President Donald Trump on Monday vowed to use the U.S. military to halt protests over the death of a black man in police custody, before law enforcement officers fired rubber bullets and tear gas to clear demonstrators and allow the president to walk to a church and pose for pictures.
But as darkness fell hours after the president’s remarks in the Rose Garden of the White House, violence erupted for a seventh night. Demonstrators set fire to a strip mall in Los Angeles and looted stores in New York City.
“Mayors and governors must establish an overwhelming law enforcement presence until the violence has been quelled,” Trump said. “If a city or state refuses to take the actions that are necessary to defend the life and property of their residents, then I will deploy the United States military and quickly solve the problem for them.”
However, the Democratic Governors of Nevada and Washington expressed their disagreement with Trump. Steve Sisolak (Nevada), accused Trump of inciting combativeness, stoking racial tensions, and creating division when we need unity more than ever.” He added that “as the Commander In Chief of the Nevada National Guard I can state, categorically, that they have done their duty to protect all Nevadans, and will continue to do so.”
Washington Governor Jay Inslee was harsher in his statement, saying that the President had “repeatedly proven he is incapable of governing,” and described Trump’s threats as “nothing but false bravado throughout the chaos that has accompanied his time in office.”
Following his address Trump walked from the White House through the area that had been cleared for him to nearby St. John’s Episcopal Church, where he clutched a Bible as he posed for pictures with his daughter, Ivanka, and U.S. Attorney General William Barr.
The presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church diocese in Washington D. C., Michale Curry, was among those who criticized Trump‘s use of the historic church for a photo opportunity.
“In so doing, he used a church building and the Holy Bible for partisan political purposes,” he said on Twitter. The church suffered minor fire damage during protests on Monday night.
The security forces that moved against protesters at the White House included National Guard military police, Secret Service, Department of Homeland Security police as well as District of Columbia police. The White House said it was clearing the area ahead of a curfew.
A few hours after the Washington fracas, thousands of people marched through the streets of Brooklyn, shouting “justice now!” while cars drove alongside, some drivers honking in support.
Television images showed throngs smashing windows and looting luxury stores along Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, one of the cities toniest shopping districts, before the city’s 11 p.m. curfew. Mayor Bill de Blasio said the curfew would be moved to 8 p.m. on Tuesday.
Two police officers were struck by a car at a demonstration in Buffalo, New York, on Monday night. Erie county’s chief executive Mark Poloncarz said the driver and passengers of the vehicle were believed to be in custody. It was not immediately clear if the incident was intentional.
FIRE IN HOLLYWOOD
In Hollywood, dozens of people were shown in television images looting a drug store after the front door was smashed. Windows were shattered at a nearby Starbucks and two restaurants before suspects scattered as police arrived.
Anti-police brutality marches and rallies, which have turned violent after dark each night over the last week, erupted over the death of George Floyd, a 46-year-old African American who died after a white policeman pinned his neck under a knee for nearly nine minutes.
A second autopsy ordered by Floyd’s family and released on Monday found his death was homicide by “mechanical asphyxiation,” or physical force that interfered with his oxygen supply. The report says three officers contributed to his death.
Reuters / CNN
