Latest Protester surprised to see looting after peaceful gathering in Philly earlier
Cameron Niles, who joined the protest at noon and had split off to meet up with friends, said he came back to the vicinity of Broad and Chestnut Streets to see, to his surprise, people carrying looted sneakers.
By 9 p.m., he was asking police how he could get home, north of Market Street, with the least amount of trouble.
Police were directing people away from Broad Street, which is closed, and suggesting they head east on Chestnut.
Niles said he believed George Floyd’s murder was “the straw that broke the camel’s back,” the final catalyst for years of anger and frustration towards police.
But he had been encouraged by his experience at the protest earlier.
“The day before yesterday, just in this city, there is no way in hell I would have believed that this many people that don’t look like me had good intentions for my life,” he said. “Today, I was so overwhelmed by the different faces I saw in the crowds. It made me happy to be American.”
— Aubrey Whelan
Police making arrests, enforcing city’s curfew
Police are beginning to take command of some streets that earlier had been swarming with protesters.
Along Chestnut Street at 15th, police formed a "V" wedge to drive people back and ordered them to leave. Police had done a similar formation on Walnut Street.
At City Hall, buses used by the city's Sheriff's Office for inmates were awaiting the dozens of people that were being arrested in the core of Center City, including at the Walgreens at Broad and Chestnut.
Police arrived at The Shops at Liberty Place in the 1600 block of Chestnut to apprehend some of the people who had breached the Bloomingdales entrance and were running out with armfuls of merchandise.
Just before 9 p.m., police tweeted that the official arrest count was 14 so far, though many more people have been seen in custody.
— Aubrey Whelan, Michaelle Bond, and Jeremy Roebuck
Target to close 4 Philly stores until further notice
Target announced Saturday night it is closing several of its stores in 10 states in response to protests over the death of George Floyd.
Four Target locations in Philadelphia will close until further notice: 456 N. 5th St. in Northern Liberties, 2001 Pennsylvania Ave. near the Philadelphia Art Museum, 1128 Chestnut St., and 1900 Chestnut St. near Rittenhouse Square.
Target said employees impact by the closures will be paid for up to 14 days of scheduled hours, including premium pay during the coronavirus pandemic. Employees will also be able to work at nearby Target locations.
— Rob Tornoe
City will enforce curfew again Sunday if needed, official says
Brian Abernathy, the city’s managing director, said at a Saturday evening press conference that he hoped protests Sunday would remain peaceful, but added that the city would again enforce a curfew Sunday night if needed.
“We’re still in a pandemic," Abernathy said. "There are still dangers out there for our public health. People need to go home.”
—Laura McCrystal
Protesters have broken into the Shops at Liberty Place in Center City
Protesters have breached the Shops at Liberty Place near 17th Street.
People were spotted running through the mall and leaving with handfuls of merchandise. Earlier Saturday evening, guards inside had the doors zipped shut.
But there was no sign of them as protesters made their way in and out of the shopping mall.
—Jeremy Roebuck
SEPTA announces more disruptions due to police activity
SEPTA announced that trains on both the Market-Frankford Line and the Broad Street Line will bypass Spring Garden Station due to police activity.
Officers are currently making their way through the streets to enforce the city’s 8 p.m. curfew, which is in effect until 6 a.m. Sunday.
—Rob Tornoe
Arrests reported in Center City as police clear streets after curfew takes effect
At least four protesters were arrested outside Macy’s on Market Street. Another protester claiming he was a “legal observer” also was arrested at the department store.
At least three people were arrested at The Children’s Place Store at 16th and Chestnut Streets.
—Anna Orso, Vinny Vella, and Michaelle Bond
On one Center City block, every business has been looted or damaged
The 8 p.m. curfew did nothing to stop the looting along Chestnut Street.
Between 16th and 17th Street, every single business on the block had been looted or severely damaged as people grabbed armfuls of clothes from stores like Old Navy, J.Crew and Express.
