US, WASHINGTON (ORDO NEWS) — Protests that broke out earlier this week in Minneapolis, Minnesota because of the death of African-American George Floyd, spread by Saturday evening to several dozen major American cities, growing into riots.
Federal and local authorities are urgently trying to pacify the demonstrators by addressing them in every possible way, imposing a curfew and involving the US National Guard to help the police. Outraged citizens demand justice in return.
Looters are operating in stores, media reports of the first victims of protests, including among law enforcement officials. Almost 1.5 thousand people were detained throughout the country.
First victims
Saturday morning in the United States began with news that a US federal security officer died of a gunshot wound at night in Auckland, California. According to a city police spokesman, two law enforcement officers were injured, one of whom later died. And about. US Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security Ken Cucinelli later noted that the authorities would regard as “acts of internal terrorism” attacks on law enforcement officials during protests.
In Detroit, Michigan, a 19-year-old boy died after an unknown man opened fire on a crowd of protesters from his car. In Indianapolis, Indiana, at least one person was killed and three more were shot.
In different cities, there were cases of cars hitting crowds of protesters; victims are among the demonstrators and among the police. There are reports of injuries among journalists. According to the Associated Press , at least 1.3 thousand people were detained by police in different American cities by Saturday evening.
Authorities try to pacify protesters
The Governor of Minnesota, from where the protests spread, on Saturday morning ordered for the first time since World War II to fully mobilize the National Guard forces in the state. Subsequently, his example was followed by the leaders of other American cities and states. By evening, National Guard fighters were fully or partially mobilized in Minnesota, California, Georgia, Ohio, Colorado, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Utah, Texas, and the metropolitan area of Columbia.
With the approach of darkness, local authorities began to everywhere introduce restrictions on the movement of the population at night. Curfew by Saturday evening was imposed in more than 25 including quite large American cities.
Police disperse protesters using tear gas and rubber bullets. The U.S. Department of Defense has ordered a higher level of preparedness for several military units if they are sent to Minnesota.
Looters ramp up in stores
The attention of the media now and again turns to those who, instead of participating in peaceful actions with posters and banners, prefer to “profit” by robbing shops. If at the beginning of the protests the marauders swept food and household goods from the shelves in large supermarkets, then by the weekend many of them switched to more valuable “booty”.
American television channels show footage in which mainly young people devastate electronics stores, sports equipment, as well as clothing, shoes and accessories of famous brands. Marauders cannot be identified – on their faces are medical masks and bandanas, the wearing of which in the context of the new coronavirus pandemic has not been canceled.
Representatives of authorities and public leaders, often dark-skinned, call for order from TV screens. All of them are trying to convey the main idea – peaceful demonstrations demanding justice are understandable and even welcomed, but the riots bordering on violence only desecrate Floyd’s memory.
Trump urges people to calm down
US President Donald Trump made a speech after the successful launch of the American manned spacecraft for the first time in nine years to the International Space Station. Instead of devoting his speech to US successes in the space industry, the American leader devoted an impressive part of his protests to the country.
“The death of George Floyd in the streets of Minneapolis was a tragedy that should not have happened and which terrified, outraged and saddened Americans across the country,” Trump pointed out, noting that he had already talked with Floyd’s relatives and expressed his condolences to them. “Now, calm, not hatred, justice, not chaos is needed,” he stressed.
Earlier on Twitter, he threatened protesters with numerous arrests and the use of “unlimited power” by the military. “Liberal governors and mayors must be much tougher, otherwise the federal government will intervene and do what needs to be done, this includes using the unlimited power of our military and numerous arrests,” he said.
Reason for protests
In Minnesota and several other states, mass protests and riots began this week after posting online video recordings of the May 25 arrest in Minneapolis of George Floyd suspected of using counterfeit bills. White cops handcuffed an African American and knocked him onto the road. One of them pressed the detainee with a knee on his neck, ignoring Floyd’s cries that he could not breathe, and soon an African-American died in one of the hospitals in the city. On May 26, all four law enforcement officers were fired, one of them was taken into custody on charges of manslaughter.
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