Cities rocked by violent riots

MINNEAP2LIS — America’s cities boarded up windows, swept up glass and covered graffiti Sunday after another night of rioting.

The turbulence sparked by the death of *eorge )loyd — who died after being pinned under the knee of a Minneapolis police officer — shook not only the streets of New

Rioting, looting and violence erupted in major cities, with police vehicles torched, stores emptied and objects hurled at officers. Police were mostly ordered to stand down, though at times responded by firing tear gas and rubber bullets.

³It only hurts the cause,´ said Danielle 2utlaw, head of the police force in Philadelphia, where more than

people were arrested as fires and looting engulfed Center City.

The scale of the riots, sweeping from coast to coast and unfolding on a single night, rivaled the historic demonstrations of the civil rights and 9ietnam :ar eras.

Curfews were imposed in major cities around the U.S., including Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, San )rancisco and Seattle. About

, National *uard soldiers and airmen were activated in states and :ashington, D.C.

In Minneapolis, the city where the looting and arson began, police, state troopers and National *uard members moved in soon after an 8 p.m. curfew took effect Saturday to break up mobs. The show of force came after three days in which police

largely avoided engaging looters and arsonists. The state has now poured more than 4,000 National Guard troops into Minneapolis. Authorities said that number would soon rise to nearly 11,000.

Dozens of additional protests were under way or expected on Sunday, from Miami to Kansas City to San Francisco. Sparks of crime followed.

In Philadelphia, looters robbed stores in broad daylight, and at least one more police vehicle was set ablaze. Streets leading downtown were closed. Chicago likewise restricted downtown access and called in the National Guard.

At the Minneapolis intersection where Floyd was killed, people gathered with

brooms and flowers, saying it was important to protect what they called a “sacred space.” The intersection was blocked with the traffic cones while a ring of flowers was laid out.

Among those descending on Minneapolis was Michael Brown Sr., the father of Michael Brown, who was shot while assaulting a police officer in 2014.

“I understand what this family is feeling. I understand what this community is feeling,” he said.

County Commissioner Angela Conley said the demonstrations and confrontations with police would continue until the other three officers who were at the scene when Floyd was pinned down are arrested and prosecuted. The officer who put his knee on Floyd’s neck, Derek Chauvin, was charged last week with murder. All four officers have been fired.

“We’ll continue to have this militarized presence in our community until justice is done,” Conley said.

In tweets Sunday, Trump blamed anarchists and the media for fueling the violence. Attorney General William Barr pointed a finger at “far left extremist” groups. Police chiefs and politicians around the country accused outsiders of coming in and causing the problems.

Protesters set fires inside Reno’s city hall, and police launched tear gas at rock-throwing demonstrators in Fargo, North Dakota. In Salt Lake City, demonstrators flipped a police car and lit it on fire. Police said six people were arrested and an officer was injured after being struck in the head with a baseball bat.

By Sunday, the fury had spread to Europe, where thousands gathered in London’s Trafalgar Square, clapping

and waving placards despite government rules barring crowds because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In New York, a video showed two police cruisers lurching into a crowd of demonstrators who were pushing a barricade against one of them and pelting it with objects. Several people were knocked to the ground. It was unclear if anyone was hurt.

In Indianapolis, two people were reported dead in bursts of downtown violence, adding to deaths reported in Detroit and Minneapolis in recent days.

On Sunday, maintenance crews near the White House worked to replace windows that had been shattered with large pieces of wood. The damaged buildings included the Department of Veterans Affairs, directly across the street from the White House.

Some leaders prepared

to put more soldiers in the streets. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp authorized the deployment of up to 3,000 National Guard troops to Athens, Savannah and any other cities where more demonstrations were planned. Kemp had already approved up to 1,500 Guardsmen to help enforce a 9 p.m. Saturday curfew in Atlanta.

This week’s unrest recalled the riots in Los Angeles nearly 30 years ago after the acquittal of the white police officers who beat Rodney King, a black motorist who had led them on a highspeed chase. The protests of Floyd’s killing have gripped many more cities, but the losses have yet to approach the staggering totals LA saw during five days of rioting in 1992, when more than 60 people died, 2,000-plus were injured and thousands arrested, with property damage topping $1 billion.