Some pushed whole clothing racks into the streets, toppling them in the road for others to easily grab. A woman with a car full of kids pulled up in front of the shattered windows of Nordstrom Rack, jumped out and came back with a load of clothes under her arm.
“It’s okay,” she said before diving back into the car. “Mommy’s back.”
Amid the pandemonium, a line of bicycle cops remained posted about a block away, watching but doing nothing to intervene.
—Jeremy Roebuck
Mayor Kenney: ‘It’s been a long day. A long, difficult day.’
Mayor Jim Kenney spoke out against the “acts of violence and destruction” that unfolded in Center City as peaceful protests gave way to looting and destruction Saturday night.
“None of the today’s acts of violence or damage to property will do anything to restore faith and trust to the police and communities of color,” Kenney said. “Although anger and distrust are justified, acts of violence and destruction are never justified. We will get through this. We will continue to hold bad cops accountable and to hold those who committed these acts today accountable also.”
Kenney spoke at a news conference outside the Fire Administration building on Spring Garden Street, alongside other elected officials and religious leaders, as police officers began arresting protesters who were violating the city’s curfew by remaining out after 8 p.m.
“This measure is being taken to expedite the restoration of peace and order,” said Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw. “That is what we need: Peace, calm, and order. And it will take a unified and consistent effort to accomplish this.”
—Laura McCrystal
13 cops injured in protests today, Philly police commissioner says
Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said 13 officers had been injured Saturday afternoon. Injuries ranged from chemical burns to sprains, she said.
Mayor Jim Kenney applauded the police for showing restraint as protesters threw objects and liquids — including urine — at them.
Outlaw said about 3,000 people had gathered at the Art Museum Saturday afternoon for peaceful protests, which Kenney called “touching showings of our collective grief.”
Before the curfew took effect, Outlaw said six protesters had been arrested Saturday, but noted that she expected that number to grow. Philadelphia sought assistance from law enforcement in Montgomery and Bucks Counties and Abington Township, Outlaw said, as well as SEPTA police and local universities.
—Laura McCrystal
SEPTA curbs bus routes through Center City for rest of the night
SEPTA announced that several bus routes will not operate through Center City for the rest of the evening due to the curfew put in place by Mayor Jim Kenney.
The routes impacted are: 2, 3, 7, 9, 16, 17, 21, 23, 32, 33, 38, 44, 45, 47, 48, 49, 61, 124, and 125. Service on those routes will resume Sunday morning, according to SEPTA.
—Rob Tornoe
Firefighters put out a small fire at 17th and Walnut
Protesters set fire to a line of wooden chairs blocking the street at the intersection of 17th Street and Walnut Street. But it didn’t stop a police van from driving through.
Firefighters ultimately put out the small fire. Officers got out of their cars one block up at 16th and Walnut Streets, wearing helmets and carrying batons while informing people in the street of the city’s 8 p.m. curfew.
“You gotta’ walk right now," one officer said to members of the crowd.
—Michaelle Bond, Pranshu Verma, Anna Orso
At least four arrests have been made in Philly protests, defense lawyer says
Paul Hetznecker, a civil rights attorney that has rallied a team of lawyers to represent protesters, said there have been at least four arrests following protests in and around Center City.
Hetznecker couldn’t say what the charges were yet. at least some of those arrests were tied to police cars being set ablaze, a second attorney said.
Philadelphia police have yet to announce any arrests.
—Jeremy Roebuck
Protests have quieted around City Hall as curfew looms
The scene has quieted down around City Hall, where protesters broke out windows and defaced the building with graffiti earlier Saturday evening.
About 150 people gathered to listen to speaker Sixx King, who implored whites to support blacks in the fight against police brutality. “White people, we can not do this alone. We need you,” King said.
– Mensah Dean, Vinny Vella
Two Capitol Police officers hospitalized in Harrisburg amid protests, mayor says
In Harrisburg, hundreds of people gathered at the Capitol building and marched through the city, protesting Floyd’s death and police brutality.
Protesters chanted and held signs that read “no justice, no peace,” and “I can’t breathe.”
