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Protesters and police clash outside White House again on third day of D.C. demonstrations D.C. imposes curfew as protesters and police clash outside White House again
(about 1 hour later)
The third day of protests in the nation’s capital over the police killing of George Floyd began with bent knees, raised fists and pleas that this night, unlike the last, would remain peaceful. And for a moment, the more than 1,000 people who marched to Lafayette Square across from the White House, listened. The third day of protests in the nation’s capital over the police killing of George Floyd began with bent knees, raised fists and pleas that this night, unlike the last, would remain peaceful. And for a moment, the more than 1,000 people who marched to Lafayette Square across from the White House listened.
The crowd — multigenerational and diverse — extended down H and 16th streets, holding up ripped-off pieces of cardboard that read “I can’t breathe,” three of the final words Floyd spoke as a white Minneapolis police officer dug a knee into his neck. A man with a megaphone called out for a moment of silence, and for a full minute, nearly everyone went quiet.The crowd — multigenerational and diverse — extended down H and 16th streets, holding up ripped-off pieces of cardboard that read “I can’t breathe,” three of the final words Floyd spoke as a white Minneapolis police officer dug a knee into his neck. A man with a megaphone called out for a moment of silence, and for a full minute, nearly everyone went quiet.
The solemnity, though, didn’t last long.The solemnity, though, didn’t last long.
On the north side of the Park, hundreds of the protesters gathered around the barricades that, not 24 hours before, had been dismantled. As one activist attempted to take them down again, an argument broke out. On the north side of the park, hundreds of the protesters gathered around the barricades that, not 24 hours before, had been dismantled. As one activist attempted to take them down again, an argument broke out.
“You are putting us all in danger!” one protester shouted. “Dismantling this fence proves nothing!”“You are putting us all in danger!” one protester shouted. “Dismantling this fence proves nothing!”
“That’s what I’m here to do!” the person who attacked the barricade yelled back.“That’s what I’m here to do!” the person who attacked the barricade yelled back.
Moments later, the barricade fell and protesters marched forward, shouting “Hands up, don’t shoot!”Moments later, the barricade fell and protesters marched forward, shouting “Hands up, don’t shoot!”
The demonstrations come after a weekend of intense, often violent clashes between heavily armored law enforcement officers and outraged activists, some of whom looted stores and set buildings ablaze in Washington and its neighboring suburbs. The new demonstration comes after a weekend of intense, often violent clashes between heavily armored law enforcement officers and outraged activists, some of whom looted stores and set buildings ablaze in Washington and its neighboring suburbs.
On Sunday, Washington and its neighboring suburbs braced for another night of mayhem. In downtown D.C., Georgetown and elsewhere, people spent the afternoon hammering plywood boards outside retail outlets and restaurants, hoping their businesses would escape the attacks that others didn’t a day earlier. On Sunday, the city and the region braced for another night of mayhem. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser ordered a citywide curfew from 11 p.m. Sunday to 6 a.m. Monday. She also activated the D.C. National Guard.
On Saturday, the protests began in the morning, when a few dozen people congregated near the White House, with the numbers protesting growing throughout the day. As night fell, protesters confronted armored police, who used tear gas to try to control the crowds. In downtown D.C., Georgetown and elsewhere, people spent the afternoon hammering plywood boards outside retail shops and restaurants, hoping their businesses would escape the attacks that others didn’t a day earlier. For some, those images, paired with the racial tension gripping dozens of cities across the country, conjured memories of the riots that ensued in 1968 after Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination.
At one point, nearly 1,000 protesters circled the perimeter of the White House grounds, which was fortified with law enforcement vehicles, metal barriers and rows of armored Secret Service, D.C. police and U.S. Park Police. The four days in 1968 that reshaped D.C.
Unable to reach the White House itself, the protesters broke into smaller groups and scattered throughout downtown, with handfuls of people remaining on the streets until early Sunday morning. A few store windows were smashed and fires set. This explosion of anger coincides with a global pandemic that has taken more than 100,000 lives, including at least 4,300 in Virginia, Maryland and D.C. Though many protesters have worn masks, the gatherings seldom allow people to stay six feet apart from each other.
D.C. police said 17 people, mostly local, were arrested. U.S. Secret Service and Park Police said they each arrested one person. On Sunday, as in the days before, any fear of catching or spreading the virus did little to deter the crowds of people who showed up to express their frustration with police brutality.
