U.S. cities brace for another violent night as protesters rage against police brutality

MINNEAPOLIS (Reuters) - Dozens of U. S. cities on Sunday were bracing for another night of unrest after cleaning up streets strewn with broken glass and burned out cars as curfews failed to quell confrontations between protesters and police.

What started as peaceful protests over the death of a black man gasping for breath as a white Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck have become a wave of outrage sweeping a politically and racially divided nation. Protesters are flooding streets after weeks of lockdowns due to the coronavirus pandemic, which has seen millions thrown out of work and has disproportionately affected minority communities.

As demonstrators broke windows and started fires, police fired rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse crowds in many cities. In some cases, non-violent bystanders and members of the media were targeted.

In one video from Minneapolis, a National Guard Humvee rolls down a residential street followed by what appear to be police officers wearing tactical gear. One officer orders residents to go inside, then yells “light ‘em up” before shooting projectiles at residents on their front porch. The city’s curfew allows people to be outside on their private property.

In New York City, police arrested about 350 people overnight and 30 officers suffered minor injuries. Mayor Bill de Blasio said police conduct was being investigated, including widely shared videos showing a police sports utility vehicle in Brooklyn lurching forward into a crowd of protesters who were pelting the car with debris.

De Blasio said he had not seen another video showing an officer pulling down the mask of a black protester who had his hands in the air, then spraying a substance in his face.

The closely packed crowds and many demonstrators not wearing masks sparked fears of a resurgence of COVID-19, which has killed more than 100,000 Americans.

Violence spread overnight despite curfews in several major cities rocked by civil unrest in recent days, including Atlanta, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Denver, Cincinnati, Portland, Oregon, and Louisville, Kentucky.

Protests also flared in Chicago, Seattle, Salt Lake City, Cleveland, and Dallas, where rioters were seen on video beating a store owner who chased them with a large machete or sword. Police said on Sunday that the man was in a stable condition.

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