Fires Near White House—AFL-CIO Offices Ablaze—As Riots Continue In D.C.

TOPLINE

Some of the most dramatic scenes from Sunday night’s protests took place just steps from the heart of national power, with fires raging in a park near the White House as America dealt with another night of riots and violence following the death of George Floyd.

KEY FACTS

KEY BACKGROUND

Sunday was the seventh day of widespread protests following the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who died after white Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin held his knee to Floyd’s neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds, which was captured on video.

Chauvin has since been arrested and charged with third-degree murder, as well as manslaughter, but many demonstrators are vowing to continue their protests until the three other officers are charged. While those protests were peaceful for much of the week, scenes turned violent in cities across the country on Saturday night in what historian Douglas Brinkley said were the most widespread riots “since the assassination of Martin Luther King. Jr. in 1968.” Several states called in their National Guards as tensions became out of hand between protestors and police forces, which have become increasingly aggressive when dealing with protesters. In several cases, journalists covering the protests have been hit with tear gas or rubber bullets.

CHIEF CRITICS

Organizers have decried how protests have turned riotous, saying that looters and vandals among their ranks were being “opportunists.” Rep. John Lewis (D-GA), who at 80 years old is perhaps the most well-known living civil rights icon, also spoke out against the violent scenes, tweeting Saturday evening that “Rioting, looting, and burning is not the way.”

President Donald Trump has done little to quell the tensions or make calls for national unity, instead warning he’d bring in more firepower—perhaps calling in the military—to deal with protesters, who at one point he called “thugs.” He’s instead devoted much of his energy to criticizing local Democratic political leaders in areas where there are riots, along with Joe Biden and the media, while blaming the unrest on the poorly-defined “Antifa” leftist group, saying Sunday he planned to designate Antifa as a terrorist organization despite apparently lagging the legal authority to do so.

FURTHER READING

Trump Hid From Protests In Underground Bunker, Report Says (Forbes)

Minneapolis Police Chief Says 3 Officers Are ‘Complicit’ In Floyd’s Death By Staying Silent (Forbes)

Atlanta Mayor Fires 2 Officers Who Tased Man In ‘Shocking’ Video (Forbes)

Joe Biden Visits Protest Site Sunday, In Rare Venture From Home (Forbes)

Philadelphia Closes All Retail Stores As Looting Resumes Sunday (Forbes)

Protesters clash with police outside White House, with fire set at St. John’s Church (Washington Post)

George Floyd protesters condemn ‘opportunistic’ looting and violence (The Guardian)

Trump Says ‘Antifa’ Will Be Designated A Terrorist Organization (Forbes)

As America Burned, President Trump Largely Stayed Silent (Forbes)

Former Officer Derek Chauvin Has Been Arrested In Death Of George Floyd (Forbes)