Following Sunday's outbreak of violent riots that included looting, arson, and vandalism over the murder of George Floyd at the hands of the police, a curfew was imposed in the US capital. In the wake of the riots US President Donald Trump decided to "mobilise all available federal resources - civilian and military - to stop the rioting and looting".
During a speech at the White House, Trump "strongly recommended" that every governor deploy the National Guard in numbers sufficient to "dominate the streets".
He also warned that if a city or a state refuses to do so, he will deploy the US military and "solve the problem for them".
Amid Trump's announcement on maximising the federal security presence in the city, military cars were spotted in Washington DC and police forces cordoned off areas in the US capital in order to prevent further escalation.
Police cordon off area in Washington DC as curfew in the capital begins at 7 p.m.#GeorgeFloyd pic.twitter.com/Lcu6btw0jA
— Sputnik (@SputnikInt) June 2, 2020
One of the actions undertaken by Trump in order to restore order was the deployment of the military police on the streets.
Military police cordon off area in Washington DC during curfew amid George Floyd police brutality protests#GeorgeFloyd pic.twitter.com/Fph5XrZSxw
— Sputnik (@SputnikInt) June 2, 2020
Social media users have shared videos of military forces gathering in Washington DC, protecting monuments, sites, and cordoning off areas engulfed by the previous day's riots.
Military and law enforcement protecting the monuments. @ABC7News pic.twitter.com/oAPm516BhB
— Tim Barber (@ABC7TimBarber) June 2, 2020
Quiet tonight.
— Tim Barber (@ABC7TimBarber) June 2, 2020
Big difference from last couple nights. pic.twitter.com/eKVF9nYdJK
A video of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs assessing the military presence in the city was also shared on social media.
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs assessing the military presence. @ABC7News pic.twitter.com/BXW4EuS0nF
— Tim Barber (@ABC7TimBarber) June 2, 2020
Riots and Looting Continue in US
Other regions of the country also faced a new day of protests. In New York, stores on Madison Avenue were looted, in a scene described by social media users as "very tough", while in St Louis, protesters attacked local police, hurling firecrackers and bottles at law enforcement.
#BREAKING: #looting has started on Madison Avenue. At least one store hit. Very tense scene with huge @NYPD19Pct presence. #abc7ny pic.twitter.com/yugmc4xI1P
— Josh Einiger (@JoshEiniger7) June 2, 2020
#BREAKING - protesters launching firecrackers and bottles at police SLMPD HQ in #STL - the smoke in this video is from a firecracker pic.twitter.com/DeYlF9QpVx
— Jenna Barnes (@Jenna_Barnes) June 2, 2020
Law enforcement also showed up during a looting incident on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles, as rioters broke into a Rite Aid store.
#BREAKING: SUNSET BLVD LOOTING
— LIVE Protest Feed - Cam Grey 👽🛸🖤🌊 (@camerongrey) June 2, 2020
Police show up while #looting is happening at a Ride Aid #sunsetprotest #LosAngelesProtest #georgefloyd🖤 #TheGeorgeFloydProtestThread pic.twitter.com/yVnXuoNm61
Another video showed arson occurring near an apartment building in Van Nuys, California.
Arson occurring in Van Nuys near an apartment building at a local business pic.twitter.com/3n53icq5iX
— Acyn Torabi (@Acyn) June 2, 2020
The protests across the US were sparked by what the Hennepin County medical examiner on Moday determined was the homicide of George Floyd, an African American resident of Minneapolis, killed by police officer Derek Chauvin. As confirmed by the official autopsy results, it was asphyxia that caused his death due to Chauvin pressing his knee into Floyd's neck for nearly ten minutes.
