A brief history of police violence and backlash
July 2013: Sickened by the acquittal of Trayvon Martin's killer, labor organizer writes on Facebook, "I continue to be surprised at how little Black lives matter." Her friend Patrisse Cullors turns the last bit into a hashtag.
March 2014: In a Pew poll, 46 percent of Americans agree that "our country needs to continue making changes to give blacks equal rights with whites."
July 2014: Eric Garner is choked to death by an officer on Staten Island, New York. His last words, "I can't breathe," become a civil rights slogan.
Aug. 2014: A white cop in Ferguson, Missouri, kills black teen Michael Brown, sparking weeks of protest. Police deploy riot gear, armored vehicles, and sniper rifles, while demonstrators adopt a "hands up, don't shoot" posture based on claims that Brown had his hands up when he was shot. On Twitter, #BlackLivesMatter takes off.
Oct. 2014: A Chicago cop shoots Laquan McDonald 16 times. Police officials claim the teen was approaching officers with a knife -- a union rep says he "lunged" -- but the city won't release dash-cam footage.
Nov. 22, 2014: Tamir Rice, 12, is killed by a Cleveland officer as he plays with a toy gun in a park.
Nov. 24, 2014: A Ferguson grand jury declines to indict Officer Darren Wilson, Michael Brown's killer. More protests. Critics of #BlackLivesMatter respond with #All Lives Matter.
Nov. 30, 2014: Five St. Louis Rams players walk onto the field for a game in the "hands up" position.
Dec. 3, 2014: The NYPD officer who choked Eric Garner escapes indictment. Days later, LeBron James and other NBA players don "I Can't Breathe" shirts at pregame warmups.
Dec. 18, 2014: The White House announces a new task force to "strengthen trust among law enforcement officers and the communities they serve."
Dec. 20, 2014: Two NYPD officers are ambushed. Their killer, a black man, had posted a photo of his gun on Instagram: "I'm Putting Wings On Pigs Today."
Jan. 2015: #BlackLivesMatter tweets average 10,000 a day.
March 2015: A Department of Justice report says Ferguson police employees sent racist emails and targeted black residents with nuisance citations to generate revenue.
April 2, 2015: A white sheriff's deputy in Tulsa, Oklahoma shoots black suspect Eric Harris after a foot chase. "I'm losing my breath," Harris leads in a video. "Fuck your breath," another officer responds.
April 4, 2015: Walter Scott is fatally shot as he tries to flee from Officer Michael Slager in North Charleston, South Carolina.
April 19, 2015: Freddie Gray dies of his injuries after a "rough ride" in a Baltimore police van.
May 2015: "I have heard your calls for 'no justice, no peace,' " prosecutor Marilyn Mosby says as she announces charges against six officers in the Gray case. The White House task force releases its report: Police must "embrace a guardian -- rather than a warrior -- mindset."
June 2015: Rapper Kendrick Lamar's "Alright" video depicts him being shot by police. It garners about 70 million YouTube views and wins two Grammys.
(This brief history to be continued in a future blog)
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