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Protests rock cities across US as anger over George Floyd's killing spreads
Protests rock cities across US as anger over George Floyd's killing spreads
(about 7 hours later)
Demonstrators take to streets in Minneapolis, New York, Louisville, Washington, California and beyond
Demonstrators take to streets in Minneapolis, New York, Louisville, Washington, California and beyond
Protests over police brutality and the death of George Floyd ignited once again on Friday, as Minneapolis faced another night of chaos and demonstrators clashed with police in cities across the US.
Thousands of people have ignored a curfew in Minneapolis to protest for the fourth night in a row, as anger around police brutality and the death of George Floyd erupted into violence across the US, from New York to California.
Gatherings were largely peaceful during the day as protesters marched from Los Angeles to New York, but many demonstrations turned volatile as the night wore on.
Although multiple demonstrations started peacefully, many turned volatile overnight, with crowds in Minneapolis overwhelming law enforcement, taking over a police station, and smashing up and burning shops. In Atlanta, people set a police car ablaze and broke windows at CNN’s headquarters, an attack that prompted Georgia’s governor to declare a state of emergency.
In Minneapolis, where Floyd died on Monday after an officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes, protesters ignored an 8pm curfew set by the state’s governor, with thousands pouring on to the streets for a fourth straight night. In Atlanta, protesters set a police car ablaze and broke windows at CNN’s headquarters, prompting Georgia’s governor to declare a state of emergency.
In an apparent attack against the protesters, an unidentified assailant in Detroit fired shots from an SUV into a crowd of demonstrators, killing a 19-year-old man.
Nicole Kirkwood, a police department spokeswoman, said the victim was a 19-year-old man, who was pronounced dead at the hospital. She said an officer wasn’t involved in the shooting, and that a suspect pulled up in a Dodge Durango and fired shots into the crowd.
The shooting came hours after President Trump was criticised for inciting violence against the protesters when he threatened people he called “thugs” on Twitter: “When the looting starts, the shooting starts.”
One person was killed in downtown Detroit after shots were fired into a crowd of protesters. Meanwhile, in Washington, the White House was temporarily put under lockdown as protesters gathered outside, while in Oakland, San Jose and Los Angeles protesters blocked highways and police fired teargas.
Meanwhile, in a move authorities may have hoped would appease the crowds, Derek Chauvin, the Minneapolis police officer captured on video kneeling on Floyd for nine minutes, was charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter on Friday.
And as night fell in New York, an initially peaceful demonstration spiraled as protesters skirmished with officers, destroyed police vehicles and set fires. Mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted: “Our sole focus is de-escalating this situation and getting people home safe. There will be a full review of what happened tonight. We don’t ever want to see another night like this.”
However, three other officers involved in Floyd’s arrest have not yet been charged, and the announcement did little to end what has descended into regular nightly clashes.
No rest for Minneapolis
In the capital, there were reports a brief White House lockdown as demonstrators tussled with the Secret Service into the early hours of the morning. In Oakland, San Jose and Los Angeles protesters blocked highways and police fired teargas. In Louisville, Kentucky, police aimed and fired projectiles at a reporter and her cameraman during a live shot. Authorities later apologised.
The Minnesota governor, Tim Walz, had pledged that Friday would be different from the previous night, when officers abandoned the area around the third police precinct to thousands of angry demonstrators who set fire to the building.
The mayor of Portland, in Oregon, imposed a curfew on Saturday morning and declared a state of emergency after what he described as a “riot” in the city overnight. Ted Wheeler said citizens must stay home between 8pm and 6am, starting immediately. “This isn’t calling for meaningful change in our communities, this is disgusting,” he tweeted.
But as the curfew arrived, the protesters were back out in force and not giving ground. Thousands gathered around the police station.
Amid reports that the Pentagon ordered the army to put military police units on alert to head to Minneapolis, the focus of the current wave of protests, the Minnesota governor said authorities had been overwhelmed.
Once again the police retreated. Once again the protesters took control. Defying repeated orders, and waves of teargas, they kept pushing forward until the police gave way.
Many protesting in Minneapolis have done so without violence, chanting and holding signs denouncing the police. But other groups broke away overnight to burn down a bank and attack other buildings.
Within half an hour the police station, the symbol of what the protesters saw as their victory the previous evening, was back in their hands. They celebrated with selfies and tours of its wrecked interior.
Governor Tim Walz had earlier pledged to restore calm after Thursday when officers abandoned the area around the third police precinct to thousands of angry demonstrators who set fire to the building. But on Friday, thousands gathered there again and retook control of the gutted police station, despite waves of teargas.
