There’s nothing that can keep Christian Cooper from enjoying his happy place, the bird-friendly Ramble of New York's Central Park.

After nearly three decades in the public eye, few can match Serena Williams' array of accomplishments, medals and awards.

A Michigan police officer has been charged with second-degree murder for fatally shooting Patrick Lyoya in the back of the head as the Black man was on the ground.

Two Minnesotans have filed federal civil rights lawsuits against the city of Minneapolis and former Officer Derek Chauvin.

The killing of a Black man by Minneapolis police left his family and activists angry and questioning the credibility of a department widely criticized for its initial portrayal of George Floyd’s death.

Three former Minneapolis officers who face federal civil rights charges in the killing of George Floyd aren’t as familiar to most people as Derek Chauvin, a fellow officer who was convicted of murder last spring.

Three former Minneapolis officers headed to a federal trial on civil rights charges this week in the death of George Floyd aren’t as familiar to most people as Derek Chauvin, a fellow officer who was convicted of murder last spring.

Three former Minneapolis officers who face federal civil rights charges in the killing of George Floyd aren’t as familiar to most people as Derek Chauvin, a fellow officer who was convicted of murder last spring.

Data show it's rare for police officers to be convicted of on-duty killings.

A suburban Minneapolis police officer who said she confused her handgun for a Taser was led away in handcuffs Thursday after a jury found her guilty of manslaughter in the death of Black motorist Daunte Wright.

A new policy change says Minneapolis police will no longer stop motorists for minor traffic violations, such as expired tabs or an air freshener hanging from a rearview mirror.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison resisted calls for weeks to take over the prosecution of the white suburban Minneapolis police officer who shot Black motorist Daunte Wright.

George Floyd’s death under a white police officer’s knee severely tarnished Minnesota’s reputation as a progressive state on matters of race.

Members of George Floyd’s family, and others who lost loved ones to police encounters, joined activists and citizens for a march as part of events marking the one-year anniversary of Floyd’s death.

Police accused of wrongdoing can usually count on the blue wall of silence — protection from fellow officers that includes everything from shutting off body cameras to refusing to cooperate with investigators.

People will remember 2020 not just as a year of upheaval over George Floyd, but as a year in which people demanded and took bold action toward systemic change, said Armstrong, a civil rights attorney and activist. This time the victim was George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black father of five captured in a sickening citizen video taking his final breaths under a white officer’s knee. Still, for Wallace, the situation confirmed to him that systemic change has to be deep and structural. “You’ll march for George Floyd,” the activist said, “but would you have hired him?”____Morrison reported from New York City. Ad___Find the AP’s full coverage of the death of George Floyd: https://apnews.com/hub/death-of-george-floyd___Morrison is a member of the AP’s Race and Ethnicity team.

African Americans bring “an institutional memory of the police” to jury rooms that whites and even other people of color don’t share, he said. AdDerek Chauvin is charged with murder and manslaughter in Floyd's death May 25. When they do, recent history suggests a more diverse jury increases the odds for conviction, although the record is mixed. During questioning for Chauvin's jury, some people in the pool were strikingly direct about how the color of their skin affected their view of Floyd's death. A Black man in his 30s who immigrated to America more than 14 years ago said he talked with his wife about the case.

The NBA painted “Black Lives Matter” on the courts inside their Orlando, Florida, “bubble" and social justice messages were emblazoned on the backs of jerseys. Paul met with NBA players, and they decided awareness wasn’t enough anymore. “Black Lives Matter” also was featured prominently on the league’s courts. Wallace, the only full-time Black driver at the NASCAR national level, first began speaking out against racial injustice in America in the spring. His car featured a “Black Lives Matter” paint scheme.

