Search Results

President Akufo-Addo has directed the Ministry of Education, Heads of Public and Private Institutions to fumigate and disinfect their various Institutions before students and teachers are allowed to access them. According to President Akufo-Addo, the move will help reduce the spread of the deadly coronavirus amongst students and teachers in the various Institutions. In his 10th address to the nation, President Akufo-Addo said “Prior to the opening of schools and universities, the Ministry of Education and Heads of Public and Private Institutions will fumigate and disinfect their Institutions” He added that after careful engagements with the Teacher Unions, a decision has been taken to re-open schools and universities to allow for final year junior, senior high and tertiary students to resume classes ahead of the conduct of their respective exit examinations. He explained that final year university students are to report to their universities on 15th June; final year senior high school (SHS 3) students, together with SHS 2 Gold Track students, on 22nd June; and final year junior high school (JHS 3) students on 29th June. “JHS 3 classes will comprise a maximum of thirty (30) students, SHS classes a maximum of twenty-five (25) students and University lectures will take place with half the class size” he explained. President Akufo-Addo also noted that all final year students of educational and training institutions, which are being managed by the Ministries other than the Education Ministry are to return to school on 15th June to complete their exit examination “Each student, teacher and non-teaching staff will be provided with re-usable face masks by the Ministry of Education. For the avoidance of doubt, all other educational facilities, private and public, for non-final year students, will remain closed” he stressed. He reiterated that the Ministry for Education in the coming days will outline in detail, the specific guidelines for the safe reopening of schools and universities. Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

Information reaching Thinknewsonline.com indicates that Former MUSIGA President, Bice Osei Kufuor has laid his late father, Nana Boansi Osei Kuffour to rest after breaching the Covid-19 protocols given by President Akufo-Addo. According to the Ashanti Regional Health Authorities, it is distancing itself from the funeral adding that the late Nana Boansi Osei Kuffour tested positive for Covid-19 two months ago before kicking the bucket. Nana Boansi Osei Kuffour, who was a chief for the Juaso Oyoko clan was laid in state over the weekend on the blind side of local authorities in what many say maybe a breach of Covid-19 protocols. Addressing the media, the Regional Director of Health, Dr. Emmanuel Tinkorang said "Though a positive Covid-19 case, the family, transported the body from Accra, laid him in state and performed burial rights for him at the family house at Juaso in the Asante Akyem Municipality of Ashanti. The local Covid-19 teams were not notified" It is emerging that the late Nana Osei Boansi Kuffour, who was Chief of the Oyoko clan of Juaso died on March 27 at the Ridge hospital in Accra after reports revealed he was Covid-19 positive patient. Thinknewsonline.com is learning that reamins of the late chief was transported from Accra to his hometown, Juaso on Friday defying the laid down directives by President Akufo-Addo. Further information revealed that the body was laid in state with well-wishers file passing, paying their last respect regardless the fear of contracting the deadly coronavirus. "Family members kept vigil and performed burial rights before he was buried at the Royal cemetery at Jusao. All this was done without the participation and knowledge of the Regional and the municipal Health Directorates" Dr Emmanuel Tinkorang confirmed. Dr. Tinkorang stressed that aside the health teams not being informed, the Municipal Health Directorate was not notified. Municipal Chief Executive Officer for Asante Akyem South, Alexander Frimpong, confirmed that his office was not contacted on the said burial. In oter developments, family of the late chief says they seeked permission before organising the funeral. A member of the family, Agnes Assiamah Boakye said “We were told he died of Covid-19. But there were rumors that he had been cremated because of his Covid-19 status. Because he is a chief, we had to dispel the rumors. So, we sought permission from authorities for him to be laid in state for few people to see him, identify him and pay their last respects" She added that as part of measures at reducing the spread of the virus among mourners, the family purchased coffin made of glass covering to prevent people from getting into direct contact with the remains.” The former MUSIGA President, Bice Osei Kuffour has declined to speak on the matter. Story by: Joshua Kawbena Smith