As the sun went down, the protesters kept pushing the police back. The governor had threatened to send in the national guard, but it was nowhere to be seen. Neither, for now, was there a repeat of the looting and burning of buildings.
“Quite candidly, right now, we do not have the numbers,” Walz told a late-night news conference. “We cannot arrest people when we’re trying to hold ground because of the sheer size, the dynamics and the wanton violence that’s coming out there.”
Protests have raged all week in the wake of Floyd’s death, with protesters calling for an end to police brutality and justice for him and other black Americans, including Breonna Taylor, who was shot and killed in March by police officers in Kentucky, and Ahmaud Arbery, who was killed by a retired law enforcement officer and his son in Georgia while out jogging.
In a different part of the city, officers had been deployed to defend another police station. “We will not have another repeat of what happened at the third precinct,” said the city police chief, Medaria Arradondo.
With more protests expected this weekend, city officials have called for calm and law enforcement teams are deploying tear gas, rubber bullets, and even drone surveillance against the crowds.
Protests have raged all week in the wake of Floyd’s death, with people calling for an end to police violence and justice for him and other black Americans. They include Breonna Taylor, who was shot and killed in March by police officers in Kentucky, and Ahmaud Arbery, who was killed by a retired law enforcement officer and his son in Georgia while out jogging.
The largest protests so far have been in Minneapolis and St Paul, where officers pinned down Floyd until he became unresponsive.
With more gatherings expected this weekend, officials have called for calm, and law enforcement teams are deploying teargas, rubber bullets and drone surveillance.
On Friday morning crowds returned, and many helped clean up the damage to businesses and other buildings across the Twin Cities. A local mental health clinic distributed food to the community, and neighbors offered to keep watch over each other through another night of protests.
Local business owners have expressed fears for their livelihoods amid the growing unrest. On Friday night, Sergio Pineda stood guard over his used car lot as a petrol station burned a block away, and crowds looted a liquor store and partied in the street.
In downtown Minneapolis, a group of protesters took a knee on Friday afternoon in front of state patrol officers and national guard members for nine minutes. Police pinned Floyd down for nearly nine minutes before he became unresponsive and died.
“It’s all Latino businesses around here. I don’t support what the cops did, but I don’t support what’s going on,” he said. “The national guard should be here protecting,” he said. “A lot of these are minority-owned businesses that aren’t insured.”
Local business owners have expressed fears for their livelihoods amid the growing unrest. On Friday night, Sergio Pineda stood guard over his used car lot as a gas station burned a block away and crowds looted a liquor store and partied in the street.
A demonstration in Atlanta that started without incident quickly changed tone on Friday evening. Protesters used barricades to break police vehicle windshields and jumped from car to car. Hundreds of the protesters confronted police outside CNN headquarters.
“It’s all Latino businesses around here. I don’t support what the cops did but I don’t support what’s going on,” he said.
Erika Shields, Atlanta’s police chief, however, said protesters were “understandably upset” and that the country faces a “recurring narrative” of black men being killed. “Black men are routinely killed, and whether it’s by police or other individuals, the reality of it is, we’ve diminished the value on their life,” she said.
“The national guard should be here protecting,” he said. “A lot of these are minority-owned businesses that aren’t insured.”
In New York, another demonstration spiralled as protesters skirmished with officers, destroyed police vehicles, and set fires. Mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted: “Our sole focus is de-escalating this situation and getting people home safe. There will be a full review of what happened tonight. We don’t ever want to see another night like this.”
Upheaval across the country
Hundreds gathered in the city’s Foley Square on Friday, where the mother of Eric Garner, an unarmed black man who died in 2014 after a white police officer put him in a chokehold, while repeatedly crying out, as Floyd did, “I can’t breathe.”
A demonstration in Atlanta that started peacefully quickly changed tone Friday evening. Protesters used barricades to break police vehicle windshields and jumped from car to car. Hundreds of the protesters confronted police outside CNN headquarters. They spray-painted the large, iconic CNN logo outside the building, breaking a windowed entrance. One protester climbed on top of the sign and waved a Black Lives Matter flag to cheers from the crowd.
“They have to stop coming into our neighbourhoods and brutalising, terrorising, murdering,” said Gwen Carr, Garner’s mother, who wore a mask with “I can’t breathe” printed on the front. “We have to take a stand,” she said.
In New York City, hundreds gathered in Foley Square on Friday, where the mother of Eric Garner, an unarmed black man who died after a white police officer put him in a chokehold, while repeatedly crying out, as Floyd did, “I can’t breathe.”
