The Justice Department’s efforts to restore law and order amid riots and chaos that occurred in the wake of George Floyd’s death have led to…
The Justice Department’s efforts to restore law and order amid riots and chaos that occurred in the wake of George Floyd’s death have led to the arrest of dozens of individuals over the last two weeks.
Federal authorities have charged at least 81 individuals as of 5:25 p.m. on June 12, according to a document, obtained by The Epoch Times, that outlines details of the arrests made since late May when the nationwide protests began.
Among those charges, about 40 were arrested for committing acts of violence including using Molotov cocktails, setting fires, damaging property, and looting.
While many of the protests remained peaceful as people flooded the streets to call for change over police brutality and policing practices, some cities were faced with the violent activity that has led to significant property damage and more than a dozen deaths.
Senior officials have attributed the violent activity observed amid protests over Floyd, a black man who died in the custody of Minneapolis police, to extremist organizations such as Antifa. Attorney General William Barr said in a press conference on June 3 that Antifa and other similar groups and “actors of a variety of different political persuasions” have been behind the recent violent activities in order to carry out their own separate agendas.
Barr said these actors were capitalizing on the protests to “engage in lawlessness, violent rioting, arson, looting of businesses, and public property assaults on law enforcement officers and innocent people, and even the murder of a federal agent.”
In Seattle, protesters have occupied and barricaded off part of the city, dubbed the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone, after the police were driven out of the East Precinct building, which was the site of violent clashes. The occupation drew ire from President Donald Trump who has called on state and city officials to “take back” the city.
On Thursday some officers from the precinct returned to the building where they remained on Friday, according to a police spokeswoman, as officials finalize plans to reclaim the building. The officers were there to assess the building, which had been vandalized and had signs hung up stating, “This space is now property of the Seattle people.”
Barr has vowed to restore law and order on to American streets and communities, stating that “federal law enforcement efforts are focused on the violent instigators.”
“We will continue to investigate, make arrests, and prosecute where warranted,” the attorney general said in a speech on June 4.
The document released by the DOJ outlines details about all the federal riot-related cases announced so far by U. S. Attorneys across the country. As of June 12, there are 57 pending cases.