At the park, amid a number of anxious moments between the two sides — the hurling of water bottles, a sudden charge by police, a man and woman both pepper-sprayed near the barricades — there were genuine moments of unity, a stark contrast from the previous night.
A black officer, according to witnesses, briefly took a knee in solidarity with the protesters, who erupted in cheers.
Not long after, another officer made an announcement on a megaphone: “Attention: we will continue to move back unless you break the police line.”
And again, cheering from the protesters, many of whom appeared to want the officers to join them rather than fight with them.
As the sun began setting, the line of officers at Lafayette, most of them U.S. Park Police, stood in riot gear about 100 feet away from the crowd of at least 1,000 protestors, hundreds of them still pressed up close to the barricade. Other protestors perched in trees, on park benches and atop the small building at the north end of the park, holding up signs and trying to get a view as they shouted “Get off my neck” and “Who do you protect?” Others walked around the park, offering free water, hand sanitizer, and snacks.
On Saturday, the hours before dusk were far more volatile, with police firing tear gas to try to control the crowds. When protesters failed to reach the White House, they scattered throughout downtown, with small groups of people remaining on the streets until early Sunday morning. Store windows were smashed, fires were set.
D.C. Police said 17 people, mostly local, were arrested. U.S. Secret Service and Park Police said they each arrested one person.
Tension between police and protesters flares in front of the White House before vandalism and sporadic firesTension between police and protesters flares in front of the White House before vandalism and sporadic fires
D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) said Sunday morning that crews were out cleaning up and that law enforcement would be working to try to keep the city calm. “We’re sending a very clear message to people that they have a right to exercise their First Amendment rights but not to destroy our city,” Bowser said Sunday on NBC News’s “Meet the Press.” “We saw a level of destruction and mayhem among some that was maddening.”
“We’re sending a very clear message to people that they have a right to exercise their First Amendment rights but not to destroy our city,” Bowser said on NBC News’s “Meet the Press.” “We saw a level of destruction and mayhem among some that was maddening.” In Virginia, Gov. Ralph Northam (D) declared a state of emergency a day after protests in Richmond and Manassas left businesses wrecked and Confederate statues vandalized.
Cities nationwide have seen protests and unrest in the days since a viral video showed white Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin kneeling on the neck of a handcuffed black man, Floyd, who was crying that he could not breathe and later died. Chauvin has been charged with murder. He and three other officers also were fired.
A third day of protests also began in Richmond, with hundreds of people gathering downtown to listen to speeches.
The city’s mayor, Levar M. Stoney (D), announced earlier Sunday that Richmond would join dozens of others nationwide in imposing a curfew, beginning at 8 p.m., following two nights of protests there. Stoney said the curfew was an effort to prevent further violence after a night of mayhem that he and the city’s police chief said was provoked by “outside actors.”
“We have done a good job in practicing restraint over the last 48 hours,” Stoney said, “but the curfew is necessary because there are some bad actors who are just not complying at all.”
A night of fire and fury across America as protests intensifyA night of fire and fury across America as protests intensify
The protests in Washington have triggered a particularly angry response from President Trump, who faulted local leaders’ response. Bowser, in turn, has blamed Trump for stoking divisions, saying he had “glorified violence.” The protests have triggered an angry response from President Trump, who specifically singled out D.C. Bowser, in turn, has blamed Trump for stoking divisions, saying he had “glorified violence.”
Bowser returned to that refrain during her television appearance Sunday.Bowser returned to that refrain during her television appearance Sunday.
“I think the president has a responsibility to calm the nation,” she said. “He can start by not sending divisive tweets that are meant to hearken to the segregationist past of our country.”“I think the president has a responsibility to calm the nation,” she said. “He can start by not sending divisive tweets that are meant to hearken to the segregationist past of our country.”
Bowser was referring to the president tweeting “when the looting starts, the shooting starts,” a phrase infamously used by a Miami police chief during racial unrest in the 1960s. Bowser generally refrains from intense criticism of Trump, but his response to nationwide protests has prompted some of her toughest comments yet. Bowser was referring to the president tweeting “when the looting starts, the shooting starts,” a phrase infamously used by a Miami police chief during racial unrest in the 1960s.
“What you see in cities across our nation is what we saw last night: People who are angry and people who are hurt, and some not doing it in ways that are helpful to our cause, but we still have to acknowledge that hurt and that anger,” Bowser said. Her denunciation of the president was echoed by Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, a prominent Republican who has clashed with Trump in recent weeks over the federal response to the coronavirus pandemic. Hogan said he worked to “lower the temperature” during the 2015 protests in Baltimore after the death of Freddie Gray in police custody, a tack he said Trump had failed to take.
