President Donald Trump on Monday declared he has mobilized all federal response and encouraged governors to establish an \u00ab\u00a0overwhelming law enforcement presence\u00a0\u00bb in response to protests over the killing of Geroge Floyd.<\/b>
\nJune 1 (UPI) — President Donald Trump on Monday evening declared he was mobilizing all federal resources in response to protests over the police-involved killing of George Floyd and encouraged all governors to deploy the National Guard in their states.
Trump called on mayors and governors to establish an \u00ab\u00a0overwhelming law enforcement presence\u00a0\u00bb and said he will deploy the United States military if state and local governments do not \u00ab\u00a0take the action necessary to defend the life and property of their residents.\u00a0\u00bb
\u00ab\u00a0My first and highest duty as president is to defend our great country and the American people,\u00a0\u00bb he said. \u00ab\u00a0I swore an oath to uphold the laws of our nation and that is exactly what I will do.\u00a0\u00bb
The president vowed justice for Floyd and said he was an \u00ab\u00a0ally of all peaceful protesters\u00a0\u00bb while also describing himself as \u00ab\u00a0your president of law and order.\u00a0\u00bb
Trump said that a 7 p.m. curfew in Washington, D. C. would be strictly enforced and that he would deploy federal forces and law enforcement in response to protests in the capital.
\u00ab\u00a0As we speak, I am dispatching thousands and thousands of heavily armed soldiers, military personnel and law enforcement officers to stop the rioting, looting, vandalism, assaults and the wanton destruction of property,\u00a0\u00bb Trump said.
Several loud bangs were heard during Trump’s speech as police fired tear gas into a crowd of protesters in the area.
Trump participated in a video conference on Monday with state leaders and law enforcement authorities to address unrest nationwide stemming from Floyd’s death.
The White House conference call occurred after ongoing demonstrations across the United States — many of which were peaceful and some which were violent.
Thousands of demonstrators were arrested over the weekend after clashing with police and defying curfews in numerous major U. S. cities, including Los Angeles, New York City, Miami, Chicago, Seattle and Salt Lake City.
Trump participated in the call with state governors, law enforcement officials and national security advisers at the White House, who said the meeting focused on \u00ab\u00a0keeping American communities safe.\u00a0\u00bb
Trump told governors to \u00ab\u00a0take back your streets\u00a0\u00bb and criticized local leaders for their response to the violent demonstrations.
\u00ab\u00a0Most of you are weak,\u00a0\u00bb he said. \u00ab\u00a0You have to arrest people.\u00a0\u00bb
Later Monday,White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, would be in charge of a \u00ab\u00a0central command center\u00a0\u00bb that would coordinate National Guard response.
About 17,000 National Guard troops are deployed in 24 states to help with policing protests that have turned violent in some states, McEnany said, but states have 350,000 total National Guard troops available nationwide.
National Guard troops are under the jurisdiction of state governors. National Guard members in some states have been deployed to help with coronavirus pandemic response, including manning drive-through testing stations.
McEnany also confirmed that Trump spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday, but did not say what was discussed.
On Sunday night, the Secret Service moved Trump to a secure bunker beneath the White House for the second time in three nights. He was also taken to the bunker, which was built to house the president in the event of a nuclear attack, on Friday night.
Trump was moved to the bunker as a precaution due to growing demonstrations late Sunday near the White House and the National Mall.
The activism began peaceful earlier but turned violent after dark, with some demonstrators setting multiple fires. Washington, D. C., police fired pepper bullets and tear gas to disperse protesters.
Video footage of Floyd’s arrest, which included a Minneapolis officer kneeling on his neck, has spurred widespread outrage across the United States.
An independent autopsy on Monday found Floyd’s death was a homicide and that he died of \u00ab\u00a0asphyxiation from sustained pressure.\u00a0\u00bb
The autopsy said compression to Floyd’s neck and back as former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck and other officers knelt on his back led to a lack of blood flow to his brain and that he was \u00ab\u00a0dead on the scene.\u00a0\u00bb
\u00ab\u00a0The independent examiners found that weight on the back, handcuffs and positioning were contributory factors because they impaired the ability of Mr. Floyd’s diaphragm to function,\u00a0\u00bb a statement by the family’s lead attorney Ben Crump said.
