George Floyd protests spread nationwide

George Floyd protests spread nationwide

https://edition.cnn.com/us/live-news/george-floyd-protest-updates-05-28-20/index.html

Just joining us? Here are the latest developments on the George Floyd case

Protests spread across the United States for the third night in a row on Thursday, as crowds demonstrated against police brutality and called for justice in the death of George Floyd.

Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, died after pleading for help as a white police officer pressed his knee on Floyd's neck for several minutes while pinning him to the ground. Floyd was declared dead at a nearby hospital soon after, according to authorities.

Here's a look at the biggest developments:

• Minnesota protests: Floyd died in Minneapolis, which saw large-scale protests on Thursday. Crowds numbering in the thousands set fire to a police precinct, which had been evacuated earlier in the day. In nearby St. Paul, protesters and police faced off with tear gas. More than 170 businesses were damaged or looted, according to police, and the Minnesota National Guard was mobilized to both cities.
• Nationwide outrage: It wasn't just Minnesota; protesters took to the streets in Denver, Colorado; New York City; Memphis, Tennessee; Phoenix, Arizona; and Columbus, Ohio.
• Trump and Twitter: President Donald Trump tweeted about the Minnesota protests, saying "when the looting starts, the shooting starts." Twitter has since flagged the tweet as violating the platform's rules and "glorifying violence."
• Investigation into the death: Local and federal officials have not announced any charges against the officers involved in Floyd's death, but said the investigation is a top priority. All four officers have invoked their Fifth Amendment right against self incrimination.
• Federal call for action: The House Judiciary Committee urged the Justice Department to investigate, saying the federal government has a critical role to play in promoting a culture of accountability for all law enforcement organizations.
• The officer who knelt on Floyd's neck: The officer, Derek Chauvin, had 18 prior complaints filed against him with the Minneapolis Police Department's Internal Affairs. It's unclear what these complaints were for.

1 hr 24 min ago

More than 40 people were arrested or summoned in New York during Thursday's George Floyd protests

From CNN's Mark Morales

NYPD officers arrest a protestor during a "Black Lives Matter" demonstration on May 28, in New York City. Johannes Eisele/AFP/Getty Images

The New York Police Department carried out more than 40 arrests and summons during the George Floyd protests on Thursday, police told CNN.

The charges range from obstruction of governmental administration to criminal possession of a weapon, which stemmed from a woman who pulled a switchblade at Union Square, said a law enforcement official.

One protestor was also arrested after trying to yank the gun out of a New York Police officer’s holster, the official said.

According to the official, one of the injured officers suffered a possible concussion.

Demonstrators were protesting the death of George Floyd, who died after pleading that he couldn't breathe while a police officer held him down with his knee.

1 hr 29 min ago

Twitter flagged Trump's tweet about shooting looters as violating rules on "glorifying violence"

From CNN's Brian Stelter

US President Donald Trump's tweet on the protests in Minnesota, which he posted earlier tonight as protesters set fires in St. Paul and Minneapolis, has been flagged by Twitter as violating the platform's rules.

The original tweet read:

"These THUGS are dishonoring the memory of George Floyd, and I won’t let that happen. Just spoke to Governor Tim Walz and told him that the Military is with him all the way. Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts. Thank you!"

Twitter's response: The tweet is hidden by a notice from Twitter -- but is still viewable behind the notice.

"This Tweet violated the Twitter Rules about glorifying violence. However, Twitter has determined that it may be in the public's interest for the Tweet to remain accessible," says the notice.

A separate statement from the official Twitter Communications account explained that the tweet had been flagged "based on the historical context of the last line, its connection to violence, and the risk it could inspire similar actions today."

The warning message will likely fuel Trump's ongoing dispute with Twitter. Just yesterday, Trump signed an executive order targeting social media companies, days after Twitter called two of his tweets "potentially misleading."