The peaceful demonstration later turned chaotic, as police in full riot gear clashed with protesters and, according to witnesses and social media reports, deployed what appeared to be pepper spray.
A demonstrator who did not want to be identified out of fear of online retaliation said she saw a teenage girl who had been doused with pepper spray on the ground blocks from the Capitol, near the Susquehanna River.
At the Capitol, a small number of protesters threw plastic bottles at police in riot gear barricading the entrance to the building. Two ambulances stood by. The mayor of Harrisburg, Eric Papenfuse, said in a tweet two Capitol Police officers were hospitalized and “several patrol cars [were] badly damaged by bricks.”
In a statement, Gov. Tom Wolf noted that across the state “people are protesting violence and injustice that occurs far too often against people of color.”
“Everyone should speak out because no one should be at risk of harm because of oppression or racism. We have seen these injustices happen in the commonwealth, and this week, we were all shaken by the murder of George Floyd in Minnesota,” he said. “As Pennsylvanians protest, I urge everyone involved to be peaceful and to keep each other safe.”
—Cynthia Fernandez of Spotlight PA
Former Philly police commissioner Ramsey: protests are ‘very troubling’
Former Philadelphia police commissioner Charles Ramsey called Saturday’s protests “very troubling" and said the city’s 8 p.m. curfew for tonight made sense, given the scale and destruction of the protests.
“It’s not even dark yet, and usually when you start to get this kind of activity, it’s at nightfall,” Ramsey said on CNN. “This is very troubling. I think it’s going to be a very, very long night.”
Ramsey said the images coming out of Philadelphia are unfortunate, and pointed out it appears to be small group of people co-opting legitimate protests over the death of George Floyd.
“Unfortunately there is group of people that come to these things that have no intention of doing anything else other than causing problems,” Ramsey said. “They could care less about what took place in Minneapolis — they’re there to cause damage. It’s a small group of people, but they’re there nonetheless.”
—Rob Tornoe
Transit officers confront protesters and guard looted stores
About a dozen SEPTA transit officers confronted protesters on Chestnut Street. Protesters threw bottles and trash at them.
SEPTA officers stood in front of heavily looted stores, including the Modelle’s near 16th. They were pelted by water bottles and other trash.
Among the detritus in the middle of Chestnut between 17th and 18th were an overturned piano, a fake tree, and a mannequin torso.
—Anna Orso, Vinny Vella, Michaelle Bond
Chipotle is still doing takeout as protesters loot other stores
Amid the looting and breaking into stores along Chestnut Street in Center City, Chipotle remained untouched.
The restaurant was carrying on with its takeout business. Protesters were among its customers Saturday evening.
—Vinny Vella
Protesters take break in Rittenhouse Square, Center City residents watch destruction
Some protesters took a break in Rittenhouse Square on Saturday evening, while others in the park enjoyed picnics.
Business owners and residents in apartment buildings on Chestnut and Sansom Streets watched the protests and looting from their windows. Some apartment buildings, such as The Ellington and 15th and Chestnut, had security guards standing at the doors.
— Aubrey Whelan, Jeremy Roebuck
Protesters looting stores on Chestnut, Walnut Streets
Protesters smashed the windows of several stores along Chestnut and Walnut Streets in Center City, as Saturday’s protests stretched into the evening.
The looted stores included a nail salon, Foot Locker, H&M, Square 1682, Marathon, the Vans store, Ubiq, T-Mobile, Doc Martens, Champion, and Steve Madden, and Philly Runner.
A group of demonstrators banged on the glass walls of the Apple store.
A police car along Chestnut Street had a smashed window, and another had anarchist symbols spray painted on it. Almost every window at the Wells Fargo on Chestnut was broken.
A fire was ignited in the middle of the intersection of 16th and Sansom Streets. Some protesters helped Philadelphia firefighters put it out.
—Aubrey Whelan, Vinny Vella, Anna Orso
Eastbound Schuylkill Expressway closed between Spring Garden and Grays Ferry
The eastbound Schuylkill Expressway has been closed between Spring Garden and Grays Ferry due to the protests.
