June 2 George Floyd protest news

Our live coverage of the nationwide George Floyd protests has moved here.

Over the weekend, demonstrators gathered in London, Berlin and Auckland, among other cities, to protest against police brutality in solidarity with the US crowds.

Britain: In London, protesters rallied in?Trafalgar Square?on Sunday morning, in defiance of Britain’s lockdown rules which prohibit large gatherings. Some participants marched to the US embassy.

Germany: Crowds gathered in Berlin in front of the US embassy on Saturday and Sunday. Participants wore face masks and carried signs declaring “Black lives matter” and “Justice can’t wait.”

France: Activists in Paris wearing black clothing and face masks took a knee and held up signs reading “I can’t breathe,” “We are all George Floyd” and “Racism chokes us” in Paris on Monday.

Denmark: Chants of “no justice, no peace” were heard In the streets of Copenhagen on Sunday, as protesters marched over Floyd’s death. Some rallied outside the Danish capital’s US embassy.

Italy: In Milan, crowds held a flashmob near the city’s US consulate on Thursday.

Brazil: People protested outside the Guanabara Palace, the home of the state government, in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday, while in Sao Paulo, some brought signs showing solidarity with the US protests to an existing demonstration against President Jair Bolsonaro.

The list goes on: Solidarity protests took place in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Syria, Mexico, Canada, Poland, and more. Read about them here:

Thousands of people gather for a peaceful demonstration in support of George Floyd and Regis Korchinski-Paquet and protest against racism, injustice and police brutality, in Vancouver, on Sunday, May 31, 2020. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)

Related article Thousands around the world protest George Floyd's death in global display of solidarity

The family of a black man killed by a white bar owner during protests in Omaha, Nebraska, said a prosecutor rushed to judgment by declaring the shooting an act of self-defense.

On Monday, Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine said that after viewing videos of the incident with police officials and homicide detectives, he decided not to charge Jake Gardner in Saturday night’s death of James Scurlock.

While Kleine called the death “senseless,” he said he followed the law. “It can’t be based on emotions. It can’t be based on anger. It can’t be based on any of those things,” he said.

But attorney Justin Wayne, who represents the Scurlock family, said the 22-year-old should not have been shot during a scuffle on Saturday night, and that the case should go to a grand jury.

“I would like to see my day in court,” said Scurlock’s father, James Scurlock II.

What happened: Two videos depict scenes from the incident. As described by prosecutors, Gardner’s father asked demonstrators outside the Gatsby bar to leave and pushed one protester.

An unidentified man can be seen pushing the elder Gardner back, and the son intervened. Wayne claims Scurlock was not part of that group.

Jake Gardner had a handgun tucked in his waistband and lifted his shirt to show it during his confrontation with protesters, Kleine said of one video.

Two people jumped on Gardner’s back and he fired two warning shots, the county attorney said. Within moments, Scurlock jumped into the fray, according to authorities.

Gardner told police he was put in a chokehold and he begged for the assailant to get off of him, Kleine told reporters.

That’s when Scurlock was shot in the clavicle and killed.

Read more here:

Related article Omaha bar owner who shot a black protester will not be charged

Protesters on the Burnside bridge observe a moment of silence on another day of protests over the death of George Floyd in Portland, Oregon, on June 1.

There are between 7,000 to 10,000 people demonstrating in Portland, Oregon today, according to Portland police spokesperson Michael Roberts.

He said there are two main groups of protesters – one that started at Pioneer Courthouse Square and one at Revolutionary Hall.

“The group from Revolutionary Hall marched across the Burnside bridge to mid-span where they all laid down for a brief period,” said Roberts. “They are continuing downtown and it had been peaceful thus far. We have not made any arrests related to this demonstration at this time.”

There is still a small group of protesters in Los Angeles outside the mayor’s residence, and police are now beginning to make arrests, hours after curfew.

Many of the protesters are still sitting on the ground, with their hands up together, chanting “Peaceful protest,” said CNN Correspondent Kyung Lah on the scene.

“One by one, you see two?officers move forward.?You can see the two officers?move forward, lean down, ask the?protester to stand up, turn?around, put their hands behind?them, and then they’re led away,” Lah said.

As the protesters are led away, the remaining crowd sitting on the ground cheer for them. The arrested protesters are then lined up against a wall, where they give the police their information and are bused out to be further processed elsewhere, said Lah.

Compared to the scuffles and arrests taking place in other parts of the country, this scene is remarkably calm and orderly – in line with the peaceful tone of the protests all day.

“They have been supportive of one?another.?People in the apartments and the?houses that they’ve walked by?have run out to give them water,?encouraging them to keep going.”

Hundreds arrested: The Los Angeles Police Department have arrested hundreds of protesters, said spokesperson Tony Im.

The protests took place in different parts of the city and county today, including Hollywood, Downtown Los Angeles, and the residential neighborhood of Hancock Park, where Mayor Eric Garcetti resides.

Watch:

Since George Floyd’s death, nine New York Democratic elected officials have at least partially reallocated their police and crime-related campaign donations, most of them to bail funds in New York City.

It all started with a 19-year-old college student from Queens.

Aaron Fernando, a rising junior honors student at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, told CNN he began compiling police union campaign donations to New York Democrats the day before George Floyd was killed in Minneapolis.

Since sharing his “Who’s Taking Cop Money?” Google spreadsheet on?Twitter?on May 29, eight Democrats – including a state senator, state assembly members and New York councilmembers – have vowed to donate their police-funded contributions to bail funds or criminal justice reform organizations.

Fernando said he requires these elected officials to send him proof of their reallocated money before updating his?spreadsheet.

Read the full story here:

Protesters take a knee and raise their hands in the middle of Canal Street in a stand off with police over the death of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer at a rally on May 31, 2020 in New York. - Thousands of National Guard troops patrolled major US cities after five consecutive nights of protests over racism and police brutality that boiled over into arson and looting, sending shock waves through the country. The death Monday of an unarmed black man, George Floyd, at the hands of police in Minneapolis ignited this latest wave of outrage in the US over law enforcement's repeated use of lethal force against African Americans -- this one like others before captured on cellphone video. (Photo by Bryan R. Smith / AFP) (Photo by BRYAN R. SMITH/AFP via Getty Images)

Related article A 19-year-old called out New York Democrats accepting police campaign donations. To his surprise, many have listened

Police patrol after dispersing a protest on Monday night in Seattle.

Seattle Mayor Jenny A. Durkan signed a civil emergency order on Tuesday extending the evening curfew through June 6, according to a copy of the order obtained by CNN.

The curfew extends every night from 9 p.m. local time until 5 a.m. the next morning. In the order, Durkan cited violence and looting as factors prompting the curfew, as well as the dangers of Covid-19 infection that are still present.

The curfew does not apply to law enforcement, emergency personnel,?city and government officials, members of the news media?authorized in advance, and workers engaged in essential functions like medical care, according to the?order.?

Those who violate the curfew could face imprisonment and/or a fine of up to $500.

Police clash with protesters during a demonstration on June 1 in Washington.

As protests over police brutality erupt across the United States, reports are on the rise of officers responding with chemical agents, rubber bullets and other forceful tactics.

In some cases, police leaders say violence in the streets leaves them with no other choice. And President Trump?has pushed for local officials to ramp up their show of force. But protesters and police critics?argue that some officers are escalating tensions?with their actions.

Tear gas: Video footage and photos from protests across the country show law enforcement firing tear gas into crowds of people.

Sometimes the tear gas is being fired in response to violence and looting, and sometimes protesters allege it’s being fired without provocation.

Excessive force: Authorities in several cities have said they’re investigating allegations that some officers have used excessive force in their responses to protests.

In Atlanta,?two officers were fired?after police say they broke the windows of a vehicle, yanked two protesters out of the car and tased one of them.

Targeting journalists: Through it all,?reports of journalists being arrested and assaulted while covering the protests have also been growing.

A photographer in Minneapolis?said she was blinded by a rubber bullet. Also in Minneapolis, a CNN crew was arrested while giving a live television report on Friday – and then released about an hour later

Read the full story here:

TOPSHOT - Police officers clash with protestors near the White House on June 1, 2020 as demonstrations against George Floyd's death continue. - Police fired tear gas outside the White House late Sunday as anti-racism protestors again took to the streets to voice fury at police brutality, and major US cities were put under curfew to suppress rioting.With the Trump administration branding instigators of six nights of rioting as domestic terrorists, there were more confrontations between protestors and police and fresh outbreaks of looting. Local US leaders appealed to citizens to give constructive outlet to their rage over the death of an unarmed black man in Minneapolis, while night-time curfews were imposed in cities including Washington, Los Angeles and Houston. (Photo by Jose Luis Magana / AFP) / ALTERNATE CROP (Photo by JOSE LUIS MAGANA/AFP via Getty Images)

Related article Police brutality prompted the protests. In some cities, the police response only proved the protesters' point

Uber, Lyft?and other “for hire vehicles” in New York City will cease ride services Tuesday night into Wednesday morning, in keeping with the?city’s curfew.

The move comes at the request of the city, a source familiar with the matter told CNN.

For-hire vehicle services shut down at 8 p.m. local time Tuesday and will resume at 12:30 a.m. Wednesday, the source said. Yellow cabs will continue to operate.

The move means essential workers, who are exempt from the?curfew, will be limited to walking, biking, taking yellow cabs or using public transportation to get around New York City on Tuesday night. Many people are still wary of using the subway because of the continued risk of Covid-19.

Lyft?is taking similar actions in other cities where it operates, according to the app. In Santa Monica, California, for example, the Lyft app says ride services are suspended during curfew, from 2 p.m.?Tuesday to 5:30 a.m. Wednesday.

An Uber spokesperson said the company is working with cities across the United States to determine how it should operate during curfews.

Read more here:

An Uber SUV waits for a client in Manhattan a day after it was announced that Uber co-founder Travis Kalanick will take a leave of absence as chief executive on June 14, 2017 in New York City. The move came after former attorney general Eric H. Holder Jr. and his law firm, Covington & Burling, released 13 pages of recommendations compiled as part of an investigation of sexual harassment at the ride-hailing car service.

Related article Uber and Lyft ride services paused for Tuesday night's curfew in New York City

Police in Charlotte, North Carolina, said they had arrested a protester who was armed with “an AR Rifle with two 30-round magazines,” according to a statement on Twitter.

The police department also said officers were deploying “Riot Control Agents to disperse the crowd for safety,” and described some people throwing bottles.

Earlier tonight, the police said on Twitter that they had deployed chemical agents after being targeted with projectiles.

“After being assaulted with bottles, rocks, and chemical agents multiple dispersal orders were given,” the police tweeted. “Officers gave protestors multiple avenues to leave the area.?After refusal to leave, chemical agents were deployed to protect officers and the public.”

The protesters in Los Angeles have dwindled significantly from their peak of thousands earlier today – but a small group is still demonstrating outside the mayor’s residence, hours after curfew.

The group has been largely peaceful all day, but tensions are rising following the arrival of police, said CNN Correspondent Kyung Lah at the scene.

Police have lined up in formation, and appear to be preparing to try and clear the protesters, who are kneeling on the ground with their hands up.

Earlier today, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said he was “proud” of the peaceful protesters, and said he embraced the right of protest and free expression.

Watch:

Police stand at the Manhattan Bridge on Tuesday night in New York.

In New York, tensions were high earlier tonight with protesters on the Manhattan Bridge and police on both sides – but it appears police are now allowing protesters to walk away and leave the area.

Protesters holding signs and holding their arms up slowly walk off, back to the Brooklyn side, as police stand to the side.

“We haven’t seen them make?arrests or taking folks into?custody,?allowing those on the bridge to?make their way off the bridge,” said CNN Correspondent Jason Carroll at the scene.

“So far this falls in line with a?lot of the tactics we have seen, not just tonight but last night?as well,?with the police taking a step?back – allowing some of the?demonstrators to have their?voice,” said Carroll.

