Mostly peaceful daytime protests over the death of George Floyd continued across the country on Saturday and turned violent in Chicago as the nation braced for another night of violence.
Crowds of thousands gathered in the Harlem section of Manhattan, Philadelphia, Chicago and at least 35 other cities on Saturday afternoon, chanting slogans and listening to speeches.
Outside of the Daley Center in downtown Chicago, tensions erupted before 4pm local time, as demonstrators clashed with police and fired off bottle rockets.
There were reports of vandals with hammers trying to smash the windows of the Daley Center, the home to the Cook County Circuit Courts. The crowd marched toward nearby Trump Tower, where protesters tried to smash the windows of police cars and threw barricades, according to police scanner traffic.
On Friday night, Minneapolis saw its worst night of arson, looting and vandalism yet, as protests in more than 30 cities spilled over into violence and clashes with police.
In a tweet on Saturday, President Donald Trump warned: ‘Crossing State lines to incite violence is a FEDERAL CRIME! Liberal Governors and Mayors must get MUCH tougher or the Federal Government will step in and do what has to be done, and that includes using the unlimited power of our Military and many arrests.’
He added the claim that ‘80% of the RIOTERS in Minneapolis last night were from OUT OF STATE.’
‘They are harming businesses (especially African American small businesses), homes, and the community of good, hardworking Minneapolis residents who want peace, equality, and to provide for their families,’ Trump said.
New York: Protesters on the West Side Highway confronted police officers as they marched Downtown toward City Hall during protests for George Floyd on Saturday in Manhattan
Washington DC: Protesters holding banners march from Capitol Hill toward the White House during a rally against the death in Minneapolis police custody of George Floyd on Saturday
Philadelphia: G. Lamar Stewart Sr. carries his son G. Lamar Stewart Jr. as protesters over the death of George Floyd gather at City Hall on Saturday
Minneapolis: People clean up broken glass, repair windows following a night of arson, looting and violence
As the nation braced for another day of protests, residents of Minneapolis turned out with brooms and trash bags to try and clean up their city after four nights of chaos.
Widespread looting and arson cut a swath of devastation across the city, leaving a trail of rubble and broken glass.
In Minneapolis, the city where Floyd died Monday after a white police officer pressed a knee into his neck and kept it there for more than eight minutes, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz fully mobilized the state’s National Guard and promised a massive show of force to help quell unrest that has grown increasingly destructive.
‘The situation in Minneapolis is no longer in any way about the murder of George Floyd,’ Walz said. ‘It is about attacking civil society, instilling fear and disrupting our great cities.’
Minneapolis: People work to clean up outside a burned building on Saturday in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis: Even after police Officer Derek Chauvin was charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter in Floyd’s death, violence escalated in the Twin Cities
Minneapolis: People clean up broken glass, repair windows following days of mayhem and violence
Minneapolis: Residents and shopkeepers tried to pick up the pieces on Saturday as they brace for another night of protests
Minneapolis: Buildings and businesses around the Twin Cities have been looted and destroyed in the violence this week
Minneapolis: Weary residents came together on Saturday to clean up the city after rioting on Friday night
