Experts: Civil unrest following George Floyd's death effective

From Portland to Pensacola, violent protests flared in more than 30 cities across the U.S. this weekend in the wake of the death of George Floyd, an African American man who pleaded that he could not breathe after a white police officer kneeled on his neck for more than eight minutes during an arrest.

Why did Floyd's death spark such widespread, visceral outrage, while three other deaths of African Americans this year – Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia and Tony McDade, a black transgender man killed by police officers in Tallahassee – did not?

An array of combustible issues converged to form a “perfect storm” of civil unrest after Floyd's death and could lead to longer-lasting changes, experts and protest organizers said.

For starters, the coronavirus pandemic that has sequestered most Americans to their homes, forced millions into unemployment and has disproportionately infected African Americans already had many black Americans and white supporters simmering with rage and frustration, said Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the National Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.

“The depths of despair are enormous right now for black people in this country,” she said. “You pile on unchecked police violence and it makes for a perfect storm.”

Throughout the weekend and across the country, police cars and government buildings burned, the National Guard was deployed into major U.S. cities, and some cities instituted curfews. In one Midwest city, a person was killed and at least two more shot.

In Atlanta, pro testers stormed the CNN Center while its mayor pleaded for calm, and in Washington, the White House went on lockdown after protesters massed outside. Protests also flared in Louisville, Philadelphia, Detroit, Austin, Charlottesville, Va., and Columbus, Ohio.

More t han 1 , 400 people were arrested in 16 cities since Thursday. More than 500 of those happening in Los Angeles on Friday, the Associated Press reported.

Fired Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was arrested Friday on charges of third-degree murder and manslaughter after Floyd's death. A bystander's video caught more than eight minutes of Chauvin's knee pinning Floyd's neck as the suspect lay on the ground and pleaded for help before eventually passing out.

That video, which went viral, is another key reason his death has sparked so much outrage, said Keneshia Grant, a Howard University political scientist. The moments leading to Arbery's death also were captured on video, but the footage of Floyd's final moments – with the victim repeatedly saying he couldn't breathe and asking for his mother while irate bystanders pleaded with police to stop – caused a much deeper emotional wound in those who watched it, she said.

Also, President Donald Trump's controversial response to the incident and the protests it sparked may have driven more protesters to the streets, Grant said. Trump in a tweet on Friday called the violent protesters “THUGS,” adding that he was ready to send in the military if things got out of control and “when the looting starts, the shooting starts.”

“America does not have a leader to bring people together,” Grant said. “We didn't get a tweet that told everyone to Kumbaya and hold hands. We got a tweet about looting and shooting.”