May 31 George Floyd protest news

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1:33 a.m. ET, May 31, 2020

Ferguson police department building damaged and evacuated

The Ferguson, Missouri police department has been damaged and evacuated according to a tweet by the St. Louis County Police Department.

All non-essential personnel have been evacuated from the building.

St. Louis County Police say they are assisting police in Ferguson where fireworks, bricks, rocks and bottles have been thrown at officers during protests.

The mayor of Ferguson has issued a 12 a.m. curfew in the city.

Ferguson was the backdrop to several violent protests in 2014 after Michael Brown, an 18-year-old black teenager, was shot and killed during a confrontation with a white police officer in August of that year.

4:51 a.m. ET, May 31, 2020

'I wish the officers hadn’t done that,' New York mayor says, after police drive into barrier holding back protesters

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said late Saturday evening that a video of an NYPD car driving into a barrier with protesters behind and knocking them over was "upsetting."

"I wish the officers hadn’t done that," he added, but noted there was context to the footage.

“Look, I’ve seen that video, and I’ve obviously heard about a number of other instances -- it’s inappropriate for protestors to surround a police vehicle and threaten police officers. That’s wrong on its face and that hasn’t happened in the history of protest in this city,” de Blasio said. “I’ve been watching protests for decades. People don’t do that. And so it’s clear that a different element has come into play here who are trying to hurt police officers and trying to damage their vehicles, and if a police officer is [in] that situation they have to get out that situation."
He added that "the video was upsetting, and I wish the officers hadn’t done that. But I also understood that they didn’t start the situation. The situation was started by a group of protestors converging on a police vehicle, attacking that vehicle, it’s unacceptable."

The mayor said he wouldn’t blame the officers themselves.

“I’m not going to blame officers who were trying to deal with an absolutely impossible situation. The folks who were converging on that police car did the wrong thing to begin with, and they created an untenable situation. I wish the officers had found a different approach, but let’s begin at the beginning. The protestors in that video did the wrong thing to surround that police car, period.”

The mayor also said that he will not order a curfew for New York City.

“The fact is there’s very few people out protesting at this point," he told reporters around midnight. "The NYPD has been addressing the situation. There’s over eight million people in the city and the people out right now number in the hundreds, and they’re being dealt with by the NYPD."

The mayor will address the media again Sunday at 10 a.m. local time.

3:46 p.m. ET, May 31, 2020

25 cities across 16 states have now imposed curfews

A Los Angeles Police Department kiosk burns in The Grove shopping center during a protest over the death of George Floyd on Saturday, May 30.
A Los Angeles Police Department kiosk burns in The Grove shopping center during a protest over the death of George Floyd on Saturday, May 30. Mark J. Terrill/AP

As protests continue across the United States into the early hours of Sunday morning, at least 25 cities across 16 states have imposed curfews. The National Guard has also been activated in around a dozen states and the District of Columbia.

CALIFORNIA

  • Beverly Hills
  • Los Angeles

COLORADO

  • Denver

FLORIDA

  • Miami

GEORGIA

  • Atlanta

ILLINOIS

  • Chicago

KENTUCKY

  • Louisville

MINNESOTA

  • Minneapolis
  • St. Paul

NEW YORK

  • Rochester

OHIO

  • Cincinnati
  • Cleveland
  • Columbus
  • Dayton
  • Toledo

OREGON

  • Eugene
  • Portland

PENNSYLVANIA

  • Philadelphia
  • Pittsburgh

SOUTH CAROLINA

  • Charleston
  • Columbia

TENNESSEE

  • Nashville

UTAH

  • Salt Lake City

WASHINGTON

  • Seattle

WISCONSIN

  • Milwaukee
12:56 a.m. ET, May 31, 2020

Three people shot, one killed amid protests in downtown Indianapolis

From CNN's Mitchell McCluskey

At least three people were reported shot and one dead amid protests in downtown Indianapolis on Saturday night, Indianapolis Police Chief Randal Taylor said in a press conference.

Police are still investigating and have advised citizens to avoid the area, the chief said.

A police officer also sustained minor injuries tonight, he added.

3:46 p.m. ET, May 31, 2020

Joe Biden comments on the protests taking place across America

From CNN's Sarah Mucha

Joe Biden speaks about the coronavirus outbreak in Wilmington, Delaware, on March 12.
Joe Biden speaks about the coronavirus outbreak in Wilmington, Delaware, on March 12. Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Presumptive Democratic Party presidential candidate Joe Biden has released a statement on the unrest gripping America, saying: "Protesting such brutality is right and necessary."

"It’s an utterly American response," Biden said. "But burning down communities and needless destruction is not. Violence that endangers lives is not. Violence that guts and shutters businesses that serve the community is not."

"These last few days have laid bare that we are a nation furious at injustice. Every person of conscience can understand the rawness of the trauma people of color experience in this country, from the daily indignities to the extreme violence, like the horrific killing of George Floyd," he added.
12:48 a.m. ET, May 31, 2020

Multiple arrests in Tampa as protesters throw fireworks and rocks at police

From CNN's Jamiel Lynch

Police in Tampa, Florida, have arrested multiple protesters for looting, vandalism and throwing rocks and fireworks at police, they said.

The crowd congregated outside of the Tampa Police District 2 office, where some shattered the back windshield of a marked police vehicle, according to police.

Police said they have made multiple arrests and are monitoring the protests.

12:46 a.m. ET, May 31, 2020

Objects and vehicles used to attack police officers in Minneapolis, authorities say

A big group of protesters on foot and in vehicles are throwing objects at officers in Minneapolis, according to a tweet from the department.

More law enforcement resources are en route to the area of Hiawatha and Lake to assist them.

Protests are ongoing across Minneapolis and St. Paul, where curfews have been declared tonight.

3:31 p.m. ET, May 31, 2020

New York mayor: Police were subjected to 'tremendous violence and that will not stand'

Speaking about Friday's protests, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said that while some people turned up to peacefully protest others went to “incite acts of violence.”

The mayor said the New York City Police Department had experienced “horrible, vile things" and added that "tremendous violence ... will not stand.”

De Blasio said some protesters tried "to harm police officers and they did harm police officers. They meant to attack police vehicles and they did, they meant to attack police precincts.”

“We will not accept that,” the mayor said.

However, de Blasio did not condone police acts against peaceful protesters, and said that elected officials at the protests had been pepper sprayed.

“That’s unacceptable and we need to understand exactly why that happened and there needs to be accountability,” he said.

“It’s wrong in every way, but it also sets us back,” he added. “Last night was a difficult, complex situation." He is launching an independent review of Friday’s events.

The NYPD is obliged to keep peace, protect everyone and avoid anything that allows further violence to occur, said de Blasio.

“We’ve seen some videos that do not reflect the philosophy of this city, the values of this city, the values of this administration, do not reflect the values of the NYPD,” he added.

3:32 p.m. ET, May 31, 2020

National Guard deployed in Georgia, Los Angeles

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed an executive order Saturday night authorizing the activation of up to 3,000 National Guard troops statewide, according to a series of tweets on his verified Twitter account.

Kemp called for the activation in advance of several planned protests on Sunday.

National Guard troops will partner with local law enforcement “to preserve peace and protect Georgians in every corner of our great state,” according to Kemp.

Kemp did not specify where the Sunday protests would take place.

Separately, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said in a statement to CNN that members of the California National Guard are being deployed to the city overnight to support law enforcement authorities.

The mayor had previously said it was not likely the National Guard would be called, but Garcetti now says they are necessary "to maintain peace and safety on the streets."