Following the death of 46-year-old George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, thousands of Americans have participated in ongoing protests throughout the country.
As USA Today reported, these protests have occurred in at least 584 cities throughout all 50 states, as well as in U.S. territories such as Puerto Rico and Guam.
Although all of these protests are explicit challenges to systemic racism and police brutality, those unfolding in the nation's capital of Washington D.C. have taken on a particularly significant context due to the events of June 1.
As NPR reported, National Guard troops and U.S. Park Police cleared nonviolent protesters of Lafayette Park with the use of tear gas. Shortly thereafter, President Donald Trump walked across the park to St. John's Church to hold up a Bible as cameras flashed. This happened without the prior knowledge of church officials.
All of this provides some context for the reasoning behind and placement of a mural and street sign that you might see if you find yourself on Washington D.C.'s 16th Street.
Information about the ongoing protests in the U.S. and around the world is rapidly changing and Diply is committed to providing the most recent data as it becomes available. Some of the information in this story may have changed since publication, and we encourage readers to follow their local trusted news outlet(s) to stay up to date on the latest information surrounding these events.