U.S. media says protests erupt in Michigan after police officer kills black man
April 16, 2022, 7:11 pm

U.S. media says protests erupt in Michigan after police officer kills black man

USA-US police/Pixabay

The Xinhua reported, Michigan, local media said that the killing of a black man by a white police officer sparks a series of protests during the past three days in Grand Rapids.

The protests first erupted Wednesday after the Grand Rapids Police Department released several videos of an officer's encounter with Patrick Lyoya earlier this month, including two that show the fatal shot during a struggle after a traffic stop.

Lyoya, 26, a refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo, was killed in the front garden of a house in Grand Rapids after a brief chase followed by a struggle with the officer, who has not been named.

Local TV channel WZZM reported, on Wednesday night, after videos of the incident were released, barriers went up at the Grand Rapids police station as hundreds marched downtown, chanting and demanding the department release the name of the officer who shot Lyoya.

There have been multiple protests and rallies on behalf of Lyoya. On Tuesday evening, dozens of people called for justice as they rallied outside a City Commission meeting. Community members in Grand Rapids gathered downtown at Rosa Parks Circle on Friday. The group marched downtown to the Grand Rapids Police Department headquarters to make their voices heard.

Michigan police release footage of officer shooting Black man during traffic stop

According to The Washington Post, the deaths of George Floyd and other black men at the hands of police have led to protests across America in recent years. There have been 255 police shootings across the United States this year.

Source: xinhua

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Upon arriving to participate in the summit of the European Political Community, which includes around forty heads of state in Budapest, he said, "I look forward to sitting with the elected U.S. president and seeing how we will collectively ensure we meet challenges, including the threats from Russia and North Korea." He also noted that the strengthening of ties between Russia and North Korea poses a threat to the United States as well, according to reports from Agence France-Presse.

Before Trump's victory, Rutte expressed confidence that a united Washington would remain part of the defensive alliance, even if Trump became the 47th president of the United States. In an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF last Monday night, he stated that both Republicans and Democrats understand that NATO serves not only the security of Europe but also that of America. He added that both candidates are aware that the security of the United States is closely tied to NATO.

On Wednesday, NATO congratulated Trump on his victory but did not address the Ukrainian issue.

It is noteworthy that the relationship between the elected U.S. president and the defense alliance was not the best during his first term in the White House. Trump criticized NATO member states multiple times and even hinted at withdrawing from the alliance unless they increased their financial contributions.

Additionally, the issue of the Russian-Ukrainian war is one of the matters that complicate relations between the two sides, especially since Trump has repeatedly stated that he can end this ongoing conflict, which began in 2022, quickly. He implied that he had a peace plan between Kyiv and Moscow, while his vice president, JD Vance, revealed aspects of that plan, which stipulated Ukraine's commitment not to join NATO, thereby sending reassuring signals to the Russians.

Furthermore, many NATO member states in Europe fear that Trump might halt military aid to Ukraine after he previously criticized the U.S. for pouring funds into supporting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.