June 10 Black Lives Matter protests

By Melissa Macaya, Mike Hayes, Meg Wagner, Joshua Berlinger, Steve George and Peter Wilkinson, CNN

Updated 12:44 a.m. ET, June 11, 2020
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6:09 p.m. ET, June 10, 2020

Pelosi renews call to remove Confederate statues from US Capitol

From CNN's Clare Foran and Manu Raju

Susan Walsh/AP/FILE
Susan Walsh/AP/FILE

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has renewed her call for the removal of the 11 statues representing Confederate soldiers and officials that are on display as part of the National Statuary Hall collection in the United States Capitol. 

Pelosi made the request in a letter today to the congressional leadership of the Joint Committee on the Library.

“Let us lead by example. To this end, I request the Joint Committee on the Library direct the Architect of the Capitol to immediately take steps to remove these 11 statues from display in the United States Capitol,” Pelosi wrote in the letter.

In a tweet, Pelosi said, “The statues which fill the halls of Congress should reflect our highest ideals as Americans. Today, I am once again calling for the removal from the US Capitol of the statues representing Confederate soldiers and officials. These statues pay homage to hate, not heritage.” 

The push from Pelosi is a renewal of a call she made in 2017 when she asked then-House Speaker Paul Ryan to join Democrats in backing legislation to remove the statues from the Capitol. That failed push from Democrats came after the violence in Charlottesville.  

 

6:03 p.m. ET, June 10, 2020

Trump focuses on past accomplishments during meeting with black leaders

From CNN's Nikki Carvajal  

Doug Mills/Pool/Getty Images
Doug Mills/Pool/Getty Images

President Trump avoided commenting on police, protesters, and George Floyd's death during an event with pro-Trump African-American community leaders at the White House on Wednesday.

Instead, Trump said historically black colleges and universities “were treated very, very badly and I treated them very good,” and said the black community is “doing very well now.”

Trump and other participants also blasted the media in vitriolic terms.

Republican political consultant Raynard Jackson accused the media of “putting more poison into the black community than any drug dealer” and “killing more black folks than any white person with a sheet over their face.”

The President didn’t respond directly, but later added, “The media is almost 100% negative. It’s incredible.”

Even when participants steered the conversation to the black community’s relationship with law enforcement, the President did not comment.

Kareem Lanier with the pro-Trump Urban Revitalization Coalition told the President that problems with police abuses run deep in the African American community.

“This whole situation with this policing — it’s not new to black people,” Lanier said. “We’ve been used to it. As a kid I got harassed by the police all the time and I was a good – I think I was a good kid. But it’s a part of our community.”

After Lanier spoke, the President said that his comments were “well said,” and concluded the event.

Trump then took only one question from the press, but didn't respond when asked twice about why the confederacy needed to be defended.

The event was not on Trump's public schedule and was billed only as a “roundtable discussion.”

5:53 p.m. ET, June 10, 2020

Peaceful protests continue across the country

It's been more than two weeks since the death of George Floyd at the hands of police, and demonstrators continue to peacefully protest across the country.

Floyd died on Memorial Day in Minneapolis, and bystander video showed a police officer kneeling on the side of his neck as officers tried to subdue him. That sparked days of massive protests in cities across the nation and a sweeping discussion about race relations, reform of policing and more.

Here's a look at the protests across the country:

New York

CNN
CNN

Boston

Pool via WBZ
Pool via WBZ

Demonstrators raise their arms during a protest against police brutality on June 10 in Boston.
Demonstrators raise their arms during a protest against police brutality on June 10 in Boston. Steven Senne/AP

5:38 p.m. ET, June 10, 2020

Ludacris speaks to the importance of educating young children on current events

CNN
CNN

Rapper and actor Chris "Ludacris" Bridges spoke with CNN about the importance of educating children on racial issue as the country continues to come to terms with the death of George Floyd.

Prior to Floyd's tragic death, Ludacris had already been working on helping to eliminate racial bias with a new media platform called Kid Nation. Developed with his business partner Sandy Lal, Kid Nation aims to teach children about current events, mostly through music.

"It's so important to me just because, you know, kids are still impressionable and they lead with love and they are very innocent. They are very honest. So I feel like we have so much more to learn from them, than we can teach them at this moment," Ludacris told CNN this afternoon. "We do research groups and find out what they want to talk about and then we help facilitate that. That's why this is so important because we know that music is very, very, you know, how much kids love music and how much it affects them and helps their motor skills and self-expression."

Lal and Ludacris are planning for a full launch of the platform in the fall, but moved up the release of two new songs tied to current events. They collaborated with various groups of kids, who sing the songs, while Ludacris created the lyrics and melodies.

"I'm being the change that I want to see. So by giving all the parents that are home schooling right now another opening and giving their kids something safe to look at," Ludacris said. "We felt this was an emergency to put these song out. You're right. Having these conversations is hard. That's why I'm trying to do everything I can so the next generation doesn't go through the problems and issues that we're going through."

WATCH:

5:14 p.m. ET, June 10, 2020

NASCAR says it is prohibiting the display of the Confederate flag at events

A view of a Confederate flags seen flying over the infield during practice for the NASCAR XFINITY Series VFW Sport Clips Help A Hero 200 at Darlington Raceway on September 4, 2015 in Darlington, South Carolina.
A view of a Confederate flags seen flying over the infield during practice for the NASCAR XFINITY Series VFW Sport Clips Help A Hero 200 at Darlington Raceway on September 4, 2015 in Darlington, South Carolina. Jonathan Moore/Getty Images/FILE

NASCAR will no longer allow the Confederate flag to be displayed at events and properties, according to a statement this afternoon.