What happened: Earlier today, some protesters splintered from a larger group demonstrating in Brooklyn.

They tried to cross the Manhattan Bridge into Manhattan, but were stopped by police. They stayed stuck on the bridge, with some fearful of arrests, before turning around and peacefully walking off.

“Police are standing by – the tactic is take a backseat?approach at this point and allow them to continue?marching,” said Carroll.

President Donald Trump speaks at the White House on Monday in Washington.

President Donald Trump tweeted about the ongoing protests in New York, citing Fox News in describing the “chaos, lawlessness, and destruction.”

“When will Governor Cuomo call the federal government for help?” he tweeted.

What’s happening in New York: In Manhattan, scuffles broke out between police and protesters in the western neighborhood of Chelsea, with several protesters arrested or detained.

There were also instances of looting along the downtown area, with CNN Correspondent Shimon Prokupecz observing people break into a wine store and taking bottles.

Further south, protesters have gathered on the Manhattan Bridge. Police were on both ends, but it appears they are allowing protesters to walk off peacefully.

In New York, protesters and police faced off tonight in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood.

The demonstrations had been largely peaceful throughout the day, but tensions rose toward the evening, as the 8 p.m. curfew came and went, and looters began targeting stores in Manhattan.

“Looters and came and busted?through the store glass,” said CNN Correspondent Shimon Prokupecz at the scene. “I saw them?running out with bottles of?wine … They have been using rocks in?some cases to break the glass.”

He added that the group of looters had joined in with another group of peaceful protesters, which then led to a confrontation with police in Chelsea.

“There were at least two or three?arrests there.?They were holding four?individuals with their hands?on the car,” Prokupecz said.

“It looks like (police) also used pepper?spray.?We can kind of sense it in our eyes, and you can kind of smell it.?Then one of the males they?arrested, he was asking for milk?for his eyes, which supposedly helps.?He was feeling pain.”

The National Guard in Washington, DC, is now investigating the actions of their helicopters on Monday night, it said.

Late Monday night, helicopters were seen doing slow, low-level passes over crowds, and hovering in what appeared to be attempts to disperse the protesters.

Pentagon spokesperson Lt. Col. Chris Mitchell told CNN on Tuesday that the UH-72 aircraft had been flying to “provide observation of DC National Guard positions as they conducted civil unrest operations,” and had not been dispatched as part of law enforcement operations.

In New York City, the Manhattan Bridge is full of protesters – and they’re boxed in, with police waiting on both ends of the bridge.

The protesters on the bridge had splintered off from a larger group that had been demonstrating in Brooklyn earlier in the day, said CNN National Correspondent Jason Carroll. The splinter group tried to make their way to Manhattan – when they were stopped on the Manhattan Bridge.

Some are now trying to turn back and head back into Brooklyn, but they may not be able to – there are a number of police officers around the bridge, waiting on both ends, some seen with the white zip ties used to detain protesters.

He pointed to a large bus seen near the bridge. “If they’ve (police) got to make?arrests, they are prepared.?They’ve got the bus here.?They’ve got a number of officers?with zip ties, so if they are?going to be making arrests, they?are prepared to do just that.”

Watch:

Demonstrators march through the streets on June 2 in Los Angeles.

In reaction to the thousands of protestors gathered in front of his residence, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said he wants them to know he can hear them loud and clear.

While thanking police officers for their hard work, he said that looting is decreasing in the city and that it has been dealt with pretty swiftly.

1,000 members of the National Guard are on the streets of Los Angeles, he said.

“We will go after folks who break into businesses. We will go after people who are looting or causing violence against demonstrators or police officers,” he said.?“I look forward to the day when we get rid of a curfew, when we don’t have the National Guard, when our police officers don’t have helmets on.”

A curfew is in effect for the city and county of Los Angeles for a third night, effective from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. local time. Mayor Garcetti said he will make a day-to-day decision on extending the curfew.

Many protesters in Washington, DC, are peacefully walking away from Lafayette Square, heading north to the DuPont neighborhood.

A rolling police department bike squad is slowly following them as they move up the streets, away from the White House.

It has been a more peaceful, quiet night than the previous few, after scenes of tear gas and police clashes with protesters in the Lafayette Square area this week.

The curfew in DC went into effect at 7 p.m. local time. It’s now past 10:30 p.m.

Facebook said on Tuesday that it had shut down pages and accounts associated with what it said was a hate group, whose members were discussing bringing weapons to the George Floyd protests.

The platform said it had observed people associated with the group American Guard discussing such action.?

The group says it is about American constitutional nationalism,?but the?Anti-Defamation?League says American Guard “has a background with connections to anti-immigrant extremism, hatred, and violence.”

According to the Anti-Defamation League, American Guard had once been “the Indiana chapter of a group called the Soldiers of Odin USA, a branch of an extreme anti-immigrant and anti-refugee group that originated in Finland in 2015 and has spread to many other countries.”?

Facebook removal: Facebook said it had also taken down accounts linked to the far-right group the Proud Boys, though it said it had not?seen?posts from that group discussing weaponry.??

The company said it had been planning?on?taking?action?against both?groups, but?had expedited the process when they saw how the groups were discussing the protests.?

Facebook staff told CNN on Tuesday that the company would?take action?on people using the platform to organize violence regardless of their political affiliation.?

In Milwaukee, Wisconsin, police fired tear gas at protesters on Tuesday night after rocks and glass were thrown at officers, according to a tweet from the police department.

“Protestors have been ordered to disperse due to unlawful assembly after throwing rocks and glass at our officers,” the police tweeted. “A suspect with a gun who was in the crowd has been taken into custody by MPD. For our safety and the safety of our residents we had used gas to disperse the crowd. We are asking that all individuals disperse.”

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Tuesday that the decision to implement an earlier curfew time of 8 p.m. came after the city saw “coordinated criminal activity” and looting.

“Now we’ve made the adjustment. I think this is the right approach that will help us to really lead this moment out and get back to a more normal place,” he said.

The citywide curfew will now remain in place for the remainder of the week, extending from 8 p.m. each night to 5 a.m. the next morning.

He emphasized that the looting was only done by a “infinitesimal” amount of people, and that the vast majority of New York protesters were peaceful.?

De Blasio declined to share exact numbers on the size of the police presence in the city Tuesday night, but called the presence “vast” and described the number as “the highest number of police we have had over the last five days.”

He added that he felt having National Guard troops in the city would have negative unintended consequences, and raise “a real risk of violence and someone losing their life.”

Police arrest protesters after curfew on June 2, in New York.

The New York Police Department has arrested about 40 protesters across the city on Tuesday night, though that number is expected to increase, a law enforcement official told CNN.

It’s a lower number so far than Monday night, when 700 protesters were arrested, according to the NYPD.

It’s now several hours past curfew in New York, but there are still pockets of protesters who continue to march in Manhattan, Brooklyn and other parts of the city.

Following widespread looting, the city’s curfew was brought forward to 8 p.m. instead of 11 p.m. The citywide curfew will now remain in place for the remainder of the week, extending from 8 p.m. each night to 5 a.m. the next morning.

Ben Crump, the attorney for the family of George Floyd, said he expects the other three officers present at Floyd’s death to also be charged “before George Floyd is laid to rest.”

He told CNN that an independent autopsy showed that Floyd died of “asphyxiation from sustained pressure” when his neck and back were compressed by Minneapolis officers during his arrest – suggesting the other officers on scene also contributed to Floyd’s death, not only Derek Chauvin, the former officer who was filmed with his knee on Floyd’s neck.

Chauvin has since been charged with third-degree murder.

The Pentagon confirmed Tuesday night that about 1,600 active duty troops had been moved from Fort Bragg and Fort Drum to the Washington, DC area to assist civil authorities if needed.??

No active duty forces have been deployed in DC as of now, but the “active duty elements are?postured on military bases?in the National Capitol Region,” said Pentagon Chief spokesman Jonathan Hoffman in a statement, describing the movement as a “prudent planning measure.”

CNN previously reported that troops from Fort Bragg were being moved in the DC area on Monday night.

President Donald Trump’s announcement Monday that he is ready to?deploy the military?to enforce order inside the United States has led to discomfort among some in the Pentagon, defense officials have told CNN.

Some Pentagon officials have tried to make a strong case that the situation does not yet call for deploying active duty troops unless state governors make a clear argument that such forces are needed.?

“There is an intense desire for local law enforcement to be in charge,” a defense official said, alluding to the laws that forbid the military from performing law enforcement roles inside the US.

On Monday night, a retired police captain in St. Louis, Missouri, was killed in a looting incident, said the St. Louis Police Department.

David Dorn had been killed while responding to an alarm at a?pawnshop, said the department in a press conference on Tuesday.

“Throughout the night, we made 25?arrests?for various charges. And then there were 55 businesses and counting that were burglarized and had property damage,” said an official at the press conference.?

“One of those businesses had one of our retired captains, retired captain David Dorn, who retired after 38 years. During the looting process, David Dorn was exercising law enforcement that he learned here.”

President Donald Trump?tweeted about the incident, paying his respects to Dorn.

“Our highest respect to the family of David Dorn, a Great Police Captain from St. Louis, who was viciously shot and killed by despicable looters last night. We honor our police officers, perhaps more than ever before. Thank you!” he tweeted.

Police use tear gas during protests on May 30 in Seattle.

The Seattle Office of Police Accountability received about 14,000 complaints concerning the conduct of Seattle police officers during this past weekend’s demonstrations, said spokesperson Anne Bettesworth.

Here are just a few of the allegations in the complaints:

The subsequent investigations will be led by civilians and will be “as transparent as possible given the law and police collective bargaining agreements,” said a press release from the city.

Demonstrators hold up placards near Lafayette park across from the White House on June 2 in Washington.

In Washington, DC, crowds are still out on the streets even after the city’s 7 p.m. curfew went into effect.

“We are in the third hour of this?curfew and this is still a?strong crowd, showing no sign of?going home and chanting against?the curfew,” said CNN Correspondent Alex Marquadt from the scene.

The crowd has thinned out since the daytime, but there are still hundreds near Lafayette Park, which is only blocks away from the White House.

After the past two days of violent clashes in this area, there is now a new fence around the park and its protest hotspots. Every now and then, protesters try to rock the fences or throw water bottles through – and are met with pushback from other protesters who try to stop them.

It’s a much more quiet, peaceful night in the nation’s capital than the past few days – but as we get later in the night, it remains to be seen whether law enforcement will arrive to enforce the curfew, Marquadt said.

Watch:

New York Police Department Chief Terence Monahan takes a knee with protesters on Monday in New York.

On Monday night, New York City Police Department Chief Terence Monahan knelt with protesters in Manhattan, holding the hands of those kneeling besides him.

Speaking to CNN on Tuesday night, Monahan decried George Floyd’s death. “What happened to George Floyd?was wrong,” he said, adding that police around the country were now “paying the price” for what happened.

The protest on Monday had been tense and “contentious,” with about 5,000 protesters gathered in Washington Square Park and around 50 officers, said Monahan.

He said as the crowd got more agitated, organizers asked the police to help — at which point Monahan asked for a microphone, and spoke directly to the protesters, asking them to help take back control of the city from “outside agitators.”

Watch:

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has announced new reform measures for police accountability and a $10 million fund for businesses harmed in recent days.

“Regarding police reform and accountability, yes, we are under a consent decree, but the process of reform has been too slow and too narrowly focused,” she said in a live video address tonight.

She laid out new directives, describing them as “immediate necessary next steps.” These include:

Lightfoot said she would work with the department leadership and the superintendent to implement these measures within the next 90 days.

Business fund: She also discussed a $10 million dollar fund for businesses affected by the recent violence.?

“The city will dedicate at least $10 million of funds to help support businesses that have been most harmed in recent days. The funds will be provided?city wide, with an equity weighting that focuses on South and West sides,” she said.?

