Protestors demonstrate outside of a burning fast food restaurant, Friday, May 29, 2020, in Minneapolis. Protests over the death of George Floyd, a black man who died in police custody Monday, broke out in Minneapolis for a third straight night. (JOHN MINCHILLO / AP)
MINNEAPOLIS - Peaceful rallies gave way to a third night of arson, looting and vandalism in Minneapolis on Thursday as protesters vented their rage over the death of a black man seen on video gasping for breath while a white police officer knelt on his neck.
Protesters vented their rage over the death of George Floyd, a black man seen on video gasping for breath while a white police officer knelt on his neck
The latest spasm of unrest in Minnesota’s largest city went largely unchecked, despite Governor Tim Walz ordering the National Guard activated to help restore order following the first two days of disturbances sparked by Monday night’s fatal arrest of George Floyd, 46.
Demonstrations over his death also spread to some other US cities including Los Angeles and Memphis, local media reported.
ALSO READ: 4 Minneapolis policemen fired after death of unarmed black man
In contrast with Wednesday night, when rock-throwing demonstrators clashed repeatedly with the Minneapolis police in riot gear, law enforcement kept a low profile around the epicenter of the unrest, outside the city’s Third Precinct police station.
Protesters massing outside the building briefly retreated under volleys of police tear gas and rubber bullets fired at them from the roof, only to reassemble and eventually attack the building head on, setting fire to the structure as police seemed to withdraw. Protesters were later observed on the roof.
The city authority warned about ‘unconfirmed’ reports that gas lines to the Third Precinct police station were cut and that there were other explosives in the building. It appealed to people to retreat from the building.
A car and at least two other buildings in the vicinity were also set ablaze, and looters returned for a second night to a nearby Target discount store, left boarded up and vacant from the previous night, to make off with whatever remained inside.
Fire officials said 16 buildings were torched on Wednesday night. Amid the riot, the owner of a nearby pawn shop shot and killed a person suspected of looting his building. Police are investigating the shooting with one suspect in custody.
ALSO READ: LeBron joins athletes voicing outrage over death of unarmed black man after arrest
President Donald Trump on Twitter said that he will send the National Guard troops and “get the job done right” if Mayor Jacob Frey failed to bring the city under control.
“These thugs are dishonoring the memory of George Floyd, and I won’t let that happen. Just spoke to Governor Tim Walz and told him that the Military is with him all the way. Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts. Thank you!” Trump said.
GLORIFYING VIOLENCE
Twitter Inc, which this week earned Trump’s ire by posting fact-check notices next to some of his tweets, flagged the president’s comments and put a rule-violation notice on his tweet.
Saying it glorified violence and were thus against its rules, the social media company has obscured the offending message on his profile with the following warning: “This Tweet violated the Twitter Rules about glorifying violence. However, Twitter has determined that it may be in the public’s interest for the Tweet to remain accessible.”
A “View” option to open and read the tweet is made available alongside the warning.
SERIOUS ACTION NEEDED
US authorities must take "serious action" to halt police killings of unarmed African Americans
Michelle Bachelet, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
US authorities must take "serious action" to halt police killings of unarmed African Americans, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said Thursday.
This is the latest in "a long line of killings of unarmed African Americans by US police officers and members of the public," Bachelet said in a statement.
"Procedures must change, prevention systems must be put in place, and above all police officers who resort to excessive use of force, should be charged and convicted for the crimes committed," to ensure that justice is done when they do occur, she said.
US authorities must take "serious action" to halt police killings of unarmed African Americans, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said Thursday.
This is the latest in "a long line of killings of unarmed African Americans by US police officers and members of the public," Bachelet said in a statement.
"Procedures must change, prevention systems must be put in place, and above all police officers who resort to excessive use of force, should be charged and convicted for the crimes committed," to ensure that justice is done when they do occur, she said.
STATE OF EMERGENCY
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz on Thursday declared a state of emergency and called on the Minnesota National Guard, which “activated” more than 500 soldiers to assist local authorities, and mainly the fire departments, in Minneapolis, St. Paul and surrounding areas.
A police officer prepares to throw a tear gas canister towards protestors, Thursday, May 28, 2020, in St. Paul, Minn. (JOHN MINCHILLO / AP)
The National Guard Adjutant General will work with local government agencies to provide personnel, equipment, and facilities needed to respond to and recover from this emergency, according to a report from local newspaper Star Tribune.
In addition, the Minnesota State Patrol will supply 200 troopers. State Patrol helicopters and other aircraft will also be available to assist law enforcement officers on the ground, said the report.
Local, state and federal law enforcement officials sought earlier in the day to ease racial tensions sparked by Floyd’s death by vowing to achieve justice.
‘I CAN’T BREATHE’
Four city police officers involved in the incident, including the one shown pressing his knee into Floyd’s neck as he lay on the ground, moaning, “please, I can’t breathe,” were fired from their jobs the next day.
The Floyd case was reminiscent of the 2014 killing of Eric Garner, an unarmed black man in New York City who died after being put in a banned police chokehold as he, too, was heard to mutter, “I can’t breathe.”
Garner’s dying words became a rallying cry for the Black Lives Matter movement that formed amid a wave of killings of African-Americans by police.
Throughout the day, protesters pressed their demands that the four policemen be arrested and prosecuted.
“There is probable cause right now” to make those arrests, civil rights activist the Rev. Al Sharpton said as he addressed the crowd. “We’re not asking for a favor. We’re asking for what is right.”
Garner’s mother, Gwen Carr, said Floyd’s case was like “opening up an old wound, and pouring salt into it.”
At a morning news briefing, Police Chief Medaria Arradondo publicly apologized to Floyd’s family, conceding his department had contributed to a “deficit of hope” in Minneapolis.
A protestor reacts as she walks through a cloud of tear gas, Thursday, May 28, 2020, in St. Paul, Minn. (JOHN MINCHILLO / AP)
Hours later, officials overseeing investigations from the US Justice Department, FBI, Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and prosecutors appealed for calm at a joint news conference, as they gathered evidence.
‘GIVE US TIME TO DO THIS RIGHT’
“Give us the time to do this right, and we will bring you justice,” County Attorney Mike Freeman told reporters. He acknowledged the policeman’s conduct depicted in the video was “horrible,” but said, “My job is to prove that he has violated a criminal statute.”
Minnesota’s US attorney, Erica McDonald, pledged a “robust and meticulous investigation” of Floyd’s arrest and death.
The federal investigation, which Attorney General William Barr had designated a “top priority,” will focus on whether the arresting officers used the “color of law” to deprive Floyd of his civil rights, she said.
Floyd, a Houston native known affectionately to friends as “Big Floyd” and who had worked as a nightclub security staffer, was suspected of trying to pass counterfeit money at a corner store when police took him into custody. An employee who called for help described the suspect as appearing to be drunk, according to a police transcript of the call.
Sympathy protests erupted on Wednesday in Los Angeles and Thursday in Denver, with hundreds of demonstrators blocking freeway traffic in both cities.
Thursday night’s unrest in Minneapolis reportedly spread into adjacent city of St Paul, the state capital.
