Violence erupted in dozens of cities across the United States Friday as protests over the death of George Floyd, a black man in Minneapolis, at the hands of a white police officer continued, prompting the president to put the Army on standby in Georgia and Washington D.C.
Atlanta
Up to 500 National Guard troops have been deployed to Atlanta to help law enforcement contain the violent protests that rocked the city, Gov. Brian Kemp announced early Saturday, while also declaring a state of emergency for Fulton County.
The city’s mayor made an impassioned plea to looters and rioters who left parts of Atlanta in tatters, telling them: “This is not a protest.”
“This is not in the spirit of Martin Luther King Jr. This is chaos,” said Mayor Keisha Bottoms. “A protest has purpose. When Dr. King was assassinated, we didn’t do this to our city. If you care about this city, then go home.”
Atlanta’s demonstrations turned fiery as crowds stormed CNN’s headquarters, hurling a small explosive at police as the network covered the protest live.
The fireworks-like incendiary device was tossed at officers manning a barricade at the front entrance of the building.
Demonstrators also broke the windows to the building’s first floor and covered its facade with anti-police graffiti.
A police car was set ablaze as protesters mounted the CNN logo and raised a “Black Lives Matter” flag.
Houston
Protesters were tear-gassed in downtown Houston Friday night as protests turned destructive.
A large throng of demonstrators splintered off into violent factions, with some blocking highway entrances and throwing objects at police, the Houston Chronicle reported.
Crowds chanted “I can’t breathe” and “No justice, no peace” as they marched to City Hall.
Police outside the building fired off tear-gas canisters after police cars near the government building were vandalized. Several arrests were made but no injuries were reported late Friday night, according to the Chronicle.
San Jose
Hundreds of protesters shut down a five-lane section of US 101 in San Jose by sitting down on the highway — just in time to bring the evening rush hour to a standstill.
Marchers began their protest at San Jose City Hall, where after three hours police resorted to jabbing people with batons and shooting tear-gas canisters to disperse the crowds, the San Jose Mercury News reported.
Once at the highway, protesters blocked traffic in both directions.
Some people in the group attacked vehicles on the freeway, breaking their windows with bats and rocks, NBC’s Bay Area affiliate reported.
Protests continued into Friday night.
At least three dumpsters were set alight near Santa Clara Street at 7 p.m. local time, the Mercury News reported.
Some police began firing rubber bullets at protesters, who lobbed water bottles and other refuse back.
Fontana and Los Angeles
Nine protesters were under arrest in Fontana, Calif., on Friday, after peaceful a peaceful demonstration devolved into a rock-throwing free-for-all that left multiple buildings damaged — including the City Hall, where windows were broken.
Officers in the city of 215,000 citizens, which is located 50 miles east of Los Angeles, responded with tear gas.
Protests erupted Friday night throughout southern California. In downtown Los Angeles, protesters were seen vandalizing property and confronting police, KABC TV News reported.
Some protesters streamed onto the northbound lanes of the 110 Freeway, sitting down to stop traffic.
California Highway Patrol shut down traffic in both directions while trying to clear out the protesters.
Washington, D.C
The White House was placed on lockdown by the Secret Service for about an hour on Friday night due to surging crowds outside the gates protesting the Minneapolis police-custody death of George Floyd.
The lockdown was lifted at around 8:30 p.m. after hundreds of protesters left and marched next to the Trump International Hotel, where they continued chants of “I can’t breathe” and “Black lives matter,” according to multiple news reports.
One woman was taken into custody by the Secret Service after she climbed over a barrier, NBC in Washington reported.
Other protesters reportedly kicked down barriers near the White House’s north lawn and threw bottles and cans at officers on Pennsylvania Avenue — and at least two American flags were doused with lighter fluid and set ablaze, WTOP News reported.
Dallas
Protesters looted businesses and smashed windows in downtown Dallas and Fort Ellum, Texas, according to NBCDFW.
A small group of demonstrators appeared to break off from a larger group, wreaking havoc and seriously damaging at least four cop cars.
Seattle
Violence flared in Seattle, where marchers chanted “Black lives matter” and “George Floyd” as they broke windows, hurled debris at officers and set off fireworks, according to the Seattle Times.
No serious injuries were reported, though video posted to Twitter showed an officer striking an apparent protester with a baton.
Richmond, Va.
In Richmond, Virginia, a police cruiser was set on fire outside Richmond police headquarters, and a city transit spokeswoman said a bus set ablaze was “a total loss,” news outlets reported.