The mayor also voiced her support for the protests, saying, “I stand with those who are sick and tired of the lack of fundamental change. Change that results in the respect, dignity, and freedom that Black people deserve in this country.”

Protesters gather in the streets of Manhattan on June 2, in New York.

Protesters in Los Angeles and New York City continued to march through city streets after their respective curfews went into effect.

In New York City, the curfew started at 8 p.m. ET. A citywide curfew went into effect at 6 p.m. local time (9 p.m. ET) in Los Angeles.

Tear gas has been deployed on protesters in Atlanta as the city’s 9 p.m. ET curfew went into effect.

Protesters had been marching peacefully on the streets of Atlanta and gathered near the CNN Center.

A CNN crew on the scene reported that the protest was peaceful, then when 9 p.m. came police and members of the National Guard started to sweep the streets to clear them.

Defense Secretary Mark Esper speaks at a press conference on March 5 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Olivier DOULIERY / AFP) (Photo by OLIVIER DOULIERY/AFP via Getty Images)

Secretary of Defense Mark Esper wrote a memo Tuesday defending the military’s role in helping to quell violent protests despite opposition from some lawmakers and senior retired military officers.?

“I, like you, am steadfast in my belief that Americans who are frustrated, angry, and seeking to be heard must be ensured that opportunity. And like you, I am committed to upholding the rule of law and protecting life and liberty, so that the violent actions of a few do not undermine the rights and freedoms of law-abiding citizens,” Esper added.

Esper wrote, “Our National Guard are now also being called upon across the country to help protect our communities, businesses, monuments, and places of worship.”

Earlier on Tuesday a former top Pentagon policy official resigned from the Defense Science Advisory board over what he said was Esper’s failure to adhere to that oath by appearing to visibly support the Trump administration’s clearing of protesters from Lafayette Square Monday night.?

“I appreciate your professionalism and dedication to defending the Constitution for all Americans,” Esper said while later adding, “As I reminded you in February, I ask that you remember at all times our commitment as a Department and as public servants to stay apolitical in these turbulent days.”

A former top policy official at the Pentagon, James Miller, resigned from his role on the Defense Advisory Board due to what he said was Secretary of Defense Mark Esper’s visible support of the clearing of protesters from Lafayette Square Monday, an act Miller called a violation of Esper’s oath of office.

“You recited that same oath on July 23, 2019, when you were sworn in as Secretary of Defense. On Monday, June 1, 2020, I believe that you violated that oath,” Miller wrote, referring to law enforcement officers clearing of peaceful protesters.

“You may not have been able to stop President Trump from directing this appalling use of force, but you could have chosen to oppose it. Instead, you visibly supported it,” Miller added.

Who is Miller: He served as the Pentagon’s Undersecretary of Defense for policy during the Obama Administration, joining the board after leaving active government service in 2014.

The Defense Advisory Board was established in the 1950s during the height of the Cold War is?comprised of nearly 50 retired senior military, government, and industry leaders, and advised the Pentagon on issues such as acquisition, cyber, communication technology, and weapons of mass destruction.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp?addressed recent demonstrations in the state during a news?conference?Tuesday, saying he supported the right to peaceful protests, but?said that “violence and destruction is unacceptable.”

Kemp said that he is “outraged that Georgians are now in harm’s way because some are using this moment to riot, to loot and to compromise the safety of our citizenry. I will tell you that violence and destruction is unacceptable.”

“We will do whatever is necessary to keep the peace,” the governor said.?

People rally to protest the death of George Floyd in Houston on June 2.

In Houston, where a public memorial for George Floyd?will take place next week, tens of thousands of people marched to City Hall to shout his name and call for justice after his death.

The marchers, who chanted “no justice, no peace” and “Peace on the left, justice on the right,” walked or rode horses from Discovery Green park toward their destination, where organizers were scheduled to speak.

George Floyd’s brother, Philonise Floyd, addressed the crowd asking for a peaceful protest. He told them to be steadfast in the quest for police reform.

Protesters head through downtown into midtown during demonstrations on June 2 in Atlanta.

A large, peaceful protest marched through Midtown Atlanta on Tuesday evening before the city’s curfew.

“It had gravity and meaning, voices of all creeds united in purpose for what’s right and just,” said Thom Henkel, who captured a video from his apartment.

People wait in line to vote in the primary on June 2 in Washington.

Hundreds of people are out beyond the District of Columbia’s 7 p.m. ET curfew, lining an entire city block, waiting for one thing: To vote.

It’s a remarkable scene along U Street in Washington, alongside the African American Civil War Memorial, as people stand in a long line to take part in the city’s primary election.

A man who is nearing the front says he’s been in line for nearly three hours.?

Never mind there are virtually no seriously contested races on the ballot. The line stretches from 9th to 10th streets and U to T streets. Virtually everyone is masked, somewhat socially distanced, and waiting to cast their ballots tonight.

It’s the Shaw neighborhood of Washington, a long-gentrifying section of town not far from Howard University, that was one of the epicenters of the race riots a half-century ago in Washington.?

Polls are open until 8 p.m. ET, but an election worker says the doors will stay open later — beyond curfew — until everyone in line can vote.

DENVER, CO - JUNE 01: Denver Police Chief Paul Pazen (C) links arms with people protesting the death of George Floyd on June 1, 2020 in Denver, Colorado.

Denver Police Chief Paul Pazen, who marched arm-in-arm with protesters Monday in his city, told CNN that the demonstrators’ words inspired him and will help guide his police department “as we recognize that we have room to improve.”

He told CNN’s Erin Burnett that the protesters he spoke with this week, “indicated they were tired … fearful, and didn’t want to feel like this anymore.”

Asked about the 54 arrests that occurred Monday during protests in downtown Denver — many for curfew violations —?the chief said he wants “dialogue over destruction” and he “supports peaceful protests.”

Pazen defended the decision to arrest people for curfew violations, saying the officers used “good judgment on curfew arrests.” He added that the same will “take place tonight as well.”

Asked about his decision to fire a police officer who posted on social media “let’s start a riot” and how he’ll ensure that doesn’t happen again, Pazen said, “it’s about accountability…this is not an issue of us versus them.”

Watch:

President Donald Trump holds a Bible as he visits outside St. John's Church on Monday in Washington.

Two senior White House officials said it was President Trump who came up with the idea of the visit to St. John’s?church, but that Hope Hicks, Jared Kushner, Ivanka Trump, and chief of staff Mark Meadows were involved in the initial planning of the operation.?

The decision to visit the church came early yesterday afternoon, roughly five hours before police and military forces swarmed Lafayette park to clear out the protesters. Officials in the press office were not looped into the plan until later in the afternoon, shortly before the operation.

One senior official said the initial plan was to establish a security perimeter around St. John’s church and the White House neighborhood to protect the church. Then Trump, Hicks and the others hatched the plan for the church visit.

Both officials said there has not been much second guessing about the church visit among senior members of the team. They said they feel good they “restored law and order,” the official said.?

Another White House official confirmed to CNN the bible that Trump held up at St. John’s church Monday was carried over by Ivanka Trump in her white designer bag. The official said the President noticed Ivanka was carrying her purse and asked her to put it in there, and then she removed it and handed it to him at the church patio.

Hundreds of people were gathered peacefully tonight at the base of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC — a mix of black and white, young and old, looked out toward the Washington Monument.

Several dozen uniformed guardsmen and women, along with Park Police, were standing on the steps of the monument.

There were speakers and prayers and signs, calling for justice and an end to police brutality.

On a breezy spring evening in Washington, this scene illustrates the peaceful demonstration that is starkly at odds with violent rioting and looting.

“Make it quick,” one man said, “curfew is coming up in 30 minutes.”

The peaceful demonstration concluded when the 7 p.m. curfew in DC went into effect.

National Guard vehicles drive into downtown Louisville on May 30.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear announced today that the state would be reducing its National Guard presence in Louisville.

“That is a recommendation by our adjutant general that we will be following,” Beshear said.

The governor also spoke about the death of David McAtee, who was fatally shot as police and the Kentucky National Guard dispersed a large crowd early Monday.?

According to the preliminary first results of an autopsy,?McAtee appears to have died from a single gunshot wound to the chest, said Michael Brown, secretary for the governor’s Executive Cabinet, who spoke about the state of the investigation surrounding McAtee’s shooting.

Brown said tests on bullet fragments will have to be conducted at the Kentucky State Police crime lab to determine what type of bullet McAtee was struck by. “At this time, we do not know that. We do believe it was a single bullet,” Brown said.

“It is our belief at this time that approximately 18 shots were fired between the Kentucky National Guard and the Louisville Metro Police that evening. Those weapons are also in our custody for further testing, and they will be tested for DNA and any other things we can get from them,” Brown added

A protester speaks in front of the California National Guard on June 2 in Los Angeles, California.

These are the cities and states with curfews Tuesday night due to the protests across the country in response to George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Former NBA player Stephen Jackson said the reason his longtime friend George Floyd moved away from his hometown of Houston, Texas, to Minneapolis, Minnesota, was to?“provide for his family, be a?better father.”

“That was the main reason for?moving.?When he called me, his whole?reason coming was to get here,?get away from Texas so he could?provide for his family, be a?better father, be a better?father.?His whole reason being in?Minnesota was to work be drive?trucks, and he was doing that.?He was doing great here, turning?a curve, and then this happened.?So he was doing his part,” he said.

Jackson joined Roxie Washington, the mother of George Floyd’s 6-year-old daughter, as she delivered emotional remarks to the media this afternoon.

Washington described Floyd as a good father.

“He was a good man as a father,” Washington said of Floyd as she wept. “He was so happy to have her… he loved her. He loved her so much.”

“He took care for us, he provided for us,” she added.

Watch:

New York police officers patrol the streets on Monday night.

Declining to go into numbers, a senior official with the New York City Police Department tells CNN that there will be “enhanced deployment” tonight.

“The goal is to minimize risk to the public and maximize efficient use of resources,” the official said.?

On Monday, in a statement, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office said that the number of NYPD officers on the street would double from 4,000 to 8,000.

Roxie Washington

Roxie Washington, the mother of George Floyd’s daughter Gianna, told reporters she wants to see justice for Floyd and for her daughter.

Washington added:?“I am here for my baby and I’m here?for George because I want?justice for him.?I want justice for him because?he was good.?No matter what anybody thinks, he?was good.?And this is the proof that he was a good?man.”

Watch here:

Asked about President Trump’s comments to the nation’s governors yesterday on a call where he admonished them for not doing more to quell the violence during recent protests, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said the Trump’s statements were not helpful.

“While I hope that we ultimately come out of this and go on forward, handle things appropriately, we do not need the federal government coming in here and taking any of those actions,” he added.

Former Capt. Eric Adams with the New York City Police Department told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer George Floyd’s killing “reminded me as a child being beaten by police, and urinating blood for weeks after that beating.”

Adams, who is now Brooklyn Borough President, said, “This is a moment for me,” adding that the “emotion is unbelievable.”

On the protests in New York and around the country, Adams said the peaceful protests “brings me joy.” Adams said he is also concerned about “professional agitators” who he believes are trying to “hijack a righteous fight to end police abuse”

“Their goal is to see our cities burn and we cannot allow that to happen,” he said.

Adams said he supports NYC’s 8 p.m. curfew “as long as it’s not tool that’s used to stop people from voicing their right to protest.”

On President Trump’s rhetoric and comments that he’ll send in the military to police cities, Adams said, “The President has been a complete embarrassment to our nation.”

He added that “advice” from Trump is “something that we don’t need right now.”

Watch full interview here:

Thousands of people peacefully protested and marched in Chicago this afternoon.

CNN’s Ryan Young gathered with protesters as they marched through city streets. They eventually settled into a spot, where they appeared to be sitting and facing officers.

