One year later: Chicago in wake of George Floyd killing and protests

After the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police on May 25, 2020, thousands of Americans took to the streets in cities like Chicago to protest racial inequality, police misconduct and illegal use of force by law enforcement officers.

As the following week progressed, the protests in some parts of the city and suburbs boiled over into civil unrest that included rioting and looting. One man, wearing a Joker mask, set a Chicago police car on fire. The mayor threatened to fire any CPD officers who flipped off protesters or covered their badges.

On May 31, 2020, the city suffered 18 murders in 24 hours, the most violent day Chicago had seen in 60 years.

In wake of Floyd’s murder and the subsequent protests, local community organizers have kept pushing for change, businesses have tried to recover even amid a pandemic, and politicians and the police union have clashed over reform.

The Sun-Times, a year later, spoke with many Chicagoans about how those events affected their lives. Those stories are compiled below.