Protests erupted in Minneapolis, Atlanta, Detroit, and around the country.
Protests over the police killing of George Floyd, and the larger problem of racial prejudice in American criminal justice, spread across the country on Friday night and into the weekend.
Demonstrators turned out in Minneapolis and in Atlanta. They rallied in Los Angeles and New York City and in Louisville, Kentucky, where 26-year-old Breonna Taylor, an emergency medical technician, was recently shot and killed in her own apartment.
A man was shot in Detroit during protests there, according to the Detroit Free Press. The National Guard is being deployed in Minneapolis and Louisville after incidents of violence led to property damage and arrests.
The nation, already tense after months of coronavirus-induced lockdowns, faces another pivotal moment in its long-running story of racial discrimination and state-sanctioned violence. The protests are united by their theme and the grievances being aired, but each is also a distinct local incident. It’s a lot to keep track of.
Here’s what we know:
- Despite an 8 pm curfew set on Friday night, protesters turned out in Minneapolis again to protest Floyd’s killing by a local police officer.
- While many protesters remained nonviolent, some businesses were set on fire. Shots were reportedly fired at police officers, while police fired rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse the crowds, according to CNN.
- Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is deploying the National Guard in an attempt to contain the unrest.
- St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter said on Saturday morning that he had been told every single person who was arrested in his city on Friday night was from outside the state, according to CBS.
- A 19-year-old man was shot and killed in Detroit, near the site of demonstrations happening there. It was not immediately what the motive for the killing was, according to CNN.
- About 40 people were arrested in Detroit because of the ongoing protests. The police chief noted most of them did not actually live in the area, according to the Detroit News.
- In Atlanta, an originally peaceful protest culminated at CNN headquarters, where protesters broke windows and threw things at police, according to CNN.
- In Washington, DC, hundreds of protesters gathered outside the White House and some clashed with the Secret Service late into the night, according to the Washington Post. On Twitter, President Trump warned that, if any of the protesters had broached the White House fence, they would have been met by “the most vicious dogs, and most ominous weapons” and seemed to urge his own supporters to come out.
- More than 500 people were arrested in Los Angeles during the demonstrations; at least four police officers were injured, according to the Los Angeles Times. Police said a number of businesses had been vandalized or looted but could not give an exact count.
- In San Jose, protesters temporarily shut down a highway, according to NBC.
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Author: Dylan Scott
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