What's going on in the US? Death of a black man at the hands of white police sparked protests across the country

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Heartbreaking details of George Floyd's death 4:30

(CNN Spanish) - From the video that recorded the last minutes of George Floyd and his plea to the policeman who put his knee to his neck while detaining him in Minnesota last Monday, the United States has turned to a series of protests and has opened a new wound on racism and police brutality in the country.

In the midst of a country plagued by protests - some with violent episodes -, a coronavirus crisis and a historic unemployment rate, President Donald Trump has called on the country's governors to use "aggressive tactics" against the protesters.

How do we go from what appears to be routine police procedures to a troubled country?

This is what we know:

"I can't breathe": Floyd's last minutes

The last minutes of the life of George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, were spent pleading for his life, as a Minneapolis Police officer pressed his knee to his neck.

"Please. Please. Please. I can't breathe, ”said Floyd, lying on the floor. "Please Men. Please. Somebody help me".

"I'm going to die today," Floyd is heard saying shortly before passing out.

The events occurred on May 25 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, around 8 pm local time, after a grocery store made an emergency call to 911 in which the police were alerted that a black man — George Floyd - I was trying to use a fake $ 20 bill to buy cigarettes.

According to official documents, when the first officers arrived, Floyd was inside a black truck, doing nothing. According to the police, he showed resistance, but the images from the security cameras seem to say otherwise.

After a brief fight with Floyd, officers handcuff him and he later falls to the curb beside the police vehicle at about 8:20 p.m. A viewer, Darnella Frazier, begins to record on video and another, from another different point, show that it is not only agent Derek Chauvin, but another, who are restricting Floyd at this time.

The video shows that after 8 minutes and 46 seconds, Floyd stops moving. And while unconscious, Agent Chauvin continues to press his knee to his neck.

Then, the agents call an ambulance, but Floyd's body is already weak and they declare him dead soon after in the hospital.

MIRA: Video shows a truck speeding towards the protesters

The 4 policemen are fired

On May 26, the day after Floyd's death, Minneapolis Police said the four officers were "removed from their jobs," and City Mayor Jacob Frey said in a statement that he supports "100% their decision".

“It is the right decision for our city. The right decision for our community is the right decision for the Minneapolis Police Department, ”said Mayor Frey.

Mayor Jacob Frey said the technique used to hold George Floyd's head to the ground was against department regulations. In addition, he added that the police had no reason to use this maneuver on the man's neck.

Floyd's family members then asked that the cops be prosecuted for murder.

Chauvin, who pressed his knee against Floyd, remains in custody. Last Friday, he was charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter.

LOOK: What a new video shows before the confrontation that led to George Floyd's death

A week of protests begins

Although the four officers were fired, the situation opened an emotional wound in the country and the discussion of police repression and racism was reopened.

A day after George Floyd's death, hundreds of people gathered at the same intersection where Floyd was immobilized and then marched to a police compound to protest his death. The protesters chanted "Without justice, without peace" and "I can't breathe."

At that time there were clashes between protesters and police and officers fired tear gas to disperse the crowd, a spokesman for the Police Department said.

But on Wednesday the situation was still tense: the second night of protests was marked by looting and burning of buildings as crowds of protesters clashed with police, who also fired tear gas, according to what the CNN team observed at the scene and police.

Police said early Thursday morning that a man was shot dead near the scene of the protests. One person was arrested. Police reported that they are investigating the nature of the incident.

In Los Angeles, hundreds of people marched to protest Floyd's death and police brutality. At one point, some protesters attacked a California Highway Patrol car.

In Memphis, Tennessee, police responded to a riot gear protest and at least two people were arrested, reported WHBQ, a CNN affiliate.

On May 29, as the protests continued, Officer Derek Chauvin was detained by the Minnesota Office of Criminal Apprehension as fires continued to burn from violent protests overnight.

Protests continued over the weekend across the country, and in several cities around the world, demanding justice for Floyd's death.

They deploy the National Guard and activate curfews

Members of the National Guard were activated Sunday morning in 15 states and Washington. As nighttime protests increased, more states activated the National Guard, including Tennessee, Washington state, Massachusetts, and more.

Additionally, more than 40 cities imposed curfews tonight in response to the ongoing protests. Atlantic City, New Jersey, extended its curfew for a full week, and Cleveland, Ohio, extended its curfew until Tuesday. Minnesota was the first state to activate the guard on May 28.

Trump's response and responsibility to Antifa

This Monday, a hectic and distressed Trump after three nights of violent protests in dozens of cities across the country, including just outside the White House, told the nation's governors in a video conference that they should aggressively confront the Violent protesters who, according to him, would only respond to a show of force.

"They have to dominate them or they will look like a bunch of idiots, they have to arrest them and judge people," the president told governors in a call from the basement White House situation room, according to an audio recording of the call. obtained by CNN.

Comments come as some cities have been burned by protests. Last week Trump criticized Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, calling him "weak" and saying he shows "a total lack of leadership." In addition, he said in a tweet about the protests in Minneapolis, that "when the looting begins, the shooting begins."

On Friday, protesters gathered outside the White House, and Trump, his wife Melania and their son Barron were briefly taken to an underground shelter, according to a White House official and a police source.

The next day, the president said without showing evidence that the recent "violence and vandalism" seen across the country "is being led by Antifa and other radical left-wing groups that are terrorizing the innocent, destroying jobs, damaging businesses and burning buildings "

On Sunday, Trump said the United States would designate Antifa as a terrorist organization.

• What is Antifa, the group Trump blames for violence in the protests over the death of George Floyd?

Antifa is short for antifascists. The term is used to define a broad group of people whose political beliefs lean to the left, often the far left, but do not conform to the platform of the Democratic Party. The group does not have an official leader or headquarters, although groups in certain states hold regular meetings.

However, the federal government does not have legal authority to label a local group in the way that it designates foreign terrorist organizations.

The protests continue

On the night of May 31, riots and clashes between protesters and police occurred in Washington, New York and Philadelphia, despite curfews in several cities.

The anger at Floyd's death has spread to several cities across the country, generating yet another crisis in a country that is already under siege from a global pandemic that has claimed the lives of more than 100,000 people and left a record unemployment figure.

- With information from Kay Guerrero from CNN en Español; Sara Sidner, Jessie Yeung, Steve George, Emma Reynolds and Nick Thompson of CNN.

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