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George Floyd protests: ‘Black Lives Matter’ mural painted on street in front of Vermont capitol

Protests over racism and police violence continue nationwide, fueled by outrage over the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who was killed last month while in the custody of Minneapolis police.

Authorities have arrested four Minneapolis police officers -- Derek Chauvin, Thomas Lane, J.A. Kueng and Tou Thao -- in connection with his death. The officers have since been fired.

Floyd, 46, died on Memorial Day after police were called to investigate a report of a man trying to use what looked like a counterfeit $20. Video of his death caught by bystanders and shared on social media showed Chauvin holding his knee to Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes as Floyd pleaded for air.

Live updates for Saturday, June 13 continue below:

‘Black Lives Matter’ mural painted on street in front of Vermont capitol

Update 10:48 p.m. EDT June 13: Protesters painted a large “Black Lives Matter” mural on the street in front of Vermont’s Capitol building, WCAX reported.

More than 100 volunteers showed up Saturday to paint the mural.

Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield to kneel during national anthem

Update 8:26 p.m. EDT June 13: Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield said he plans to kneel during the national anthem when the NFL season does start.

Mayfield, wearing a T-shirt with the words, “I can’t breathe” said he will kneel to protest racism and social injustice, the Plain Dealer reported.

“I have the utmost respect for our military, cops and people that serve our country,” Mayfield wrote on social media. “It’s about equality and everybody being treated the same because we are all human. It’s been ignored for too long and that is my fault as well for not becoming more educated and staying silent.”

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick who spurred a movement in 2016 when he began kneeling during the national anthem as a protest against social and racial injustices. He has not played a game in the NFL since. He brought a lawsuit against the league for collusion in 2017 and agreed to a settlement with the NFL in 2019.

“If I lose fans, that’s OK,” Mayfield said. "I’ve always spoken my mind. And that’s from the heart.''

Florida State Attorney drops charges against 48 protesters

Update 7:37 p.m. EDT June 13: The Florida State Attorney’s Office has dropped criminal charges against 48 people who were protesting in Jacksonville May 31 following the death of George Floyd, WJAX-TV reported.

In a statement, State Attorney Melissa Nelson, “This office has reviewed the arrest and booking reports for each incident (and) viewed the applicable law, and a number of videos taken over the course of the day, including drone/aerial video from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. Based upon the law, the facts, and the circumstances involved, this office declines to file charges on each of the cases.”

The 48 people had been arrested for unlawful assembly/resisting without violence.

Stacey Abrams critical of Atlanta police shooting

Update 2:20 p.m. EDT June 13: Stacey Abrams, a former gubernatorial candidate in Georgia, criticized the shooting death of an Atlanta man Friday night at a Wendy’s drive-thru. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said Rayshard Brooks, 27, died after a struggle with police.

Brooks’ death, Abrams tweeted, “Demands we severely restrict the use of deadly force.”

“Yes, investigations must be called for -- but so too should accountability,” Abrams tweeted.

US Embassy in Seoul tweets support for Black Lives Matter

Update 12:50 p.m. EDT June 13: The U.S.Embassy in South Korea tweeted a message of support, saying the embassy “stands in solidarity with fellow Americans grieving and peacefully protesting to demand positive change."

“Our #BlackLivesMatter banner shows our support for the fight against racial injustice and police brutality as we strive to be a more inclusive & just society,” the tweet said.

Cuomo: NY local governments must pass police reforms by April 1

Update 12:12 p.m. EDT June 13: New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said he will require the state’s counties and cities to go through a process of redesigning their police force and passing it into law by April 1, 2021. Government organizations that fail to meet that deadline will not receive state funding, Cuomo said at his daily news briefing.

“At the table, activists, stakeholders, police, government officials: You design your police force and you do it now," Cuomo said. “If you don’t do it, local government, you won’t get any state funding, period," he added.

Cuomo added that “demonstration, legislation and reconciliation” is the way to bring about change.

“Now is the time for every community to put pen to paper and enact systemic reform," Cuomo said.

London police clash with right-wing protesters

Update 11:35 a.m. EDT June 13: Police in London clashed with right-wing protesters, as demonstrators pelted officials with bottles, the BBC reported.

Video from the scene showed a small group of protesters throwing objects at a line of police, while some officers responded with their batons, CNN reported.

UK Home Secretary Priti Patel described the protesters’ behavior as “thoroughly unacceptable thuggery.”

“Any perpetrators of violence or vandalism should expect to face the full force of the law. Violence toward our police officers will not be tolerated," Patel said. “Coronavirus remains a threat to us all. Go home to stop the spread of this virus and save lives.”

