‘George Floyd’ protests were largely peaceful in New York City by day, although by the time dark had descended upon the Big Apple, violence had once again begun to reassert itself over the mobs.
Mostly white demonstrators marched through the Brooklyn neighborhoods of Williamsburg and Greenpoint on Sunday afternoon, chanting “No Justice, No Peace,” “Black Lives Matter!” and “George Floyd! Say His Name!”
Remember the funeral a few weeks ago that triggered and ? This was the same spot an hour ago on Bedford Ave in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. pic.twitter.com/7ihrRxYXRx
— OJPAC (@OJPAC)
Most of the marchers in the group, which were peaceful, orderly and in good control, were white and appeared to be striding briskly up Bedford Avenue, where a number of Satmar Chassidic Jews live, along with others from related Chassidic groups.
A very peaceful protest down Bedford Ave in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York today. Right on my front door. pic.twitter.com/0OFbGjbJmH
— MichaelJohnWilliams (@TheOpenMike)
Larger protests were at the Barclays Center, Grand Army Plaza and Prospect Park in Brooklyn, according to 1010 WINS, in addition to several locations in Manhattan such as Union Square, Bryant Park and the East Village.
Other protests had taken place throughout the city during the day, including two near the Crown Heights section, home to the Lubavitch Chassidic Jewish community.
As of 5:30 p.m. local time, current New York City protest locations include:
– Flushing Meadows Park
– Barclays Center
– Bryant Park
– Union Square
– Grand Army Plaza
– McCarren Park
– Herald Square
– Fort Tyron Park
– Prospect Park
– Williamsburg Bridge— US Protests: News & Updates (@USAProtests)
On Saturday night there were violent riots at the edge of Crown Heights near the beginning of the Flatbush/Kensington neighborhood, with “protesters” torching police cars, dumpsters and whatever else they could get their hands on.
On Bedford and Church Ave pic.twitter.com/plFc9OX32Z
— Gayathri Yadlapalli (@gsyadlapalli)
That violence had been echoing across more than 75 cities coast to coast since George Floyd had died in custody during a May 25 arrest by white Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin.
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During the arrest, Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck for a total of eight minutes and 46 seconds, out of which Floyd was unresponsive for two minutes and 53 seconds, according to the criminal complaint filed against Chauvin, who was fired and now faced charges of third-degree murder and manslaughter.
Within hours, Minneapolis had gone up in flames, and less than 24 hours later, a dozen cities had followed. A day later, police in dozens of cities coast to coast were struggling to maintain law and order as rioting began to take hold nationwide.
Thousands of protesters gathered in New York City’s iconic Times Square as night began to fall Sunday evening, the fourth day of protests and violence after Floyd’s death.
Demonstrators gather in New York City's Times Square as protests erupt across the United States over the death of George Floyd. https://t.co/J0KK16OajE pic.twitter.com/RUPXQmipO3
— ABC News (@ABC)
Demonstrators marked the start of evening with a moment of silence, some with raised fists. Some police officers joined them at scattered venues, and there were police officers who even took a knee to join protesters in solidarity over the death of George Floyd.
But the situation began to heat up in the East Flatbush neighborhood of Brooklyn, as “protesters” began once again to transform into rioters, targeting police in their rage.
this is just horrific https://t.co/evOULlH5UW
— Lor (@Loe224477)
The same changes began to take place with other protests around the borough of Brooklyn, and peaceful events that had taken place during the day gradually gave way to the rage of the night.
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It’s not yet clear whether the violence was is instigated by locals or by out-of-town actors, as some people have maintained. It is clear, however, that in a number of cases, antifa demonstrators are involved in whipping up rioters into a frenzy and igniting violence against protesters as well as police.
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President Donald Trump announced earlier in the day Sunday, meanwhile, that the United States would designate ANTIFA as a terrorist organization.
Attorney General William Barr released a statement shortly after Trump’s tweet, saying, “With the rioting that is occurring in many of our cities around the country, the voices of peaceful and legitimate protests have been hijacked by violent radical elements. Groups of outside radicals and agitators are exploiting the situation to pursue their own separate, violent, and extremist agenda. It is time to stop watching the violence and to confront and stop it.
“The violence instigated and carried out by Antifa and other similar groups in connection with the rioting is domestic terrorism and will be treated accordingly,” Barr added.
Nationwide, 17 states across the country and the nation’s capitol, Washington DC, so far have requested and activated the National Guard: Colorado, Georgia, Kentucky, Minnesota, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, Wisconsin, Utah, North Dakota, California, Missouri, Virginia, Kansas, Illinois and Nevada.
Police Commissioner Dermot Shea said that some peaceful demonstrations had been “hijacked” by people with violent intent, 1010 WINS reported. It was a charge that has been leveled by authorities — and residents themselves — in a number of other cities as well, including Minneapolis.
“Federal charges are expected to be announced against multiple people involved in yesterday’s Molotov cocktail incidents, including the one thrown at a police van occupied by 4 police officers,” the NYPD said in a statement. “We will not tolerate actions like these against New York City Police Officers.”
Molotov cocktails were hurled at police in their vehicles by rioters, igniting the vehicles and forcing the officers to scramble out in order to avoid serious injury.
By 5 pm Sunday at least 345 arrests had been made in New York City, 27 police vehicles were damaged or destroyed by fire, and 33 officers had been injured, according to the NYPD.
The Target national retail chain has closed a dozen stores in New York alone; the chain has closed a total of 175 of its stores throughout the country due to the ongoing riots. “Team members impacted by store closures will be paid for up to 14 days of scheduled hours during store closures, including COVID-19 premium pay,” the chain said Saturday night.
The “protests” have also spread to venues overseas: demonstrations protesting the death of George Floyd were held this weekend outside US Embassies in Dublin, Berlin and London, according to The Associated Press, all of them organized and held under the auspices of the Black Lives Matter movement. In London, five people were arrested, including two for assaulting police, and three for violating COVID-19 rules.