All traffic is being directed off at Spring Garden, and delays stretch back past Montgomery Avenue, according to Google Maps.
– Rob Tornoe
Mayor Kenney sets 8 p.m citywide curfew
Mayor Jim Kenney announced a citywide curfew Saturday, effective at 8 p.m.
“Only persons with essential duties will be permitted outdoors,” Philadelphia police announced in a tweet.
The curfew will remain in effect until 6 a.m. Sunday.
—Laura McCrystal
Police have moved protesters away from City Hall
After demonstrators broke windows in City Hall and spray painted outside walls, police officers have moved the crowd away from the building.
Police cleared much of the plaza in Dilworth Park, some holding bikes to push back the crowd.
There were some confrontations between police and demonstrators as the police moved the crowds back away from City Hall. Some demonstrators chanted “white people to the front” to protect the black demonstrators from the advancing police.
—Sean Collins Walsh, Aubrey Whelan
Starbucks outside City Hall set on fire
After being broken into, the Starbucks outside City Hall was set on fire as protesters recorded the growing blaze with their cellphones.
Police shifted away from their location alongside City Hall to move people away from Starbucks.
—Mensah Dean, Oona Goodin-Smith
Protesters looting Center City stores
Protesters broke into some Center City stores and looted them on Saturday afternoon.
Windows were smashed and items removed from the Foot Locker on Chestnut Street, as well as H&M. Police officers stood guard outside the Apple store.
—Vinny Vella, Anna Orso
Tensions rise as protesters throw bottles at SWAT officers
Demonstrators clashed with police outside City Hall as tensions rose Saturday evening.
Protesters threw glass bottles and metal barricades at SWAT officers. A woman spit on a police officer. Others grabbed metal barricades and used them to push the line of police officers closer to the walls of City Hall.
And some threw bagels at police officers and told them to “eat up.” The officers used bikes and batons to push protesters back away from City Hall, where they have smashed windows and doors.
—Anna Orso, Vinny Vella, Aubrey Whelan, Jeremy Roebuck
Protesters break into Starbucks in Dilworth Park
Protesters broke into the Starbucks in Dilworth Park and took drinks from inside. “Anybody want a latte?” one protester yelled as the windows broke.
Some protesters began throwing bottles and trash cans as the police formed a line around City Hall to protect the building.
Another group of demonstrators chanted “hands up, don’t shoot” outside City Hall as they turned toward the line of police.
—Aubrey Whelan, Vinny Vella
Fire set in Dilworth Park Cafe, City Hall window smashed
Demonstrators broke into the cafe in Dilworth Park outside City Hall and set a fire inside.
They broke through the glass doors of the cafe and knocked over planers outside.
Windows and doors to City Hall were also smashed, and messages such as “it is right to rebel” were spray painted on walls of the building.
Nearby, the windows of a TD Bank were also smashed and George Floyd’s name was written on another window.
—Anna Orso, Oona Goodin-Smith
Fireworks set off near City Hall as police cars burn
Thick smoke billowed around City Hall as police cars burned and fireworks were set off around the burning cars Saturday.
Protesters cheered as the gas tanks of the cars exploded. Police stepped away from the vicinity of the cars.
—Oona Goodin-Smith, Mensah Dean
Mayor Kenney tells protesters to ‘return home’
Mayor Jim Kenney asked demonstrators to go home Saturday, tweeting that “the anger being displayed now cannot continue.”
Kenney said the peaceful protests Saturday afternoon “were touching showings of our collective grief.”
He asked residents to go home. “Please have respect and dignity for each other and return home,” Kenney tweeted.
—Laura McCrystal
Police cars burn at City Hall
Two police cars were engulfed in flames outside City Hall at about 5:30 p.m. Saturday.
Nearby, an unmarked black car was also set on fire. And protesters flipped over another car in front of City Hall.