It is no longer a secret that the SM Empire led by Charles Nii Armah Mensah known in showbiz as Shattawale is going through pain and discomfort. The SM President has disclosed that his sacked Militants were ungrateful, snitches and 'lazy' talents. Shattawale in Facebook live disclosed the pain his Militants has made him go through for the past few months. He told the public that he has sacked Captan, Joint 77, Addiself from his camp. In an up close with S.M manager “Bulldog”, he revealed that he is behind the sacking of the trio. Born Nana Asiamah Hanson, thhe Artiste Manager said "Shatta Wale is really working and needs to leave a legacy. He’s a positive person and really want to help people who’s got love and passion for work hence wouldn’t hesitate to help anyone who shows good traits. To me, the Militants are lazy. He added if he were Shattawale, he would have sacked the trio long ago adding that his work ethics makes it easy to identify a serious person with talents. "Thou the Militants got talents, they ain’t serious at work and that got them sacked" Bulldog explained. Bulldog hinted that althought the Militants got a lifetime contract with Shattawale, it will be difficult for other managements to sign them. Watch the video below: Story by: Mandy Woods

Artiste manager, Lawrence Asiamah Hanson known in showbiz as Bulldog has revealed that in order to avoid falling into series of temptations and troubles in the Ghanaian Music Industry, he will never manage any female artiste in the country. According to him, he rather prefers to manage male Artistes adding that it will help him flee from being tempted since he is unprofessional. Speaking on an Accra based Television he said “If my Artiste lives at Dome whiles I live at Dansoman and the studio is in Tema. Definitely, we will get tired but since I am unprofessional, I can’t keep her around me all night. I have to avoid temptation” He also noted that many managers have suffered various degrees of such temptations which has led to break up in their marriages likewise courtships. The Artiste Manager used the opportunity to clarify the sacking of the Militants from the SM Family. “My Boss has taken it upon himself to take care of these guys. He needs to leave a legacy but it is unfortunate that some of the Militant misused the opportunities given. They were just jokers” He hinted that although he and Shattawale pathed ways, he (Bulldog) asked the SM President to do away with the Militants after their reunion but he (Shatta) turned a deaf ear. “My work ethics has helped me a lot. When I see a talent, I am able to identify one. So if I see a talent who is not serious on the job but pays attention to fame, then it tells me you are not ready to work” he stressed. Bulldog noted that it is uncertain if the Militants will be called back again although the three have signed a life time contract with Shattawale. Mr. Hanson tasked the trio to recollect, work on their mistakes and re-occupy their vacant position they left behind in the Shatta Movement Family He debunked allegation that the trio are not talented stressing that with enough grooming from Management, they will changed their style of singing forever. “There is nothing wrong if anybody writes a song for somebody. It is natural” he justified. He advised the young men and women to stay focused adding that they might be recalled. Background President of the Shatta Movement, Charles Nii Armah Mensah known in showbiz as Shattawale has thrown shades at his Militant group saying they don’t have him at heart. According to Shatta wale in a live video, he revealed that although he is an industrious person, he does not mix business with pleasure. He said “I am a very hardworking person. I also play around for his fans to see him as a comic character and more, he doesn't joke with his work at all. He has sacked the three from the SM Movement. Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

Former Bhimnation signee, Kelvynboy is calling on fellow Artists in the Ghanaian Music Cycle to consider venturing into other businesses adding that relying only on revenues from the Industry is not enough to sustain them. According to him, although the covid-19 pandemic came at the wrong time, it is prudent for other Artiste in the country to have side businesses in other to generate extra money. Speaking on an Accra based television station, Kelvynboy said “Covid-19 has taught us a lesson but we have to ensure that we get a side business in other to survive” Kelvynboy also advised fellow Artiste to make it a mandate to save for the future adding they will be relying on it to feed themselves in times of difficulties. Artiste Manager, Lawrence Asiamah Hanson also known as Bulldog has challenged the young Artiste in the Ghanaian Music Industry to do away with ‘flashy life styles’. The Artiste Manager further added that money has a voice the control individuals saying they should not fail victims to such words. He said “Money can control human beings. Money has this voice that can control