© 2025 Connecticut Public

FCC Public Inspection Files:
WEDH · WEDN · WEDW · WEDY
WEDW-FM · WNPR · WPKT · WRLI-FM
Public Files Contact · ATSC 3.0 FAQ
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Former NAACP Head Cornell Brooks Blames Derek Chauvin For Violence At Protests

A firework explodes by a police line as demonstrators gather to protest the death of George Floyd on Saturday near the White House in Washington.
Alex Brandon
/
AP
A firework explodes by a police line as demonstrators gather to protest the death of George Floyd on Saturday near the White House in Washington.

Protests have erupted across the nation in response to the death of George Floyd, and some of the demonstrations have turned violent, leading political leaders and activists to debate over who is responsible.

President Donald Trump said in a tweet on Saturday that the chaos was caused by "ANTIFA and the Radical Left." Attorney General William Barr echoed his sentiment, saying that violence has been "planned, organized, and driven by anarchistic and far left extremists, using Antifa-like tactics."

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has suggested that white supremacists could be involved.

But former NAACP President and CEO Cornell William Brooks, who is now a professor at the Harvard Kennedy School where he runs a civil rights clinic, told All Things Considered that Derek Chauvin — the police officer who knelt on Floyd's neck — should be blamed for the violent protests, too.

"In these marches and demonstrations, there are anarchists and white supremacists and others who show up to sow chaos, sow anarchy and plant the seeds of violence. That's real," Brooks said. "But be clear: There would be no protests, there would be no demonstrations, had Derek Chauvin not killed George Floyd. And so ... Mr. Chauvin has provided the matches for the arsons [and] the inspiration for the looting that we are all enduring at this moment."

Chauvin was arrested and charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter on Friday, but Brooks believes he "should also be charged with looting, with arson, and with sowing the seeds of chaos and dissension in our public. He is an accomplice, he is a co-conspirator [and] he is a co-participant in the destruction that we are experiencing as a country."

Brooks also pointed out that many of the protesters have been participating in nonviolent demonstrations throughout the past week.

There are "many demonstrations, many protests, [and] many prayer vigils that don't get a lot of news coverage, but where there are thousands, hundreds of thousands of people who have participated with no violence, no looting [and] no burning," Brooks said. "Let's not forget that most people pursue justice nonviolently, peacefully, vigorously, conscientiously and sincerely, with all due respect to the attorney general."

NPR's Janaya Williams and William Troop produced and edited the audio version of this interview.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Michel Martin is the weekend host of All Things Considered, where she draws on her deep reporting and interviewing experience to dig in to the week's news. Outside the studio, she has also hosted "Michel Martin: Going There," an ambitious live event series in collaboration with Member Stations.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT is an initiative from Connecticut Public, the state’s local NPR and PBS station, to elevate Latino stories and expand programming that uplifts and informs our Latino communities. Visit CTPublic.org/latino for more stories and resources. For updates, sign up for the SOMOS CONNECTICUT newsletter at ctpublic.org/newsletters.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

Related Content