Saturday, June 6
Jun 6: Tens of thousands of people take to the streets Saturday in several major U.S. cities, including Washington, D.C., New York, and Seattle, as well as smaller towns across the country to protest against police brutality. Global coronavirus deaths surpass 400,000. Two Buffalo police officers, Robert McCabe and Aaron Torgalski, are both charged with one count of second-degree assault after they were seen on video Thursday shoving a 75-year-old man to the ground during protests against police brutality. The United States Marine Corps issues a directive to remove and ban displays of the Confederate battle flag at Marine installations.*
Joe Biden practically came back from the dead to win the Democratic Party’s primary. As of today’s count, he’s officially passed the nearly 2,000 delegate vote needed to gain the nod from the Democratic National Convention. And he promises, as expected, unity.
This is a difficult time in America’s history. And Donald Trump’s angry, divisive politics is no answer. The country is crying out for leadership. Leadership that can unite us. Leadership that can bring us together. We need an economy that works for everyone — now. We need jobs that bring dignity — now. We need equal justice — and equal opportunities — for every American now. We need a president who cares about helping us heal — now. …
Today, I’m once again asking every American who feels knocked down, counted out, and left behind, to join our campaign. Because we aren’t just building the movement that will defeat Donald Trump, we are building the movement that will transform our nation. I truly believe that when we stand together, finally, as One America, we will rise stronger than before.[1]
Honestly, it’s hard not to be disappointed in this milquetoast stance. Sure, unity. Sure, leadership. An end to divisive politics. Sure. All of these things would be better. But how? Marchers have been out in streets and squares and parks for days now yelling, “No justice, no peace.” And the power structure of the country sends out men in armor shooting and spraying. Where is the “justice” in “unity”? “Justice” is going to cost something. “Justice” is passing that cost along from the powerful to the powerless. It’s not at all clear that the powerful in America want to pay that cost. Note [1] Joe Biden, “On Winning a Majority of Delegates in the Democratic Presidential Primary,” Medium, June 6, 2020, https://medium.com/@JoeBiden/on-winning-a-majority-of-delegates-in-the-democratic-presidential-primary-fc51510ae0f8.
The Young Turk, “NFL’s Roger Goodell: We Were Wrong, #BlackLivesMatter,” June 5, 2020. https://youtu.be/yOiN5QYK8Ug
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- Flitter, Emily. “Loan Money Runs Out While Small-Business Owners Wait in Line.” The New York Times, April 16, 2020, sec. Business. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/16/business/coronavirus-sba-loans-out-of-money.html.
- Gabbatt, Adam. “Protests about Police Brutality Are Met with Wave of Police Brutality across US.” The Guardian, June 6, 2020, sec. US news. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jun/06/police-violence-protests-us-george-floyd.
- Mitchell, Josh. “U.S. Unemployment Rate Fell to 13.3% in May.” Wall Street Journal, June 6, 2020, sec. Economy. https://www.wsj.com/articles/may-jobs-report-coronavirus-2020-11591310177.
- Reinstein, Julia. “The Buffalo Cops Who Pushed Over A 75-Year-Old Protester Have Been Charged With Assault.” BuzzFeed News, June 6, 2020. https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/juliareinstein/buffalo-police-elderly-protester-charged-assault.
- Staff writer. “Hesperia Man Beats Himself Up Then Fabricates Racially- Motivated Beating.” 24/7 Headline News, June 6, 2020. https://247headline.com/hesperia-man-beats-himself-up-then-fabricates-racially-motivated-beating/.
- Thornton, Cedric. “NFL Commissioner: ‘We, The NFL Admit, We Were Wrong for Not Listening to NFL Players Earlier.’” Black Enterprise (blog), June 6, 2020. https://www.blackenterprise.com/nfl-commissioner-we-the-nfl-admit-we-were-wrong-for-not-listening-to-nfl-players-earlier/.
* Timeline summaries at the top of the page come from a variety of sources:, including The American Journal of Managed Care COVID-19 Timeline (https://www.ajmc.com/view/a-timeline-of-covid19-developments-in-2020), the Just Security Group at the NYU School of Law (https://www.justsecurity.org/69650/timeline-of-the-coronavirus-pandemic-and-u-s-response/), the “10 Things,” daily entries from The Week (theweek.com), as well as a variety of newspapers and television programs.