The United States had to lock down many cities and mobilize the National Guard to deal with protesters.
Widespread protests following the death of George Floyd have forced many US cities to issue curfews, lockdowns and mobilize the National Guard.
Protests have erupted in cities across the United States in response to the death of George Floyd, a black man, at the hands of a white Minneapolis police officer. Major cities such as Minneapolis, Atlanta, Seattle, Los Angeles, Columbus and several others have imposed curfews in response to growing unrest caused by the protests. Governors in Minnesota, Georgia, Ohio and Kentucky have also mobilized the National Guard to stabilize the situation.
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| Protests in Atlanta, Georgia, USA on May 29 following the death of George Floyd. Photo: Anadolu Agency |
US President Donald Trump and the Pentagon said federal forces are ready to be deployed to Minnesota if requested.
Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan announced on the evening of May 30 (local time) that she would sign an emergency order to impose a curfew in the city starting at 5 p.m. after protests turned violent in the city. The curfew will be in effect until 5 a.m.
Images on social media showed burned cars, broken windows and chaos in parts of Seattle as protesters clashed with police.
Protests also escalated for the fourth consecutive day in Los Angeles, where protesters set police cars on fire in protest of Floyd's death. Mayor Eric Garcetti announced a mandatory curfew from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. Atlanta Mayor Keisha Bottoms followed suit, imposing a curfew starting at 9 p.m. after violent clashes between police and protesters. The Atlanta Police Department said 70 people were arrested, 20 department vehicles were destroyed, and three officers were injured.
A day earlier, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp declared a state of emergency in Fulton County and mobilized 500 National Guardsmen at the request of the area's mayor.
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine also had to mobilize the National Guard to "help protect the citizens of Ohio" after clashes in Columbus. Columbus police closed roads in the city indefinitely. Residents who go out will have to show ID. In addition, a curfew has been imposed from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. the following morning, starting the night of May 30.
President Trump has called the death of George Floyd a "great tragedy" that has "filled Americans across this country with horror, anger and grief."
Mr Trump said he had asked Attorney General William Barr to conduct a civil rights investigation into Mr Floyd's death. State and federal authorities are also investigating charges against three police officers involved in the man's death.
Earlier, the US leader said the federal government could intervene using what he called "unlimited military power." The president also made a controversial statement earlier when he wrote: "When the looting starts, the shooting starts." Twitter posted a public notice on this tweet of Mr. Trump, saying that the above statement violated the regulations of the social networking site because it encouraged violence./.
