John Cusack says police 'came at me with batons' during George Floyd protest
Actor John Cusack has shared video in which he claims police "came at me with batons" during the Chicago protest of George Floyd.
John Cusack says police 'came at me with batons' during George Floyd protest
By Rosy Cordero
May 31, 2020 at 01:37 PM EDT
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John Cusack had an altercation with police while documenting the Chicago protest against the death of George Floyd. The actor shared footage on social media of his confrontation with authorities.
Floyd was an African American man in Minneapolis who died as a police officer jammed his knee into his neck on May 25. The incident was caught on video by multiple bystanders and released across social media, leading to an intense response from residents in cities throughout the U.S.
BRITTA PEDERSEN/PICTURE ALLIANCE VIA GETTY IMAGES
"Cops didn’t like me filming the burning car so they came at me with batons," he captioned the Twitter video. "Hitting my bike. Ahhm here's the audio."
Among his coverage was confirmation of police using pepper spray in response to a journalist who says he was sprayed while showing his press pass.
"Pepper spray - is out - no tear gas that I’ve seen personally out here," he said.
Cusack went home hopeful that the mass protests are a sign that the end of Donald Trump's presidency is in sight.
"Would be very surprised if this is a one or two day event / this may well be the beginning of end of trump loathsome era - thank god -feels like many streams of outrage coming to a head- a wave peaking -Chicago scene was about getting to trump tower most of day," he said.
Trump has been criticized for calling protestors "thugs" in a Tweet on Friday. He was most recently criticized for his treatment of Floyd's brother, Philonise Floyd, who claims the president "didn't give the opportunity to even speak" during a phone call.
"I can't stand for that, that hurt me. I just don't understand, man," Philonise told Al Sharpton during an interview with MSNBC. "Why we have to go through this? Why we gotta have all this pain, man? I love my brother. I'm never going to see him again."
Derek Chauvin, the officer shown in the video with his knee on Floyd's neck, was arrested on May 29 and charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. No charges have yet been filed against three other officers who were on the scene.
Cusack's story comes as stars like Beyoncé, John Boyega, Kendrick Sampson, and more are among those who have expressed their outrage in the wake of Floyd's death.
