Daily US Times: Protests over the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, at the hands of police in Minneapolis, Minnesota, entered its eighth day across the US. One former officer was charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter — but protesters and critics believe the charge isn’t harsh enough.
They called for a better America in Los Angeles, marched by the thousands in Houston, sat in the streets in Chicago and in silence in St. Paul.
Several cities re-established curfews for Tuesday night in an attempt to stop looting of businesses and the after-hours violence.
Washington DC, New York City, Minneapolis, where Floyd died, and Philadelphia are among the cities with curfews.
A law enforcement official told that New York Police Department had arrested about 40 people as of 10 p.m., but the number expected to increase.
Protests across the world
Over the weekend, demonstrators gathered in Berlin, Auckland, and London, among other cities, to protest against police brutality in solidarity with the US crowds.
On Sunday morning, protesters in London rallied in Trafalgar Square, in defiance of Britain’s lockdown rules which prohibit large gatherings. Some participants also marched to the US embassy.
Crowds gathered in Berlin’s US embassy premises on Saturday and Sunday. People wore face masks and carried signs declaring “Justice can’t wait” and “Black lives matter”.
Activists in Paris wearing black clothing and face masks took a knee and held up signs reading “I can’t breathe,” “We are all George Floyd” and “Racism chokes us” in Paris on Monday.
Up to 10,000 people protests in Portland
According to Portland police spokesperson Michael Roberts, there are between 7,000 to 10,000 people demonstrating in Portland, Oregon today.
He said there are two main groups of protesters — one that started at Revolutionary Hall and one at Pioneer Courthouse Square.
Roberts said: “The group from Revolutionary Hall marched across the Burnside bridge to mid-span where they all laid down for a brief period.” said Roberts.
“They are continuing downtown and it had been peaceful thus far. We have not made any arrests related to this demonstration at this time,” he added.
Police response only proved the protesters’ point on police brutality
As protests over police brutality have spread across the US, reports are on the rise of officers responding with rubber bullets, chemical agents and other forceful tactics.
Police leaders say in some cases that violence in the streets leaves them with no other choice. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump has pushed for local officials to ramp up their show of force. But police critics and protesters argue that some officers are escalating tensions with their actions.
Alex Vitale, a professor of sociology at Brooklyn College who studies police response to protest, says: “They’re making the argument for the demonstrators, that American policing remains unreformed and out of control.”
Sometimes the tear gas is being fired in response to looting and violence, and sometimes protesters allege it’s being fired without provocation.
Authorities in several cities have said they’re investigating allegations and claims that some officers have used excessive force in their responses to protests.
In Atlanta, two officers were fired after police say they broke the windows of a vehicle, yanked two protesters out of the car and tased one of them.
Police in Charlotte, North Carolina, said they used chemical agents to disperse a crowd after “being assaulted with bottles, rocks, and chemical agents.”
Police confirmed one person was arrested there and they later tweeted that a protester with a rifle was also taken into custody.
“When will Governor Cuomo call the federal government for help?”
President Donald Trump tweeted about the ongoing protests in New York, saying “When will Governor Cuomo call the federal government for help?”
He described the protests as “chaos, lawlessness, and destruction.”
In Manhattan, scuffles broke out between police and protesters in the western neighborhood of Chelsea, with several protesters arrested or detained.
As violent protests continue to spread across the US over the police killing of George Floyd, President Donald Trump threatened to deploy the military if states and cities failed to quell the demonstrations.
The President said: “I am mobilizing all federal and local resources, civilian and military, to protect the rights of law-abiding Americans.”
“Today I have strongly recommended to every governor to deploy the National Guard in sufficient numbers that we dominate the streets. Mayors and governors must establish an overwhelming presence until the violence is quelled,” Trump said during a hastily arranged address at the White House on Tuesday.
You may read: Trump threatens to deploy military as George Floyd protests continue
