Thousands march in Baltimore protesting police brutality and the killing of George Floyd in Minnesota at the hands of local police, on Monday, June 1, 2020. The peaceful march took demonstrators on a route from the Convention Center to City Hall, then onto the I-83 Expressway and then off the Expressway via the Chase Street ramp, rounding up with a loop of the prison and Central Booking and back downtown. Derek Chauvin, the police officer that was caught on video kneeling on Floyd’s neck as the unarmed, handcuffed man laid flat and unable to breathe, has been charged with second-degree murder. Mass demonstrations have taken place nationwide since the incident took place. Photos: Diego M. Radzinschi/ALM
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit the United States earlier this year, civil rights attorneys flooded courts to try and protect the country’s vulnerable populations. So when the national demonstrations over the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police began, those lawyers saw the same inequities amplified by the virus raised yet again.
National civil rights groups have arguably had a moment since the start of the Trump administration, as attorneys frequently litigate policies they label discriminatory. But both the pandemic and the demonstrations raise inequities that go beyond one policy decision or even one administration, furthering attorneys’ push for systemic change.