“The presence of the confederate flag at NASCAR events runs contrary to our commitment to providing a welcoming and inclusive environment for all fans, our competitors and our industry. Bringing people together around a love for racing and the community that it creates is what makes our fans and sport special. The display of the confederate flag will be prohibited from all NASCAR events and properties," the statement said.

Some context: In a week where NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace wore an "I Can't Breathe" T-shirt before an event and said racetracks shouldn't allow Confederate flags, the NASCAR driver will make another bold move Wednesday by racing a car with a Black Lives Matter paint scheme.

"I think by running this branding on our car, putting the hashtag out there, bringing more awareness to it, it lines up with the videos that we had put out as NASCAR," said Wallace, the first full-time African American driver in the Cup Series since 1971. "Listening and learning. Educating ourselves. So people will look up what this hashtag means. And hopefully get a better understanding."

 

4:49 p.m. ET, June 10, 2020

National police reform talks are happening, Minneapolis police chief says

From CNN's Melissa Alonso

CNN
CNN

Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo said police chiefs from around the country are having conversations about national reforms for police departments.

Asked if there should be federal guidelines for police departments across the board, Arradondo said this is an opportunity for major city police chiefs across this country to look at what good national policing reforms look like. "I know that those conversations are taking place now," he said. 

Citizens "should not have to feel that you will be treated differently in Minneapolis, to L.A., or to Dallas, or to New York City,"Arradondo said.

Arradondo told CNN's Sara Sidner that any plans to defund or dismantle police "have to be thoughtful, they have to be mindful, they have to be based in fact. If it's totally driven by emotion, lives could be at stake as well."

Arradondo said he has continued to do his job because: "I care about my elders. I care about the children growing up in this world having to turn on the news and seeing black men die at the hands of police."

4:48 p.m. ET, June 10, 2020

Former DOJ employees request internal investigation into Barr's role clearing protesters outside White House

From CNN's David Shortell

Attorney General William Barr, center, stands in Lafayette Park across from the White House as demonstrators gather to protest the death of George Floyd, Monday, June 1.
Attorney General William Barr, center, stands in Lafayette Park across from the White House as demonstrators gather to protest the death of George Floyd, Monday, June 1. Alex Brandon/AP

More than 1,250 former Justice Department employees asked the agency’s internal watchdog to investigate Attorney General William Barr for his role in the forcible clearing of a peaceful protest outside the White House earlier this month ahead of staged photo-op by President Trump.

In a letter, the former officials, who served in career and politically-appointed positions under Democratic and Republican leadership, said Barr may have trampled the constitutional rights of the protesters when he ordered the move, and asked Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz to review the attorney general’s involvement in the episode. 

“If the Attorney General or any other DOJ employee has directly participated in actions that have deprived Americans of their constitutional rights or that physically injured Americans lawfully exercising their rights, that would be misconduct of the utmost seriousness, the details of which must be shared with the American people,” the former officials wrote.

The letter, organized by Protect Democracy, a nonprofit that has battled the Trump administration, is similar to other statements put out by the group of former officials earlier this year, including calls for Barr to resign over his controversial handling of the Roger Stone and Michael Flynn prosecutions. 

What Barr has said about the incident: During an interview Sunday, Barr again defended the actions of federal law enforcement officers, saying in an interview on CBS' "Face the Nation," that the protesters were moved because the Park Police wanted a larger security perimeter around the White House — not to aid the White House in staging Trump's subsequent photo opportunity with a Bible at the nearby St. John's Episcopal Church.

Barr, who has sought to distance himself from the official order to clear the protesters, also claimed on Sunday that the protesters at Lafayette Square, which had become the center of attention for the ongoing demonstrations, were violent. There is no evidence of that claim, and CNN personnel on the scene reported the protesters were peaceful.

4:40 p.m. ET, June 10, 2020

Several Los Angeles police officers taken off field duties after using excessive force during protests

From CNN's Alexandra Meeks

At least seven Los Angeles police officers have been removed from field duties after using excessive force during recent protests, the Los Angeles Police Department confirmed to CNN Wednesday.

This comes amid heightened scrutiny of the actions of police officers, particularly against peaceful demonstrators in the aftermath of George Floyd's death.

"The Los Angeles Police Department continues to investigate allegations of misconduct, violations of Department policy, and excessive force during the recent civil unrest," LAPD said in a statement. "Seven employees have been assigned to non-field duties due to improper actions during the protests."

LAPD has assigned 40 investigators to "look into every complaint thoroughly" and "hold every officer accountable for their actions," the department said. 

According to LAPD, complaints are currently being investigated, with 28 involving alleged uses of force.

4:24 p.m. ET, June 10, 2020

Minneapolis chief: If police unions don't evolve they will "be contributing to the harm and not the good"

From CNN's Melissa Alonso

CNN
CNN

Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo told CNN there are systems in place across the country that make it hard to fire officers who commit acts of misconduct.

Arradondo said that if police unions in his city and in the country do not evolve, if they are not listening and "the voices are screaming out," "they will ultimately be contributing to the harm and not the good." He said "substantial changes" need to be made in the way that they operate.

"It shouldn't be hard to get rid of officers who are not serving the public who are committing acts of misconduct where they forfeited their right to wear this badge ... but there are systems in place, absolutely, that make it very difficult for me as a chief and for chiefs across this country to do just that, so we have to take that head-on as well," Arradondo told CNN's Sara Sidner's during an interview. 

The chief said from the conversations he's had with union leaders, they understand "the time is now, the time is now to do some self-reflection, to look at what their role is and how they can also impact public trust for the good or help in its erosion."