Trump Critiques Minneapolis Mayor Amid Protests That Continue Despite Curfew

MINNEAPOLIS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 31st May, 2020) US President Donald Trump says the National Guard should have been used earlier in Minneapolis, where people protesting against the death of George Floyd are ignoring the curfew.

"The National Guard has been released in Minneapolis to do the job that the Democrat Mayor [Jacob Frey] couldn't do. Should have been used 2 days ago & there would not have been damage & Police Headquarters would not have been taken over and ruined. Great job by the National Guard. No games!" Trump wrote on Twitter on Saturday.

A Sputnik correspondent reported late on Saturday that a major group of protesters marched along Lake Street, where most of the buildings have been burnt amid ongoing protests. Some of the protesters were driving. The demonstration was peaceful.

According to reports from local residents, people are not relying on city police and are getting ready for another night of protests by barricading their homes and small businesses.

According to a Sputnik correspondent, just 15 minutes after the curfew came into force on Saturday evening, protesters went out into the streets of Minneapolis. A military helicopter was hovering above the city and a National Guard aircraft was seen flying over Minneapolis several times.

Protests erupted in various cities across the United States this week after George Floyd, an African-American man, died in police custody on Monday. He was detained outside the Cup Foods corner store in Minneapolis on Monday evening, after a store clerk called the police claiming that Floyd had paid for cigarettes with a counterfeit $20 bill.

A video circulating online shows Derek Chauvin, a Minneapolis white police officer, pinning unarmed Floyd to the ground with his knee; Floyd repeatedly says that he cannot breathe until becoming unresponsive.

Chauvin has been charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. A total of four police officers have been fired in connection with the incident.

US President Donald Trump warned on Saturday that if the unrest continues in US cities, then the Federal government would step in and the military would be used. Speaking at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Trump said the death of George Floyd was a grave tragedy but warned against surrendering to hostility. Trump stressed that every US citizen has the right to be safe in their workplace, home and city streets.

Earlier on Saturday, hundreds of people gathered in the Minneapolis neighborhood where Floyd was arrested. The corner store next to which Floyd was held by police has been turned into a memorial using flowers, candles, balloons and banners. Streets leading up to the spot are all filled with banners attached to street posts and cars.

According to eyewitnesses who took part in the Saturday protest action, two police quadrocopters equipped with cameras were seen filming and surveying the protesters and two military helicopters were spotted in the sky.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz announced on Saturday that the state's National Guard would be fully mobilized amid the George Floyd protests. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey announced on Friday that a curfew was being imposed in the city and would last through the weekend.

The US Department of Justice has made the FBI investigation into Floyd's death a top priority.