“It was the last straw”: Russian-speaking residents were at the center of protests in the United States

The protests of the Black Lives Matter movement in the United States have not ceased for several weeks. Edition with the BBC found Russian-speaking residents of the United States who were witnesses to the immediate start of the protests.

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Hayk Gazaryan, the owner of the Russian Pushkin restaurant in San Diego, told how he defended his business with arms, and teacher Valeria Svortsova remembered the night when she had to stock up with buckets of water.

“My name is Hayk Ghazaryan. I’ve been in San Diego for seven years, ”the owner of a Russian restaurant introduced himself.

"My name is Valeriya. I was born in Borovichi, Novgorod Region. I moved to the USA and I live here for the sixth year in St. Paul, Minnesota, ”Valeria joined the conversation.

“We did not think that this could happen in our city. There was a crowd, and then they began to set fire to cans, two of which burned down. Then they began to set fire to small businesses, private businesses. Naturally, all jewelry stores were robbed. And the next day, these same people came out to protest here in downtown, in our area. Of course, I didn’t want to repeat these pogroms, so I called my friends to help protect Pushkin, ”the restaurateur shared his memories.

“We stood, didn’t beat anyone, didn’t touch anyone, did not let them break anything. They just stood and defended the restaurant, ”Gazaryan explained. “They tried to hack into a neighbor’s restaurant twice that night, but when you run out with a shotgun into the street, people scatter instantly.”

“When the murder of George Floyd happened, my husband and I went to Minneapolis on Saturday. Stayed at my husband’s brother’s house. We had to collect buckets of water, remove all the bricks and stones in the garage, so that there was nothing to break the glass or somehow damage the house, ”recalls Valeria. “That day we did not sleep all night, because we did not know what would happen.” At 22:00 we saw protesters passing by our windows. ”

On the subject: Protest Effect: HBO removes 'Gone With the Wind' movie due to racism scenes

“The girl of my husband’s brother was trembling all over, because at such moments you’re really afraid for your life. We went outside, and when I saw the protesters, I had no fear, because they just passed by. Yes, they chanted, but no one took anything. When people began to rob, then note that these were the largest networks of Target and Cup foods, whose owners are clearly white-skinned people, and multi-million dollar companies. Obviously, people thought: “Well, if the whites have already made money, then we will defeat these large corporations,” Valeria suggests. - Somewhere I understand the idea, which can be explained with a stretch from a positive point of view, when initially it was aimed only at “white” businesses. But then it just gained uncontrolled distribution. "

“A double feeling about protests. On the one hand, I support him, all lives are important, you need to treat everyone the same. On the other hand, when they set fire to everything, you involuntarily begin to look negatively at all the protesters. Imagine: a crowd is approaching you, and you have no idea what will happen next. At any moment they may want to break something or burn something, ”Hayk Gazaryan explains. “But we protected our heritage.” Pushkin is alive. Pushkin will live. ”

“I have many friends with a different skin color. I ask how are you, and they have tears in their eyes. That is, I understand that they did not just become in a pose: they say, "we are so poor, protect us." These are people who have faced racism, some kind of micro-aggression throughout their lives. And now it has intensified because it has become the last straw. People who needed to see this, they saw it, ”shared Valeria.

It is difficult for a Russian person who does not live in the USA to understand why the Americans are protesting.

“There is racial inequality in the United States, and it just hasn’t appeared. I will cite certain facts, although in percentage terms I can be mistaken: 65-70% of crimes in the USA are the work of African-Americans. That is, 13% of the population is responsible for 65% of lawlessness. Naturally, when this happens, the police react accordingly, their eyes automatically fall on them, ”Gazaryan shared his opinion.

As ForumDaily wrote earlier:

• Since the end of May, fierce protests have raged in the United States over the murder of a black man by the police. On May 27, George Floyd, an African American from Minneapolis, died after a city police officer strangled him with a knee. Officer Derek Chauvin was fired and charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter; three other officers also lost their jobs. Protests and riots subsequently eruptedand in Minneapolis and across the country. As a result of all police officers involved in the death of George Floyd arrested. They face up to 40 years in prison.
• May 31 truck drove into a crowd of protesters in Minneapolis (Minnesota). At the wheel of a car was a citizen of the United States, presumably of Ukrainian origin, Bogdan Vechirko. He was arrested, but on June 2 he was released from custody awaiting further investigation. Eventually no charges were brought against him.
• About 40 cities, including Los Angeles, Miami, Detroit, and Philadelphia, banned street demonstrations for several days after dark. Texas and Virginia Governors introduced a state of emergency.
• In connection with protests in US cities embassies of Ukraine and Russia asked their citizenslocated in the United States, keep order and avoid crowds as much as possible, as well as safety precautions.
• June 1, Donald Trump enacted the law of 1807, allowing him send armed forces to shocked states in connection with the death of George Floyd.
• According to the official autopsy of George Floyd, his death was caused by mechanical asphyxia and should be considered violent.
• As of 4 June victims of mass protests in the United States, at least 11 people have become.
• More 10 people were arrested during protestscondemning racism and police brutality over the death of George Floyd.
• Atlanta June 12th cops killed African American: protests flared up with renewed vigor.

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