—Aubrey Whelan, Vinny Vella
Philly police urge residents to stay out of Center City: violence ‘will not be tolerated’
Philadelphia police warned residents to stay out of Center City and said that they would not tolerate vandalism Saturday, as protests continued and a group of demonstrators tried to burn or tear down the statue of former Mayor Frank Rizzo.
“The demonstrators exercising their first amendment rights at City Hall and the Art Museum did do peacefully,” the police tweeted.
“However, since that time, others have convened in Center City and are committing criminal acts, including vandalism. Those acts will not be tolerated and we strongly encourage everyone to refrain from entering Center City.”
—Laura McCrystal
Clash continues at ri statue, small fire smolders
Police moved their line and metal barriers closer to the statue of former Mayor Frank Rizzo, attempting to move the crowd back.
Some demonstrators retreated from the line, coughing and covering their eyes. Protesters burned a flag tied to the statue, and a small fire was smoldering at its base.
—Aubrey Whelan, Laura McCrystal
Demonstrators target armored police vehicle near City Hall
Demonstrators near City Hall moved toward an armored police vehicle Saturday afternoon and threw things at it, including traffic cones.
Police sprayed what appeared to be liquid at the crowd from inside the vehicle, but it was not clear what they were spraying.
The crowd of protesters then lifted road barriers and threw them at the armored vehicle, which slowly pushed through the crowd. By the time it drove up Broad Street, the vehicle had anarchy symbols spray painted on it. It drove away as a crowd of protesters shouted.
— Jeremy Roebuck
Crowd tries to set fire to Rizzo statue
Protesters tried to set fire to the Rizzo statue, which has also been spray painted. Protesters wrote “pig” across Rizzo’s chest.
A small fire rose from the base of the statue at about 5 p.m. Saturday.
Protesters clash with motorists near Vine and Broad
Protesters stopped traffic near Broad and Vine Streets, getting into confrontations with motorists.
The demonstrators blocking the intersection allowed some cars to pass, but stopped others.
Some drivers made U-turns on Vine Street and drove away in the opposite direction.
—Mensah Dean
Protesters gather around Rizzo statue: ‘Tear it down!’
A crowd of demonstrators gathered around the statue of former Mayor Frank Rizzo in front of the Municipal Services building Saturday afternoon, pulling on a cord tied around its arm.
“Tear it down!” some in the crowd shouted.
Banging sounds could be heard from the statue, which shook as demonstrators climbed on it and a person swung from a piece of metal fencing hooked into the hand of the statue.
Earlier Saturday afternoon, a line of police officers on motorcycles had guarded the statue. There were cops outside the Municipal Services Building as the crowd converged on the statue, but none appeared to be immediately around the statue itself.
—Aubrey Whelan, Laura McCrystal
State Police stop traffic on 676 Eastbound
Pennsylvania State Police have stopped traffic on 676 Eastbound while protesters clear out from Broad and Vine Street.
The officers on site refused to answer the Inquirer’s questions as to how long traffic will be stopped.
“I don’t even trust these cops,” LaMont Wilson, 25, of Northeast Philadelphia, said while waiting for the traffic to clear. “They could come out shooting any moment.
—Pranshu Verma
Police car fire extinguished as crowd marches to City Hall
Some demonstrators in the crowd gathered at Broad and Vine Streets marched to City Hall after a police car caught on fire Saturday afternoon.
The fire was extinguished, but a crowd of demonstrators still remained in the area.
Police formed a line along Vine and Broad, face to face with protesters, but took no action to advance into the crowd.
— Anna Orso, Oona Goodin-Smith, Sean Collins Walsh
Police car set on fire at Broad and Vine as tensions rise
A Pennsylvania State police vehicle caught fire at the intersection of Broad and Vine Streets Saturday afternoon as tensions rose between demonstrators and police.
Police in protective gear sought to move the crowd back, and some of the demonstrators moved away from the scene after something had been sprayed in their eyes and loud bangs were heard in the area.
— Anna Orso, Sean Collins Walsh, Oona Goodin-Smith
Demonstrators spray paint buildings, vandalize police vehicles as police guard Rizzo statue
As demonstrators marched through Philadelphia on Saturday afternoon, some spray painted messages on buildings and vandalized state police vehicles.
