Demonstrators take to NY streets after curfew; US protests continue
NEW YORK — Protesters stayed on the streets of New York City after curfew for another day Thursday, spurred by the death of George Floyd.
Actions by the protesters included gathering at Brooklyn’s Cadman Plaza, the site where police used batons against demonstrators who were out past the city-imposed curfew a night earlier.
Protesters continued past the 8 p.m. curfew Thursday, even after Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio sought to deflect criticism over harsh tactics from police enforcing it.
Thousands of protesters were out after curfew, and so were police.
At some locations, officials watched, but didn’t immediately move in. At other spots, they made orderly arrests without the batons and riot gear, like a night earlier.
Atlanta mayor walks with protesters
ATLANTA — Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms walked with protesters in downtown Atlanta on Thursday and told the crowd through a megaphone that “there is something better on the other side of this.”
“We are in the midst of a movement in this country,” she said. “But it’s going to be incumbent upon all of us to be able to get together and articulate more than our anger. We got to be able to articulate what we want as our solutions.”
The mayor’s appearance came on the seventh straight night of protests in the city following the killing of George Floyd in Minnesota. Police Chief Erika Shields also attended the protest.
When the first night of protests on Friday turned violent, an impassioned Bottoms held a news conference and urged the protesters to go home, saying those who were looting and vandalizing businesses were disgracing the city and Floyd’s life.
She told the crowd on Thursday that they “matter” to her, and before she left, she encouraged them to get tested for COVID-19.
Rain breaks up protests in Washington
WASHINGTON — Protests in the nation’s capital over George Floyd’s death broke up before dark Thursday as a heavy rain began to fall.
The law enforcement presence at the Lincoln Memorial, where protesters gathered, was much smaller than it had been near the White House during the previous nights’ demonstrations.
Tomora Wright, 29, of Washington, said her parents were concerned that she was coming down to protest but she wasn’t worried. “I know that my people are peaceful and I’m not scared to be around people who believe in the same thing, the same cause. I definitely felt the need to come down here and protest in solidarity.”
She wants to see the killers of George Floyd brought to justice but also reopening of past cases such as Sandra Bland in Texas. “These are unimaginable times.”
Texas football players march
AUSTIN, Texas — Dozens of members of the University of Texas football team marched with Austin police officers from campus to the state Capitol to honor the memory of George Floyd.
Many of the players locked arms on the two-mile walk that stopped on the north side of the Capitol, the opposite side of the building from where protesters have gathered for several days.
Once there, the group and police officers took a knee for nine minutes to symbolize the amount of time Floyd was detained on the ground by Minneapolis police before he died.
The players were also joined by head coach Tom Herman, his wife, and several assistant coaches.
“I’m so proud,” Herman told the players, urging them to “be agents of change.”
Utah man with bow and arrow charged
SALT LAKE CITY — A man captured on video aiming a bow and arrow at protesters in Salt Lake City over the weekend was charged Thursday with assault and weapon possession.
Brandon McCormick was charged with possession of a dangerous weapon by a restricted person, as well as aggravated assault and threatening or using a dangerous weapon in a fight or quarrel.
He was reportedly pushed to the ground on Saturday after pointing the bow and arrow at people protesting the death of George Floyd at the hands of police. People then flipped over his car and set it on fire.
No attorney was listed in court records.
Seattle police and badge numbers
SEATTLE — Seattle’s police chief said Thursday that officers’ badge numbers will be “prominently displayed” following complaints by people protesting the death of George Floyd that black bands over the shields obscured the digits.
Chief Carmen Best said officers sometimes wear bands over badges to honor colleagues who have been killed while on duty. Best said she would issue a directive ensuring the numbers are visible while also trying to find a way for police to mourn.
“We’ve heard people, we understand,” Best said at a news conference Thursday with Mayor Jenny Durkan following the first peaceful night of protests in the Northwest’s largest city since rallies began last week.
“It was a good night in the city,” Best said.
Durkan said authorities continue to speak to community leaders about ways to reduce tensions and improve communication and police policies. Wednesday’s protests were among the largest Seattle has seen in years, but authorities reported no problems following days of unrest.
Durkan abruptly Wednesday night ended a city-wide curfew in place for days amid the massive demonstrations over the death of Floyd while in police custody in Minnesota.
