Raw Story

by Ben Turner

The 28-year-old has collected and archived the panels that once protected businesses from rioting in Minneapolis, aiming to preserve the legacy of the 2020 murder that shocked the United States.

Five years on, Zellner-Smith said the boards -- kept in a storage unit by an industrial site two miles (three kilometers) from where Floyd died -- still evoke powerful emotions.

They range from blank plywood with text reading "I can't breathe" -- the final words Floyd said as Derek Chauvin, a white police officer, knelt on his neck -- to colorful murals depicting rainbows and love hearts.

"Every time I look at them there's something different I notice," she told AFP. "They reignite an energy or a fire that was felt years ago during the uprising."

Then a university graduate in Minneapolis, Zellner-Smith was among millions of Americans who joined the Black Lives Matter rallies in 2020 that swept US cities.

The threat of vandalism saw many businesses protect themselves with wooden boards -- which became canvases for protesters' slogans and drawings demanding justice.

- 'Resistance' -

"Every single day after work, I'd grab my dad's pickup truck and I would just drive around searching for boards," said Zellner-Smith, who searched alleyways and dumpsters.

Today, her project called "Save the Boards" counts over 600 in its collection, with each stacked vertically in a pair of storage units measuring 10 by 30 feet (three by nine meters).

But with Floyd's legacy under the spotlight on the fifth anniversary of his death as many hoped-for reforms to address racism have not been met, she said the boards are crucial to sustaining the protest movement.

"Art serves as a form of resistance and storytelling, and it speaks to real, lived experiences, and that's what these are," Zellner-Smith said.

Her next challenge is finding a long-term home for the boards as grants that covered storage costs are running dry.

A handful are already being exhibited -- including in a building restored after it was damaged by arson during the 2020 protests -- and most have been photographed to be archived online.

"My biggest push is just to make sure they're still seen. The stories they have to tell are still heard, and that people understand there's still a lot of work to be done," Zellner-Smith said.

- 'Murals gave me hope' -

That nonprofit exhibited around 50 boards during a memorial event held Sunday on a recreation ground near George Floyd Square, the name given to the area where the 46-year-old was killed.

With Afrobeat music booming from speakers, dozens of people scanned the display that included one piece with squares of black and brown, each filled with phrases like "We matter" and "Protect us."

Another mostly bare wooden board had just a black love heart with "No justice, no peace" written in the middle.

"I think it is absolutely vital that these murals and this story that they tell are preserved for future generations," said Leesa Kelly, who has collected over 1,000 pieces while running Memorialize the Movement.

Asked what drove her to start the project, the 32-year-old replied: "I didn't do this because I was motivated or inspired, I did it because I was experiencing trauma."

"A Black man was killed. The murals gave me hope," said Kelly, who also collected many of the boards herself during the 2020 protests.

Darnella Thompson, 43, was one of those looking at the boards on a warm, sunny day, stopping to take a photo in front of one saying "Speak up" and "Hope."

"It's overwhelming," she told AFP. "As a person of color who has experienced quite a bit here in this country, it definitely resonates very much with me."

"It brings up more so sadness than anything because this is continuous," Thompson added.

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© Agence France-Presse

The head of a controversial US-backed group preparing to move aid into the Gaza Strip announced his abrupt resignation Sunday, adding fresh uncertainty over the effort's future.

In a statement by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), executive director Jake Wood explained that he felt compelled to leave after determining the organization could not fulfil its mission in a way that adhered to "humanitarian principles."

The foundation, which has been based in Geneva since February, has vowed to distribute some 300 million meals in its first 90 days of operation.

But the United Nations and traditional aid agencies have already said they will not cooperate with the group, amid accusations it is working with Israel.

The GHF has emerged as international pressure mounts on Israel over the conditions in Gaza, where it has pursued a military onslaught in response to the October 7, 2023 attacks by Hamas.

A more than two-month total blockade on the territory only began to ease in recent days, as agencies warned of growing starvation risks.

"Two months ago, I was approached about leading GHF's efforts because of my experience in humanitarian operations" Wood said.

"Like many others around the world, I was horrified and heartbroken at the hunger crisis in Gaza and, as a humanitarian leader, I was compelled to do whatever I could to help alleviate the suffering."

Wood stressed that he was "proud of the work I oversaw, including developing a pragmatic plan that could feed hungry people, address security concerns about diversion, and complement the work of longstanding NGOs in Gaza."

But, he said, it had become "clear that it is not possible to implement this plan while also strictly adhering to the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence, which I will not abandon."

Gaza's health ministry said Sunday that at least 3,785 people had been killed in the territory since a ceasefire collapsed on March 18, taking the war's overall toll to 53,939, mostly civilians.

Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel that triggered the war resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.

Militants also took 251 hostages, 57 of whom remain in Gaza including 34 the Israeli military says are dead.

Wood called on Israel "to significantly expand the provision of aid into Gaza through all mechanisms" while also urging "all stakeholders to continue to explore innovative new methods for the delivery of aid, without delay, diversion, or discrimination."

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© Agence France-Presse

Donald Trump on Sunday stunned the world with a comment he made about Vladimir Putin.

Trump over the weekend changed his tone on Putin, first delivering some "very harsh words" to the Russian leader through the American press.

After that, Trump took to Truth Social, where he said he was shocked about how Putin has apparently changed.

EXCLUSIVE: Trump accused of new grift that puts Qatari plane in shade

"I’ve always had a very good relationship with Vladimir Putin of Russia, but something has happened to him," Trump wrote. "He has gone absolutely CRAZY! He is needlessly killing a lot of people, and I’m not just talking about soldiers. Missiles and drones are being shot into Cities in Ukraine, for no reason whatsoever. I’ve always said that he wants ALL of Ukraine, not just a piece of it, and maybe that’s proving to be right, but if he does, it will lead to the downfall of Russia!"