you around. It is important not to pay attention to such voice. If at this age, you are even perching, start thing about the future” He also explained that if Artists in the country learn how to save, their future will not be a regrettable one. In other developments, Musician, Kidi is appealing to fellow Artists in the Ghanaian Music Industry to learn how to cut cost in the period of covid-19. He said “I used my Samsung phone to shoot my last video. I mounted the phone and set it myself. In this era, it will be unnecessary to invest big in something which will give you little revenue” Rapper, Fameye also used the opportunity to plead with other Artists in the industry to push fellow Artists adding that one good turn deserves another. He also cautioned Artists and the youth to also minimise on how they over spend in the era of Covid-19. “If I know this is how the covid-19 will be, I will not waste time and money to purchase or think of buying an iPhone” Kelvynboy, Fameye and Kidi urged the public to continue adhering to the protocols from President Akufo-Addo in the fight against coronavirus. They called for the frequent washing of hands with soap under running water, use the hand sanitiser, nose mask and stick the social distance likewise gathering protocols. Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

Former Multimedia Group Limited employee, Nana Yaa Brefo, has established that Nana Ama McBrown continuously interrupted and shut her up during their last ‘infamous’ interview. Defending herself from critics who lambasted her for what they described as an ‘unprofessional’ interview, Nana Yaa said the public is rather being unfair to her because it was the actress who disrespected her. “McBrown did not even give me the opportunity to interview her. At a point she kept scolding. She told me to shut up because she was the one who called, and I kept quiet. That is never done. Even if she was the one who called, the show was mine, not hers. It wasn’t about her and i never insulted her,” she stated in an interview with NEATFM. In the interview monitored by GhanaWeb, the former Badwam morning show host noted that she was rather harsh to LilWin and not Nana Ama Mcbrown. “I think the person I was rather hard on was LilWin. We spoke extensively and I noticed It was getting out of hand,” she stated. Background The broadcaster has come under immense criticism in recent times after her interview with actress Nana Ama McBrown about the death of actor Bernard Nyarko. Some Ghanaians have since refused to sympathize with embattled Adom TV presenter after resigning from her position. Others have also linked her sudden exit from the Multimedia Group to the “bad interview” she had with Nana Ama Mcbrown over the death of Bishop Bernard Nyarko. Source: Ghanaweb

Ghanaian musician, Mr. Drew has seen his recently released hit song titled “Eat” featuring Stonebwoy taken off from all streaming platforms including YouTube. Monitored by Sammykaymedia.com, the official music video of “Eat” which was released a couple of days ago has garnered close to 150k views on YouTube only but has been pulled down due to copyright infringements. The song which was trending 7th on YouTube reads, "this video contains content from EMPIRE, who has blocked it in your country on copyright grounds.” It is believed Mr. Drew of highly spiritual, sampled contents of two songs titled “In my bed ft. Wale” and “Love Riddim” by Nigerian-American actor, singer and model, Rotimi and due to that he’s found his hit track “Eat” pulled down and blocked on copyright grounds. Source: Sammykaymedia

Chairman of the People’s National Convention (PNC), Mr. Bernard Mornah says he will not retract his words is ever ready to ‘die’ for the truth if that is what the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service wants. Mornah invitation The CID invited Mr. Mornah for allegedly saying: “We’ll beat and kill each other” should confusion arise at any voter ID card registration centre during the Electoral Commission’s forthcoming exercise to compile a new register. According to the CID, Mr. Mornah made the statement during a press conference by the Inter-Party Resistance Against New Register (IPRAN) on 26 May 2020. He’s expected to honour the invitation on Tuesday, 2nd June 2020 at 10 am at the CID headquarters in Accra. No U-turn Bernard Mornah who is also the leader of the IPRAN, in an interview with NEAT FM’s morning show ‘Ghana Montie’ insisted he will not eat his words. “ . . and let me repeat, the path on which the Electoral Commission is trading will bring serious issues to this country. If the CID is inviting me because of what I said, I will go and I will repeat the same thing there,” he stated. Kill me, jail me He told host Kwesi Aboagye that he is “ready” to die and maintained that he has no regret whatsoever about his utterance. “I will say it in exactly the same way; what I said. If they [CID] want my life, I will give it to them freely. I