Curfews have been declared in many cities across the US in a bid to control unrests triggered by the murder of George Floyd in the hands of policemen in Minneapolis.
Annoyingly, many protesters are not respecting the curfew order in many cities as they are seen looting shops, burning cars and defacing buildings.
Anti riot police have used tear gas and rubber bullets, but the situation cannot be said to be fully under control yet.
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President Donald Trump advised the hurting public to seek healing over Floyd’s murder, but remarked he would not watch riotous protesters disrupt economic activities or offend the law.
A former white policeman has been charged with the murder of Floyd, 46, in Minneapolis.
BBC News reports that Derek Chauvin, 44, is expected in court on Monday.
In a cellphone video showed Chauvin resting his knees on Floyd’s neck for about 8 minutes on Monday with Floyd desperately complaining he could not breathe.
Also, three other cops present at the scene have also since been fired.
The murder of Floyd has reignited the anger of Americans over police murder of black Americans.
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Massive demonstrations have taken place in over 30 cities across the US. The protests seemed peaceful on Saturday, but violence soon erupted later in the day.
Los Angeles is one of the cities worst hit by the unrest. California Governor, Gavin Newsom, announced a state of emergency in the city and mobilized the National Guard.
The whole Los Angeles is observing an 8 p.m. to 05:30 a.m. curfew. Many shops have been burgled, including popular retail outlets like Fairfax and Melrose, while overhead videos revealed burning fires.
Earlier cops shot rubber bullets and beat protesters with batons. While, hundreds of persons have also been detained.
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ZBC News reports that in New York, 20 police vehicles were torched and many persons arrested. Video also identified a police vehicle running into a crowd of protesters.
Mayor Bill de Blasio observed the problem started with the protesters, but Congress Representative, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said the Mayor was incorrect and that he should not hold brief for the cops.
Minneapolis, the epicenter of the unrests, recorded less violence throughout the night. Some 700 National Guard officers have been deployed to work in conjunction with the police and they are acting efficiently to enforce the curfew order.
Also, the Star Tribune reports that for the second day running, a large crowd of demonstrators teased National Guard officers outside the White House in Washington, DC.
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Indianapolis, one of the cities that had seen peaceful protests during the day turn crazy afterwards. More than one shooting death has been recorded, but officers insist the police did not discharge weapons.
In under-curfew Philadelphia, 13 officers were injured with over 34 arrests made as stores were burgled, police cars burnt and buildings defaced.
Dusk to dawn curfews are also been observed in Miami, Louisville and Portland, among other cities.
Although, policemen and protesters have been slugging it out in many cities, in Flint, Michigan, recorded something quite surprising.
It was the moment when Sheriff, Chris Swanson, dropped his baton and helmet and joined demonstrators in their march.
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In a televised address from Cape Canaveral in Florida on Saturday evening, Trump condemned the looters and violent people, saying their actions were a bad memorial for the late Floyd.
Trump criticized the Minneapolis’ Mayor for a failure to control the demonstrations, which observers note are the worst since the Trump’s presidency.
On Monday night, police got a complaint from a neighborhood grocery that Floyd had paid with a fake $20 note.
Upon arrival, officers attempted putting him in a police vehicle, but he fell off to the ground, complaining about being claustrophobic.
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The police said that he resisted officers and had to be handcuffed, although footage of the event does not indicate how the confrontation actually began.
Al Jazeera News reports that demonstrations against racism and police brutality became widespread reaching even more cities across the US as people in many parts of the country disregarded curfews to protest against Floyd death.
The day’s long demonstrations sweeping through the nation have reignited anger through years of killings of Black people in police custody, renewing age-long theories of institutionalized as well as systemic racism.
After a night of violence on Friday, racially-diverse and very peaceful demonstrations occurred in the streets in major cities throughout the country during the daytime on Saturday.
In New York, a city that is yet to fully recover from the ravaging coronavirus pandemic, several protests occurred throughout its five boroughs.
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Late on Saturday, many of the nationwide protests assumed a scary dimension because there was a heated disagreement between policemen and demonstrators. This led the protesters to the burning of police cars and stores burgled as cops freely used tear gas and rubber bullets.
Authorities in some cities enforced curfews throughout the night as a control measure for the growing situation, affecting millions of Americans in Los Chicago, Angeles and Miami.
In Minneapolis, demonstrators were seen outside as the 8pm curfew started on Saturday. The protesters have pledged to continue protests until each policeman involved in Floyd’s murder has been prosecuted. So far, only Derek Chauvin has been picked up for Floyd’s murder.
Read also: Justice delayed is justice denied – Justice for George Floyd
