US protesters, angry at Floyd’s death, defy curfew but violence subsides

Thursday, 4 June 2020 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

A protester holds up a gloved hand as Seattle Police guard the department's East Precinct location against protesters using umbrellas as a shield as they rally against police brutality

and the death in Minneapolis police custody of George Floyd, in Seattle - Reuters

WASHINGTON/MINNEAPOLIS (Reuters) - U.S. protesters ignored curfews overnight as they vented their anger over the death of an unarmed black man at the hands of police, but there was a marked drop in the violence that prompted President Donald Trump to threaten to deploy the military.

Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of cities coast to coast for an eighth night as National Guard troops lined the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington.

There was sporadic violence in Washington and Portland, Oregon, with protesters tossing fireworks and bottles answered by police flash grenades and tear gas.

Clashes between protesters and police and looting of some stores in New York gave way to relative quiet in the early hours of Wednesday. Police told media they made 200 arrests, largely for curfew violations.

In Los Angeles, many demonstrators who defied the curfew were arrested but by mid-evening, calm had been restored to the extent that television stations switched from wall-to-wall coverage back to regular programming.

Large marches and rallies also took place in Philadelphia, Atlanta, Denver and Seattle.

The officer who knelt on Floyd, Derek Chauvin, 44, has been charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. Three other officers involved were fired but have not been charged.

Although rallies on behalf of Floyd and other victims of police brutality in recent days have been largely peaceful, after dark many have turned to vandalism, arson and looting. On Monday night, five police officers were hit by gunfire in two cities.

Outside the U.S. Capitol building on Tuesday afternoon a throng took to one knee, chanting “silence is violence” and “no justice, no peace,” as officers faced them just before the government-imposed curfew.