Like other city leaders, Bowser has tried to strike a balance of criticizing violent elements of protests while offering empathy to broader goals of ending discrimination and police brutality.
‘When the looting starts, the shooting starts’: Trump quotes Miami police chief’s notorious 1967 warning
Bowser’s criticism of Trump was echoed by Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, a prominent Republican who has clashed with the president in recent weeks over the federal response to the coronavirus pandemic. Hogan said he worked to “lower the temperature” during the 2015 protests in Baltimore after the death of Freddie Gray in police custody, a tack he said Trump had failed to take.
“It’s just the opposite of the message that should have been coming out of the White House,” Hogan said Sunday, on CNN’s “State of the Union.”“It’s just the opposite of the message that should have been coming out of the White House,” Hogan said Sunday, on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
Gray suffered a fatal injury in the back of a Baltimore police van, sparking protests that briefly turned violent. Gray’s death prompted a Justice Department review that led to a scathing report documenting racist and brutal policing of the city’s black community and a reform order overseen by a federal judge. Bowser initially dismissed the value of imposing a curfew, saying “We know people who were disruptive last night are not likely curfew followers.” LaToya Foster, a spokeswoman for the mayor, said Bowser changed her mind “out of an abundance of caution.”
On television Sunday, Hogan did not give a direct answer to CNN host Jake Tapper’s question of whether systemic racism is a problem in law enforcement. D.C. Police Chief Peter Newsham — who noted that 11 of his officers were injured, including one who fractured a leg after being hit by a brick — blamed the violence and vandalism on a small group and said his officers were prepared to handle any further unrest.
“We’ve got issues that have to be addressed, and it’s a conversation we need to continue to have,” Hogan said. “There certainly are some issues and problems.” At least one of the business owners whose property was damaged said she bore no resentment toward the protesters.
The protests have taken place against the backdrop of the deadly pandemic, and a flier announcing Sunday’s protest bore a picture of a face mask. But demonstrators have all but abandoned notions of social distancing designed to slow the disease’s spread. Michelle Brown learned at midnight Saturday that her restaurant near the White House, Teaism, was on fire. Brown, still in pajamas, grabbed her hand sanitizer and car keys to go see the damage. Before she left, she wrote a tweet.
The District this week began taking the first tentative steps toward reopening, with the Maryland suburbs following, but Hogan and Bowser both said they were worried that the protests could lead to a spike in cases in coming days.
“I’m concerned that we have mass gatherings in our streets after we just lifted a stay-at-home order,” Bowser said. “I’m urging everybody to consider their exposure, if they need to be isolated from their families when they come home and if they need to be tested.”
At a news conference, Bowser said she would not be imposing a curfew because people predisposed to violence would not be likely to obey one. D.C. Police Chief Peter Newsham blamed the violence and vandalism on a small group and said his officers were prepared to handle any further unrest.
Newsham said he welcomed peaceful demonstrations but “we can’t have people coming into our city who are going to destroy property or hurt people.”
On Saturday, D.C. National Guard units reinforced police, as authorities used batons and pepper-spray projectiles to corral the crowds. Protesters launched fireworks and threw bottles.
As fear settles over Minneapolis, protests and violent clashes spread across the U.S.
At least one of the business owners whose property was damaged said she bore no ill will toward the protesters.
It was just after midnight and Michelle Brown’s restaurant near the White House, Teaism, was on fire. Brown, still in pajamas, grabbed her hand sanitizer and car keys to go check out the damage. Before she left she fired off a tweet.
“Before anyone puts a single word in our mouths. Black lives matter,” she wrote.“Before anyone puts a single word in our mouths. Black lives matter,” she wrote.
Brown would soon learn that protestors had destroyed her 20-year old tea chest and that her beloved art work was engulfed in flames. Police prohibited her from entering her restaurant in the middle of the night, but hours later she would return to find her shop ashy and unrecognizable. Brown learned that protestors had destroyed her 20-year old tea chest and that her beloved art work would soon be ash. Police prohibited her from entering her restaurant in the middle of the night, but hours later, she returned to find its charred remains.
“It was heartbreaking,” Brown said. “But this moment is not about us.”“It was heartbreaking,” Brown said. “But this moment is not about us.”
Brown said she wants her customers to stay focused on the intense suffering that is sweeping the country instead of the damage done to her restaurant, which she says will recover in time. Brown wanted her customers to focus on the intense suffering that has swept the country instead of the damage done to her restaurant, because, she said, it would one day recover.