On Tuesday, Twitter applied a fact-check to two of Trump's tweets, including one that claimed, without evidence, that mail-in ballots would lead to widespread voter fraud. Trump immediately shot back, accusing the social media giant of censorship and warning that if it continued to offer addendums to his messages, he would use the power of the federal government to rein it in, or even shut it down.

Tech companies are also pushing back on the order; Facebook and Google have said Trump's proposal risks harming the internet and the wider digital economy.

2 hr 11 min ago

In photos: Protests spread across America

A protester carries the carries a U.S. flag upside-down, a sign of distress, next to a burning building on May 28, in Minneapolis. Julio Cortez/AP

Protests swept across a number of major American cities on Thursday, with crowds taking to the streets to demand action against police brutality and accountability for several related deaths.

Minneapolis and St. Paul, known as the "Twin Cities" of Minnesota, both saw huge protests. In St. Paul, protesters faced off against riot police, batting tear gas canisters back and forth. More than 170 businesses were looted or damaged by the protests, police said.

Tear gas is fired as protesters clash with police while demonstrating outside the 3rd Precinct. Stephen Maturen/Getty Images

And in Minneapolis, thousands of protesters surrounded a police precinct and set it on fire. They spray-painted the sides of the building, tried to climb up it, and cheered as the flames engulfed the building.

All staff inside had been evacuated prior to the fire.

A protester winces in pain after being sprayed with pepper spray by police during a demonstration near the Memphis Police Department precinct in Memphis, Tennessee, on May 28. Patrick Lantrip/Daily Memphian/AP

In Memphis, Tennessee, protesters marched through midtown for several hours. They held up signs demanding justice for several black Americans who had recently been killed -- George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor.

A group of demonstrators gather in Midtown Memphis, Tennessee, to protest the recent death of George Floyd on Wednesday. Joe Rondone/The Commercial Appeal/Imagn Content Services

The protests also escalated into violence in Louisville, Kentucky, where Taylor lived and was shot by police in March.

Shots were fired in the crowd during the protests tonight, said police special advisor Jessie Halladay.

Protests also took place in other cities like Denver, Colorado, and Phoenix, Arizona.

See the full gallery of protests across the US:

Minneapolis mayor responds to Trump accusation of weakness

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has responded to a tweet from President Trump accusing him earlier tonight of weak leadership.

Trump's tweet: "A total lack of leadership. Either the very weak radical left mayor, Jacob Frey, get his act together and bring the city under control, or I will send in the National Guard and get the job done right," Trump said.

Frey's response: The mayor addressed the President's comments at a press conference tonight.

"Weakness is refusing to take responsibility for your own actions. Weakness is pointing your finger at somebody else, during a time of crisis. Donald Trump knows nothing about the strength of Minneapolis. We are strong as hell. Is this a difficult time period? Yes. But you better be damn sure that we're going to get through this," he said.

2 hr 40 min ago

Minneapolis Mayor: Looting and destruction are "unacceptable"

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey speaks during a news conference on May 28, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Elizabeth FLo

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey condemned the looting and destruction seen in the city tonight during violent protests.

"What we have seen over the past several hours and the past couple of nights in terms of looting is unacceptable," he said at a press conference. "Our communities cannot and will not tolerate it."

"These are community institutions that we need. These are banks that people rely on to get cash. Grocery stores that people rely on to get food. These are pharmacies people rely on to get medicine," he said.

He added that the city had received resources from the state, and that further aid is expected.

On the burning police station: A police precinct was set on fire, vandalized and surrounded by protesters tonight -- but there was no sign of the police or firefighters. When asked why, Frey pointed to other fires and looting incidents that officers had to respond to as well.

The Minnesota National Guard, which was mobilized earlier in the evening, are now stationed at various locations facing potential looting, including banks, grocery stores, and pharmacies, he said.

"I understand the importance of a precinct," he said. "(But) the symbolism of a building cannot outweigh the importance of life, of our officers, or the public. We could not risk serious injury to anyone and we will continue to patrol the third precinct entirely."