Video shows kneeling man being arrested while giving speech amid SC George Floyd protest
A man who was giving a speech directed at police officers while kneeling with a group of people during what appeared to be a peaceful demonstration was arrested on May 31.
Video shows a man wearing a red cap and kneeling among a group or protesters in front of police in riot gear in Charleston’s Marion Square.
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Marion Square is located less than a minute away from Mother Emanuel AME Church, the site of a mass shooting where nine black church members were killed by Dylan Roof, a white man who they had welcomed into their Bible study, in 2015.
The kneeling man addressed the police, saying in part: “We’ve got to stop judging people only on our bad days, because we all have them to some degree.” He adds, “How are you on your good days? Do you want to make a stand? Do you want to make a change? Because if we charge you and you charge us, what is that really doing?”
Minutes later, the police rush forward and place the man under arrest.
Charleston Police Chief Luther Reynolds addressed the arrest with local media, saying that “familiar faces” of those allegedly causing damage in the city on Saturday were once again seen on Sunday, leading to additional arrests.
He also referenced the curfew in place in the city."We made warnings, we issued warnings, people did not assert themselves to comply with those orders and those warnings, and they were arrested. And we're gonna continue to do that until we maintain order in our city and everybody's safe," he said.
Police in Charleston arrested 35 people on Sunday for “illegally gathering,” according to reports.
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Cities across the United States have broken out in protests after George Floyd, who was black, died while being arrested by Minneapolis police on suspicion of passing a counterfeit bill on May 25.
Widely seen cellphone video showed that a white officer, Derek Chauvin, pressed his knee into Floyd’s neck for several minutes while Floyd, who was handcuffed, pleaded for air and eventually stopped moving.
Chauvin now faces murder and manslaughter charges. The three other officers who took part in the arrest were fired but haven't been charged.
Floyd's death was ruled a homicide by the medical examiner.
Storyful contributed to this story.