Protesters climbed on top of Pennsylvania State Police vehicles guarding the entrance to Interstate 676, spray painted one of them, and smashed windows.
The scene grew tense as police, wearing helmets and holding batons, tried to move protesters away from the state police vehicles at the entrance to the highway.
Buildings and trash cans along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway were also spray painted with messages like “Black Lives Matter” and “Justice 4 Floyd.”
Philadelphia police officers, meanwhile, stood guard over the statue of former Philadelphia Mayor Frank L. Rizzo — a frequent target of vandalism — in front of the Municipal Services Building.
The Rizzo statue has been controversial for years. Opponents Rizzo should not be celebrated, because the tough-talking mayor discriminated against minorities and gays. Rizzo’s supporters have argued that he was a law-and-order mayor, but not a racist.
Mayor Jim Kenney announced in 2017 that the statue would be moved. That move is set for 2021, but no location has been chosen.
— Oona Goodin-Smith, Anna Orso
‘We raise our children in fear,’ one Philly mother and teacher says
As crowd of demonstrators in Philadelphia grew, Jamial Hankinson, 50, became emotional while holding a sign proclaiming “I am an angry black woman!”
“We have every right to be angry because we live in fear, we raise our children in fear,” the mother of two said. “That trauma is in us and we just pass it on from generation to generation. I’m angry and I’m tired of it. These things should continue to get larger until something is done about it,” she said, looking over the crowd.
Hankinson, a teacher at Henry C. Lea Elementary School in Philadelphia, has a 27-year-old son and 29 year old daughter.
— Mensah Dean
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on Saturday said that he was “fully” mobilizing the state’s National Guard, a first in the state’s history, saying that it was “nothing short of a blessing” that an innocent bystander has not yet been killed in unrest.
His announcement comes after protests raged across America on a brutal night in cities where people gathered to grieve and demand justice for George Floyd, a black man who died in police custody. At least 20 U.S. cities woke up to destruction and arrests Saturday morning after unrest over the death of Floyd boiled over in the Twin Cities, sparking demonstrations - some peaceful, others violent - across the country.
“Let’s be very clear, the situation in Minneapolis is no longer in any way about the murder of George Floyd,” Walz, a Democrat, said.
— Associated Press
Wilmington protesters smash police SUV windows, take over I-95
Protests are taking place across the country, including in Wilmington, where demonstrators were seen smashing the windows of a police SUV and on I-95.
Activist contrasts Minneapolis demonstrations with Philly MOVE bombing
Speaking to protesters at the Art Museum steps, Mike Africa Jr. of the MOVE organization compared protesters’ burning of a police precinct in Minneapolis to the 1985 bombing of the MOVE compound in West Philadelphia that killed 11 people, including five children.
“We are here in the city of Philadelphia, the birthplace of liberty, the quote-unquote city of brotherly love, but on May 13, 1985, this very city flew a helicopter over my family’s house and dropped a bomb on it, and they were not concerned about the building burning,” he said through a bullhorn. “I don’t give a damn about no building burning in Minneapolis.”
After gathering and chanting at the Art Museum, the crowd of demonstrators in Philadelphia began marching down Benjamin Franklin Parkway toward City Hall.
— Sean Collins Walsh
Photos: Scenes from protest at Philly Art Museum
Hundreds of demonstrators fill Art Museum steps
Hundreds of protestors filled the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art on Saturday afternoon for a demonstration organized by the city’s Black Lives Matter group.
Wielding signs and face masks, hundreds stood on the steps of the museum, chanting George Floyd’s name, and calling for “justice, now.”
Nearly all demonstrators wore masks, but few stayed six feet apart from one another as the size of the crowd swelled.
Philadelphia police officers kept a distance from the crowd, standing near the entrance to the museum and at the top of the steps.