Floyd’s family plans civil suit against Derek Chauvin

Update 10:01 a.m. EDT June 13: The lawyer for George Floyd’s family told CNN they plan to file a civil lawsuit against Derek Chauvin, the Minneapolis police officer who pinned his knee on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes.

Benjamin Crump said the Floyd family “intends on holding Derek Chauvin fully accountable in every aspect, criminal and civil.”

Chauvin is currently facing second-degree murder charges, but CNN reported he could still receive more than $1 million in pension benefits during his retirement years even if he is convicted.

Thousands gather to protest in London

Update 8:58 a.m. EDT June 13: Thousands of Black Lives Matters protesters gathered in central London before the 5 p.m. shutdown time set by authorities, the BBC reported.

Demonstrators gathered around the Cenotaph war memorial in Whitehall and the boarded-up statue of Winston Churchill in Parliament Square. Several groups, including right-wing activists and football supporters, said they came to London to protect symbols of British history.

Statues of Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi were boarded up in Parliament Square. One protester told CNN that there were threats to pull down the Mandela statue.

The statue of Churchill was boxed up to protect it from potential damage, the BBC reported. Last week, protesters daubed “was a racist” on it.

NJ police officer accused of dispersing pepper spray ‘without provocation’

Update 7:23 a.m. EDT June 13: A New Jersey police officer was charged with two counts of assault Wednesday after allegedly dispersing pepper spray “without provocation” on two people, authorities confirmed.

Camden County prosecutors announced in a news release the arrest of Ryan Dubiel, 31, who is charged with two counts of simple assault for his alleged role in the June 4 incident.

According to the release, Dubiel and a second officer were investigating a complaint of possible trespassing and loitering, and body camera footage released by prosecutors shows Dubiel talking with multiple young men sitting on a front porch.

After telling the group why they had been called, both officers attempted to obtain pertinent information from everyone present, but several refused to cooperate, and one young man tried to call his brother. Dubiel told him to put down the phone, but he continued his call. At that point, Dubiel pepper-sprayed several of the young men.

Dubiel, who has been suspended without pay, has only been with the Woodlynnne Police Department for 10 months, and this is the ninth department he has served with during his career, CNN reported.

Trump reschedules Tulsa rally in response to criticism of Juneteenth overlap

Update 1:57 a.m. EDT June 13: President Donald Trump announced late Friday he is rescheduling his June 19 campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, for the following night “out of respect” for Juneteenth, the holiday which commemorates the end of slavery in the United States.

In a series of late-night tweets, Trump said in response to feedback from many of his “African American friends and supporters” he is moving the rally to Saturday, June 20 in “observance of this important occasion and all that it represents.”

Mother of black NC man killed by white police officer files wrongful death lawsuit

Update 1:26 a.m. EDT June 13: One year after her black son was killed by a white police officer, a North Carolina mother has filed a wrongful death and negligent training lawsuit.

Deborah Franklin is suing officer Wende Kerl, who shot Danquirs Franklin on March 25, 2019. She is also suing the city of Charlotte, WSOC reported.

According to the local TV station, Deborah Franklin is seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages for both her son’s loss of life and his children’s loss of financial and emotional support.

Despite the August 2019 release of police body camera footage inciting several days of street protests in Charlotte, the district attorney opted against filing charges, saying he was unsure he could prove in court that "Officer Kerl’s belief that she faced an imminent threat of death or great bodily harm was unreasonable,” CNN reported.

Tennessee governor: Nashville autonomous zone won’t ‘be tolerated’

Published 12:58 a.m. EDT June 13: Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee cautioned demonstrators Friday that “lawlessness, autonomous zones, and violence” outside the state Capitol in Nashville would not be tolerated.

Despite Lee’s warning, about 50 protesters and activists gathered outside the Capitol around 5 p.m. Friday, intent on establishing the space as an autonomous zone, The Tennessean reported.

“We encourage Tennesseans to exercise their First Amendment rights and have seen many examples of peaceful protests across our state in recent weeks,” Lee said in his midday Friday statement. “As demonstrations continue, we will continue to protect Tennesseans’ right to peaceful assembly, while also reassuring citizens that lawlessness, autonomous zones, and violence will not be tolerated.”

According to the newspaper, state troopers watched while protesters brought chairs, tables and even a few tents, yet no one had been asked to leave by 10 p.m. despite both Lee’s comments and a state law prohibiting camping on state property in undesignated areas.