will not be guarded and cease from saying what I feel will lead the country to peace and stability. They can kill me, they can jail me but that will not deter me from what I said. I will die but will still say it,” he emphatically stated. IPRAN reacts to Mornah invitation According to the group, Mr. Bernard Mornah’s invite will not soften its “poignant stance” on the “ill-advised and needless decision to compile a new register of voters.” IPRAN, in a statement issued and signed by the Leader and Founder of the United Front Party on Thursday, 28th May 2020, it has taken notice of an “official invitation extended to the Convener of the Coalition by the CID to assist in investigations in connection with some alleged inflammatory comments” at its press conference. The group noted that it is "appalled by the decision of the CID to kowtow to the whims and caprices of some individuals who have been irked by, not just the spirited resistance of Comrade Bernard Mornah, in particular, but by the Coalition as a whole.” It continued that the Coalition “knows that this is a calculated attempt by the government through the police to intimidate and cow the Coalition into submission on the heated matter of the compilation of anew voters’ register ahead of the 2020 elections” and that “as a law-abiding citizen and a renowned public figure, the CID should rest assured that Comrade Bernard Mornah would honour the invitation as scheduled in the invitation letter.” The Coalition continued further that the police should beware “that this is not going to soften the poignant stance of the Coalition on the ill-advised and needless decision to compile a new voters’ register which is going to disenfranchise a vast majority of the people coupled with the fact that it is at a huge cost to the poor taxpayer.” Source: Peacefmonline.com

Television and Media Personality, Deloris Frimpong-Manso known in showbiz as Delay is being hailed on social media after her prophecy about Shattawale parting ways with his Militant group has come true.. According to some social media users, Delay in an earlier interview told the group to be careful adding that if it will collapse, Addi-Self will be the cause of it. In the said interview, Delay said "Shatta movement family will face a major family issue and one of the militants, Addi-Self will be the one to infuse it" The throwback interview has resurfaced on the internet leaving a section of social media users hail and praising the media personality. Few days ago, President of the Shatta Movement, Shattawale has been complaining about the wrong things, his Militant, Addi Self has been saying and doing which goes against the family. Watch the video below: Story by: Kwesi Pee

Former Militant of the Shatta Movement, Captan has threatened to slap and beat former BhimNation signee, Kelvynboy for making mockery of them after they were sacked from the family. According to Captan, he is unhappy about the recent utterances made by Kelvynboy after they were axed by Shattawale. Captan seems not happy with kelvynboy's latest utterances about the S.M. Militants who issued a stern warning to the Afro-beats sensation. Thinknewsonline.com is learning that the rants by Captan come as a reply to kelvynboy's earlier assertions of the S.M Militants begging him behind close doors for a feature on their upcoming project. Captan said "Kelvynboy be very careful with the route you are towing. If you don't want to remain relevant in the Music Industry, continue fooling" Story by: Kwesi Pee

The Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, Cecilia Abena Dapaah has sent a strong warning to fraudsters defrauding a section of the public with an assurance of providing them jobs. In a statement signed by the Minister and sighted by Thinknewsonline.com, she said "I am also advising these perpetrators to desist from this scheme of deceit and defrauding by false pretense, as their mode of operations contravenes the laws of Ghana" According to Madam Dapaah, it has come to her attention that a good number of persons are falling victim to the activities of some fraudulent persons purporting to be me on social media. Madam Dapaah further explained that she have no dealings with the management of the supposed page, its content, activities, and engagements with the general public. She cautioned the general public must not solicit nor provide any protocol opportunities to people on social media. "I, therefore, urge everyone to disregard any person(s) trying to extort money or use my name for any unscrupulous and unwarranted activities" she noted. Background In the last few days, it is emerging that a section of the public have been duped of huge monies after falling victim to online fraudsters. Thinknewsonline.com is learning that the fraudsters are well trained and pose as huge and influential people in social media. Other information also states that the fraudsters visit the private inbox of victims making big promise