Today, the United States is waking up to a situation that was nearly unthinkable just a week ago. The pain and social isolation brought about by the U.S. coronavirus epidemic has now taken a back seat to mass demonstrations that have paralyzed the country—including one outside the White House on Sunday night that reportedly sent President Donald Trump fleeing to an underground bunker.
Protests that originated in Minneapolis after a white police officer killed George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, quickly spread around the country to at least 140 cities. Much has been made of the damage to property, both in Minneapolis—where a police station was set on fire—and elsewhere, but what stands out about these protests is the level of violenceexhibited by police in attempting to subdue the protesters.
