:00pm.[25] Deputy Chief Ken Kanger stated that protestors were still peaceful as of 9:45 p.m[25] A small number of people broke the law, and 18 arrests were made due to failure to disperse. Police confined protestors in a parking lot and fired pepper balls at them because they were yelling.[25][26] The protesters relocated downtown and quickly became a riot, damaging several buildings throughout the night. Some protesters threw objects such as shoes and water bottles at police. At one point protesters surrounded a police vehicle. Two officers were injured during the riots.[27] Tear gas and pepper balls were used.[25]

A man named Adam Keup traveled from Council Bluffs with his husband on May 29 to take photographs of the Crossroads protest. The couple did not bring signs or yell, but worked to document the events at a distance. Within 15 minutes of arrival they were shot without warning by police with pepper balls[28] fired from a paintball gun.[29] One projectile struck Keup in the eye, blinding him, likely permanently. Targeting the head is a violation of the Omaha Police Department policies and procedures manual.[28]

Around midnight on Saturday, May 30, Jacob Gardner, a white bar owner in the Old Market, pointed a gun at protestors and killed James Scurlock, a 22-year-old black activist, after Scurlock attempted to tackle Gardner. The Douglas County Attorney's Office declined to press charges against Gardner.[30] County Attorney Don Kleine called the shooting of James Scurlock "senseless, but justified." Outrage about the shooting and the lack of criminal charges was covered by the press nationwide.[31]

On Sunday, Mayor Jean Stothert issued a strict city-wide curfew from 8:00 PM to 6:00 AM through June 3. On Monday, June 1, demonstrations began peacefully in downtown Omaha. Police began arresting people on charges of breaking curfew, including KMTV journalist, Jon Kipper, and two women as they were walking to their car.[32]

June 5 was the third anniversary of the killing by police of Zachary Bear Heels, a member of the Rosebud Lakota Tribe. Hundreds retraced Bear Heels' final steps, a 4 mile walk from the Greyhound bus station to 60th and Center Streets, where a rally was held denouncing police violence.[33]

On July 11, in response to ongoing Black Lives Matter protests, a "Back the Blue" counterprotest was held in Memorial Park. Police officers and their supporters attended, including a contingent of Proud Boys, a far-right extremist group. Some Black Lives Matter protestors also attended to show their objection to the rally.[34]

On July 19, an estimated 125 protesters gathered outside Omaha Police Headquarters for a "Bloody Sunday" protest objecting to the adverse effects of tear gas on mensuration and pregnancy. Police on horseback and in riot gear were present. Protestors went on a march that included visiting the site of the murder of James Scurlock.[35]

On July 25, people in Omaha protested in support of ongoing George Floyd protests in Portland, Oregon.[36] Police arrested approximately 120 protestors[37] near 28th and Farnam Streets. Protestors committed no violence or vandalism.[38] Police kettled protestors on a bridge, preventing the crowd from dispersing, yet arrested people for failure to disperse.[37] Others would be "arrested on suspicion of resisting arrest" according to a journalist.[38] Police fired pepper balls into the trapped crowd.[37] Among the people detained were a legal observer, medics, and media, including journalist Jazari Kual, who described the protestors as trapped by police on a bridge with nowhere to go while the police fired pepper balls.[36] Protestors were held in a crowded jail cells without knowing when they would be released.[39] Protestors remained in jail for up to a day with limited water and bathroom access.[37]

On the morning of August 1, 40 people wrote messages such as "defund the police" on the sidewalks around Omaha Police Department headquarters with sidewalk chalk. In the afternoon, protestors marched in West Omaha with more than 50 signs, each naming one person killed by police in Omaha.[40]

Scottsbluff

On May 31, dozens of protesters marched from Guadalupe Center through the streets of downtown Scottsbluff to protest the death of George Floyd. A candlelight vigil was also held in Centennial Park.[41]

Wayne

About 300 people demonstrated in Wayne on the evening of June 5, beginning with a prayer, speakers, and a moment of silence at Bressler Park. Demonstrators walked the streets of Wayne for about an hour, chanting "Black Lives Matter" and "I can't breathe." The event was attended by many students at Wayne State College, including Black international students. A few other protests and vigils were held on days before and following.[42] Event organizer Alana Aguirre said that taking a stand against systemic racism is important for everybody, no matter their race.[43]

York

Approximately 20 people gathered on June 1 outside the York County courthouse to express opposition to racism. One demonstrator told the York News-Times she felt that deployment of the Nebraska National Guard in Lincoln and Omaha was a mistake because it would lead to more fear. Another remarked that "the people here protesting care more about others' lives than the people in church do."[44]

gollark: They could escape the container if angered, mind you.
gollark: 3 billion devices are filled with bees.
gollark: Anyway, a 64GB one costs about £8 nowadays and could fit probably 10000 copies of osmarks.tk.
gollark: Well, I guess that might work? The monitoring systems in the bee container would report it to me of course, and I could develop countermeasures.
gollark: Not apiopyroforms. We did research on this.

