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Peaceful. Powerful. Persistent. |
| Thousands of protesters gathered in the nation's capital Saturday, peacefully demanding justice for black victims of police misconduct . Few problems were reported across the country as citizens continue to rally against racism and police brutality following the death of George Floyd. In New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Sunday that the citywide curfew will be lifted after he said Saturday night was largely marked by peaceful protesting. And President Donald Trump has ordered the National Guard to withdraw from Washington, D.C. |
| Residents of smaller cities are also making their voices heard. They, too, are grappling with existential questions. Where racism is blanketed by the relative calm of a quieter way of life, how does the urgent need for equality find a voice? Who will listen to it and how will people's lives truly change? USA TODAY Network journalists in towns across the country spoke to citizens at protests and community centers to better understand the situation on the ground. Here's what we heard. |
Breonna Taylor would have been 27 |
| Friday would have been Breonna Taylor's 27th birthday. But the emergency room technician wasn't here to see it . Instead — nearly three months after Louisville police fatally shot Taylor in her apartment — a crowd of at least 1,000 gathered on her birthday to celebrate her. Organizers of the downtown event dubbed it "Sisters Friday," and they asked that women in the audience take turns sharing what they had to say. Rameka Jackson, 32, said the goal was to show how much women support the movement against police brutality. "We want to show … that we are Breonna," Jackson said. "We are her. It could have been me, it could have been any of those women over there. So that's the purpose of us coming out today. So the women can be heard." |
 | | Alyssa Malone, from right, and Hannah Martinez place flowers and birthday balloons on a mural of Breonna Taylor in Jefferson Square Park. Friday would have been Breonna Taylor's 27th birthday. June 5, 2020 | | Alton Strupp/Courier Journal | |
'George Floyd sparked that fuel' |
| Family, friends and community members packed a church near Fayetteville, North Carolina, on Saturday to mourn George Floyd in the town that he was born. The Rev. Christoppher D. Stackhouse delivered a stirring eulogy about Floyd, noting "there was something different about that day" he died in Minneapolis . "A movement is happening today, and George Floyd sparked that fuel," Stackhouse said. "He sparked the fuel that is going to change this nation." |
| Floyd was memorialized Thursday by family and friends at Minneapolis' North Central University, an event that included a "national eulogy" by Al Sharpton and a "national criminal justice system address" by Floyd family attorney Ben Crump. Another public viewing will be held Monday in Houston, where Floyd was raised and lived most of his life. |
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Americans' perceptions of police drop significantly in one week |
| The perception of police by white Americans has dropped by double digits in just one week, as police continue to target peaceful protesters, bystanders and journalists . The findings are important not only for the future of police forces but also for President Donald Trump, who on Monday declared himself "the law and order president." Among white Americans, those who have a very favorable or somewhat favorable impression of police officers dropped to 61 percent, in the survey conducted May 28 to June 3. That's down from 72 percent the previous week. In addition, the percentage of white Americans who hold a somewhat or very unfavorable view of police rose to 31 from 18 percent. |
| Four in five registered voters in a new poll feel "things in the country are out of control" as the death toll from the coronavirus pandemic continues to rise, unemployment remains at a level not seen since the Great Depression and protests continue across the country. |
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A look back as we move forward |
| Police departments have a 400-year history of anti-black racism: "Too often people look at the contemporary issue, the issue that is going on right now but not understanding that all that is happening is seeped in 400 years of legacy of injustice. These past grievances, past harms by law enforcement, need to be addressed before even attempting to move forward." Read the full story. |
| Historians say national mobilization and outrage over black deaths hearkens back to 1955: "Many black demonstrators and faith leaders have invoked the name of Emmett Till to suggest the nation could be in the midst of a defining moment that could inspire societal shifts. They say the degree of outrage, national mobilization and international attention ... could have a similar catalyzing effect as Till's lynching, which shocked the world's conscience and gave birth to a generation of civil rights activists." Read the full story. |
Tropical Storm Cristobal moves closer to Gulf Coast, landfall expected soon |
| Tropical Storm Cristobal is expected to make landfall Sunday, which could result in flooding, dangerous storm surge and blustery winds . Thousands were already without power Sunday morning in parts of coastal Louisiana and Mississippi. And the National Weather Service reported one tornado Saturday night in Florida, near downtown Orlando. Cristobal is expected to produce total rainfall accumulations of 4 to 8 inches across portions of the central Gulf Coast into the Lower Mississippi Valley, and 12 inches of rain is possible in isolated areas. |
 | | A woman walks her dog through the French Quarter as Tropical Storm Cristobal nears the coast on June 7, 2020 in New Orleans, La. Cristobal is expected to make landfall Sunday afternoon with sustained winds of 50 mph. | | Sean Gardner, Getty Images | |
Real quick |
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Coronavirus outbreaks climb at U.S. meatpacking plants despite protections |
| Coronavirus outbreaks at U.S. meatpacking plants continue to soar as the beleaguered industry ramps up production, scales back plant closures and tries to return to normal in the weeks after President Donald Trump declared it an essential operation . Meat production, which had briefly tanked, quickly rebounded after the order to near pre-coronavirus levels. But the number of coronavirus cases tied to meatpacking plants has more than doubled since then, topping 20,400 infections across 216 plants in 33 states. At least 74 people have died. |
| More than 400,000 people have died from coronavirus globally, with the United States accounting for 109,000 of those deaths. Worldwide, there are more than 6.9 million confirmed cases. |
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Joe Biden passes delegate threshold to clinch Democratic presidential nomination |
| Vice President Joe Biden officially clinched the 1,991 pledged delegates he needs to be the Democratic Party's nominee. Biden swept all seven states holding presidential primaries on Tuesday — Maryland, Indiana, Rhode Island, New Mexico, Montana, South Dakota and Pennsylvania — plus the District of Columbia. He had been inching closer to the delegate number all week as votes continued to be tallied. The Democratic National Committee will hold their convention in mid-August, where Biden will officially be nominated to represent their party in the general election. |
| P.S. Like this round up of stories? We send it to inboxes every afternoon. Sign up for "The Short List" newsletter here. |
| This is a compilation of stories from across the USA TODAY Network. Contributing: Associated Press. |
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