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MINNEAPOLIS: Hundreds of troops 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.
After the angry demonstrations spread overnight to multiple US cities, from New York to Phoenix, President Donald Trump blasted local officials and labelled the protesters “thugs” and threatened a harsh crackdown.
Black leaders continued to express outrage over the videotaped death of George Floyd, 46, while handcuffed on the ground and in custody of Minneapolis police on Monday. He died after one officer kneeled on his neck for more than five minutes.
“People are angry, they are frustrated because this is not the first police killing they have seen around the country,” Al Sharpton, a prominent black rights activist, told MSNBC.
Trump indicated he would counter more street violence with more troops on the streets.
“These THUGS are dishonoring 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 concealed that tweet, saying it violated its policy on ‘glorifying violence’.
Police station set ablaze
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 the 500 troops were being deployed on Friday morning for peacekeeping amid signs that the anger was nowhere near dissipating.
“Our troops are trained to protect life, preserve property and ensure people’s right to peacefully demonstrate,” said Major General Jon Jensen of the Minnesota National Guard.
Protests broke out in several cities across the country, including New York, where dozens of protesters were arrested; Phoenix, Memphis, and Denver.
In Louisville, Kentucky, seven people were hit by gunfire at a protest on Thursday over the death of Breonna Taylor — a black woman who was shot after police entered her home in March.
One of those wounded was in critical condition, according to the Louisville Metro Police Department. It is not yet clear who fired the shots.
Pressure mounted on Minnesota officials to arrest the four officers blamed for Floyd’s death. A video showed that after being detained on a non-violent charge of using a counterfeit banknote, Floyd was handcuffed, pinned to the ground and one officer held his knee tightly to his neck for more than five minutes until he went limp.
Published in Dawn, May 30th, 2020
