TROOPS DEPLOYED IN UNITED STATES
Police officer arrested over black man’s custody death
MINNEAPOLIS, US: Hundreds of troops were deployed to the streets of Minneapolis and St Paul on Friday after a third night of rioting over police brutality against African-Americans left hundreds of shops damaged and a police station on fire.
Angry demonstrations spread overnight to multiple US cities, from New York to Phoenix.
Hours later, the Minneapolis policeman who was seen on video clip kneeling on the neck of George Floyd, a 46-year-old handcuffed black man who died in custody on Monday after pleading that he couldn’t breathe, was arrested.
Public safety commissioner John Harrington said state investigators arrested police officer Derek Chauvin.
Earlier in the day, US President Donald Trump blasted local officials, called the protestors “thugs” and threatened a harsh crackdown.
Trump indicated he would counter more street violence with more troops on the streets.
“These THUGS are dishonouring the memory of George Floyd, and I won’t let that happen,” Trump tweeted. “Just spoke to Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and told him that the military is with him all the way. Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts.” Twitter hid that tweet, saying it violated its policy against glorifying violence.
Overnight, demonstrators broke through law enforcement barriers to overtake the Minneapolis police station where the four officers blamed for Floyd’s death were based. A fire broke out and soon became an inferno that engulfed the structure.
The state’s national guard announced that 500 troops were being deployed on Friday.
The Minnesota State Patrol arrested a CNN television crew as the channel’s journalists were reporting on the unrest.
Protests broke out in several cities, including Memphis, Denver, Louisville and Albuquerque.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz called on Friday for an end to the violent protests that have rocked Minneapolis and said he expected “swift” justice for the police officers involved.
Walz also promised a reckoning with the racial inequities behind the unrest, but said that first the state’s National Guard would work to restore order following three nights of arson and looting in Minneapolis.
A group of about 10 protesters had gathered near a Florida town home that belongs to the Minneapolis policeman who had knelt on Floyd’s neck. Protesters gathered after social media posts that listed the address of Chauvin in the community of address Windermere outside Orlando.
They were seen carrying signs saying, “He said I can’t breathe. Justice for George.”