MINNEAPOLIS, May 31, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – Clashes broke out and major cities
imposed curfews as America began another night of unrest Saturday with angry
demonstrators ignoring warnings from President Donald Trump that his
government would stop violent protests over police brutality “cold.”
Los Angeles, Atlanta and Philadelphia were among several cities to order
people to stay indoors after thousands took to streets nationwide to protest
the death of an African American man during an arrest in Minneapolis on
Monday.
George Floyd, who died after a police officer knelt on his neck for nearly
nine minutes, has become a fresh symbol of police brutality against blacks and
sparked civil unrest not seen in the United States for years.
In Los Angeles, officers fired rubber bullets and swung batons during a
testy standoff with demonstrators who set fire to a police car. Police and
protesters also clashed in Chicago and New York, where several arrests were
made.
Trump blamed the extreme left for the violence, including widespread
looting and arson in Minneapolis, saying rioters were dishonoring the memory
of Floyd.
“We cannot and must not allow a small group of criminals and vandals to
wreck our cities and lay waste to our communities,” the president said.
“My administration will stop mob violence. And we’ll stop it cold,” he
added, accusing the loose-knit militant anti-fascist network Antifa of
orchestrating the violence.
– Rioters to be ‘decimated’ –
His late afternoon comments came as crowds began marching through streets
in Minneapolis, New York, Chicago, Miami, Philadelphia and other cities,
chanting slogans such as “Black Lives Matter” and “I can’t breathe,” which
Floyd was heard saying repeatedly before he died.
A peaceful protest took place in Toronto as the demonstrations spread
beyond America’s border.
LA announced a curfew from 8:00 pm (0300 GMT) until 5:30 am Sunday while
Atlanta’s was set for 09:00 pm to sunrise. A similar nighttime curfew was
implemented in Louisville, Kentucky.
Authorities in Minneapolis braced for a fifth night of protests over what
African American leaders called “systemic” mistreatment by law enforcement.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz called up more national guard troops Saturday
and warned they would “decimate” rioters after Friday night’s violence in the
northern state overwhelmed law enforcement.
– Cleaning the streets –
Walz said he was mobilizing the state’s entire 13,000-strong National Guard
to deal with rioters who have looted shops and set fires in the Minneapolis-
St. Paul area.
Thousands who defied the first night of curfew overwhelmed the police and
troops who had been deployed.
All major freeways leading into Minneapolis were shut down Saturday night
with military helicopters taking to the skies over the area as the state
braced for more rioting, arsons and looting.
People congregated peacefully on Minneapolis streets Saturday afternoon,
chanting Floyd’s name and carrying brooms to help clean up the scores of shops
ransacked in the violence of the previous nights.
Some placed flowers in front of the shop where Floyd was arrested on
Monday, before his death in the hands of police was recorded in a horrifying
cellphone video since seen around the world.
“Our community has stepped up, there are more people cleaning the streets
than looting,” said Nicole Crust, 41, owner of a beauty salon that was broken
into.
Crust echoed officials who said the worst violence was from outsiders, but
added a key theme of the protests: “Police brutality must stop.”
Walz warned that protestors staying out Saturday past the 8 pm curfew faced
“a dangerous situation.”
African American and other Minneapolis community leaders pleaded for local
residents to stay home Saturday night, as the curfew was expanded to multiple
cities in the state.
– ‘Black lives matter’ –
In New York’s Harlem neighborhood, several hundred people gathered for
speeches on racism at a midday rally. Later in the afternoon, the crowd grew
to thousands and they began marching through the streets.
“We’re not turning the cheek anymore. Black lives matter. They will always
matter. And we’re here today to show that,” said makeup artist Melissa Mock,
who joined several thousand in a daytime protest in Miami.
Protests were expected to continue throughout the weekend even after the
now-fired Minneapolis police officer accused of Floyd’s death was arrested and
charged with third-degree murder on Friday.
That night, protestors shouted and chanted for hours outside the White
House in Washington as Trump sat inside facing the most serious spate of civil
unrest of his presidency, in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic.
With a video showing the officer, Derek Chauvin, pressing his knee on
Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes until well after the man went motionless,
while three other officers assisted, Floyd’s family and many protestors
demanded more arrests and tougher murder charges.