Thousands of demonstrators took to a knee in the grass outside the US Capitol on Tuesday, chanting “silence is violence” and “no justice, no peace,” just before a government-imposed curfew as rallies against police brutality swelled in major cities.
The throng at the capitol then stood up and chanted “take a knee” and “who do you protect?” as officers faced them.
Evening curfews were ordered in dozens of cities following a week of protests over the death of 46-year-old George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody. Largely peaceful during the day, the crowds have erupted into vandalism, arson and looting after dark.
But Trump’s vow to end the protests and curfews have so far had little effect in dampening the violence that has broken out after dark.
On Tuesday protesters in several cities massed peacefully in large numbers, including in Los Angeles, Washington and Philadelphia.
In New York City, thousands held an orderly march up 86th Street, chanting and holding signs saying “no justice, no peace” and “say his name, George Floyd,” followed by a silent vigil.
In Floyd’s hometown of Houston, thousands gathered for a march organized by his friends and family.
On Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles, hundreds of people filled the street from curb to curb. Others gathered outside Los Angeles Police Department headquarters, in some cases hugging and shaking hands with a line of officers outside.
Los Angeles was the scene of violent riots in the spring of 1992, following the acquittal of four policemen charged in the beating of black motorist Rodney King, that saw more than 60 people killed and estimates of $1 billion in damage.
Floyd died after a white policeman pinned his neck under a knee for nearly nine minutes in Minneapolis on May 25, reigniting the explosive issue of police brutality against African Americans. A painful reexamination of race relations has swept the country five months before a divided America votes in a presidential election.
The officer who knelt on Floyd, 44-year-old Derek Chauvin, has been charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. Three other officers involved were fired but not yet charged.
In Minneapolis, Roxie Washington, mother of Floyd’s 6-year-old daughter, Gianna, told a news conference he was a good man. “I want everybody to know that this is what those officers took from me….,” she said, sobbing. “Gianna does not have a father. He will never see her grow up, graduate.”
Police In Other Cities Face Charges
The head of the US National Guard said on Tuesday 18 000 Guard members were assisting local law enforcement in 29 states.
Lawmakers and law enforcement officials seemed stunned by mayhem overnight when police in some cities faced gunfire, rocks and projectiles from hostile crowds.
Demonstrators smashed windows and looted luxury stores on tony Fifth Avenue in New York, and set fire to a Los Angeles strip mall. Four police officers were shot in St. Louis and one in Las Vegas who was critically wounded, authorities said.
Trump has threatened to use the military to battle violence that has erupted nightly, often after a day of peaceful protests. He has derided local authorities, including state governors, for their response to the disturbances.
The protests come on the heels of lockdowns to prevent spread of the novel coronavirus which hit African Americans disproportionately with high numbers of cases and job losses.