— Anna Orso, Oona Goodin-Smith
‘It felt like the final straw’: Philly demonstrators explain why they showed up
Deyauna Fisher, of West Philly, brought her 5-year-old son Dean to Saturday’s protest outside the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and he held a cardboard sign that read “Black Lives Matter.” On the way out of their home, she said she explained they were gathering with others “to help make the world better.”
He responded: “I hope the world feels better soon.”
Jasmine Moore, 19, said she had never been to a protest against police treatment of African-Americans but felt she had to attend on Saturday.
“It felt like the final straw,” said Moore, who lives in Philly. “I’m tired of the injustice, the brutality.”
Georgia Getz, 53, of Graduate Hospital, said when she saw the video of Floyd dying, “I thought just how unreal it seemed, but it’s not. It was real. That’s the problem.”
Gretz, who is white, said she was named for the Ray Charles song and raised in Center City to respect black culture. That’s why she came out to the protest, she said.
“My whole family has been fighting for racial equality for three generations. I deeply feel this in my bones. So, I always show up — ride or die.”
— Anna Orso, Sean Collins Walsh, Mensah Dean
Across the nation, National Guard summoned to aid cities amid police clashes
Protesters burned businesses in Minneapolis. They smashed police cars and windows in Atlanta, broke into police headquarters in Portland, Oregon, and chanted curses at President Donald Trump outside the White House. Thousands also demonstrated peacefully, demanding justice for George Floyd, a black man who died after a white officer pressed a knee into his neck.
As anger over Floyd’s killing spread to cities nationwide, local leaders increasingly said they could need help from National Guardsmen or even military police to contain the unrest.
Georgia’s governor declared a state of emergency early Saturday to activate the state National Guard as violence flared in Atlanta. Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler also declared an emergency and ordered a nighttime curfew for the city.
Another 500 Guard soldiers were mobilized in and around Minneapolis, where Floyd died and an officer faced charges Friday in his death. But after another night of watching fires burn and businesses ransacked, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said early Saturday that he was moving to activate more than 1,000 more and was considering federal help.
— Associated Press
Photos: Scenes of unrest as protests sweep the country
Philly demonstrators march from City Hall toward Art Museum
A crowd of demonstrators began marching from Philadelphia City Hall down John F. Kennedy Boulevard just before 1 p.m. Saturday, stopping traffic in the area.
Organizers said the group would continue to the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, where the city’s Black Lives Matter group plans to begin a protest at 2 p.m.
— Anna Orso, Mensah Dean, Oona Goodin-Smith
Photos: Philadelphians gather to mourn George Floyd
Police watch from a distance as demonstrators at City Hall chant peacefully
After gathering at Dilworth Park to kneel silently for nine minutes, a group of about 150 demonstrators remained outside City Hall, chanting and holding signs.
Police officers, mostly bike patrol, stood about 25 yards away. Several officers in plain clothes also stood closer to the demonstrators.
Some demonstrators chanted “I can’t breathe” and “Justice for Floyd.”
A 28-year-old protester who would only give his name as K.C. said coming out to show support for Floyd felt imperative.
“It’s become a demand of support, not just an option, for everybody in every state,” he said. “We should treat every person as if it’s a family member.”
K.C. said he hoped the protest would remain peaceful but wasn’t sure.
“I hope it’s going to be peaceful, but given what’s been happening in Atlanta and New York, I’m not too sure,” he said.
The organizers of the City Hall demonstration said they planned to join another protest scheduled to begin outside the Art Museum at 2 p.m.
— Laura McCrystal, Sean Collins Walsh, Mensah Dean, Anna Orso, Oona Goodin-Smith
Nine minutes of silent kneeling in Philly
Demonstrators kneel at Philly City Hall ‘to mourn George Floyd’
A group of about 150 people gathered at Philadelphia City Hall before noon on Saturday to protest the death of George Floyd. They knelt silently in Dilworth Park for nine minutes, the same amount of time they said the police knelt on Floyd’s neck in Minneapolis.
Josh Yeboah, who said he organized the protest, said demonstrators are “here to mourn George Floyd.”