The police presence was heavy as demonstrators marched across the Brooklyn bridge. Hundreds of protesters also gathered at Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Friday evening chanting, “Fuck the police,” and “No justice, no peace.”
“They have to stop coming into our neighborhoods and brutalizing, terrorizing, murdering,” said Gwen Carr, Garner’s mother, who wore a mask with “I can’t breathe” printed on the front. “We have to take a stand,” she said. The night before, the New York police made more than 70 arrests and citations, according to the NYPD, charging protesters with assault and resisting arrest.
The police presence was heavy as demonstrators marched across the Brooklyn bridge. Hundreds of protestors also gathered at Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Friday evening chanting, “Fuck the police,” and “No justice, no peace.”
Some activists pelted officers lined up outside the Barclays Center with water bottles. Police sprayed an eye-irritating chemical into the crowd multiple times, then cleared the plaza. Video posted to social media showed officers using batons and shoving protesters down as they took people into custody and cleared streets.
Some activists pelted officers lined up outside the Barclays Center with water bottles. Police sprayed an eye-irritating chemical into the crowd multiple times, then cleared the plaza. Video posted to social media showed officers using batons and shoving protesters down as they took people into custody and cleared streets.
“Police violence is one of the biggest health issues in our country,” said Kimberly Sue, a physician who has also been treating coronavirus patients. “Whether it’s Covid or cops it lowers the life expectancy of black people in this country.”
“Police violence is one of the biggest health issues in our country,” said Kimberly Sue, a physician who has also been treating coronavirus patients. “Whether it’s Covid or cops, it lowers the life expectancy of black people in this country.”
In downtown Houston, hundreds have taken to the streets, marching toward city hall. In San Jose, California, protestors blocked a major highway.
A protest in Oakland began near city hall, gathering a crowd that moved toward a city police precinct. There, police formed a line, protecting the station, as demonstrators chanted “I can’t breathe” and “You are the virus” to police.
Jesse and Jessica Hurtado, a husband and wife dressed in Brown Beret fatigues, joined the protest in solidarity with black protesters. They had just been to another protest in San Jose. “They’re not just killing African Americans. They’re killing black and brown together,” said Jesse.
One man in the crowd stood atop a median as the remains of an American flag burned, while around him boomed flash grenades and fireworks. The night remained largely peaceful, but tension mounted as some protesters began to hurl cans and bottles at law enforcement. Police announced: “You have the right assemble peacefully but be advised this is now an unlawful protest. Please disperse from this area.” Moments later, they fired teargas into the crowd.
In Detroit, the shooting the left a 19-year-old man dead occurred at about 11.30pm on Friday near Detroit’s Greektown entertainment district, as officers were confronted with dozens of protesters, said Sgt Nicole Kirkwood, a police department spokeswoman. A suspect had pulled up in a Dodge Durango and fired shots into the crowd, she said, noting that no officer had been involved in the shooting. The victim was pronounced dead at the hospital, she said.
Arrest of officer in Floyd case
The protests came as Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer seen kneeling on Floyd’s neck, was charged with third-degree murder in Floyd’s death on Friday, but cities are still bracing for more protests over Floyd’s death and the broader issue of police brutality. Three other officers involved in Floyd’s arrest have not yet been charged.
Martin Luther King III, the son of the late Martin Luther King Jr has repeatedly evoked his father’s message that “a riot is the language of the unheard”.
“And what is it America has failed to hear?” King Jr said. “It has failed to hear that the promises of freedom and justice have not been met.”
Friday’s demonstrations come on the heels of protests in numerous cities the night before. In Columbus, Ohio, crowds smashed windows at the Ohio Statehouse and storefronts along surrounding downtown streets, and about 400 faced off with the Columbus police on Thursday night, according to the Columbus Dispatch. In Phoenix, protesters who marched from city hall to the state capitol on Thursday night into Friday morning carried signs reading, “Silence is violence” and “Being black should not be a death sentence”, the Arizona Republic reported. And in Louisville, Kentucky, where Breonna Taylor was killed, Taylor’s mother called for an end to violence. On Thursday night, seven people suffered gunshot wounds after shots were fired at the protest.
“Breonna devoted her own life to saving other lives, to helping others, to making people smile and bringing people together,” Taylor’s mother said in a statement on Friday morning. Taylor, a 26-year-old black medical technician who worked at two Louisville hospitals, was shot and killed by police in her own home in an early morning 13 March raid by officers serving a no-knock warrant on a narcotics investigation.
“The last thing she’d want to see right now is any more violence.”