and extort huge sums of money. Below is a copy of the Minister's disclaimer. DISCLAIMER: It has come to my attention that a good number of persons are falling victim to the activities of some fraudulent persons purporting to be me on social media. I wish to state here categorically and emphatically that, I have no dealings with the management of the supposed page, its content, activities, and engagements with the general public. Members of the general public must also note that I do not solicit nor provide any protocol opportunities to people on social media. I, therefore, urge everyone to disregard any person(s) trying to extort money or use my name for any unscrupulous and unwarranted activities. I am also advising these perpetrators to desist from this scheme of deceit and defrauding by false pretense, as their mode of operations contravenes the laws of Ghana. Thanks, Cecilia Abena Dapaah (Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources). Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

Thousands of people poured into the streets of Mnineapolis for a second night of protests which later turned chaotic as police fired rubber bullets from a rooftop leaving several businesses on fire, one person shot and killed by a store owner after a viral video showed a white police officer putting his knee on the neck of a black man, who later died. A peaceful protest earlier in the evening descended into disarray and looting. A group of officers stood in front of a nearby precinct and tried to disrupt the crowd with flash bang grenades and rubber bullets. At times, the tear gas was so thick, it wafted down neighborhood streets where people standing in their front yards were coughing and wiping at their eyes. By 10 p.m., an Auto Zone had caught fire. One person was shot by a pawn shop owner and died at a hospital, police told the Star Tribune, as looters ransacked a Target, Foot Locker and nearby small businesses. Mayor Jacob Frey (D) requested help from the state’s National Guard as local leaders pleaded for a peaceful resolution. “Violence only begets violence. More force is only going to lead to more lives lost and more devastation,” Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) tweeted. The scene followed the death of 46-year-old George Floyd on Monday, which came after a white officer pinned the handcuffed father of two to the pavement outside of a market where employees had called police about a counterfeit bill. The police encounter was caught on a viral video that has sparked national outrage and inflamed existing tensions in a community where cops have long been accused of racism. In the suburb of Oakdale, hundreds of protesters on Wednesday gathered outside the home of Derek Chauvin, the police officer who was captured on the video with his knee on Floyd’s neck. According to the Star Tribune, red paint was poured onto Chauvin’s driveway, and the word “killer” was written on the garage door. Police Chief Medaria Arradondo swiftly fired Chauvin after Floyd’s death, along with the three other involved officers, identified by authorities Wednesday as Thomas Lane, Tou Thao and J. Alexander Kueng. President Trump on Wednesday tweeted that he had asked the FBI, which is investigating the death, to expedite its work, adding that “Justice will be served!” But the response from authorities has done little to assuage a community that says it has long suffered undue treatment by local officers and has called for the officers’ arrests. A water bottle thrown by a protester sail through the air near officers on the roof of Minneapolis Police 3rd Precinct, Wednesday, May 27, 2020, in Minneapolis. The mayor of Minneapolis called Wednesday for criminal charges to be filed against the white police officer seen on video kneeling against the neck of George Floyd, a handcuffed black man who complained that he could not breathe and died in police custody. The protests here on Wednesday were reminiscent of those that followed the 2017 death of Philando Castile, who was sitting in his car after a traffic stop in a nearby suburb when an officer shot him. When his nephew was killed, Clarence Castile made every effort to understand how something so horrific could have happened: He began attending sessions at the Peace Officer Standards and Training Board to learn about rules governing the use of force. He became a St. Paul Police Reserves officer. And, last year, he joined a task force convened by the state attorney general to develop recommendations on how to reduce deadly-force encounters involving police statewide. But when he saw the video of Floyd’s encounter with police this week, Castile was overcome by that same sense of hopelessness that he felt when his sister’s son died the same sick feeling he’s gotten every time another deadly police incident makes news. "Is anything ever really going to change?” Castile wondered. Police chiefs react with disgust to Minneapolis death, try to reassure