An official autopsy released last week suggested that Floyd had underlying health conditions and \u00ab\u00a0potential intoxicants in his system\u00a0\u00bb that likely contributed to his death along with the police restraint.
Dr. Michael Baden, one of the pathologists who performed the independent autopsy said Floyd had no underlying medical problems that contributed to his death.
\u00ab\u00a0Police have this false impression that if you can talk, you can breathe. That’s not true,\u00a0\u00bb Baden said.
Chauvin was charged with third-degree murder, and a criminal complaint from the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office said that Chauvin had is knee on Floyd’s neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds in total and 2 minutes and 53 seconds after Floyd was unresponsive.
Floyd’s family called for Chauvin to be charged with first-degree murder and for the other officers present to be charged in his death.
\u00ab\u00a0For Chauvin to leave his knee on George’s neck despite warnings and evidence that his life was in danger — and to continue that course for many minutes — demands a first-degree murder charge,\u00a0\u00bb said Crump.
Sunday was the sixth straight night of mass demonstrations nationwide following Floyd’s death, which occurred May 25, with many joining Floyd’s family in their call for more severe punishment for the officers involved as well as opposing widespread police violence against African Americans.
A man was shot dead during gunfire in Louisville, Ky., early Monday. Authorities said at least one demonstrator began firing at police and National Guard members, who returned fire.
Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer identified the man who was killed as David McAtee and announced that Louisville Metro Police Chief Steve Conrad had been relieved of duty after it was revealed officers involved in the shooting did not activate their body cameras.
The two officers involved were placed on administrative leave.
Among the damage in the nation’s capital, Washington, D. C., headquarters of the AFL CIO labor union was targeted and set afire, officials said.
\u00ab\u00a0We categorically reject those on the fringes who are engaging in violence and destroying property,\u00a0\u00bb AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said in a statement. \u00ab\u00a0Attacks like [this] are senseless, disgraceful and only play into the hands of those who have oppressed workers of color for generations.\u00a0\u00bb
Two people were shot dead in Iowa and two others, including a police officer, were injured amid dozens of instances of gunfire.
New York City police said they arrested more than 200 people between late Sunday and early Monday and some residents awoke to find several high-end stores in the SoHo district looted and vandalized, including such mainstays as Bloomingdale’s, Tori Burch and Gucci.
Police officials said anarchist groups from outside the city using encrypted communication channels were to blame for much of the destruction, estimating that about one in seven protesters were from out of town.
\u00ab\u00a0Crossing State lines to incite violence is a FEDERAL CRIME!\u00a0\u00bb Trump tweeted on Saturday. \u00ab\u00a0Liberal governors and mayors must get MUCH tougher or the federal government will step in and do what has to be done, and that includes using the unlimited power of our military and many arrests.\u00a0\u00bb
Mayor Bill de Blasio, who declined to impose curfew, praised police for showing restraint but also voiced concern over some video footage of police clashing with protesters.
\u00ab\u00a0The protesters are human beings. They need to be treated with tremendous respect,\u00a0\u00bb he said. \u00ab\u00a0The police officers are human beings. They need to be treated with tremendous respect.\u00a0\u00bb
CNN reported that de Blasio’s daughter Chiara was among the nearly 800 arrested in New York City. She was briefly held for unlawful assembly and released.
In Southern California, looters vandalized a number of stores and set fire to businesses in Santa Monica and Long Beach on Sunday. Both incidents came after mostly peaceful demonstrations.
Long Beach police said the crowd ultimately swelled to around 3,000 demonstrators, some of whom began looting businesses. Authorities said early Monday an unspecified number of arrests were made on charges of looting, burglary and curfew violations.
Officers in some states, including New York, Oregon and Kentucky, showed solidarity with activists by taking a knee to condemn police brutality.<\/p>\n