Mostly peaceful demonstrations were contrasted by clashes and looting, and several police officers have been shot.
A full week after George Floyd died during an arrest in Minneapolis, U. S. cities are still reeling from violence that has overshadowed otherwise peaceful protests. President Trump has threatened to take the extraordinary step of sending U. S. military forces into American cities to quell the unrest. In city after city, police and demonstrators clashed again Monday night, and looters took advantage of the mayhem.
Amid the chaos, there were several incidents in which police officers were shot or wounded. But there were also moments that brought hope for reconciliation as officers in some cities took a knee to show support for the demonstrators, or even joined them.
A late-night curfew imposed on New York City Monday failed to prevent another night of destruction, including arrests after a break-in at the iconic Macy’s store on 34th Street, following protests over George Floyd’s death. As the 11 p.m. deadline to get off the streets approached, bands of protesters marched peacefully through Manhattan and Brooklyn, but police simultaneously responded to numerous reports of roving groups of people smashing their way into shops and emptying them of merchandise.
The doors of Macy’s flagship Manhattan store were breached. Police pulled two handcuffed men out and put them in a van.
People rushed into a Nike store and carried out armloads of clothing. Near Rockefeller Center, storefront windows were smashed and multiple people arrested.
