'Hands up! Don’t shoot!' slogan used in George Floyd protests stems from myth debunked by Obama Justice Department
by Jerry Dunleavy, Justice Department Reporter |
| June 10, 2020 11:05 AM
The “Hands up! Don’t shoot!†chants featured prominently in protests around the country in response to the death of George Floyd are based on a myth.
So said the Justice Department under the Obama administration.
The pervasive slogan at many Black Lives Matter demonstrations stems from the 2014 police shooting of Michael Brown, an unarmed, black 18-year-old, by Darren Wilson, a white Ferguson, Missouri, police officer. Witnesses said Brown punched Wilson in his car and struggled for control of the officer's gun. A brief chase ensued which ended with Brown charging at Wilson, who then shot and killed Brown. Some witnesses who initially claimed Brown had his hands up at this moment later recanted, and an Obama Justice Department investigation did not support the claims that Brown was trying to surrender when killed.
Fast-forward to the present, and the slogan still abides. Protesters in a Minneapolis demonstration chanted, “Hands up! Don’t shoot!†as they confronted police officers outside of the Minneapolis 3rd Police Precinct on May 26 before the building was set ablaze two nights later. The chant has also been a rallying cry at protests in Milwaukee, New York City, Richmond, Virginia, Oakland, Charlotte, Columbia, South Carolina, Pittsburgh, Miami, Dallas, Boston, Washington, D.C., and countless other cities, along with “I can’t breathe!†and “No justice, no peace!†Some protests have been named “Hands up! Don’t shoot!†rallies.
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https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/hands-up-dont-shoot-slogan-used-in-george-floyd-protests-stems-from-myth-debunked-by-obama-doj
