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Black Lives Matter protests: Philadelphia Inquirer editor resigns

An editor at one of America's largest newspapers has lost his job just days after a "deeply offensive" headline triggered a mass staff walkout.

Natalie WolfeNatalie Wolfe
@natwolfe94
less than 2 min read
June 7, 2020 - 6:15AM
Seattle protests descend into chaos: Police use flash bangs

A top editor at a newspaper in the US has resigned just days after apologising for a "deeply offensive" headline.

 

Stan Wischnowski, the top editor of The Philadelphia Inquirer, resigned today, four days after  the headline "Buildings Matter, Too" prompted mass walkouts from staff.

The headline was a play on the "Black Lives Matter" slogan and was put on an article discussing the damage done to the city's buildings.

Mr Wischnowski apologised on Wednesday, the day the article was published, but the apology did not stop dozens of staff from calling in sick the next day as part of a mass walkout.

“The Philadelphia Inquirer published a headline in Tuesday’s edition that was deeply offensive. We should not have printed it,” the paper's top editors wrote.

“We’re sorry, and regret that we did. We also know that an apology on its own is not sufficient.

“The headline offensively riffed on the Black Lives Matter movement, and suggested an equivalence between the loss of buildings and the lives of black Americans. That is unacceptable.”

Elsewhere in the US, authorities expanded the fenced security perimeter around the White House as a trend on Twitter called for one million people to march on the capital.

Updates

Seattle protests descend into chaos

Police used flash bang devices and pepper spray to disperse Seattle protesters after the largely peaceful demonstrations descended into chaos.

The city saw its ninth consecutive day of George Floyd protests on Saturday.

The mayhem in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighbourhood followed a large, peaceful demonstration earlier in the day with medical workers demonstrating against racism and police brutality.

It also came a day after Mayor Jenny Durkan and Police Chief Carmen Best imposed a 30-day moratorium on the department’s use of one kind of tear gas.

KING-TV reported that a small group of protesters started throwing objects at officers about 7.30pm on Saturday night.

Police ordered the crowd to move, then used incendiary devices.

After police were severely criticised by protesters and public officials alike for using tear gas and pepper spray to disperse largely peaceful crowds, Ms Durkan and Ms Best said Friday outside groups would review and update crowd-control policies, including the use of pepper spray and deadly force techniques such as neck and choke holds.

She and the mayor added that the ban on one kind of tear gas known as CS could be extended if groups need more time for policy review.Earlier in the day, thousands of doctors, nurses and others marched from Harborview Medical Center to City Hall. Many wore lab coats and scrubs.

The recent demonstrations in Seattle have been among the largest the city has seen in years.

– AP

Calls for Americans to get tested for coronavirus

Protests for George Floyd continue to attract tens of thousands of people across the US – but the incredible demonstrations are prompting fears of a second coronavirus outbreak.

The US has seen close to 1.9 million people test positive for the virus and 108,000 Americans die.

And while most Americans have worn masks while protesting across the country's cities, health officials are still worried the mass events could kick off a second wave.

Johns Hopkins University, which has been tracking coronavirus cases since the virus was first found in December, has already seen a spike in cases in more than a dozen states.

Robert Redfield, director of the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, told Congress earlier this week that every American should be getting tested and taking steps to protect themselves.

“I do think there is potential, unfortunately, for this to be a seeding event,” Dr Redfield said on Thursday.

Utah was one state to experience an increase in cases when compared to the week before.

“This past week, we’ve had a sharp spike in cases, and it’s not explained easily by a single outbreak or increase in testing,” Dr Angela Dunn, state epidemiologist with Utah's Health Department, said on Wednesday.

“This is a statewide trend.”

Editor resigns over newspaper headline

Stan Wischnowski, the top editor of The Philadelphia Inquirer, has resigned, four days after one of the newspaper's headlines prompted mass walkouts.

The headline "Buildings Matter, Too" was a play on the "Black Lives Matter" slogan and was put on an article discussing the damage done to the city's buildings.

Mr Wischnowski apologised on Wednesday, the day the article was published, but the apology did not stop dozens of staff from calling in sick the next day as part of a mass walkout.

“The Philadelphia Inquirer published a headline in Tuesday’s edition that was deeply offensive. We should not have printed it,” the paper's top editors wrote.

“We’re sorry, and regret that we did. We also know that an apology on its own is not sufficient.