“They’ve been having the sort of?meetings and conversations and?different intersections that?sort of talk about the platforms?they want to get out there.?On some occasions they engage?with police officers.?Right now there is a group of speakers is?talking to them.?This is such a big difference?between what we saw over the?weekend when some large protests?went out of hand.?That’s not the case here,” he reported.

Protesters have asked police for reforms, they’ve talked about George Floyd and have requested a civilian review board so they?can start seeing differences?throughout the country when it?comes to policing, Young said.

Watch here:

A protester marching today in Los Angeles told CNN’s Kyung Lah that protesters want “peace” and are “standing in solidarity for a system that has oppressed people for hundreds of years.”

Watch here:

Memorials for George Floyd will take place in three cities beginning on Thursday, according to a release from family attorney Benjamin Crump.

Memorials are planned in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Raeford, North Carolina and Houston, Texas.

Here’s what we know about the memorials:

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam said he would not send the Virginia National Guard to neighboring Washington, DC.

He said during a news conference Tuesday he would not send the guard because DC Mayor Muriel Bowser did not request them. Northam said with the numerous scheduled protests and challenges in Virginia, it was in the state’s best interest to keep the guard there.?

No vehicle traffic will be permitted south of 96th Street in Manhattan after the 8 p.m. ET curfew begins tonight, with some exceptions, the NYPD’s Chief of Department Terence Monahan?tweeted.

Residents, essential workers, buses, and truck deliveries will still be allowed to travel to this part of the city, the tweet said.

Read the tweet:

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, reading from the Bible, reacts to President Donald Trump during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, June 2.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Tuesday condemned President Trump again, saying he “crossed another threshold of undermining our democracy” with his St. John’s church visit at the expense of peaceful protesters on Monday night.

Pelosi, who made the remarks in an interview with NPR, also said she does not think any use of the American military to quell protests and riots is justified at this point.

Asked about a potential congressional response to police brutality, Pelosi reiterated the Congressional Black Caucus is taking the lead on the matter. She said addressing immunity laws for police is “very important, and that would be a priority.”

The National Association of Medical Examiners on Tuesday defended the Hennepin County, Minnesota, medical examiner’s report on the death of George Floyd and cast doubts on the motivations of two pathologists who performed an independent autopsy on Floyd.

On Monday, the county released a report saying Floyd’s death was a homicide,?and Floyd “experienced a cardiopulmonary arrest while being restrained by law enforcement officer(s).”

Separately on Monday, forensic pathologist Dr. Michael Baden and Dr. Allecia Wilson, a pathologist at the University of Michigan’s medical school, who were hired by the Floyd’s family,?said that Floyd died from asphyxiation from compression injuries.

Where the reports differed was on the potential contribution made to Floyd’s death by underlying causes, including high blood pressure and clogged arteries. The county medical examiner listed these, along with fentanyl and methamphetamine use, as additional conditions. Baden told a news conference Monday he and Wilson found no evidence of the of any heart or artery conditions and said they did not believe any substances in Floyd’s blood would be relevant to his death.

The medical examiners association defended the inclusion of these conditions in the autopsy.

“Death is a complex process and often occurs with multiple interacting contributing causes including physiologic stress brought about by physical altercations. Therefore, listing all provides a more comprehensive statement of the cause of death.”

Medical examiners “unlike private pathologists, do not have an incentive to come up with a certain view,” the group said.

“The Chief Medical Examiner in Minneapolis, Dr. Andrew Baker, is one of the most highly regarded and esteemed Forensic Pathologists in the United States,” the group added.

“He is a Past-President of NAME and known for his expertise and integrity.”

A large group of protesters in Orlando are moving through downtown, the Orlando police tweeted today.

The group is walking from City Hall towards police headquarters, the tweet said.

Read the tweet:

Ahmaud Arbery?family attorney Lee Merritt strongly criticized the use of force on protesters outside the White House on Monday during a “PBS News Hour” YouTube live event.

Merritt appeared on the YouTube live event with Floyd family attorney Ben Crump, who repeated his call for protesters across the country to “take a breath.”?

“What we are asking from the highest executive office in this country and from the policing agencies, from the National Guard, is to take a breath,”?Merritt said. “So we respond to the White House that we are demanding on behalf of these families, if you are going to speak in the name of George Floyd and talk about peace and justice, then speak about de-escalation to the law enforcement community.”??

Arbery, who was black, was jogging outside Brunswick, Georgia, on February 23 when Gregory McMichael and his son, who are white, chased him after him, authorities said. Arbery and Travis McMichael struggled over the latter’s shotgun and Arbery was shot three times. Gregory McMichael told police Arbery attacked his son, a police report says.

The killing sparked outrage across a nation after?a disturbing video of the shooting emerged online?on May 5. “Jogging while black” became the?latest example of the many perils visited on African Americans.

Former President George W. Bush issued a statement about the death of George Floyd, saying that he and former first lady Laura Bush are “anguished by the brutal suffocation” of Floyd and “disturbed by the injustice and fear that suffocate our country.”

The statement does not address President Trump’s response. It does say, “The heroes of America — from Frederick Douglass, to Harriet Tubman, to Abraham Lincoln, to Martin Luther King, Jr. — are heroes of unity. Their calling has never been for the fainthearted.”

Read Bush’s full statement:

Rev. Gini Gerbasi, the rector at St. John’s Episcopal Church of Georgetown, said she was at the scene when police fired rubber bullets to disperse the crowds so that President Trump could walk over to the church and take photos.

She said she was shocked when police moved on protesters, but was more offended that Trump turned the “holy ground?into a photo-op.”

She added: “I was already stunned and?shocked and deeply, deeply?offended that they had taken?what had become holy ground and?had been holy ground for 200?years and literally desecrated it, turned it into not a metaphorical battleground, but a?literal battleground … And to stand in front of a?church and somehow claim that as?his right and privilege and?culture and holding the bible,?was a sacrilege. An absolute sacrilege.?And I wouldn’t make — I’m not?joking when I say I would rather?the President live by those?words, those words of healing,?wholeness, compassion, love,?peace, generosity, care for?those who have been?marginalized.?For him to turn that book into a?prop, for him to turn that holy?ground into a battleground, for?him to turn that holy ground?into a photo op is a sacrilege.”

Watch full interview here:

Twenty-five Philadelphia police officers have been injured in the protests so far, Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said Tuesday.

Outlaw did not elaborate on the type or severity of the officers’ injuries.

Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney said a group of people armed with bats in the city were eventually dispersed by police, but that he was not happy about how long it took for that to happen.?

Attorney General William Barr, center, stands in Lafayette Park across from the White House as demonstrators gather on Monday, June 1, in Washington.

Minutes ahead of President Trump’s televised address from the Rose Garden Monday evening, Attorney General William Barr ordered authorities to clear a crowd of protesters that had gathered nearby, according to a Justice Department official.?

Barr and other top officials from agencies responsible for securing the White House had previously planned to secure a wider perimeter around Lafayette park, a federally-owned green space just north of the building, in response to fires and destruction caused by protesters on Sunday night. That plan would have cleared the area later used for the President’s walk to a nearby church for a photo-op by 4 p.m. ET, the official said.

But it never happened.?When Barr arrived at Lafayette park just after 6 p.m. ET — in a scene that was captured on news cameras and elicited heckles from the large, peaceful crowd — Barr saw that the area had not been emptied, and told police to clear the area, the official said. If federal law enforcement was met with resistance by the protestors, crowd control measures should be implemented, Barr had said, according to the official.??

Barr had been told that police believed protestors were gathering rocks to throw at law enforcement, and while he was in the park, water bottles were thrown in his direction, the official said. CNN did not witness any water bottles being thrown at the attorney general. Camera footage shows him standing and watching the crowd for several minutes, flanked by a security detail and two senior department officials.?

Just before 6:24 p.m., police broadcast their?first?warning for the crowd to distance.?A CNN correspondent reporting from the rooftop of a nearby hotel heard three warnings broadcast over the next ten minutes as authorities moved closer to the crowd.?

At 6:35 p.m., authorities began charging the crowd in lockstep with their shields raised, some using their batons to strike the protestors as gas canisters were deployed.?

Protesters are marching through cities across the US over the death of?George Floyd?at the hands of a police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Here’s what the protests look like:

New York City

Protesters demonstrate on June 2 during a "Black Lives Matter" protest in New York City.

Washington, DC

Ericka Ward-Audena, of Washington, puts her hand on her daughter Elle Ward-Audena, 7, as they take a knee in front of a police line during a protest of President Trump's visit to the St. John Paul II National Shrine on June 2, 2020, in Washington.

Los Angeles

Demonstrators hold up signs on June 2 in Venice, a beachfront neighborhood in Los Angeles, during a protest over the death of George Floyd.

Houston

People gather to protest the death of George Floyd in Houston on June 2.

The Minnesota Department of Human Rights is launching a civil rights investigation into the Minneapolis Police Department, the state’s governor announced Tuesday.?

The investigation will look into practices of the department for the last 10 years.

According to a release from Gov. Tim Walz’s office, the investigation will look to see if Minneapolis Police have engaged in systemic discriminatory practices targeting people of color.?

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott today said that the state does not need federal troops.

The remark comes less than a day after President Trump threatened to use military force if violence does not stop. “If a city or state refuses to take the actions necessary to defend the life and property of their residents, then I will deploy the United States military and quickly solve the problem for them,” Trump said.

Abbott said that the state has “an abundance of resources that are being provided by the Texas Department of Public Safety.”?

“They have deployed something around 3,000 people across the entire state of Texas already,” he added.

Abbott also said that there has not been a request for Texas to send National Guard members to Washington, DC.

“I do not expect that request,” he added.?“Texas National Guard are here for Texans, and that’s exactly what they will be used for,” Abbott said.

The California National Guard has deployed 2,430 members to assist law enforcement statewide.

About half are concentrated in the greater Los Angeles area and others are in Sacramento and Alameda County in Northern California, Brian Ferguson, spokesperson for California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services,?tells CNN.

A protester cries during a Black Lives Matter protest in downtown Los Angeles on June 2 over the death of George Floyd.

Large crowds of protesters marched peacefully through downtown Los Angeles this afternoon.

Protesters walked past the Los Angeles Police Department headquarters and stood outside City Hall. Others held signs in front of police officers “to show them?their frustration with what they?believe is systemic,” CNN’s Stephanie Elam reported.

During the march, protesters hugged and engaged in conversations, she said.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti took a knee during the protest.

Joined by community faith leaders, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti takes a knee in prayer during a Black Lives Matter protest in downtown Los Angeles on June 2.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker emphasized the need for police reform at a news conference on Tuesday.

He went on to say “that means taking the justice in criminal justice, and making it mean something. That means sustained economic investment in black and brown communities across our state.”?

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said she was dismayed to see “that our local pharmacies have been looted,” adding, “these are the places that our seniors depend on for their meds. In many of our black and brown communities we know that we have disproportionate numbers of people who suffer from diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, the things that made you particularly susceptible to Covid-10. And it’s really important of course that people have access to their medication.”

Pritzker addressed the flare-ups across the state where looting took place and commended the State Police saying, “I’m very proud of the work that they’re doing.”

CNN’s Shimon Prokupecz speaks to a protester in New York on Tuesday.

Peaceful protesters demonstrating in New York City today expressed their frustrations with the current state of the country.

“We can’t live like this anymore,” a protester told CNN’s Shimon Prokupecz.

“That’s not just for black folks, it’s for everyone. We cannot live like this anymore and will fight till the end, until we can have our peace. No justice. No peace,” the protester said.

She held a sign with pictures of Danroy “D.J.” Henry Jr., an African-American football player at Pace University who was shot by a white New York police officer.

“Every demonstration is important. I’m not going to say it’s important to have the peaceful ones and not the peaceful ones. All of them are important. Every single one is important until people can hear us. People know who we are… People like this, D.J. Henry, are important. George Floyd was important. Trayvon Martin was important. Mike Brown was important. These people are all important… We can’t forget about them,” the protester said.

