More looting was observed in several cities across the country Monday despite curfews and an enhanced National Guard presence as riots stretched into a second week following the death of a man in Minneapolis in police custody.
Looters were seen breaking into downtown businesses in Manhattan and people in Philadelphia were openly defying a 6 p.m. curfew by loitering outside police headquarters, Fox News reported.
Numerous cities have imposed curfews to stem the violence – which has included shootings, looting, the burning of cars and buildings as well as other vandalism following the death of George Floyd on Memorial Day. Floyd was arrested for trying to use a counterfeit $20 bill at a grocery store and was seen in a widely circulated video being restrained face down by an officer with his knee on Floyd’s neck beside a squad car.
Floyd later died and the officer, Derek Chauvin, has been charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
President Donald Trump on Monday said he was bringing in the military to defend the nation’s capital, where he has criticized Mayor Muriel Bowser for not doing enough to keep the peace amid the daily protests.
Police fired flash-bang grenades and rubber bullets into a crowd of protesters outside Lafayette Square, near the White House shortly before Trump spoke.
Governors in 23 states have activated 67,000 National Guard troops to support state and local law enforcement, while six states and 13 cities have declared states of emergency, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Attorney General William Barr has ordered the Federal Bureau of Prisons to dispatch riot squads to Washington and Miami in an effort to help quell the violence.