their own cities As demands for accountability rang out from Floyd’s family, politicians on both sides of the aisle, celebrities and other high-profile figures, Frey (D) called on the county prosecutor to arrest the officer who used his knee to hold Floyd by the neck in a move that is not approved by the agency or the state licensing body. Visibly emotional, Frey said precedent encouraged him “not to speak out. Not to act so quickly. And I’ve wrestled with more than anything else in the last 36 hours one fundamental question: Why is the man who killed George Floyd not in jail?” Yet with several high-profile, fatal police encounters in recent years along with efforts at reform some activists couldn’t help but feel hopeless. Castile was one of them. The task force had come up with dozens of recommendations, including required law enforcement training on de-escalation skills and an independent unit within the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension to investigate all uses of force by police officers that result in death or bodily injury. But in the wake of another tragic death, Castile said Wednesday, the list of proposals felt like just another piece of paper. “We can come up with all the recommendations in the world. We can make all these new policies. But until people follow these policies, until people use these recommendations and are held accountable when they don’t, it ain’t going to matter,” he said. “It’s just a lot of talk, a lot of jibber jabber, and here we go again.” At a police precinct on Minneapolis’s south side on Wednesday, officers stood on the roof and fired tear gas and rubber bullets into a crowd of several hundred people, some of whom threw rocks and bottles at the police. Looting was reported at a Target store, adjacent to the precinct, and at least one man was seen running down a street carrying a flat-screen television, but there appeared to be no attempt by police to intervene. Arradondo acknowledged the “trauma” and “pain” in the community over Floyd’s death and said his department was doing its best to respect the “First Amendment” right of those who had gathered. But he warned the department would not tolerate unsafe behavior. “There’s space to be respectful, but we cannot have members of our community engaging in destructive or criminal types of behavior,” he said. Community activists who have sought change following incidents such as the fatal shootings of 24-year-old Jamar Clark in 2015 and 40-year-old Justine Damond in 2017 describe a familiar refrain. There are community protests and support from officials before the old patterns set back in. “The city council members and the mayor and police chief constantly bemoan what they can’t do because their hands are tied by the [police union] contract,” said Dave Bicking, vice president of the police accountability and reform group Communities United Against Police Brutality. “But every three years when the contract comes up, they rubber stamp it.” Splattered paint and chalk writing are on the driveway of the home of fired Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin in Oakdale, Minn., Wednesday, May 27, 2020. The mayor of Minneapolis called Wednesday for criminal charges against Chauvin, the white police officer seen on video kneeling against the neck of Floyd George, a handcuffed black man who complained that he could not breathe and died in police custody. Arradondo on Wednesday said police department reform needs to be viewed “as a marathon, not a sprint.” But he acknowledged that one incident could sow doubt. “That’s why I am obligated and dedicated to making sure that each and every day, I act in a way, and our men and women act in a way, that builds that trust that garners that credibility and legitimacy,” the chief said. “And then also, when things go wrong, that we own it.” Benjamin Crump, an attorney for the Floyd family, said that without public pressure, he feared authorities would try to sweep the incident under the rug. But he said that with the video, “you can’t deny truth that you witness with your own eyes.” The chain of events that led to Floyd’s death began just after 8 p.m. Monday, when a Cup Foods employee called 911, suspecting that Floyd had tried to use a fake $20 bill. Security footage provided to The Washington Post showed squad cars pulling up outside the corner store in the southern part of the city. Minutes later, after a brief struggle, two officers removed a handcuffed Floyd from a vehicle and placed him against the wall of a business. He was questioned and taken across the street, stumbling and still handcuffed. What happened next was captured in the now-viral video that would set off fresh outrage in Minneapolis and across the United States. “I cannot breathe,” Floyd said, repeatedly, as an officer kept him pinned by the neck to the ground. An increasingly distraught group of onlookers pleaded with the police, telling them, “Get off his neck!” A fire department