The White House was placed under lockdown on Friday evening as thousands of protesters in Washington, DC converged on the presidential mansion demanding justice for Minneapolis man George Floyd, whose death earlier this week at the hands of police has sparked riots in the Minnesota capital and protests across the country.
On Monday evening, Floyd, a 45-year-old black man, was stopped and arrested by several Minneapolis Police Department officers on suspicion of having tried to pay for groceries with a counterfeit bill. When he was tackled to the ground, one white officer, Derek Chauvin, placed his knee on Floyd’s neck for several minutes, after which he died.
Their march began at the intersection of U St. and 14th St. Northwest, two major thoroughfares that meet in front of the Municipal Center, where they chanted “racist police have got to go” and “I can’t breathe,” echoing Floyd’s final words heard in the graphic video of his death that sparked the protests.
Demonstrators maintained social distancing in line with DC advisories about public gatherings and according to communications by organizers prior to the protest. However, the heavy police presence described the situation as “fluid,” leaving it unclear if they would act to shut it down or not.
Chauvin’s arrest followed several days of protests in Minneapolis that snowballed into riots as protesters smashed, then torched the police station where Chauvin was based and proceeded to loot several stores. Other buildings have also been burned, and Minneapolis Governor Tim Walz dispatched at least 500 Minnesota National Guardsmen to the city to restore order.
Earlier in the day, US President Donald Trump said in a tweet flagged by Twitter for promoting violence that “when the looting starts, the shooting starts.”
Sourse: sputniknews.com
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