“Any kind of issue like this seems pretty minor,” she said. “We have been through three months of being closed, we have seen 100,000 people die,” she said referring to the pandemic and shut down. “I think the protest are great and I think they are warranted.” “This seems pretty minor... We have been through three months of being closed, we have seen 100,000 people die,” she said, referring to the pandemic’s impact. “I think the protests are great, and I think they are warranted.”
In the early hours of Sunday, a few people lingered on the streets and smashed some store windows, set fire to a shrubbery, and toppled a portable toilet and a lion statue. A CVS, an optometrist’s office, a liquor store and an Indian restaurant a few blocks from the White House were looted. On Sunday, Jay Michaels, angry and exasperated, decide to join the one outside the White House.
Newsham said 11 of his officers were injured, including one who suffered a serious compound leg fracture after being hit by a brick; 29 department vehicles were damaged. The Secret Service said in a statement that 60 of its officers and agents had been injured in the two days of protests. The 23-year-old D.C. native walked there with a red bullhorn and a Redskins mask. He wished he didn’t have to protest but felt that he had no other choice.
Around the region, there were also protests and clashes in Richmond and Baltimore. In Richmond, demonstrators targeted Confederate monuments erected to honor proslavery leaders in the Civil War. They painted graffiti on a statue of Gen. Robert E. Lee, and hung a noose over the shoulder of a statute of Confederate President Jefferson Davis. “Turn the other cheek hasn’t worked,” said Michaels, a recent college graduate who wants to go to law school. “We’ve gotta do something.”
The headquarters of the United Daughters of the Confederacy — the group that led the construction of most of the statues a century ago — was damaged by fire. Michaels is tired of people looking at him like he is dangerous because he is black.
Photos on social media showed black smoke marks above at least one window of the low marble building along Arthur Ashe Boulevard, and adjacent to the Kehinde Wiley statue of a black man on a horse unveiled last year. That statue seemed to have been left unmarked. “This is not about DC police — this is about all police,” he said. “If we burn everything down, then something has gotta give.”
Social media also featured blurry images of a group of white people who had broken windows at a synagogue across the street, with claims that the group was espousing a far-right ideology of “boogaloo,” or race war. By the time he arrived, the mood had grown more tense.
Along Broad Street near the State Capitol, windows were smashed at many stores and dumpsters set on fire. One dumpster fire at Virginia Commonwealth University briefly spread into a high-rise dormitory, but city officials reported little internal damage to the building. Each step the Secret Service officers took back from the police line drew a series of taunts, and the occasional water bottle.
Richmond Police Chief William C. Smith attributed much of the violence from Saturday night and early Sunday, as well as less-severe incidents from Friday night, to “people from outside this state and outside this area. And we’re doing our best to identify them,” he said. “Do you feel like taking a knee now?” one man called out to a group of officers who briefly put down their riot shields.
Prince William County police said five people were Saturday after what started as a peaceful protest turned unruly group of about 250. According to police, the demonstration began about 5 p.m. in Manassas. The group increased significantly and proceeded into Sudley Road, stopping traffic and throwing objects at motorists and police officers, according to a news release. Some protesters were also observed standing on top of vehicles that were stopped in traffic because of the protest and atop area businesses. Then the officers again stepped forward, and more people ran.
Officers from the county sheriff’s office, Manassas City, Fairfax County, and Haymarket were called in to assist and the crowd was dispersed about 1 a.m. Sunday. Four officers were injured, the department said in a statement, including one who suffered a head injury that required treatment at the hospital. “Don’t shoot us!” Vashti Matthis, 35, yelled. “We can’t even walk in our own community. We built this country. We shouldn’t have to do this in 2020.”
The Prince William Board of County Supervisors planned an emergency meeting for late Sunday afternoon to discuss the events. The police advanced again, more people ran, and Matthis retreated with them.
Emily Davies, Justin George and Peter Hermann contributed to this report. Even then, though, Andrew Blunt, who had also come out Saturday, could sense a difference on Sunday. It struck him that, after the protestors started throwing objects and jumping the barricade, others shouted at them to stop.
It sent a message, the 22-year-old thought: “What we did here yesterday, we’re not doing that anymore.”
But he acknowledged the message might not hold, because nightfall was yet to come.
Petula Dvorak, Greogry S. Schneider, Ian Duncan, Emily Davies, Justin George and Peter Hermann contributed to this report.