Violent Protests Sweep Across US In Wake Of George Floyd's Death In Custody

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Violent Protests Sweep Across US in Wake of George Floyd's Death in Custody

Protesters angry at the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, at the hands of a white police officer in the US city of Minneapolis clashed with police across the country on Friday night

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 30th May, 2020) Protesters angry at the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, at the hands of a white police officer in the US city of Minneapolis clashed with police across the country on Friday night.

Some protests were peaceful, while others prompted police to step in and make dozens of arrests, including in Minneapolis, Detroit, New York, Atlanta and Portland.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on Saturday pleaded with rioters in the "twin cities" of Minneapolis and St. Paul to go home after a fourth straight night of violence and looting.

"It's time to restore peace on our streets and in our neighborhoods. The situation has become dangerous for Minnesotans and first responders," the governor tweeted.

A temporary curfew has been introduced in the two cities. More National Guard and State Patrol units were deployed to the streets after Walz admitted that rioters outnumbered police forces.

The Pentagon has reportedly put troops on alert to send them to Minneapolis after protesters set a police precinct ablaze on Thursday to demand the prosecution of police officer Derek Chauvin who pressed his knee into Floyd's neck before he died.

The riots turned deadly overnight in Detroit where police are investigating the death of an 19-year-old after shots were fired into a crowd of protesters from a passing van. Another person was arrested after trying to run a policeman over with a car.

In New York's Brooklyn and Manhattan neighborhoods, protesters set fire to a police van and threw water bottles at officers who responded with tear gas. Hundreds of summonses and arrests were made and several officers were hurt.

"There will be a full review of what happened tonight. We don't ever want to see another night like this," New York Mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted.

The White House in Washington was briefly locked down after huge crowds gathered outside to demand justice for Floyd. President Donald Trump said after speaking to the man's family that he supported peaceful rallies but would not let them descent into chaos.

Georgia's Gov. Brian Kemp declared a state of emergency on Saturday to bring in 500 state National Guard troops after unrest flared in the state capital of Atlanta, with protesters vandalizing buildings and spray-painting the walls of the CNN office.

Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms blasted rioters for "disgracing" the life of George Floyd and the city, which she said had a legacy of black people in power and where more than a half of businesses in the metro area were run by minority owners.

A state of emergency and a curfew were declared in Portland in the state of Oregon to stop the looting and assaults on police after protesters broke into police headquarters and lighted a fire inside.

Hundreds of marchers blocked highways in Los Angeles and Oakland in California before turning to looting downtown businesses and lighting fires. A Los Angeles Police Department officer was beaten up.

Multiple protesters were arrested during a march in Chicago, Illinois, after climbing cars and damaging property in the central Loop area. Tear gas was fired to disperse large crowds in Dallas and Houston in Texas.