FILE - In this Sept. 12, 2020, file photo, Naomi Osaka, of Japan, holds up the championship trophy after defeating Victoria Azarenka, of Belarus, in the women's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York. Osaka has been selected by The Associated Press as the Female Athlete of the Year. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)With tennis, like so much of the world, shut down because of the coronavirus pandemic, Naomi Osaka found herself with time to read and think. LeBron James was announced Saturday as the AP Male Athlete of the Year. I cannot be more excited.”___Follow Howard Fendrich on Twitter at https://twitter.com/HowardFendrich___More AP tennis: https://apnews.com/apf-Tennis and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Naomi Osaka, of Japan, reacts during the women's singles final against Victoria Azarenka, of Belarus, during the US Open tennis championships, Saturday, Sept. 12, 2020, in New York. Surprisingly off-kilter in the early going Saturday, Osaka kept missing shots and digging herself a deficit. By the end, Osaka pulled away to a 1-6, 6-3, 6-3 comeback victory for her second U.S. Open championship and third Grand Slam title overall. But Osaka regained control, breaking to start a match-ending run of three games, covering her face when the final was over. Osaka and her coach have said they think the off-court activism has helped her energy and mindset in matches.

Naomi Osaka, of Japan, walks on the court before playing Jennifer Brady, of the United States, during a semifinal match of the US Open tennis championships, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)NEW YORK – The Latest on the U.S. Open tennis tournament (all times local):___Naomi Osaka is trying to return to the U.S. Open women's final, facing first-time Grand Slam semifinalist Jennifer Brady. Osaka was the 2018 champion at Flushing Meadows and followed that up by winning the Australian Open the next January. Pavic’s lob winner produced another break to give his team a 4-2 lead in the final set, and he served out the match at love. Naomi Osaka will play American Jennifer Brady in the first women's semifinal, and Serena Williams will take on Victoria Azarenka.

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump wears a face mask with the words "Where's the love?" after announcing Wednesday, July 15, 2020 in Minneapolis the filing of a civil lawsuit against the city of Minneapolis and the officers involved in the death of George Floyd. Floyd died at the hands of police during an arrest on Memorial Day. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)

after announcing Wednesday, July 15, 2020 in Minneapolis the filing of a civil lawsuit against the city of Minneapolis and the officers involved in the death of George Floyd. The civil rights lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Minnesota, was announced by attorney Ben Crump and other lawyers representing Floyd's family members. All four officers were fired the day after Floyd's death, which set off protests that spread around the world and turned into a national reckoning on race in America. Floyd's death also sparked calls to abolish the Minneapolis Police Department and replace it with a new public safety department. After Floyd's death, Police Chief Medaria Arradondo said the type of restraint Chauvin had used wasn't authorized.

Without major changes in almost every state, a national police misconduct database like what the White House and Congress have proposed after George Floyd's death would fail to account for thousands of problem officers. But states and police departments track misconduct very differently, and some states currently don't track it at all. In the wake of Floyd's death, lawmakers in several states have proposed bolstering their states' powers to identify and remove problem officers. Most states can decertify an officers license to prevent a bad one from working in law enforcement. Neither does the federal government for most of its estimated 130,000 law enforcement officers, including agents in the FBI, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the U.S. Border Patrol.

Doing so is giving Ellison a national platform to talk about race in America. Ellison, the first African American elected to his job, is now tasked with nothing less than making that system work. “What we need is accountability from a top lawyer like Keith Ellison to put these cops in jail. If Ellison’s national reputation was as a progressive purist, his work as attorney general has been more tempered. The Floyd case could bring some tensions with progressives who have long viewed Ellison as an uncompromising ally.

NEW YORK An angry and emotional Dave Chappelle spoke on the killing of George Floyd in a surprise Netflix special, saying America was being punished for its mistreatment of black men. The special was released Thursday and is streaming free on Netflixs comedy YouTube channel. It was taken from a show at an outdoor pavilion in Yellow Springs, Ohio, with about 100 attendees on June 6. Chappelle called his special 8:46 in part after the length of time the officer was on top of the handcuffed Floyd. When I watched that tape, I understood this man knew he was going to die, said the comedian.