Writer Michael Freeman reposted Trump's statement and wrote, "This is a very bad time to have a very stupid president."

PatriotTakes, which says it is dedicated to "researching and monitoring" right-wing extremism "and other threats to democracy," responded with, "Trump now says Putin 'has gone absolutely crazy' bombing cities, blames Zelenskyy and Biden."

"Anyone else remember how Trump said he would end the war in 24 hours?" the group asked.

Ex-GOP strategist Jeff Timmer chimed in, saying, "Jesus H F------ Cream of Wheat for Brains Christ. Trump’s brain is a black hole singularity that sucks in stupidity and ignorance, crushes and distills them to their purest, unadulterated, and most potent form, then combines them with infinite avarice, cruelty, and sociopathy."

Former prosecutor Ron Filipkowski said, "In other words, he promised repeatedly during the campaign he had a secret plan to end the war in 24 hours and he was just bulls------- everyone because he doesn’t have the first clue what to do, he gave away all negotiating leverage months ago, and his special envoy is a dope."

Journalist Aaron Rupar called the comment, "Beyond parody."

Many critics of President Donald Trump have been attacking his immigration policies — from mass deportations to foreign students being detained in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities because of their political statements — as a blatant assault on due process and the rule of law.

One of those critics is attorney Dean Obeidallah, host of "The Dean Obeidallah Show" on SiriusXM and an opinion columnist for MSNBC's website. During a Saturday, May 24 appearance on MSNBC, Obeidallah warned that Trump's draconian immigration policies are not only a threat to immigrants — they also have disturbing implications for lifelong U.S. citizens.

The New Jersey native told MSNBC's Ali Velshi, "This is not about immigration. Regardless of (what) you feel on that issue, Democrat or Republican, it's something bigger than that…. And that word is freedom…. Donald Trump is going after everything, freedom of speech, in ways we've never seen. I mean, a judge just ruled on Friday protecting the law firms, saying you're going after dissent, going after universities. I had professor Stephen Levinsky on my show, co-author of 'How Democracies Die,' saying: Every autocrat goes after universities because they are independent centers of dissent."

READ MORE: Nicolle Wallace reveals what may finally convince Trump to 'back away from the people'

Obeidallah continued, "He's going after media outlets. He's going after Democrats. They're arresting judges, the mayor of Newark —they dropped the charges, they had no case…. They opened up an investigation into Act Blue because it's a platform to help Democrats raise money. There's now an investigation of Media Matters."

The SiriusXM host described the Trump Administration's policies as a "re-envisioning of what America is about."

Obeidallah told Velshi, "This really is a push and pull between two competing visions of America. One: that we believe in is freedom, the United States of America, with due process — and their vision, which is an autocracy. And that really is what we're dealing with — or easier than that, a dictatorship. They want Trump as the dictator of the United States, and we all have to bow down to him."

Velshi noted that when "due process is taken away…. that's where your freedoms disappear" — to which Obeidallah responded, "Absolutely. It's the only thing that keeps us (from)…. being North Korea."

READ MORE: 'America First': Far-right MAGA Catholics declaring war against 'globalist' Pope Leo

Watch the full video below or at this link.

A Republican lawmaker on Saturday gave a "staggering statistic" about Medicaid from his home state.

Appearing on CNN over the weekend, Rep. Greg Murphy (R-NC) was asked about the Medicaid cuts in Donald Trump's big budget bill.

Specifically, the host asked if Murphy was worried those cuts would disproportionately hit his own constituents harder, since North Carolina has more than the average number of residents on Medicaid.

EXCLUSIVE: Trump accused of new grift that puts Qatari plane in shade

He noted that "52% of the births in the state of North Carolina are born to women on Medicaid."

"That's a staggering statistic," he added. "If you think and you follow that down the road, there has to be something done fundamentally to stop this from occurring and growing at such a rate."

Watch below or click here.

A former Donald Trump insider on Saturday flagged what he says is "bigger than a lawsuit" news about the president.

Author and former Trump associate Lev Parnas, who earlier in the day accused Trump of causing a "massacre" that took the lives of many people, published a post called, "Shhh… Behind Closed Doors, Trump Is Dismantling Free Speech."

"You’re not going to hear this on CNN. You’re not going to read this on the front page of The New York Times. And you definitely won’t find it on 60 Minutes. But let me break it down for you, because what’s happening right now is bigger than a lawsuit — this is an all-out war on the First Amendment," he wrote.

EXCLUSIVE: Trump accused of new grift that puts Qatari plane in shade

The ex-insider then flagged the news:

"Trump is suing Paramount for $20 billion, accusing 60 Minutes of deceptively editing an interview with Kamala Harris to damage his 2024 campaign. That’s right — the guy who bragged about grabbing women and incited an insurrection is now claiming he’s the victim of a 'hit piece.' And here’s where it gets even more dangerous: Paramount is reportedly considering settling," Parnas wrote. "But the Freedom of the Press Foundation just blew the lid off what could be a backdoor deal with massive consequences. They sent a scathing legal letter to Paramount chief Shari Redstone demanding document preservation and warning that any payout to Trump might constitute a 'bribe' — a quid pro quo to secure Trump’s blessing for a pending Hollywood merger."

He then added, "You read that right: A potential billion-dollar media merger could hinge on Trump’s personal approval."

Parnas also reports, "Behind the scenes, he is quietly but aggressively working to dismantle the free press. Any outlet, any journalist, any creator who speaks up or dares to challenge him becomes a target."

Read it here.