At Least 40 US Cities Under Curfew, 26 States Deploy National Guard

At least 40 US cities are under curfew after violence spread nationwide for a sixth night over the killing of an unarmed black man, George Floyd, in Minneapolis last Monday. Protests flared up in 75 cities on Sunday and are spreading. The cities under curfew and state of emergencies include Los Angeles, San Francisco, Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, Cleveland, Columbus, Portland, Milwaukee, Louisville, Rochester, Cincinnati, Miami, Minneapolis, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Salt Lake City and Seattle.

By Monday morning in the US, 26 States along with the District of Columbia had deployed the National Guard. These were: Illinois, Michigan, Nebraska, Nevada, Oklahoma,Oregon, Virginia, Arizona , Arkansas ,California , Florida , Colorado, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Minnesota , North Carolina, Ohio , Pennsylvania ,South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wisconsin. 

The protests have even reached the doorstep of the White House, which was put under a lockdown. According to reports, US President Donald Trump was taken to the White House bunker by Secret Service personnel after protests outside the Presidential premises grew violent on Friday night.On Sunday night, tear gas was used against protesters in an area right across the White House. The National Guard has been deployed in Washington DC to quell protests. President Trump's various statements have been provocative, further angering protesters.

Great job last night at the White House by the U.S. @SecretService. They were not only totally professional, but very cool. I was inside, watched every move, and couldn’t have felt more safe. They let the “protesters” scream & rant as much as they wanted, but whenever someone....

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 30, 2020 

Trump also announced that the US would move to designate anti-fascist group Antifa as a terrorist organisation, accusing it of fuelling the riots.

The United States of America will be designating ANTIFA as a Terrorist Organization.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 31, 2020

 

A disturbing trend of journalists being attacked by both police and rioters while covering the protests has emerged. Tensions are high as curfews are being ignored in most cities.

Police advance on protesters in Minneapolis as smoke fills the air. CNN’s @OmarJimenez reports. https://t.co/gn6nAI3vjd pic.twitter.com/avNGf7NeBu

— CNN Tonight (@CNNTonight) May 31, 2020

George Floyd was killed by a policeman in Minneapolis last Monday during an arrest. The country is since witnessing  widespread arson, looting and vandalism, with several deaths reported, including in law enforcement. Minneapolis continues to remain on edge.

46-year-old George Floyd died after a police officer sat on his neck for a prolonged period in broad daylight, in a harrowing attack caught on video. The policeman, Derek Chauvin, has been charged with murder. He along with three officers who accompanied him, have been fired from the force. Chauvin is set to appear in court on Monday.

But that has not led to the unrest dying down as the Black Lives Matter movement has been fuelled by Floyd’s death. In New York, there was further outrage after a police vehicle drove into a crowd of demonstrators.

More insanity.. Here we have the NYPD trying to mow people down. They’re not worried about repercussions because under Trump they have free reign to Murder and maim with impunity.#Trump #USRIOTS https://t.co/WMi80BzDXK

— Jim Sheridan (@Jim_Sheridan) May 31, 2020

Over in LA, police had to fire rubber bullets at protestors and there was looting and arson throughout the night. Many peaceful protests were infiltrated by troublemakers ensuing in violence. There are also reports of White Supremacists adding to the tensions by provocating Black Lives Matter demonstrators.

More than 1,000 additional Citizen-Soldiers and Airmen are activating today. This is in addition to the 700 that were on duty as of late last night. This represents the largest domestic deployment in the Minnesota’s National Guard’s 164-year history. pic.twitter.com/aV9NOFv5uo

— MN National Guard (@MNNationalGuard) May 30, 2020

 

"My Administration will always stand against violence, mayhem, and disorder.

We will stand with the family of George Floyd, with the peaceful protestors, and with every law-abiding citizen who wants decency, civility, safety, and security." pic.twitter.com/Wxk6qmBR69

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) May 30, 2020

The death of Floyd intially sparked violent protests in Minneapolis. The twin cities of Minneapolis-Saint Paul are now under curfew.

Protests then followed in Denver, Houston, Louisville, Phoenix, Columbus and Memphis. In Portland, Oregon, the Mayor was one of the first to declare a state of emergency after unrest.

I have officially declared a State of Emergency.

Curfew immediately in effect until 6:00 am today.

Resumes Saturday evening at 8:00 pm and lifts 6:00 am Sunday morning.

— Mayor Ted Wheeler (@tedwheeler) May 30, 2020

In California, there were violent protests in Oakland, where two Protective Service officers were shot, one of whom later died of his injuries. Other cities in the state where unrest broke out were Los Angeles, Bakersfield, Sacramento, San Jose and San Francisco. Over in Detroit, a man was shot dead by an unidentified assailant during a protest.