Watch the full interview here:

Sen. Josh Hawley from Missouri speaks at a hearing of the Judiciary Committee examining issues facing prisons and jails during the coronavirus pandemic on Capitol Hill on June 2, in Washington.

Most Republican senators ignored or declined to comment on last night’s peaceful protest at the White House, which was forcefully cleared out for President Trump’s photo-op at St. John’s church.

However, several?GOP senators?fiercely?defended Trump’s church visit as “important” and said moving protesters was not an abuse of power.?

Here’s what lawmakers are saying:

Other GOP senators said they didn’t see what happened.??

“I didn’t watch it closely enough to know what happened there,” said?Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah.?

“I didn’t really see it,” Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin said.

Most senators ignored questions about last night’s events or declined to comment, including Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Sen. Pat Roberts of Kansas, Sen. Kelly Loeffler of Georgia, Sen. Mike Enzi of Wyoming, Sen. Dan Sullivan of Alaska, Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee and Sen. Todd Young of Indiana.

The Ohio National Guard sent 100 trained soldiers to Washington, DC, following a request from the Secretary of Defense, Major General John Harris announced today.

Since Washington, DC, doesn’t have a governor, the Secretary of Defense fills that role, and requested that the Guard come to DC to lend support by providing security at the White House and critical monuments, as well as protecting businesses, said Harris with the Ohio National Guard.?

The Ohio National Guard has also been called to Columbus and Cleveland by the mayors of those cities to assist with the protests taking place there.?

Harris said their mission in those cities include crowd control, doing traffic control points, and supporting local law enforcement agencies “with minimum force necessary to complete the mission.”

People are loaded onto buses by police officers after being arrested in Hollywood, California, on June 1, as a third night of curfews followed days of massive protests against George Floyd's death in Minneapolis.

Los Angeles County, the nation’s most populous with approximately?10?million?residents, will be under curfew for a third straight night.

The curfew is in effect from 6 p.m. local time Tuesday until 6 a.m. local time Wednesday.

Essential workers, people seeking medical treatment, and residents voting in special elections are exempt from the curfew.

Some cities within L.A. County have stricter curfews.

A curfew in Santa?Monica, California,?starts at 2 p.m. local time and ends at 5:30 a.m. local time Wednesday.

Read the tweet:

The Department of Defense has raised the level of security conditions at the Pentagon and other Defense facilities in the Capital region to the second highest, according to two US Defense officials.?

The level is called force protection condition “Charlie” — also known as FPCON CHARLIE — and the officials said the Pentagon went from force protection condition Bravo to Charlie because of overall concerns about vandalism amid civil unrest.?

US Northern Command, which oversees military operations in the continental United States, changed the force protection condition.?

What this level means: According to?the US Army,?“FPCON Charlies applies when an incident occurs or intelligence is received indicating some form of terrorist action or targeting against personnel or facilities is likely.”

The increased condition will further result in increased security, including additional identity checks at defense facilities.

Earlier in the day, chief Pentagon spokesperson Jonathan Hoffman said there had been increase in force protection condition.

“We have increased the force protection level in the MCR, basically the Pentagon reservation and other facilities in the NCR. This is a modest increase. For the most part we have been at that level to some extent. And so some changes happened. Not dramatic,” Hoffman said.

A large police presence was visible outside City Hall?in New York City as crowds gathered to demand justice over the killing of George Floyd.

Chanting “Black Lives Matter,” protesters marched from Foley Square to the mayor’s office with police helicopters flying above.

The demonstration comes after a night of violence in the city that saw widespread looting. Speaking earlier in the day, New York Gov. Cuomo condemned the violence, calling out the city’s police and mayor for not doing their job.

“The police in New York City were not effective at doing their job last night, period, they have to do a better job,” Cuomo said.

The governor acknowledged that most of the city’s protests have been peaceful and urged protesters to maintain peace and take the necessary precautions amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Protesters gather outside the Cup Foods on Chicago Avenue and 38th Street on May 27, in Minneapolis.

The owner of Cup Foods, the store whose employee called the police on George Floyd, says he and his employees will no longer be calling police when people try and use fake bills at his store.???

Abumayyaleh, who was not present at the store at the time of Floyd’s arrest,?said even though it is state policy to call the police in the case of counterfeit bills, police “have shown time and time again that they do not know how to peacefully handle conflicts in our community.”??

Abumayyaleh?said his nephew, who was present at the time of Floyd’s arrest, was yelling at the police to stop and was pushed back by one of the officers, according to the Facebook post.???

Abumayyaleh?expressed his?support of the Floyd family and said he is donating money to help pay for Floyd’s funeral.?Abumayyaleh?also called on his community to continue advocating for the end of “institutional racism” and police brutality.??

“We will continue fighting with our South Minneapolis community until justice is served, not only for George Floyd,?Ahmaud?Arbery, and Breonna Taylor, but for everybody who is affected by police violence in our country,”?Abumayyaleh?said.??

Attorney General William Barr thanked local DC police, military leaders and federal law enforcement agents for “significant progress in restoring order to the nation’s capital” in a statement released Tuesday.

“There will be even greater law enforcement resources and support in the region tonight. The most basic function of government is to provide security for people to live their lives and exercise their rights, and we will meet that responsibility here in the nation’s capital,” he said.?

Read the statement:

Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw addressed reports of vigilante law enforcement in the city and said, “We do not endorse or condone any form of vigilante justice.”

Asked about vigilante groups who were allowed to stay out past curfew, and why there was a disparity between them and others arrested after curfew, Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney said, “I don’t know but we’re going to find out.”

Outlaw and Kenney continued to defend the use of tear gas on protesters who went on to the interstate and the mayor characterized it as a “last resort.”?

Kenney called the incident where an officer allegedly pulled down a protester’s mask and used pepper spray “totally unacceptable.”

The Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms is taking the lead on the investigation into ATM explosions, according to Outlaw.

“We’re working with the ATF who is taking the lead on these investigations to figure out exactly who is behind this. We believe that (they are) organized efforts, and coordinated efforts as well.”

Philadelphia Police tweeted today that there have been a total of 692 arrests from noon on Saturday until 9 a.m. ET today.

Here’s the tweet:

Protesters gather for a demonstration after French medical experts exonerated the French police officers involved in the arrest of Adama Traoré, a young black man who died in police custody in 2016, on Paris on June 2.

Crowds have begun filling the streets around the High Court in Paris for a protest against an alleged case of racist police brutality, despite the gathering being declared illegal by the police earlier Tuesday, according to CNN’s team on the ground.

Police in riot gear and around 50 police vans are also present as the protest is considered illegal on the grounds that gatherings of more than 10 people in a public space are forbidden as part of coronavirus restrictions.

In an echo of the Black Lives Matter protests in the US, this protest was organized by Assa Traoré, whose brother Adama died while being detained by police in 2016.?The hashtag #JusticePourAdama (Justice for Adama) is trending in France.

A State Police tactical vehicle is surrounded by a cloud of tear gas at the Lee Monument on Monument Avenue in Richmond, Virginia, on Monday, June 1.

Speaking to a crowd that gathered outside City Hall Tuesday, Richmond, Virginia, Mayor Levar Stoney issued an apology to protesters who were gassed by the police department during a peaceful protest on Monday night.

Stoney told the crowd that every person should be allowed to peacefully protest and that it’s their right.

“We violated that yesterday,” he said.

Stoney attempted to answer questions and demands by those gathered at City Hall, many of whom were at Monday’s protest. He said that disciplinary action would be taken and that he was looking at video of the incident.?

Asked if he would march with them tonight, Stoney said he would.?

Senate Democrats unveiled a new resolution Tuesday saying that “Congress condemns the President of the United States for ordering federal officers to use gas and rubber bullets against the Americans who were peacefully protesting.”?

The resolution from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s office affirms:?

The constitutional rights of Americans to peaceably assemble, exercise freedom of speech, and petition the government for redress of grievances must be respected. That violence and looting are unlawful, unacceptable and contrary to the purpose of peaceful protests. That Congress condemns the President of the United States for ordering federal officers to use gas and rubber bullets against the Americans who were peaceably protesting in Lafayette Square in Washington, DC on the night of June 1, thereby violating the constitutional rights of those peaceful protesters.

?Schumer’s office said Senate Democrats will introduce the resolution today.?

Washington, DC, Mayor Muriel Bowser announced that there will be another curfew Tuesday evening beginning at 7 p.m. ET and ending at 6 a.m. ET Wednesday.

Bowser noted that polls are open until 8 p.m. ET and those going to vote will be permitted to do so.?

“You won’t have any problems going to vote anywhere in the District of Columbia, through 8 p.m. today,” she said.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was silent for more than 20 seconds during a news conference Tuesday after he was asked what he thought of the forceful dispersal of protesters and President Trump calling for military intervention.??

During the pause, Trudeau clearly looked uncomfortable, and seemed to be considering his response before finally answering that Canada has challenges with racism, too.?

Several cities, including Montreal and Toronto, staged sizable demonstrations over the last several days. With chants of “black lives matter,” protesters showed solidarity with the family of George Floyd but also called on Canadian leaders to acknowledge that racism is a still a problem in Canada.?

While most protests are continuing peacefully, Montreal Police reported that at least 11 people were arrested Sunday and investigations continue after looting and acts of mischief in the downtown core.?

Watch here:

To mark the final nine minutes of George Floyd’s life, the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, will dim its lights for nine nights, starting tonight, according to a thread of tweets from the institution.

The Kennedy Center, which received $25 million in coronavirus stimulus funding, said the dimming of the lights is a show of “grief,” and not a solution.

One of the tweets in the six-tweet?thread notes the performing arts center will strive to incorporate more African American stories and artists moving forward.

Read the tweet:

Dallas Police Chief Renee Hall described protests last night in her city as peaceful, despite a number of people being arrested.

Hall said that while the protesters were peaceful, they knelt in the roadway holding up their hands and saying “don’t shoot.”?She said the arrests came because the protesters broke the law by blocking the roadway and also out of concern for their safety.?

Hall said the protesters were processed and released and will be charged at a later date.

The police chief acknowledged the incident involving George Floyd saying, “We continue to say his name. And I ask that you to continue to say his name and know that we understand, and that is George Floyd.”

More than 300 arrests were made during Monday night’s protests in DC, Washington’s Metropolitan Police Department Chief Peter Newsham said today.

The majority of the arrests were for violating curfew, which went into effect at 7 p.m. ET. The other arrests were either burglary or rioting.

Two officers were hurt yesterday, but neither had life threatening injuries, and one police vehicle was set on fire.

About the protests: Newsham said federal officers moved a group of protesters in Lafayette park yesterday. He said he was alerted to President Trump’s movement shortly before it occurred — at 6:30 p.m.

“The Metropolitan Police Department did not participate in that movement,” Newsham said.

Armed National Guard soldiers patrol on Hollywood Boulevard on June 1 as peaceful protests and looting continue in Los Angeles County.

Gen. Joseph Lengyel, the chief of the National Guard Bureau, told reporters there are more than 18,000 National Guard members responding to civil unrest across 29 states and Washington, DC, with that number still increasing.?

There are more than 42,000 members working on Covid-19 operations as well, according to Lengyel.?

He also said there was a reduction in violence last night across the country, even though they saw “sustained or even increasing levels of protest.” There were no Guard members reported injured last night.

Nearly 1,300 members of the DC National Guard were on duty “and they were augmented last night by some additional soldiers from Utah and from New Jersey,” Lengyel said. An additional nearly 1,500 members are expected to augment DC from Indiana, South Carolina, and Tennessee.

“The civil unrest mission is one of the most difficult and dangerous missions that we do here in our domestic portfolio of mission sets,” Lengyel said. “Generally, this mission is an uncomfortable mission. They don’t like doing it… our Guard members live and work and are from these communities.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio addressed when his mindset changed about instituting a citywide curfew.

