More than a dozen U. S. cities -- still reeling from a grim night of violent riots -- have implemented nighttime curfews in an effort to mitigate the worst of what they have seen in the days following the death of George Floyd, a black Minneapolis man who died in police custody after a white cop kneeled on his neck for more than 8 minutes.
More than 1,000 people were arrested Saturday night alone after peaceful demonstrations turned into violent -- and in some cases deadly -- riots. Meanwhile, some 5,000 National Guard members have been deployed in at least 15 states in a desperate bid to stem the mayhem, chaos and wreckage.
Attorney General William Barr said in a statement Sunday that as the rioting spreads in cities across the country, "voices of peaceful and legitimate protests have been hijacked by violent radical elements" and that they are working to "pursue their own separate, violent, and extremist agenda."
"It is time to stop watching the violence and to confront and stop it. The continued violence and destruction of property endangers the lives and livelihoods of others, and interferes with the rights of peaceful protesters, as well as all other citizens," Barr said.
Barr said the violence "instigated and carried out by Antifa and other similar groups" in connection with the rioting is "domestic terrorism and will be treated accordingly.”
"It also undercuts the urgent work that needs to be done – through constructive engagement between affected communities and law enforcement leaders – to address legitimate grievances," the attorney general said. "Preventing reconciliation and driving us apart is the goal of these radical groups, and we cannot let them succeed."
At Tony K’s Shoe Store in Los Angeles, owner Alan Kokozian said his entire product stock was either stolen or damaged after violent riots in the nation's second-largest city.
Kokozian said he was hit in the head with a flying bottle as he pleaded with looters to spare his establishment Saturday evening.
“This was not a political protest. This was basically a bunch of thieves getting together taking advantage of a situation,” Kokozian said Sunday as he surveyed the hole in his roof caused by fire.
In New York City, the NYPD said at least 345 people were arrested and at least 47 police vehicles damaged or destroyed during the incidents on Saturday. A total of 33 police officers were also injured. In Beverly Hills, Calif., shops along the storied Rodeo Drive were looted as a crowd estimated at more than 2,000 people chanted "Eat the rich!'
The protests were sparked by the May 25 death of George Floyd, a black man who died after a Minneapolis cop, Derek Chauvin, was seen kneeling on his neck in a viral video.
Chauvin has been fired and charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter, and the U. S. Justice Department is investigating the case.
Crowds across the nation have seized on the racially charged incident to demand justice, but the protests have turned increasingly violent, culminating in a weekend of carnage.
“We’re sick of it. The cops are out of control,” protester Olga Hall told the Associated Press during a demonstration in Washington, D. C. “They’re wild. There’s just been too many dead boys.”
In New York, a woman was charged Saturday with attempted murder after allegedly throwing a Molotov cocktail into a police squad car in Brooklyn. Cars were set ablaze in the borough, and in Manhattan's usually peaceful Union Square, where cops squared off against protesters late into the night.
Protesters turned violent after a video circulated online showing an NYPD SUV ramming into a group of protesters in Brooklyn.
Mayor Bill de Blasio said Sunday that city police showed “tremendous restraint overall," but he said was concerned about video showing two police cruisers lurching into a crowd of demonstrators on a Brooklyn street. He was appointing two city officials to conduct an independent review of how the protests unfolded and how they were handled by the police.
“We all better get back to the humanity here,” de Blasio said at a briefing. “The protesters are human beings. They need to be treated with tremendous respect. The police officers are human beings. They need to be treated with tremendous respect.”
These were other notable events from Saturday into Sunday:
* California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency for Los Angeles County as hundreds of looters converged on downtown stores and clashed with cops. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti announced a curfew for Saturday night after 500 people were arrested and five police officers were hurt as protests turned violent.
* Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot imposed a curfew from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. after hundreds of protesters gathered at Federal Plaza for a demonstration organized by Black Lives Matter. Police cars were set ablaze and covered with anti-cop graffiti and demonstrators were reportedly arrested near Trump Tower. Four people were shot, one fatally, during protests Saturday in downtown Chicago, FOX32 reported.
* Some 13 Philadelphia police officers were injured and more than a dozen people arrested as cars were burned and businesses vandalized before midnight. Mayor Jim Kenney implemented a mandatory citywide curfew starting at 8 p.m. and lasting until 6 a.m.Sunday.
* In Indianapolis, two people were shot and killed as protests morphed into mob violence, according to Police Chief Randal Taylor.
* In Denver, a car rammed into a police vehicle, "severely" injuring three officers and a civilian and rioters armed with crowbars, baseball bats, assault rifles and handguns attacked cops and peaceful protesters, according to Police Chief Paul Pazen.
* Washington Gov. Jay Inslee activated 200 National Guard members after rioting in Seattle intensified. After protesters shut down Interstate 5 through central Seattle, police used flash bangs and pepper spray to scatter them.
Violent protests, vandalism, and riots were reported in dozens of other cities.
Damage to police vehicles and assaults against law enforcement officers Saturday night prompted San Francisco Mayor London Breed to call for an immediate curfew until 5 a.m. local time -- and to request that California National Guard personnel be placed on standby.
"What we are seeing tonight -- the violence, the vandalism and the crimes being committed in our city, not against property but against other people -- that is something that we will not tolerate," Breed said, according to FOX 2 of the Bay Area.
"What we are seeing tonight -- the violence, the vandalism and the crimes being committed in our city, not against property but against other people -- that is something that we will not tolerate."
Across the bay in Emeryville, a popular shopping destination, looters appeared to be running rampant, smashing windows, and stealing items from popular stores including Best Buy, BevMo, and Urban Outfitters, according to the report.
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