Black Lives Matter has gone mainstream and black activists are carefully assessing how they should respond. Its very name enraged its foes, who countered with the slogans Blue Lives Matter and All Lives Matter." Black Lives Matter has gone mainstream and black activists are carefully assessing how they should respond. When we started Black Lives Matter, it was really to have a larger conversation around this country about its relationship to black people, said Patrisse Cullors, one of three black women who founded the Black Lives Matter Global Network, with chapters throughout the U.S. and in Britain and Canada. Last week, longtime Sacramento Kings TV broadcaster Grant Napear resigned after tweeting ALL LIVES MATTER when asked his opinion on the Black Lives Matter movement.

A spokesman for the Human Rights Council in Geneva confirmed that it had received a letter Monday from the groups outlining their call, as Black Lives Matter protests continue to gain traction well beyond the United States notably in Europe. I want to appeal to the United Nations to help him. Help black men and women in America, he added. Its time the United States face the same scrutiny and judgment it is quick to pass on to other countries, said Jamil Dakwar, who heads the ACLUs human rights program. The Trump administration pulled the United States out of the council two years ago amid accusations that it was biased against Israel and counted some repressive or autocratic regimes that abuse human rights as members.

Tim Walz and the Minnesota Department of Human Rights announced the filing of the formal complaint at a news conference Tuesday afternoon. Widely seen bystander video showing Floyds death has sparked sometimes violent protests around the world. "And the reason I know it is we saw the casual nature of the erasing of George Floyds life and humanity. The Minnesota Department of Human Rights enforces the states human rights act, particularly as it applies to discrimination in employment, housing, education, public accommodations and public services. Arradondo himself was among five black officers who sued the police department in 2007 over alleged discrimination in promotions, pay, and discipline.

(Doral Chenoweth/The Columbus Dispatch via AP)WASHINGTON U.S. officials are seeking to determine whether extremist groups had infiltrated police brutality protests across the country and deliberately tipped largely peaceful demonstrations toward violence and if foreign adversaries were behind a burgeoning disinformation campaign on social media. As demonstrations spread from Minneapolis to the White House, New York City and overseas Sunday, federal law enforcement officials insisted far-left groups were stoking violence. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss investigations. But there are signs of people with other disparate motives, including anarchist graffiti, arrests of some out-of-state protesters, and images circulating in extremist groups that suggest the involvement of outside groups. As a result, soldiers with the Minnesota National Guard were armed during their mission at protests across the state Sunday, the officials said.

(Doral Chenoweth/The Columbus Dispatch via AP)WASHINGTON U.S. officials sought to determine Sunday whether extremist groups had infiltrated police brutality protests across the country and deliberately tipped largely peaceful demonstrations toward violence and if foreign adversaries were behind a burgeoning disinformation campaign on social media. As demonstrations spread from Minneapolis to the White House, New York City and overseas, federal law enforcement officials insisted far-left groups were stoking violence. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss investigations. But there are signs of people with other disparate motives, including anarchist graffiti, arrests of some out-of-state protesters, and images circulating in extremist groups that suggest the involvement of outside groups. As a result, soldiers with the Minnesota National Guard were armed during their mission at protests across the state Sunday, the officials said.

Law enforcement officers amassed along Lake Street near Hiawatha Ave. as fires burned after a night of unrest and protests in the death of George Floyd early Friday, May 29, 2020 in Minneapolis. Floyd died after being restrained by Minneapolis police officers on Memorial Day. The city appointed its first black chief of police nearly three years ago, after slow progress toward making the department more inclusive. Earlier this year, a statewide task force made up of activists, people representing victims of police brutality, and law enforcement leaders released recommendations for policing reforms. Those included Clark, who was killed during a struggle with two white Minneapolis officers, and Philando Castile, who was fatally shot by a Hispanic suburban police officer during a traffic stop in 2016.