report said paramedics arrived to find Floyd was unresponsive and had no pulse. Several bystanders told them the police had “killed that man.” At least two of the officers have been involved in previous use-of-force incidents, including fatal ones. Chauvin, a 19-year veteran of the force, shot people in at least two prior incidents, including a 2006 fatal shooting of a stabbing suspect, according to a database maintained by Communities United Against Police Brutality. Thao was a defendant in a 2014 lawsuit alleging excessive use of force, according to court records. The city later settled the complaint for $25,000. Mylan Masson, a former officer who ran police training at Minnesota’s Hennepin Technical College until 2016, said that because of problems including people getting hurt, that form of restraint is no longer approved by the Peace Officer Standards and Training Board. Now, officers using a knee restraint are told to put the pressure between the shoulder blades rather than on the neck. Watching the video, she said, “it kept getting worse and worse." “You only use your force until the threat is stopped,” she said. “Once the threat is stopped, you discontinue your force. He was not thrashing around. He wasn’t really moving. He was trying to breathe, is what he was trying to do at first.” She said she wanted to know all the details before weighing in on whether the officers should be arrested. But to family of Floyd, a “gentle giant” and father of two who worked security at a local restaurant, there was no question. In interviews on Tuesday and Wednesday, they said they believed he had been murdered. “I would like for those officers to be charged with murder,” his sister Bridgett Floyd said during a Wednesday appearance on NBC’s “Today” show. “Because that’s exactly what they did. They murdered my brother. He was crying for help.” Her words echoed those of a cousin, Tera Brown, who on Tuesday told CNN’s Don Lemon that “what they did was murder.” “And almost the whole world has witnessed that,” she added, “because somebody was gracious enough to record it.” On Tuesday night, officers in riot gear responded to protesters with tear gas, flash-bang devices and nonlethal bullets after some in the large crowd shattered windows at the police department’s Third Precinct and vandalized cars, according to local media and images shared online. The police response drew criticism from some who drew a contrast between the demonstrators in Minneapolis and the heavily armed protesters who gathered at state capitols in recent weeks to demonstrate against shutdown measures enacted amid the novel coronavirus pandemic. Among those condemning the police response was Rep. Ilhan Omar (D), whose district includes Minneapolis. “Shooting rubber bullets and tear gas at unarmed protesters when there are children present should never be tolerated. Ever,” she tweeted. “What is happening tonight in our city is shameful. Police need to exercise restraint, and our community needs space to heal.” Responding to the criticism, Frey said Arradondo had told him that he “could not run the risk of one tragedy leading to another,” adding that he supported the police chief. In the neighborhood where officers detained Floyd, a spokesman for the family that owns Cup Foods said Wednesday that they had offered to cover the expenses of Floyd’s funeral. “We feel so remorseful that this happened,” said the spokesman, Jamar B. Nelson. Among the hundreds of people at the intersection to continue protesting Floyd’s death, there was a sense of despair at the fatal cycle that seemed to play out again and again between people of color and law enforcement in the city. There was little faith in the idea that anything would change — no matter how swiftly the city had moved to terminate the four officers involved or how much the mayor and other elected officials spoke out against such behavior. “[The police] think of us as less than animals, and that’s the way it has always been,” said Claudette White, who is black and has lived in the neighborhood on and off for decades. She raised her kids to be cautious of the police, warning them they wouldn’t be treated the same as white people, and even now, at 69, she continually worries something might happen to them. “I don’t see things getting better, not in my lifetime,” she said. “I think it’s only going to get worse.” Years ago, she’d run into a burning house to save a neighbor’s life. And now, she teared up thinking of Floyd lying on the street here, his neck compressed by the knee of a police officer, as he gasped for air and called out for his mother. “I wish I’d been here,” she said. “They probably would have shot me, but I would have done something.” Shammas reported from Washington, and Bellware from Chicago. Tim Elfrink and Allyson Chiu in Washington contributed to this report. Watch videos below: Script: Magdalene Maame Abena Serwaa Asante Pictures/Video: Thinkenwsonline.com's source, Minneapolis