May 31 George Floyd protest news

National security adviser Robert O’Brien denied that systemic racism exists across the nation’s police forces, arguing instead that “a few bad apples” give the impression of racism among law enforcement officers, according to an interview he did with CNN on Sunday.

“No, I don’t think there’s systemic racism,” O’Brien said on CNN when asked directly by Jake Tapper whether he sees systemic racism as the problem.

As the country wakes up to survey the aftermath of the fifth night of protests against racism and police brutality nationwide, O’Brien claimed the violence that has broken out in some cities “is being driven by Antifa” and said he had not seen reports that white supremacists had inflamed tensions in some instances.

He maintained that President Trump and the White House support peaceful demonstrations. 

O’Brien praised “99.9 percent” of law enforcement officers as heroes and first responders, but repeatedly said the image of police has been tarnished by “bad apples.”

Watch the interview with O'Brien:

There is a serious divide among President Trump's top allies and advisers over how he should address several nights of protests and riots across the nation following the death of George Floyd, according to several sources familiar with the deliberations.

Trump is being urged by some advisers to formally address the nation and call for calm, while others have said he should condemn the rioting and looting more forcefully or risk losing middle-of-the-road voters in November, the sources said.

Over the weekend: Some aides have sought to convince Trump against using violent rhetoric after he wrote on Twitter that “when the looting starts the shooting starts."

During a staff call Friday, Trump's top domestic policy aide, Brooke Rollins, argued for a measured response to riots the night before, advice that was echoed by Jared Kushner, the sources said. Several advisers feared, and hoped to avoid, another Charlottesville moment.

Trump, who believes his law and order stance helped get him elected, wasn’t immediately receptive to those concerns, the officials said, but he later tried to downplay his message about using armed force on looters as a statement rather than a threat.

The next day, Trump had revived some of the violent imagery by evoking dogs and weaponry at the ready inside the White House gates, despite the earlier encouragement from his advisers to tone down his language.

While aides like Kushner have pushed for a more restrained response, Trump is also hearing from several advisers who warned that by not condemning the protests that turned into rioting and looting, he is risking losing some demographics that will be key to his election victory in November, like suburban women voters.

Trump has been told he should more forcefully denounce those spray painting buildings, looting Targets and setting cities on fire ⁠— and that he hasn't done so nearly enough. 

From Minneapolis to Washington DC, from Louisville to Las Vegas, reporters are facing assault and arrest while reporting on widespread protests and unrest.

At least a half dozen different incidents were reported on Friday, starting with the wrongful arrest of a CNN crew in Minneapolis and ending with the arrest of two photographers in Las Vegas.

Another disturbing episode took place on Saturday, when Ian Smith, a photojournalist for KDKA TV in Pittsburgh, said he was "attacked" by protesters downtown. "They stomped and kicked me," he wrote in a tweet from the back of an ambulance. "I'm bruised and bloody but alive. My camera was destroyed. Another group of protesters pulled me out and saved my life. Thank you!"

Reporters by and large said they wanted the attention to be focused on the communities they cover, not on their own safety concerns.

Still, the incidents provoked concern from a range of advocacy groups.

In Louisville, Kentucky, where protesters have been calling for accountability for a black woman who was fatally shot by police in March, an officer fired what appeared to be pepper balls at a reporter for WAVE 3 News, a local TV station.

The incident was broadcast live on the air. "Who are they aiming that at?" the anchor asked. "At us," the reporter, Kaitlin Rust, replied.

Read the full story here

Police arrested 70 individuals on Saturday night, according to John Chafee, a spokesman with the Atlanta Police Department.

A curfew was in place in the city from 9 p.m. Saturday.

Earlier, the Atlanta Police Department said it had seen a significant decrease in the number of people on the streets as the curfew approached but a large number of protesters remained.

Police officers had rocks and other items thrown at them, an update on the force's Twitter feed said. Downtown properties also suffered damage from protesters.

Several cities across the US erupted in war zone-like scenes as crowds defied curfews nearly a week since the death of George Floyd, who spent his last moments pinned under an officer's knee, begging for his life.

Outraged, hurt and shouting through masks worn to protect themselves from coronavirus, thousands poured onto streets in demonstrations. While some were peaceful, others ended in chaos and devastation.

Some people launched fireworks and threw bottles at the officers. Others torched buildings, burned police cars and looted stores.

Police responded with rubber bullets, tear gas and arrests. Mayors from at least 25 cities ordered people off the streets. Some states called in National Guard soldiers by the hundreds to respond to the unrest.

Read the full story here.

At least 27 people were arrested in protests Saturday night in Seattle, Washington, according to Seattle Police Department chief Carmen Best.

Best said the alleged offenses varied from assault to arson, destruction and looting.

"The Seattle Police Department was prepared to facilitate the peaceful exercise of First Amendment rights. In the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd we all are rightfully angry, sad, frustrated, and heartbroken," Best added. 

But, she said, what began as a peaceful protest became violent and destructive because of certain groups who wanted to take advantage of the situation.

Police were still addressing several groups of offenders who continued to assault officers and loot the downtown core, Best said.

The National Guard is also assisting.

New York police are investigating after a video appears to show a New York City Police Department truck plowing through a crowd during Saturday's protest.

The 27-second video, which was posted to Twitter, shows an NYPD truck in front of a crowd throwing objects at the vehicle. There is a barricade in front of the truck. The truck then appears to drive into the barricade, knocking over protesters. Screaming and yelling are then heard while a person is seen jumping on top of the truck. It's unclear if there were any injuries.

This incident further fuels the flames of negative interactions between police and the people they're sworn to protect. A lot of the protests erupting in major cities across the US are the result of people's anger boiling over after the death of unarmed black man George Floyd at the hands of police in Minneapolis.

Mayor Bill de Blasio said the incident is under investigation, but emphasized that the officers may have had no other choice.

Read more here.

Watch:

An officer in Jacksonville, Florida, was "stabbed or slashed in the neck and is currently in the hospital," Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams told a press conference Saturday evening.

Sheriff Williams said other officers were attacked by rioters and hit with rocks and bricks during protests in the city. Many arrests were made, he said, though he did not have a precise number. 

Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry told the same press conference that the protest had started with 1,200 peaceful people and respectful families, and that after they left it became about riots and violence. 

At least 25 cities across 16 states have imposed curfews, while Jacksonville has not.

Target has temporarily closed 175 stores across the United States amid protests.

"Our focus will remain on our team members’ safety and helping our community heal," the retailer said in a statement.

In Minnesota, 71 stores are closed, 49 are closed in California, 12 are closed in New York, and the rest are closed in various other states.

Target team members impacted by store closures will be paid for up to 14 days of scheduled hours, including Covid-19 premium pay, the statement said.

Branches of the retailer had been affected by some protests in recent days.