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A fast food restaurant burned to ashes, an epic traffic jam on one of the most important highways in the United States, 36 detainees and two resignations from the local police force are the consequences of a new case of police violence, this time in the city of Atlanta. The cause is the shooting death by city police of African-American Rayshard Brooks in a fight with multiple officers Friday night on the access road to the restaurant.

The riots may have a political impact, given that it is the second time in two weeks that Atlanta has suffered racially motivated acts of vandalism. On May 30, the headquarters of the CNN television network, which is in that city, was attacked by protesters protesting the death of the African American George Floyd at the hands of the police in the city of Minneapolis. Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, who is black, is also one of the candidates running for the Democratic nomination for vice president in the November election.

The circumstances of Brooks' death are not entirely clear, although the recordings of the cameras carried by the police officers, which were made available to the media, several witnesses, and those of the hamburger restaurant's security system of the Wendy's chain in front of which the event took place allow us to get an idea of ​​what happened.

It all started when the police went to the restaurant after receiving a call, since Brooks was asleep - possibly under the influence of alcohol or drugs - in his car blocking access to the window where orders are placed, that is, the 'drivethru' so characteristic of the United States, in which people order their food and take it without leaving the car.

The videos show how the cops arrive, wake Brooks up, and make him get out of the car. Brooks gives the officers inconsistent responses, states that he is at a location 10 miles from where he actually is, and, upon being tested for alcohol, gives a result 13 times higher than authorized. After being asked, he replies that he is unarmed and agrees to be searched.

But, when the police try to handcuff him for driving under the influence - a common practice in the United States -, Brooks, unexpectedly, resists and struggles with the agents , who order him to release the 'taser' and warn him that They are going to use that weapon against him. Still, Brooks manages to snatch a 'taser' from the cops, get rid of them, and run. Then there is a brief chase through the parking lot of the restaurant in which the fugitive shoots with the 'taser' that has stolen one of the policemen who runs about three meters behind him, Garrett Rolfe . He immediately responds by firing his regulation pistol at Brooks, who died a few minutes later.

The announcement of Brooks' death comes three weeks after George Floyd's, which has caused the largest racial unrest in the United States in 50 years , accompanied on many occasions by looting, with the result of at least , ten dead, and a huge political crisis.

For now, Brooks' case appears to be limited to Atlanta, whose police have fired Garrett Rolfe and temporarily suspended the other police officer involved in the incident, Devin Brosnan, both white. The reason for these measures is the use of firearms against a person who, although very violently resisting the police, was not armed.

The crisis rose several degrees on Saturday with the resignation of the city's police chief, Erika Shields, just hours before hundreds of protesters blocked I-75 - a 2,900-kilometer highway that runs from South Florida to the Canadian border - several cars were burned and also Wendy's in whose car park Brooks' death took place. Atlanta firefighters were only able to get to the facility 45 minutes late and escorted by police, bringing the facility to ashes . The fire could have been much worse, because Wendy's is next to a gas station. In total, 36 people were detained.

Meanwhile, peaceful protests and marches continue for the death of Floyd in the rest of the United States . The world power is facing a hot summer, with the coronavirus - which is not losing intensity - the electoral campaign for the November presidential elections, and the racial protests, which will culminate on August 28 in a massive demonstration in the capital, Washington.

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