On Monday, an unarmed and non-resisting George Floyd was killed by Police officers and has since set in motion a host of protests in the Minneapolis. The protests have since turned violent which have seen a Police station burnt down.
Previously, the protesters were just looting malls and supermarkets but this has since changed as they have now turned completely violent and has resulted in burning of high profile places.
President Donald Trump called the protesters “thugs” in one of his tweets earlier in the day and claimed that the protesters were dishonoring the memory of George Floyd.
Mr. Floyd’s family has demanded that the four police officers implicated in his death face murder charges. Prosecutors have said they are still gathering evidence.
AÂ journalist from CNN, Omar Jimenez, and his camera crew were arrested live on air by Minnesota state police officers on Friday morning, apparently, because they did not move on when instructed. The team was released an hour later after the governor apologized for the arrest.
With so many people joining the BlackLivesMatter movement across the US, there have also been demonstrations in other US cities, including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Denver, Phoenix, and Memphis.
Protests Getting Violent in Minneapolis after Killing of George Floyd by Police Officers
After a host of tweets the president made in regards to what is happening in Minneapolis, Twitter accused Mr. Trump of glorifying violence in a post that said: “When the looting starts, the shooting starts.”
On Thursday, protesters gathered outside the police department’s 3rd Precinct, the epicenter of the unrest. Officers fired tear gas and rubber bullets in an attempt to disperse the crowd. But the cordon around the police station, which is near where Mr. Floyd died, was breached by protesters, who set fire to it and two other nearby buildings as the officers withdrew.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said there had been no choice but to evacuate the police station, adding: “The symbolism of a building cannot outweigh the importance of life, of our officers or the public. “He called the unrest “unacceptable”, but recognized there was “a lot of pain and anger”.
He spoke after a tweet from Mr. Trump blamed Thursday’s violence on a “lack of leadership” in Minneapolis and warned that he would send in the National Guard and “get the job done right” if Mr. Frey failed to restore order.
National Guard personnel are normally under state control, although they can be put under federal control in emergencies.
Also read:Â Trump Signs Controversial Social Media Executive Order