He called for peace and asked demonstrators to follow social-distancing guidelines. “This is going to be a peaceful protest,” he said. “We are social distancing from police.”
Demonstrators knelt and held signs, some that read “I can’t breathe” and “Justice for George.” A man near the front of the crowd held a sign above his head that read: “That could have been me.”
They maintained six feet of distance between them as they knelt, and nearly all wore masks. About a dozen police officers on bikes and motorcycles watched nearby, on the street just outside Dilworth Park.
After the nine minutes of kneeling, demonstrators stayed outside City Hall, holding signs and repeating chants such as “I can’t breathe" and “Say his name: George Floyd.”
— Anna Orso, Mensah Dean, Oona Goodin-Smith
Mayor Jim Kenney vows Philly police will be respectful, says city has experience handling large demonstrations
A day before a planned demonstration outside City Hall over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Mayor Jim Kenney on Friday vowed that police will treat the protesters with respect, and said he was hopeful the city will avoid the destruction seen in some demonstrations elsewhere.
“In the midst of a global pandemic, America’s original sin of racism has not gone dormant,” Kenney said at a virtual news conference. “Black Americans are outraged, and they should be. I’m outraged, too. As a white man, I will never know the heartbreak and trauma that the black community continues to experience. But I want black Philadelphians to know that I and other city leaders stand with them and are here to support them during this painful time.”
— Sean Collins Walsh
Pentagon puts military police on alert to go to Minneapolis
As unrest spread across dozens of American cities on Friday, the Pentagon took the rare step of ordering the Army to put several active-duty U.S. military police units on the ready to deploy to Minneapolis, where the police killing of George Floyd sparked the widespread protests.
Soldiers from Fort Bragg in North Carolina and Fort Drum in New York have been ordered to be ready to deploy within four hours if called, according to three people with direct knowledge of the orders. Soldiers in Fort Carson, in Colorado, and Fort Riley in Kansas have been told to be ready within 24 hours. The people did not want their names used because they were not authorized to discuss the preparations.
The get-ready orders were sent verbally on Friday, after President Donald Trump asked Defense Secretary Mark Esper for military options to help quell the unrest in Minneapolis after protests descended into looting and arson in some parts of the city.
— Associated Press
Demonstrations planned in Philly for Saturday afternoon
As protests continue in Minneapolis and other cities across the country following the death of George Floyd, Philadelphia demonstrations are planned for Saturday afternoon.
Philadelphia’s Black Lives Matter group has planned a demonstration beginning at 2 p.m. outside the Art Museum. On its Facebook page, the group said the gathering is for not only Floyd, but “all our family members we’ve lost to police violence, and all Black communities terrorized by police.” Another gathering in Philadelphia is planned for noon at City Hall, where organizers say they will kneel in peaceful protest over Floyd’s death.
Mayor Jim Kenney said Friday that he shares in the outrage of black Philadelphians, and said the police will respect the First Amendment rights of protesters. “We’ll be respectful, and we expect people to be respectful and to express their anger, express their concern,” Kenney said.
— Laura McCrystal
Minneapolis police officer who knelt on George Floyd’s neck charged with murder; protests spread across U.S.
The white Minneapolis police officer who pressed his knee into George Floyd’s neck as he begged for air was arrested Friday and charged with murder, and crowds broke overnight curfews imposed to try to stem violent protests over police killings of African Americans that have spread to cities across the U.S.
On Minneapolis’ south side, officers fired tear gas and rubber bullets to drive back crowds of protesters who then set cars and businesses on fire and broke into stores, including some near a police station.
Shortly before midnight, scores of officers on foot and in vehicles moved in to curb the violence a day after city and state leaders faced blowback for their handling of the crisis. Protesters on Thursday torched a police station soon after it was abandoned by police and vandalized dozens of businesses.
— Associated Press
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May 31, 2020 at 08:44AM
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Police clear streets as 8 p.m. curfew takes effect after looting sweeps Center City; 13 officers injured in pr - The Philadelphia Inquirer
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