George Floyd’s Death Sparks Protests Across The U.S.: Georgia Governor Activates National Guard In Response To Protests In Atlanta

TOPLINE

The arrest of Derek Chauvin, a white police officer involved in the death of George Floyd, did little to quell unrest in the U.S. as demonstrators in dozens of cities continued on Friday to stage protests, which were punctuated with some occasional clashes with police, particularly in Atlanta, as protesters blocked traffic and set fire to cars.

KEY FACTS

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, at the request of Atlanta’s mayor, declared a State Of Emergency for Fulton County, where the city is located, and said he is activating up to 500 National Guard members to “subdue unlawful activity and restore peace.”

In Atlanta, protesters vandalized and broke the windows of CNN’s headquarters, as well as other buildings, while setting fires to police cars.

A police spokesperson told the Associated Press demonstrators shot BB guns at officers and threw bricks, bottles and knives at them, hurting three officers.

Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms denounced the protesters’ actions: “This is not a protest. This is not in the spirit of Martin Luther King Jr. This is chaos,” she said.

Rapper Killer Mike also spoke at the mayor’s press conference and pleaded with residents to remain peaceful: “I am duty-bound to be here to simply say that it is your duty not to burn your own house down for anger with an enemy. It is your duty to fortify your own house in times of organization,” he said.

It remains to be seen if riots break out in Minneapolis, the city where Floyd was killed, for the fourth straight day despite Mayor Jacob Frey enacting an 8 p.m. curfew, though protesters are still marching past curfew.

Large crowds of demonstrators gathered at various locations throughout Manhattan and Brooklyn, with escalating violence throughout the evening.

At least nine protestors were arrested at the Barclays Center, CBS New York reported, and demonstrators clashed with police at the 88th police precinct where NYPD cars were vandalized and partially destroyed.

In a now-viral video, police officers in Louisville appeared to fire rubber bullets directly at a TV news reporter who were in the middle of a segment on live TV, drawing criticism from journalists who rebuked the officer for targeting the press.

Demonstrators in San Jose, California blocked traffic on a major highway.

Several hundred protesters marched to the White House in Washington D.C., prompting the White House to go on lockdown, which was eventually lifted. The protest was mainly peaceful with the exception of a few clashes with police, the Washington Post reported.

Protests are planned in several other other cities. New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Denver, Burlington, Vt., Philadelphia, Oakland, California, Dallas and Akron, Ohio.

Key background

George Floyd died after four police officers attempted to detain him for allegedly using a fake $20 bill. In a video that has since gone viral, one officer is seen pinning Floyd to the ground and continuing to kneel on his neck while Floyd yells that he can’t breathe. The officer who knelt on Floyd, Derek Chauvin, was arrested and charged with third degree murder and manslaughter on Friday after the riots broke out in the city the night before, resulting in the burning down of a Minneapolis precinct building and dozens of other businesses in the area. An active investigation into the other three officers are still ongoing and they may still be charged.


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