Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) has activated the state’s National Guard to provide “personnel, equipment, and facilities needed to respond to and recover" in the wake of upheaval over the death of 46-year-old George Floyd in police custody Monday.
Minneapolis-area leaders sought Thursday to reassure the public and begged for calm amid nationwide outrage and local protests that gave way to destructive fires, looting and violent clashes. The unrest came during mounting calls for criminal charges against a white police officer shown in viral video holding his knee on the neck of Floyd, who was black. Floyd said repeatedly, “I cannot breathe," before he was taken from the scene without a pulse.
Here are some significant developments:
The mayor of St. Paul asked people to stay home amid a “rapidly devolving” situation in the capital, as police departments in the Twin Cities area warned of “flash looting” and took precautionary measures.
The region’s main public transportation operator said it was suspending bus and light rail services over safety concerns.
The Justice Department and FBI have pledged to undertake a “robust criminal investigation” into Floyd’s death and said in a joint statement that the inquiry is “a top priority.”
The chief of the National Guard Bureau said guardsmen began on Thursday morning preparations for “civil disturbance activities that we’re running” in Minnesota after Floyd’s death.
Floyd’s family will seek an independent autopsy of his body because it does not trust Minneapolis city officials, an attorney for the family said Thursday on CNN.
Floyd’s death also sparked rallies in other parts of the country Wednesday. In Memphis, a crowd gathered outside a police building and chanted “no justice, no peace.” In Los Angeles, protesters blocked a freeway and confronted a California Highway Patrol vehicle.
U.S. police chiefs, many of whom have been pushing their officers to de-escalate tense situations and decrease their use of force, responded with disgust to Floyd’s death and praised Minneapolis’s chief for firing the officers involved.
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