Washington, June 19 (RHC)-- Protests against racism and police brutality continue across the United States — and continue to make political gains.  Officials in East Lansing, Michigan; Duluth, Minnesota; Eugene, Oregon; Columbus, Ohio; and elsewhere are moving to ban police officers from schoolhouses.

In New York City, Governor Andrew Cuomo has signed an executive order declaring Juneteenth — a day celebrating African Americans’ liberation from slavery — as a holiday for state employees.

Meanwhile, President Trump continued to demonize Black Lives Matter protesters, telling Fox News that their efforts were losing steam.  President Donald Trump said: “The protesters and anarchists and terrorists and looters and all of the people that were marching on various locations over the last couple of weeks, that’s died down.  They’ve lost some energy.  That’s good, but — because many of them don’t even know what they’re protesting, frankly.”

Trump’s remarks came as Black Lives Matter protesters continue to be attacked by vigilantes and far-right counterprotesters.  

In Portland, Oregon, three protesters were injured after a driver plowed into a group marching peacefully downtown early Wednesday.  In Taylor, Michigan, one person was injured Tuesday evening after a driver sped through a peaceful protest, crushing one demonstrator’s bicycle.  And earlier this week, officials in Albuquerque, New Mexico, displayed assault rifles, handguns, knives and hundreds of rounds of ammunition seized from members of a far-right militia group that meanaced a peaceful protest on Monday.  One protester was shot and hospitalized in critical condition.