Donald Trump threatened Monday to deploy the U.S. military unless states quickly end violent protests
Washington:
Protesters defied curfews across the United States on Tuesday as leaders rushed to stem anger at police racism while President Donald Trump rejected criticism of his use of force to break up a rally peaceful.
Clashes between police and protesters continued into the night in cities from New York to Los Angeles following the death of George Floyd, an unarmed African-American man whose murder resulted in the generation of protests in the country over the past week.
But there were fewer reports of the looting and violence that had embittered the street protests the previous nights.
Tens of thousands gathered earlier in Houston to pay tribute to Floyd, who grew up in the city of Texas and is to be buried there next week.
“Today we’re talking about the family of George Floyd – we want them to know that George is not in vain,” said Mayor Sylvester Turner to approximately 60,000 people.
Roxie Washington, in tears, the mother of Floyd’s six-year-old daughter said at a press conference that she wanted “justice for him because he was good.”
“No matter what anyone thinks, it was good.”
In New York, which extended its first curfew since World War II for the entire week on Tuesday, AFP journalists saw hundreds of people refuse to return home after the 8:00 p.m. break, chanting slogans and peacefully roaming the streets of Manhattan and Brooklyn.
Protesters trying to cross the Manhattan Bridge were trapped there for a long time by police on both sides, but were eventually allowed to return to Brooklyn, according to a New York Times reporter at the scene.
Mayor Bill de Blasio told CNN he was “much quieter” a day after looting several luxury stores in Manhattan, praising the “increased presence” of police on the streets.
Minnesota has taken one of the first concrete steps to address the grievances behind the uprising, which began after Floyd’s death on May 25 in the state’s largest city, Minneapolis.
The state has launched a Minneapolis Police Department civil rights investigation into 10 years of “systemic discriminatory practices”, Governor Tim Walz tweeted.
Former President George W. Bush called on the United States to examine its “tragic failures” and to “listen to the voices of so many injured and mourners.”
And in Los Angeles, one of dozens of cities affected by the unrest, the police and the mayor Eric Garcetti fell on their knees in a symbolic act of solidarity when they met walkers led by African-American Christian groups.
“A black face should not be condemned to die, to be homeless, to be sick, to be underemployed, to be undereducated,” Garcetti told them, inviting leaders to the hotel. of town for a discussion on the problem.
But protesters gathered outside Garcetti’s residence late in the evening. An AFP journalist saw a group of at least 200 people refuse to disperse, then was arrested.
“People liked my walk”
In Washington DC, thousands of people returned to the streets on Tuesday for a peaceful “Black Lives Matter” march.
A few hours after the 7:00 p.m. curfew, protesters could be heard chanting as National Guard troops stood in the streets near the White House and helicopters hovered overhead. Broadcast images show police firing tear gas soon after midnight, but the overall situation appears calm.
“I’m just tired, basically, of being afraid of the police, of not getting justice,” said Jada Wallace, an 18-year-old protester outside the White House who said she was ready to risk l ‘arrest.
At the same location on Monday, federal police brutally opened tear gas and fired rubber bullets to break a nonviolent protest, paving the way for Trump to walk outside for a photo shoot in a damaged historic church the night before .
The move was strongly condemned by religious leaders, the president’s political rivals and onlookers across the country.
But Trump, who rejected the traditional presidential role of healer, expressed his joy on Twitter about the response in Washington and accused the New York leadership – led by rival Democratic Party – of succumbing to “Lowlife & Scum” .
“Overwhelming force. Domination,” he wrote, adding, “Washington, D.C., was the safest place on earth last night!”
He threw back the criticism later on Twitter, writing, “You were wrong! If the protesters were so peaceful, why did they light the burning church the day before? People liked my walk.”
“Despicable looters”
Joe Biden, Trump’s presumed democratic rival in the November elections, denounced the crackdown as an abuse of power and promised, if elected, to fight “systemic racism” in the country.
“Donald Trump has turned this country into a battlefield filled with old resentments and new fears,” said Biden in a speech in Philadelphia, also struck by violence.
The U.S. has also faced unusual, albeit polite, criticism from some international allies, including Germany, Britain and Australia.
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas called the anti-racism protests “understandable and more than legitimate”.
“I hope these peaceful protests do not turn into violence, but more importantly, I hope they will make a difference in the United States,” Maas told reporters.
A Las Vegas officer was “in serious condition” on Tuesday after being shot during overnight protests. An armed Hispanic man was shot dead by police after lifting his weapon in a separate and close incident.
Four officers were also killed overnight in Saint-Louis. None of the injuries were fatal.
But a retired police captain from St Louis was shot dead Tuesday morning outside a ransacked store.
Trump tweeted that David Dorn, who was black, was “brutally shot and killed by vile looters”.
(This story has not been edited by GalacticGaming staff and is automatically generated from a syndicated feed.)