The curfew was first put into place last night, when it went into effect at 11 p.m. ET. Today it will go into effect at 8 p.m. ET — and it remain in place for the rest of the week, according to de Blasio.?It expires at 5 a.m. ET each morning.

De Blasio pointed to Sunday night’s looting in lower Manhattan when talking about the need for a curfew.

Having the curfew at 8 p.m. ET — which is before it gets dark — “we think will magnify our ability to control the situation,” he added.?

“We do not allow looting, period,” the mayor said.

Police stand guard around the CNN Center and Centennial Olympic park as protests continue over the death of George Floyd, on Saturday, May 30, in Atlanta.

Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard?announced during a news conference Tuesday that they are charging six Atlanta Police Department officers for using excessive force during an arrest of two college students during Saturday night’s protest.?

Officers were filmed in downtown Atlanta breaking windows of the vehicle, yanking a woman out of the car and tasing a man. The two victims were later identified as Spellman and Morehouse college students. Both schools are historically black.?

Arrest warrants have been issued for Lonnie Hood, Willie Sauls, Ivory Streeter, Mark Gardner, Armond Jones and Roland Claud. Some of the charges against the officers include aggravate assault of Messiah Young, aggravated assault of Taniyah Pilgrim, simple battery and criminal damage to property, Howard said.?

Two of the six officers, Ivory Streeter and Mark Garnder, were terminated Sunday by Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms.?

The officers have until the end of the day on June 5 to surrender, Howard said.

A $10,000 signature bond has been set for all six officers.??

The New York Police Department arrested about 700 people during Monday’s protests, the department’s press office told CNN this morning.

About half a dozen police officers were injured and half a dozen police vehicles were damaged during the protests, the NYPD said.

A citywide curfew was in effect from 11 p.m. ET Monday to 5 a.m. this morning. Tonight’s curfew goes into effect at 8 p.m. ET.

Thousands of people are taking to the streets across the country in both peaceful protests and violent demonstrations against law enforcement over?the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who was killed by police in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo urged people to recognize the difference between protestors outraged over the death of George Floyd and looters that have struck some areas.

“The curfew is not about the protestors,” Cuomo said. “The curfew is not to harass protesters” Designed to help police “deal with the looters”

Cuomo said that many issues — the coronavirus pandemic, the protests and the looting — are “getting blurred” and each needs to be addressed separately.

“We can’t blur the line between these problems,” he said.

He stressed his support for protesters, adding that they want a “better America.”

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said New York City police were not effective last night in stopping looting and criminal activity in the city.

Cuomo added that the city’s police has to “do a better job.”

The governor said the looters and protesters are different situations and should call for varying types of response.

Cuomo called on the protestors to be calm and peaceful tonight so the police can “do their job.”

Cuomo said?he has offered mayors of the cities state police support and 13,000 members of the National Guard who are on standby if needed.

WATCH:

In this February 15 file photo, NYPD Chief Dermot Shea holds a press conference in New York.

Following a night of unrest in the city, New York Police Department Commissioner Dermot Shea thanked the police force for their work, and said NYPD will “make sure criminals do not run” the city.

“The NYC Police Department will be there to protect you and make sure criminals do not run New York City. We will control this. We have this and you can have faith in that,” Shea said.

Shea acknowledged that this is a story bigger than New York City and encouraged peaceful protests.

There were about 700 arrests Monday night for looting and other offenses, including attacks on officers, Shea said.

Shea asked for more leaders to step up in communities to stand together with police “and condemn these senseless acts of violence.”

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio addressed demonstrators during a news conference today, telling them: “If you choose to protest today, do it in the daytime hours and then please go home because we have work to do this evening to keep a peaceful city.”

The mayor reminded residents that he supports peaceful protests and warned that action would be taken if measures were not followed.

New York City’s 8 p.m. ET curfew will start tonight and will remain in place for the rest of the week.

The mayor also addressed concerns that Covid-19 might be spreading as a result of the protests.

The mayor also commended New York Police Department’s Chief of Department Terence Monahan for taking a knee with protestors Monday.

“That’s the image we should focus on,” he said.

Security guards stand in a closed off Times Square shortly before the 11 p.m. curfew went into effect June 1.

New York City’s 8 p.m. ET curfew will start tonight and will remain in place for the rest of the week, according to Mayor Bill de Blasio.?

The curfew will remain until 5 a.m. ET the next morning each day through Sunday.

The mayor asked residents to stand up for their communities.

“When people come to a swath of midtown Manhattan to attack luxury stores, that does not represent the values of New York City.?We won’t accept that, it doesn’t speak for us and therefore we will stop it,” de Blasio said.

“I know we can overcome this, I know we can,” he added.

Reopening after the pandemic will move forward on Monday.

Speaking of “trouble” in parts of New York City last night, Mayor Bill de Blasio said: “We don’t accept that, we’re gonna fight that, we’re gonna fix that.”

To those who don’t believe in the people in the city or the police, “To hell with all of them.?I don’t care if they are left or right or center, I am sick of people attacking the city of New York,” de Blasio said.

The mayor addressed protestors who attacked New York City Police Department officers.

“We saw vicious attacks on police officers. That is wholly unacceptable. That does not represent the people of this city. Anyone who attacks a police officer attacks all of us,” de Blasio said Tuesday.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi holds a bill enrollment photo opportunity for the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act of 2020 in the Capitol on Tuesday, June 2.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Tuesday addressed President Trump’s photo opportunity?with a Bible outside of St. John’s church, which came after law enforcement forcibly cleared peaceful protesters away from the White House using tear gas and riot shields.

Holding a Bible, Pelosi turned to the book of Ecclesiastes and read about time for healing. She said the President “has the responsibility to heal.”?

She also read statements from previous presidents about police brutality.?

“This is not a single incident. We know it is a pattern of behavior. We also know the history that takes us to this sad place,” Pelosi said of George Floyd’s death.

She said the administration’s treatment of the protesters was a “most unfortunate situation.”

“What is that?” she asked. “That has no place, and it’s time for us to do away with that. A time to heal. The book of Ecclesiastes.”

A public memorial service will be held for George Floyd in Minneapolis on Thursday, according to a statement from National Action Network. The service will be held at North Central University at 2 p.m. ET.?

Reverend Al Sharpton will deliver the eulogy at the service according to the statement. Floyd family attorney Ben Crump is also expected to make remarks. There will be participation from “family members from across the country.”

Other memorials: Another public memorial service is scheduled for Monday in Floyd’s hometown of Houston, Texas. A private family service is scheduled for Tuesday at an undisclosed location.?

Former Vice President Joe Biden delivered remarks in Philadelphia on the civil unrest occurring across the nation following the death of George Floyd and called on Congress to act “this month” on measures on “real police reform.”

“You know, I’ve said from the outset of this election, that we’re in the battle for the soul of this nation, and we are in the battle for the soul of this?nation,” Biden continued

Biden urged Senate Majority Leader?Mitch McConnell to pass legislation that will address the concerns of protestors on police reform and a bill that outlaws chokeholds.

“No more excuses, no delays. If Mitch McConnell can bring in the United States senate to determine Trump’s unqualified judicial nominees who will run roughshod over our Constitution now, it is time to pass legislation that? will bring true meaning of our constitutional promise of equal protection under the law,” Biden said.

Biden promised that if elected president, he “won’t traffic in fear and division” nor “fan the flames of hate.” Biden also said that he is committed to “creating a national?police oversight commission.”

WATCH BIDEN:

Former Vice President and presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden blasted President Trump for walking to a church near the White House as protesters were dispersed with tear gas, flash grenades and rubber bullets.

Trump yesterday held up the Bible in front of a boarded-up St. John’s Episcopal Church and declared “we have the greatest country in the world” while surrounded by aides.?

“The President held up the Bible?at St. John’s church yesterday.?I just wish he opened it once in?a while instead of brandishing?it.?If he opened it, he could have?learned something.?We are all called to love one?another as we love ourselves.?It’s really hard work, but it’s?the work of America,” Biden said.

Biden referenced the Constitution’s First Amendment, guaranteeing freedom to assemble and freedom of speech, for the protesters.

“We’re not [going to] allow any president?to quiet our voice.?We won’t let those who see this?as an opportunity to sow chaos?throw up a smokescreen to?distract us from the real?legitimate grievances at the?heart of these protests,” Biden said.

WATCH:

Do your children have questions about the ongoing nationwide protests and racism? Parents, do you have questions about talking to your kids about these issues and embracing diversity?

Leave them below and they may be used in a special event airing on Saturday at 10 a.m. ET: “Coming Together: Standing Up to Racism. A CNN/Sesame Street Town Hall for Kids and Families.”

Please leave your name and contact information and someone may get in touch with additional questions.

George?Floyd’s family says the memorial and celebration of life services will be held on Monday and Tuesday next week, according to a release from the Fort Bend Memorial Planning Center.???

“Floyd, a 46-year-old man who was raised in?Houston’s Third Ward, was killed during an encounter with Minneapolis police officers,” the statement says.?

The public memorial for?Floyd?will take place on Monday?at The Fountain of Praise Church in?Houston, the statement says.?

There will be a private service at an undisclosed location on June 9, according to the statement.??

The statement says?former professional boxer?Floyd?Mayweather will pay for the services. The statement also notes that other notable guests are expected at the private service, but does not detail who those guests will be.

Protesters march during a demonstration over the death of George Floyd in Houston on May 29.

The statement mentions the protests that have taken place across the country and asks those are participating “to do so peacefully.”?It also mentions the Covid-19 outbreak and asks all who are attending the memorial to wear a mask and gloves.??

Former US Attorney General Loretta Lynch said President Trump’s decision to walk across the area near the White House where protesters were demonstrating was a “missed opportunity.”

Attorney General William Barr accompanied Trump when the President made the trip from the White House to St. John’s Episcopal Church to hold up a Bible.?

“I do think that the attorney general?is the chief law enforcement?officer of the country, and it?is always best when the chief?law enforcement officer of the country?listens to people when people?have concerns about law?enforcement.?That’s the posture that I think?would have been helpful, and?would be helpful, in these?difficult times … not just this one?photo-op,” Lynch said.?

Trump?also threatened yesterday to invoke the Insurrection Act of 1807 law and take the unusual step of deploying active duty US soldiers to police US streets.

“We don’t condone the loss of?life for anyone, protesters and?certainly not the police.?But the issue here should be?de-escalation.?It should be how do we listen to?people, how do we hear their?concerns??And then how do we focus the?appropriate law enforcement?response on those who are trying?to hijack these peaceful?protests and engage in looting?and violence for the sake of?violence? … We have seen some?tragic results, but we’re not at?the point of having the army?train its guns on civilians,” Lynch said.

Watch more:

The President has tweeted about last night’s protests in New York after a night of unrest and widespread looting.

“New York was lost to the looters, thugs, Radical Left, and all others forms of Lowlife & Scum. The Governor refuses to accept my offer of a dominating National Guard. NYC was ripped to pieces,” he tweeted.?

On Monday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio ordered a curfew from 11 p.m. until 5 a.m., and an 8 p.m. curfew for Tuesday.

Read the tweet:

National Guard troops surround a portion of the State Capitol during protests in Atlanta on June 1.

A little over 20,000 National Guard have now been activated to support civil unrest response, according to a Defense Department?official.

At least 28 states and Washington, DC, have activated their National Guard forces.?

Police officers wearing riot gear push back demonstrators?near the White House in Washington on June 1.

In his first tweet of the morning, President Trump took a victory lap saying there were “no problems” in Washington, DC or Minneapolis last night.

This comes a day after peaceful protests outside the White House before curfew were dispersed with tear gas and rubber bullets, and military helicopters hovered over city streets, breaking some windows.

