Protests over the death of George Floyd under the knee of a Minneapolis police officer have spread across the US, with "I can't breathe" becoming a rallying cry.
George Floyd uttered the words while handcuffed and pinned at the neck under the knee of a white police officer, galvanising mass protests around the country against police brutality and institutional racism.
Eric Garner famously uttered those same words six years ago while locked in a police choke hold.
A supporter holds a photo of George Floyd on the site where the 46-year-old died in police custody. Source: Star Tribune
The swift firing of the officers involved in Mr Floyd's death, the empathetic response from the Minneapolis mayor who also called for criminal charges, and the unusual public criticism of the officer's actions from law enforcement nationwide have done nothing to quell the anger or calls for justice.
Mr Floyd's death came after Ahmaud Arbery was shot to death in Georgia by a former district attorney investigator and his son, who were not arrested until after video emerged months later.
Ahmaud Arbery, 25, was killed on 23 February while out going for a jog. Source: Twitter
An emergency worker in Kentucky, Breonna Taylor, was killed in March when three officers entered her apartment by force to serve a search warrant in a narcotics investigation.
Seven people were injured in gunfire at a recent demonstration in Louisville against Ms Taylor's death.
The Louisville protest is one of the latest in a string of protests calling for an end to black deaths at the hands of law enforcement occurring across the United States.
In Washington DC, protesters chanted "black lives matter" outside the gates of the White House, with the U.S Secret Service outing the building into lock down for an hour on Friday evening.
A “March Against Police Brutality” was held in Detroit, hundreds gathered for a protest in Houston hosted by the group Black Lives Matter and demonstrations in Denver continued for a second consecutive day.
Several groups also gathered in New York on Friday for a “we can’t breathe” vigil and to call for a law which bans police from using the "choke hold", a move which led to the death of African-American Eric Garner in 2014.
People gather to protest against George Floyd's death in New York Source: AAP
About 1,000 protesters also marched through the city of Atlanta, with the demonstration not only to raise awareness about Mr Floyd’s death but to commemorate the murder of 25-year-old African-American man Ahmaud Arbery, who was killed while running in Georgia in February.
In a statement, organiser of the Atlanta protest Zoe Barbara expressed her anger and pain over the injustice, anguish she said is felt across the African-American community.
Protestors demonstrate against the the death of George Floyd in New York. Source: AAP
“We all know this isn’t right,” she said.
“We're all angry, but we want to do this peacefully because we don't want anyone else getting hurt.” 
Similarly, the mother of Breonna Taylor stressed the importance of demanding justice but in a peaceful and non-violent manner.
Black Lives Matter protest, Oregon US. Source: AAP
"Please keep demanding justice and accountability, but let's do it the right way without hurting each other,” Taylor’s mother Tamika Palmer wrote in a statement.
“We can and we will make some real change here.”
“Now is the time. Let's make it happen, but safely," she wrote.
