Violence Against Black Lives Matter Protesters

The Investigations Lab and the University of Cambridge’s Digital Verification Corps documented excessive use of state force on Black Lives Matter protesters for an Amnesty International report. 

Students documented 125 separate incidents of police violence against protesters in 40 states and the District of Columbia between May 26 — June 5, 2020. Acts of excessive force were committed by members of state and local police departments, as well as by National Guard troops and security force personnel from several federal agencies. Among the abuses documented were beatings, the misuse of tear gas and pepper spray, and the inappropriate and, at times, indiscriminate firing of less-lethal projectiles, such as sponge rounds and rubber bullets. To evaluate these incidents, Amnesty International’s Crisis Evidence Lab gathered nearly 500 videos of protests from social media platforms. This digital content was then verified, geolocated, and analyzed by investigators with expertise in weapons, police tactics, and international and US law governing the use of force. 

Left: A woman holds a sign stating “George Floyd’s Life Mattered” during a protest outside the Cup Foods on May 26, 2020 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images.