Here’s Trump’s tweet:

On a call Monday, Trump called on the nation’s governors to “get tougher” and “dominate.”

“The word is dominate. If you don’t dominate your city and your state, they’re gonna walk away with you,” he said, according to audio of the call on Monday obtained by CNN.

Washington, DC, Mayor Muriel Bowser spoke with CNN’s Alisyn Camerota on New Day about the way protesters were cleared from the area in front of St. John’s church yesterday.

?“At no time do we think it was appropriate that people who had not violated the curfew or anything else receive that treatment,” she said.

When asked about the military being sent in to the nation’s capital to assist police, the mayor said it would be “inappropriate.”??

“Police have policing power. And bringing in the military to police work is inappropriate, in any state, in the United States of America, without the consent of the governor and it will be inappropriate in Washington, DC.”

WATCH MAYOR BOWSER:

Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, DC, is interviewed on CNN's "New Day" on June 2.

Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, DC, slammed President Trump’s photo op at a church near the White House as a “charade.”?

About the visit: Peaceful protesters just outside the White House gates were dispersed yesterday with tear gas, flash grenades and rubber bullets, before Trump walked from the White House to St. John’s Episcopal Church after giving an address in the Rose Garden. Trump held up a Bible outside of the church and said “we have the greatest country in the world.”

Budde said Trump doesn’t frequent the church or any other in the diocese.?

“He did nothing to say to them?that your future is before you?and I will protect you and do?all that we can to make this?country worthy of you — all the things that we need and?deserve from anyone who is in?leadership, spiritual or?political, at this time,” she added.

St. John’s sustained damage from a fire in one part of the building, but Budde said the church is structurally fine.?

“We will rebuild; buildings can?be rebuilt, lives cannot be?brought back from the dead,” she said.?

Watch more:

The White House is visible behind a large security fence as a Secret Service agent stands in front of Lafayette Park in Washington on June 2.

The US Secret Service has closed several streets surrounding the White House to any vehicular traffic — another sign of the increased security in the area.

Late last night CNN reported seeing 8-foot tall metal fencing being erected around Lafayette Park. They look like the almost impenetrable fencing put up during high-level security events like political conventions and inaugurations.?

Here’s the traffic alert that was sent out today:?

This is an important message from the District of Columbia AlertDC system.

The United States Secret Service (USSS) reports the following roadways will be closed to vehicular traffic until further notice.

WATCH:

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement has launched an investigation and relieved a Fort Lauderdale police officer of duty after a video surfaced showing the officer shoving a kneeling protester during last weekend’s protest, Police?Chief?Rick Maglione announced during a news conference on Monday.?

What happened: The incident occurred on Sunday as tensions rose in downtown Fort Lauderdale.

The video, which was taken by a protester, shows the officer pushing a black woman who was on her knees demonstrating towards the pavement as he walks passed her.?

Other officers then push that officer away as protesters throw items in his direction.

Maglione said multiple officers had requested help in that area before the incident involving the officer took place. One officer, he said, had her car jumped on and its windows broken while she was in it.

The officer, who has been identified as?officer?Steven Pohorence, has been with the Fort Lauderdale Police Department since October 2016.?

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison speaks during a press conference in Canberra, Australia, on May 15.

Australian journalists from CNN affiliate Channel 7 news were attacked by riot police in Washington, DC, on Monday, prompting Prime Minister Scott Morrison to ask for an investigation into the “troubling incident.”

During a live morning newscast on the program Sunrise on Tuesday in Australia,?riot police used their shields to clear?7NEWS US correspondent Amelia Brace and cameraman Tim Myers from the scene.?

The video shows riot police hitting Myers and punching his camera,?another officer then directs the pair, who was trapped against a wall, to move on, before appearing to smack Brace in the back with a baton.?

Australia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Marise Payne said that Morrison?had “contacted the Australian Embassy in Washington, DC on Tuesday instructing them to investigate the ‘troubling’ incident and provide further advice on registering the Australian government’s concern.”

Payne added in an interview with Radio National on Tuesday that “I want to?get further advice on how we would go about registering Australia’s strong concerns with the responsible local authorities in Washington.”

Australia’s Department for Foreign Affairs and Trade “reached out to Amelia and to Tim, the Channel Seven team, to check on their wellbeing through the embassy and Channel Seven here in Australia,” Payne said.?

On Tuesday morning in an interview with Sunrise after the incident, Brace told the anchors that “we have regrouped, we are not too bad.”

“There was no escape at that moment, we had the nat guard behind us the police coming through so quickly there was nowhere for us to go,” Brace added.?

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas gives a statement to the press in Berlin on May 19.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said his thoughts were with those close to George Floyd whose life was lost in a “horrible and shocking way, or rather, one has to say, that it was taken from him.”?

Maas, speaking during a news conference with his Ukrainian counterpart in Berlin, said peaceful protests must always be possible, but it has to be peaceful.

He called peaceful protests in the US understandable and more than legitimate.?

Maas said he was aware of an incident regarding a crew of the German broadcaster Deutsche Welle, and said he was getting in touch with US authorities to find out more. Maas said that journalists had to be able to work to independently report without danger to their safety.

Deutsche Welle said that a team of reporter and cameraman were shot with projectiles by Minneapolis police and were threatened with arrest.

DW reporter Stefan Simons “confirmed with ‘absolute’ certainty that the shot was fired by officers behind him as he was preparing to go live on air,” according to a statement on the DW website.

People protest in Amsterdam, Netherlands, on June 1.

Violence continues: Police fired tear gas and rubber bullets as protests continued overnight. The former officer who was seen with his knee on Floyd’s neck was charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter as protesters demand charges for the other officers involved.

Trump threatens force: Declaring himself “your president of law and order,” President Donald Trump vowed Monday to return order to American streets using the military if widespread violence isn’t quelled – even as?peaceful protesters just outside the White House gates?were dispersed with tear gas, flash grenades and rubber bullets as he visited a nearby church.

Use of neck restraints: About two-thirds of the people placed in neck restraints by Minneapolis officers in the years leading to Floyd’s death were black – despite black residents making up 19% of the population, police data shows. At least 58 people lost consciousness after the city’s officers put them in neck restraints – a procedure banned by many police departments.

Police kneel with protesters: Some officers have been pictured kneeling, praying and mourning to honor Floyd. In Atlanta, Georgia, police officers holding shields kneeled in front of demonstrators. The Denver Chief of Police linked arms with protesters, the New York City Police Chief embraced a demonstrator and a California Highway Patrol officer shook hands with a protester in LA.

Strictest curfews in decades: Curfews have been issued in 40 cities, although many have been ignored by protesters. The curfew in LA is the harshest since the riots in 1992 following the acquittal of the officer who beat Rodney King. New York City has enacted its strictest curfew since the race riots of 1943.

World joins in protests: People from London to Amsterdam to Rio have staged demonstrations in solidarity with protesters in the US. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said she was “horrified” by George Floyd’s death.?Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said racism was “real in the United States?but it’s also in Canada.” Iran’s judiciary chief, Hojjatoleslam Raeesi, blasted the US and said leaders should stand trial for “deliberate homicide and racial discrimination.” A top EU diplomat said Floyd’s death was an abuse of power and must be renounced.

Floyd’s family call for calm: Floyd’s family support the protests but have condemned the looting and violence that has led to hundreds of arrests nationwide. His brother, Terrence Floyd, delivered a simple message for those committing violence: “He would not want y’all to be doing this.”

Abbas Mousavi, spokesman for Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, holds a press conference in Tehran, Iran, on May 28, 2019.

The Iranian government has criticized the reactions of the US administration and US police to the protests which have broken out following the death of George Floyd, according to governmental statements published on Iran’s state news agency IRNA.?

On Tuesday, Iran’s judiciary chief, Hojjatoleslam Raeesi, said “US leaders should stand trial before the international courts on charge of deliberate homicide and racial discrimination.”

Iranian government spokesman, Abbas Mousavi held a news conference in English on Monday to “urge” the US to “stop oppression and aggressive conducts against its people and let them breathe.”

Iran’s foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, posted a photo of people paying respect at a Floyd mural and an Iranian stamp showing Malcom X on Twitter, writing: “The ‘knee-on-neck’ technique is nothing new: Same cabal—who’ve admitted to habitually ‘lie, cheat, steal’ — have been employing it on 80M Iranians for 2 yrs (sic), calling it ‘maximum pressure.’”

US officials have previously criticized Iran’s violent handling of civilian protests against the Iranian government, with US President Donald Trump repeatedly tweeting in support of Iranian demonstrators protesting against the government in 2019 and 2020.?

Fort?Worth?Police Chief Ed Kraus takes a knee with protesters in Fort Worth, Texas, on June 2.

The police chief in Fort Worth, Texas, talked to protesters and took a knee with them on Monday night.

About 125 people gathered to protest George Floyd’s death despite the city’s curfew, according to CNN affiliate KTVT.

Officers climbed off their bikes and took a knee before Police Chief Ed Kraus and the assistant chief walked into the crowd and talked to the protesters, then got down on a knee and prayed with them.

Kraus then told his officers to leave.

More protests are planned this week.

The UK government has denied British media reports that its review into how the coronavirus has affected BAME (Black and Minority Ethnic) communities has been delayed because of the ongoing protests in the United States.

The report, analyzing how factors including ethnicity, gender and obesity can impact on people’s health outcomes from Covid-19, had been due to be published by the end of May, according to Public Health England.

It was commissioned by England’s Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty in April, amid fears that the coronavirus pandemic is “disproportionately” affecting black and ethnic minority communities.

In response to CNN questions about why the report has been delayed, a Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said in a statement: “Ministers received initial findings yesterday [Monday]. They are being rapidly considered and a report will be published this week.”

The UK’s opposition leader, Keir Starmer, on Tuesday called on the government to “stop the excuses” and “publish the review,” in a post on Twitter.

Covid-19 has also magnified systemic inequalities in the US.

As of May 11, 17,155 black Americans were known to have died due to Covid-19, according to an analysis from the?American Public Media (APM) Research Lab of 65,000 deaths for which race and ethnicity data was available.

African Americans make up about?13% of the population?in those places, but 27% of Covid-19 deaths for which race and ethnicity is known, APM research shows.

Health experts and leaders have expressed concern about the impact the mass protests could have on a community that is already being hit harder by the virus.

A man has been arrested on suspicion of intentionally driving his car into three Denver police officers during protests on Saturday nights.

The officers were seriously injured after they were struck by a fast-moving vehicle, according to Denver Police.?

Anthony Knapp, 37, was arrested the following day?and is being held for first-degree assault and attempted first-degree assault.?He was tracked down by detectives tracing scattered pieces of his car and posting a Crime Stoppers bulletin.?

The ongoing investigation is among the first to be opened involving attacks against police during protests across the US.

The Denver Police sent CNN their?Statement of Probable Cause saying the officers were in full uniform standing next to a fully marked Denver Police vehicle, when a dark sedan traveling at a “high rate of speed, swerved toward the officers and as a result, struck three of the officers with the car.”?

The officers were transported to the Denver Health Medical Center in an ambulance, according to the statement. One sustained a fractured leg and the other two sustained “substantial risk of protracted loss or impairment of the function of any part or organ of the body.”?

Russian President Vladimir Putin is pictured at his Novo-Ogaryovo state residence, outside Moscow, on May 28.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov on Tuesday said President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin did not discuss the unrest sweeping the US in a phone call Monday.?

Asked in a conference call with reporters if the issue was raised during the conversation, Peskov said: “No, this is not a question of bilateral Russian-American relations.”

Pressed on whether protests over police violence in the US might bring attention to similar incidents in Russia, Peskov said he saw no parallels between the two countries.?

Josep Borrell, High Representative of the European Union, holds a press conference in Brussels, Belgium, on May 26.

George Floyd’s death was an abuse of power and must be renounced, a top EU diplomat said at a briefing in Belgium.