See also

References
  1. Nelson, Suzi (June 17, 2020). "Protesters march through Ashland". Ashland Gazette. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
  2. "Bellevue Police stand with protesters for equality, justice". WOWT. May 31, 2020. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
  3. Gaarder, Nancy (June 5, 2020). "From Grand Island to Chadron, towns across Nebraska rally. 'Silence is violence.'". Omaha World Herald. Retrieved June 5, 2020.
  4. Davenport, Brandon (June 3, 2020). "Again, from today's protest in Chadron, Nebraska". @ReporterBran. Retrieved June 5, 2020.
  5. Tenopir, Nate (June 2, 2020). "Peaceful Protest in Columbus". The Columbus Telegram. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
  6. Jeff, Bahr (June 1, 2020). "Close to 300 march, gather in park in Grand Island". The Grand Island independent. Retrieved June 5, 2020.
  7. Schulte, Grant (June 7, 2020). "George Floyd protests spread to smaller, mostly white towns". Associated Press.
  8. Miller, Jaylan (June 4, 2020). "'We won't allow that foolishness in our small town' — In the heart of Nebraska, a peaceful and powerful protest". Lincoln Journal Star. Retrieved June 5, 2020.
  9. Heckt, Shannon (June 19, 2020). "Hastings group recognizes Juneteenth with demonstration". KSNB. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
  10. Stoiber, Tiffany. "Sunday protesters march for George Floyd and James Scurlock, an Omaha protester killed over the weekend". Kearney Hub. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  11. Nunnally, Diamond. "Peaceful protest in Kearney to stand against racism and police brutality". www.ksnblocal4.com. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  12. "Video: Second weekend of protests in Kearney". Kearney Hub. June 8, 2020. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
  13. Pitsch, Madison. "Protesters in Lincoln show solidarity with George Floyd". www.1011now.com. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  14. Olberding, Matt; Wan, Justin. "Protest in Lincoln turns violent overnight". JournalStar.com. Archived from the original on May 30, 2020. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  15. 10/11 NOW. "LPD's response to Lincoln protests and riots". www.1011now.com. Retrieved May 31, 2020.
  16. Dunker, Chris (June 21, 2020). "Protesters describe being shot, gassed during Black Lives Matter rallies in Lincoln". Lincoln Journal Star. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
  17. "Watch Now: Journal Star reporter detained, some protesters arrested in downtown Lincoln after curfew". Lincoln Journal Star. May 31, 2020. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
  18. Gardler, Francis (June 11, 2020). "Lincoln protests resume Thursday with renewed energy". Lincoln Journal Star. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
  19. Salter, Peter (July 9, 2020). "When 'a neighbor' objects to Black Lives Matter signs, Lincoln neighborhoods come together". Lincoln Journal Star. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
  20. Johnson, Riley (August 4, 2020). "Black Lives Matter protesters dominate city budget hearing". Lincoln Journal Star. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  21. "Dozens Gather In Norfolk For Black Lives Matter Protest". Northeast Nebraska News. June 3, 2020. Retrieved June 5, 2020.
  22. Dreilinger, Jake (June 7, 2020). "Photo gallery: People walk together for peace Sunday in North Platte". The North Platte Telegraph. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
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  24. Hineline, Curt (June 10, 2020). "Peaceful, respectful and meaningful". Oakland Independent. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
  25. writers, Jessica Wade, Alia Conley and Aaron Sanderford World-Herald staff. "72nd and Dodge shut down as protesters, tear gas fill streets; Omaha police make multiple arrests". Omaha.com.
  26. Report, KETV Staff (May 30, 2020). "Police arrest 21, deploy pepper balls during mass protest overnight at 72nd and Dodge streets". KETV.
  27. Report, KETV Staff (May 30, 2020). "Omaha police: 21 arrests made, 2 officers hurt during mass protest at 72nd and Dodge streets". KETV. Retrieved May 31, 2020.
  28. Conley, Alia (Jun 21, 2020). "Man shot by pepper ball at Omaha protest still can't see out of his right eye". Omaha World-Herald. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
  29. Gross, Jenny (June 12, 2020). "The Latest Police Tool in Protests: Paintball Guns". New York Times. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
  30. Lewis, Sophie (June 2, 2020). "A white bar owner in Omaha shot and killed a black protester. He won't face charges". CBS News. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  31. Gowen, Annie (June 3, 2020). "'What about James?' Shooting of black protester fuels more anger in Omaha". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
  32. Meadows, Danielle (June 1, 2020). "Protests start peacefully Monday, grow tense after curfew". KMTV News Now. Omaha. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  33. Wade, Jessica; Duffy, Erin (June 6, 2020). "On 3rd anniversary of Zachary Bear Heels' death, marchers retrace his steps". Omaha World-Herald. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
  34. Sanderford, Aaron (July 16, 2020). "Omaha's pro-police rally had uninvited guests — members of Nebraska Proud Boys". Omaha World-Herald. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  35. Bauer, Will (July 19, 2020). "Protesters at Omaha Police Headquarters say tear gas harms women's health". Omaha World-Herald. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
  36. Chen-Newton, Emily (July 26, 2020). "July 26, 2020, 9AM". NPR News Now. Event occurs at 1:47. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  37. Ockerman, Emma (July 29, 2020). "Police Arrested 120 Anti-Racism Protesters in Omaha, and Barely Anyone's Talking About It". Vice. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
  38. Wade, Jessica (July 26, 2020). "75-80 people taken into custody during protest in midtown Omaha". Omaha World-Herald. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
  39. Bell, Michael (July 26, 2020). "Gathering grows outside Douglas County Corrections for Midtown protesters arrested Saturday". WOWT. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
  40. Wade, Jessica (August 1, 2020). "Peace prevails as protesters gather to chalk sidewalks at Omaha Police headquarters". Omaha World-Herald. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  41. McCarthy, Mark (May 31, 2020). "Peaceful demonstration draws dozens in Scottsbluff". Star-Herald. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
  42. Lauren, Wagner (June 5, 2020). "More calls for change during protest in Wayne". Norfolk Daily News. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
  43. Carnes, Michael (June 6, 2020). "Peaceful protest march draws 200 to Bressler Park". Wayne America. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
  44. Wilkinson, Melanie (June 3, 2020). "Protesters assemble outside York County Courthouse". York News-Times. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
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