“The headline accompanied a story on the future of Philadelphia’s buildings and civic infrastructure in the aftermath of this week’s protests.

“The headline offensively riffed on the Black Lives Matter movement, and suggested an equivalence between the loss of buildings and the lives of black Americans. That is unacceptable.”

Mr Wischnowski has since resigned with Lisa Hughes, the publisher of The Inquirer, saying she had accepted his decision to step down after more than a decade at the paper.

Black Lives Matter plaza visible from space

The recently renamed Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington DC is visible from space.

Satellites showed the brightly painted stretch of road shining up from the US capital as tens of thousands of people gather to protest against racism.

The painting was commissioned by Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser, who was met with raucous applause as she walked along the freshly painted street yesterday.

'Unfathomable' crowd in Philadelphia

The crowd in Philadelphia in the US state of Pennsylvania is also heaving.

Aerial footage from the protest earlier today showed massive crowds filing through the city.

Meaningful change to come out of protests

Some tangible steps have already been taken following the horrific death of George Floyd and weeks of protest in the US.

In Minneapolis, where Mr Floyd was killed, city officials have agreed to ban chokeholds and neck restraints by police and to require officers to try to stop any other officers they see using improper force.

California Governor Gavin Newsom ordered the state’s police training program to stop teaching officers how to use a neck hold that blocks the flow of blood to the brain.

The police chief in Bellevue, across the water from Seattle, largely banned officers from using neck restraints, while police in Reno, Nevada’s second-largest city, also updated their use-of-force policy.

Democrats in Congress are preparing a sweeping package of police reforms, which are expected to included changes to police-accountability laws, such as revising immunity provisions and creating a database of police use-of-force incidents.

Revamped training requirements are planned, too, among them a ban on chokeholds.

The prospects of reforms clearing a divided Congress are unclear.

– AP

Curfews lifted as protests calm

Washington has attracted its biggest crowd since the George Floyd protests began with estimates up to 200,000 people hitting the streets of the US capital.

Global protests kicked off late last month after George Floyd, an African American man, was killed at the hands of a white policeman.

After days of intense and at times violent protests, crowds in the US appear to have largely hit a calmer mood allowing cities to lift curfews.

On Saturday, authorities in some places seemed to take a lower profile and protests even had a festive feel.

That was the case in Washington where throngs of protesters gathered at the Capitol, on the National Mall and in neighbourhoods.

Some turned intersections into dance floors. Tents offered snacks and water, tables with merchandise and even a snow cone station.

Many groups headed toward the White House, which has been fortified with new fencing and extra security measures.

Inside the presidential mansion, their chants and cheers could be heard in waves.

President Donald Trump, who’s ordered authorities to crack down on unrest, had no public events on his daily schedule.

Mounted officer knocked off spooked horse

A London police officer is in hospital after she was thrown from her horse during anti-racism protests.

Metropolitan Police confirmed the officer and her horse were OK despite footage at the scene showing the officer slamming into a traffic light pole.

Video also showed a protester rolling a bike into the horse's legs, causing it to become spooked.

Incredible footage of Philly protest

New footage shows thousands of people in Philadelphia protesting against racism and police brutality.

Video from NBC10 Philadelphia shows an enormous crowd in the heart of the city.

It's the largest protest in the city yet over the the death of George Floyd.

There have been no reports of violence during the protest.

Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw told demonstrators she wanted to “hear from the people”.

“The only way for us in leadership, especially in the Police Department, to find out exactly what needs to be done, is to come to the people, and hear from the people what we’re supposed to be doing.”

Huge crowd in Washington D.C.

More than 4500 National Guard troops are deployed in Washington and various federal law enforcement officers are also patrolling the city,

Mayor Muriel Bowser wants all non-D.C.troops out of the city.

All 900 active-duty military police brought to bases around Washington following the civil unrest after George Floyd’s death are heading home, the Department of Defense said Friday.

Ms Bowser said she only requested 100 D.C. National Guard troops to line the perimeter of the White House, in a limited role and unarmed.

Protesters have lined the streets surrounding the White House every day this week. 

On Monday, riot police cleared peaceful protesters out of Lafayette Square, using pepper balls and smoke canisters, so that President Trump could walk to a nearby church for a photo op.

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Original URL: https://www.news.com.au/world/north-america/us-politics/black-lives-matter-protest-us-massive-crowd-surrounds-white-house/live-coverage/4fc8f3a0e65609b30458b5831a5de3d9