June 2020

On June 1, 2020, federal law enforcement officers used tear gas, pepper balls, and mounted police to forcibly clear peaceful protesters from Lafayette Square in Washington, D.C., minutes before the lawful curfew. The action allowed President Trump to walk to St. John's Church for a photo opportunity holding a Bible. The chair of the Joint Chiefs later apologized for his presence. A federal judge ruled in 2021 that the clearing violated protesters' First Amendment rights. The incident was condemned by former Defense Secretary James Mattis.

During the 2020 George Floyd protests, federal law enforcement agencies including the FBI, DHS, DEA, and CBP conducted surveillance of protest activity. The DEA was temporarily given authority to conduct covert surveillance of protesters — authority it is not normally granted for domestic activities. CBP flew Predator drones over Minneapolis. The Army National Guard and surveillance aircraft tracked protesters in multiple cities. ACLU lawsuits documented fusion center intelligence sharing on protesters. Internal documents obtained via FOIA showed agents monitoring individuals' social media and physical movements at Black Lives Matter demonstrations.

Following George Floyd's killing, at least 160 Confederate monuments were removed across the U.S. between June and December 2020, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center. Richmond, Virginia removed its prominent Monument Avenue statues of Robert E. Lee, Jefferson Davis, Stonewall Jackson, and J.E.B. Stuart. Mississippi removed the Confederate emblem from its state flag in July 2020. In total the SPLC counted over 700 removals of Confederate symbols in 2020. Virginia transported the state-owned Lee statue to a Black history museum. Some cities faced legal battles over removal from private groups.

During the 2020 George Floyd protests, the FBI, DHS, DEA, and CBP conducted surveillance of protest activity. The DEA was temporarily given authority to conduct covert surveillance of protesters. CBP flew Predator drones over Minneapolis. ACLU lawsuits documented fusion center intelligence sharing on protesters. Internal FOIA documents showed agents monitoring individuals' social media and physical movements at Black Lives Matter demonstrations.

At least 160 Confederate monuments were removed across the U.S. between June and December 2020. Richmond, Virginia removed its prominent Monument Avenue statues. Mississippi removed the Confederate emblem from its state flag in July 2020. The SPLC counted over 700 removals of Confederate symbols in 2020.

Rayshard Brooks, 27, was shot twice in the back by Atlanta officer Garrett Rolfe on June 12, 2020, in a Wendy's parking lot. Brooks had fallen asleep in the drive-through; a 41-minute non-confrontational conversation with officers preceded the struggle. Brooks grabbed a Taser and ran; Rolfe shot him as he ran away. Rolfe was charged with felony murder; charges were later dropped by a new DA citing self-defense. The Wendy's where Brooks died was burned down. His death came amid ongoing Floyd protests, renewing debate about whether running away, possessing a Taser, or DUI constituted a capital offense.

Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves signed legislation replacing the state flag, which had incorporated the Confederate battle emblem since 1894. Mississippi was the last state with a Confederate emblem on its flag. The change came after decades of failed attempts and was precipitated by the George Floyd protests and pressure from the SEC and NCAA threatening to withdraw events.

Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves signed legislation on June 30, 2020, replacing the state flag, which had incorporated the Confederate battle emblem since 1894. Mississippi was the last state with a Confederate emblem on its flag. The change came after decades of failed attempts and was precipitated by the George Floyd protests and pressure from business groups, the SEC, and the NCAA threatening to withdraw events. The new flag features a magnolia. The change was significant symbolically but critics noted Mississippi continued to have among the highest rates of poverty, incarceration, and infant mortality for Black residents of any state.

David McAtee, 53, known as 'YaYa,' a beloved Louisville BBQ cook who regularly fed police officers for free, was shot and killed by Kentucky National Guard soldiers on June 1, 2020, as they dispersed a crowd after a midnight curfew. McAtee allegedly fired first; his attorney disputed this. Louisville's police chief was fired after it emerged that officers did not have their body cameras on. McAtee's death occurred in Louisville three months after Breonna Taylor's killing, reinforcing a sense of ongoing state violence against the city's Black community.

Despite the NYPD's ban on chokeholds since 1993 (strengthened after Eric Garner's 2014 death), officers were documented on video using chokeholds against protesters during the 2020 George Floyd demonstrations. Videos circulated widely on social media. On June 4, 2020, an officer was filmed placing a protester in a chokehold in Brooklyn. The Civilian Complaint Review Board received 65 chokehold complaints between June 1 and June 7, 2020 alone. New York enacted the Eric Garner Anti-Chokehold Act in June 2020, making chokeholds a criminal offense; critics noted similar bans had not been enforced previously.

During the 2020 protests, demonstrators pulled down or damaged statues of Christopher Columbus, Confederate leaders, and other historical figures associated with slavery and colonialism across the U.S. A Columbus statue in Richmond, VA was torn down and thrown into a lake. The Francis Scott Key statue in San Francisco was pulled down. Protesters in Boston, Baltimore, and Camden, NJ removed Columbus statues. The actions prompted debate about public memory, historical accountability, and the difference between erasure and reckoning. Cities including Baltimore and Richmond moved quickly to officially remove remaining Confederate monuments.

Robert Fuller, 24, was found hanging from a tree near Palmdale, CA City Hall on June 10, 2020; Malcolm Harsch, 38, was found hanging in Victorville, CA on May 31. Both deaths were initially ruled suicide by local officials without autopsies. Community pressure in Los Angeles County forced investigations. The medical examiner ultimately confirmed suicide for both men. The cases occurred amid heightened attention to racial violence and a history of lynching in Antelope Valley. Activists pointed to the inadequacy of initial investigations that did not consider evidence of possible foul play.