Along with massive demonstrations in almost every American city—and many small towns—the killing of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man suspected of a nonviolent crime, by Minneapolis police on May 25 has triggered calls to re-evaluate how police forces operate and are funded in the United States.
Some of the largest and most confrontational demonstrations have been in Portland, Oregon. There, demonstrators have seen police deploy “less lethal weapons” including tear gas and flash-bang grenades to disperse crowds.