Josep Borrell, High Representative of the European Union, said all societies should remain vigilant against the use of excess force and deal with such incidents quickly.

“We here in Europe, like the people of the United States, we are shocked and appalled by the death of George Floyd. And I think all societies must remain vigilant against the excess of use of force and ensure that all such incidents are addressed swiftly, effectively and in full respect of the rule of law and human rights,” Borrell said.

He added: “We support the right to peaceful protest, and also we condemn violence and racism of any kind, and for sure we call for a de-escalation of tensions.”?

The News Corp building in New York, home to The Wall Street Journal, is pictured on March 20, 2019.

The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office is investigating the alleged assault of a Wall Street Journal reporter covering?the George Floyd protests?by members of the New York Police Department, a spokesman for the office told CNN.

“We are actively monitoring social media and other sources to identify investigative leads into claims of excessive force and we strongly encourage New Yorkers to share them with us.”

WSJ reporter Tyler Blint-Welsh tweeted Sunday evening that NYPD officers “hit me in the face multiple times with riot shields and pushed me to the ground. I was backing away as request, with my hands up. My NYPD-issued press badge was clearly visible. I’m just sitting here crying. This sucks.”

CNN has reached out to the NYPD, Blint-Welsh, The Wall Street Journal and the New York Attorney General’s office for comment regarding the alleged assault.

Read more:

The News Corp. building on 6th Avenue, home to Fox News, the New York Post and the Wall Street Journal, on March 20, 2019 in New York City.

Related article District attorney to investigate alleged assault of WSJ reporter by NYPD officers during protests

George Floyd's brother, Terrence Floyd, visits a makeshift memorial in Minneapolis on June 1.

Hours after George Floyd’s brother asked protesters to abstain from violence, the Minneapolis site where Floyd died last week was being treated as a sacred memorial.

The subdued scene was in a sharp contrast with what was taking place in other cities across the country overnight where protesters were undeterred by curfews, enforced in an effort to curb the?unrest that has erupted?in the week since Floyd’s death in police custody.?

Floyd’s family as well as many mayors and governors support the protests but have condemned the looting and violence that has led to hundreds of arrests nationwide.

Protesters have also been met with tear gas and rubber bullets by some police departments, though there have been?examples of police joining demonstrators.

Floyd’s brother, Terrence Floyd, spoke to those gathered in support of his brother Monday, delivering a simple message for those committing violence.

“He would not want y’all to be doing this,” he said.

Read more:

A man argues with a police officer during the protest against the deaths of Breonna Taylor by Louisville police and George Floyd by Minneapolis police, in Louisville, Kentucky, on June 1.

Related article George Floyd's family calls for calm as protesters undeterred by curfews

Clockwise from top left: Ajani Carr; Mike Mosby; Peniel Joseph; and Ed Whitfield.

“We … deserve the chance to grow and to learn and to love others. And to be a person with a heartbeat, with a breath to take,” says 17-year-old Ajani Carr.

He is one of four men from three generations who have shared their experience of different stages of the civil rights movement in America in a powerful video for CNN. They explain what they think has changed, and what progress still needs to be made.

“I don’t feel afraid, I don’t live my life with fear, but I do live my life with caution,” says Peniel Joseph, 47.

Ed Whitfield, 70, recalls the activists involved in the civil rights movement in the 60s, such as Sammy Younge Jr, who was murdered in Selma, Alabama for using the “whites-only” restroom.

“Shot and killed, nothing was done,” says Whitfield. “So there’s nothing new about this part.”

Mike Mosby, 32, adds: “You would think it’s 1965, you know, like we just got out of segregation and now we’re trying for civil rights … That’s what it feels like.”

“I swear it’s like we’re stuck in a time capsule.”

Watch the video here:

A police officer embraces a protester in Atlanta on June 1.

Americans have been?protesting the death of George Floyd?at the hands of Minneapolis police for days on end in dozens of cities throughout the United States.

While tensions between police and demonstrators have heated up in many places, some officers have shown solidarity with the movement by hugging protesters, praying with them, mourning with them, and taking a knee to honor Floyd.

In Atlanta, Georgia, a line of police officers holding shields during a protest Monday near Centennial Olympic park kneeled in front of demonstrators.

In another image, an officer wearing a gas mask, helmet and vest was seen embracing a demonstrator in a hug on the fourth day of protests in the southern city.

The Denver Chief of Police Paul Pazen joined in with demonstrators Monday, linking arms with attendees.

In New York, Chief of Department of the New York City Police, Terence Monahan, embraced a demonstrator during a protest in his city Monday.

On the west coast, protestor Kevin Welbeck of Cre8 The Change shook hands with a California Highway Patrol officer during a protest in the Van Nuys area of Los Angeles.

Read more:

A Connecticut State Trooper prays with a protester in the middle of Interstate 84 after it was closed down during demonstrations in Hartford Monday.

Related article Some police officers are showing solidarity with protesters in several US cities

A New York Police sergeant responding to a break-in at a pawn shop was struck by a black sedan, according to NYPD?Detective Adam Navarro.?The sergeant is in serious, but stable condition with a leg and head injury, NYPD Lt. Thomas Antonetti told CNN.?

The driver fled the scene and no arrests have been made, police said.?

According to Navarro, the incident occurred at approximately 12:45 a.m. ET.

More than 200 people were arrested last night at New York protests, mainly in Manhattan, police said.

Brooklyn and Bronx had some activity, but Manhattan had the bulk of the arrests, they added.

Police block off Las Vegas Boulevard South after a shooting that took place during a protest in downtown Las Vegas on June 1.

Las Vegas Metropolitan Police are investigating two shootings involving officers that occurred overnight on Las Vegas Boulevard, CNN affiliate KVVU-TV said.??

The shootings took place near Circus Circus and downtown by the federal courthouse, police told the station.?

An officer was shot on the 2800 block of Las Vegas Boulevard South, near Circus Circus, police told KVVU-TV.??

A large police presence was also at the University Medical Center.??

Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak acknowledged that his office had been notified of the incidents.

CNN has reached out to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police and to University Medical Center.

In the years leading up to?George Floyd’s death?with his neck beneath the knee of a Minneapolis policeman, at least 58 people lost consciousness after the city’s officers put them in neck restraints, according to a CNN analysis of use of force data from the police department.?

Officers used neck restraints on 428 people since 2012, and 14% lost consciousness, the data showed. That means the procedure, which is restricted or banned in many large police departments around the country, was used an average of about once a week in the city over that time period.

About two-thirds of the people placed in neck restraints by Minneapolis officers were black – in a city where black residents make up 19% of the population, according to?Census data.?

Use of force experts told CNN?that the procedure that officer Derek Chauvin used – pressing his knee into the back of Floyd’s neck for several minutes, as Floyd groaned that he couldn’t breathe – wouldn’t qualify as a proper neck restraint under the city’s?policy and procedure manual.?

But the Minneapolis department does allow officers to compress “one or both sides of a person’s neck with an arm or leg, without applying direct pressure to the trachea or airway,” according to a section of the manual that is marked as last being updated in 2012. It calls the method a “non-deadly force option.”

Read more:

In a show of peace and solidarity, law enforcement officials with riot shields kneel in front of protesters Monday, June 1, 2020, during a fourth day of protests over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. (Curtis Compton/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

Related article Two-thirds of people put in neck restraints by Minneapolis police were black, department data shows

People stand handcuffed by police in the Hollywood area during an emergency curfew on June 1 in Los Angeles, California.

Curfews have been issued across the country in the wake of?protests, both peaceful and violent, against police brutality?following the?death of George Floyd?in Minneapolis last week.

In Los Angeles: the curfew is the harshest since the riots in 1992 following the acquittal of the officer who beat?Rodney King.

The county of Los Angeles, the nation’s most populous county with approximately ten million residents,?enacted a 12-hour overnight curfew?from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. starting Monday night.?

Officials said the highly restrictive curfew has been ordered because of “imminent danger to life and property during the hours of darkness,” in the executive order.

In New York City: On the East Coast, New York City has enacted the strictest curfew since the race riots of 1943.

Governor Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio ordered a curfew from 11 p.m. until 5 a.m. for the city that never sleeps, and an 8 p.m. curfew from Tuesday.

Read the full story:

Rioters surround the Los Angeles post office during the 1992 riots.

Related article Historic curfews in Los Angeles and New York are the harshest in decades

A banner reading "Please I can't breathe" flies.

The final words of George Floyd, the unarmed black man who died after being restrained by a Minneapolis police officer, have become powerful slogans for protesters?in the US.

As demonstrations against police brutality have?spread through the country?and the world, Dallas-based artist Jammie Holmes found a new way to immortalize Floyd’s pleas for help: sending them across the skies of five major cities.

Over the weekend, banners reading “Please I can’t breathe” and “They’re going to kill me” were seen trailing airplanes above Detroit and New York City respectively. The other three, flown across Los Angeles, Miami and Dallas, read “My stomach hurts,” “My neck hurts” and “Everything hurts” – words heard in a?video?filmed by a bystander and widely circulated on social media.?

Read the full story.

A banner flies above Dallas, where artist Jammie Holmes is based.

Four officers shot in St. Louis?during protests over George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis?have?non-life-threatening injuries.??

Two of the officers were shot in the leg, one?was?shot in the foot and one?was?shot in the arm,?St. Louis?Police Chief John Hayden?said in a press conference.??

The injured officers were standing near a police line and?felt?sudden?pain,?but?they didn’t hear shots, the chief said.??

“Thank God they are alive,” Hayden said.?

He added that protesters also attempted to?seize?the police?headquarters.

“Can we make some sense out of this? Can we make some sense out?of?this??That’s all I am trying to say.?Mr. Floyd’s death is tragic,” he said.

President Trump delivers remarks in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, DC on June 1.

CNN political analyst and adviser to four US presidents, David Gergan, said President Trump’s speech on Monday will be remembered for the “wrong reasons.”

Gergan referenced Robert Kennedy’s speech that he gave announcing the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., saying that in times of crisis leaders should bring people together, not divide them.

“He (Kennedy) was in a situation coming to?the speech when he learned that?Martin Luther King, Jr. had not only been shot?but just died.?It was left to him to go in?front of the crowd of largely black citizens who?didn’t know King was dead,” Gergan said.

“It stems from the proposition?that in a moment of crisis it’s the responsibility of the?speaker to unify people and not?divide them.?To bring them together and?comfort them.?Give meaning to the occasion.?That’s what Kennedy did. He?showed a lot of empathy and?talked about the fact he too had?lost someone really important to?him — his brother to an assassination.?He had the much the same anger?and despair.?He learned to deal with it.”

Gergan said President Trump’s speech on Monday was “the total opposite.”

“I never heard a President,?frankly, in a crisis incite?people to violence,” he said. “The speech today will be?remembered in history as well.?For the very wrong reasons.”

In his speech, Trump called violent protests “domestic acts of terror” and threatened to deploy the military to put down the unrest.

Watch Trump’s speech:

President Donald Trump walks from the White House through Lafayette Park to visit St. John's Church in Washington DC, on Monday, June 1.

Protests?erupted for a seventh day across the US?over the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, at the hands of a police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Here are the latest developments:

Washington, DC: In a speech Monday, President Donald Trump declared himself “your President of law and order,” and vowed to clear the streets using the military if necessary. Peaceful protesters just outside the White House gates?were dispersed with tear gas, flash grenades and rubber bullets in advance of Trump’s address.

Trump’s photo op: Trump delivered his remarks in the White House Rose Garden, before walking a short distance to St. John’s church to take a photo with a Bible. Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington said that her community did not approve of Trump’s visit to St. John’s — one of the churches in her diocese — and distanced herself from his actions Monday afternoon.

Military helicopter over DC: Protesters defied curfews in the capital following Trump’s remarks earlier in the day. At least one military helicopter was seen flying overhead and hovering in an attempt to disperse the crowds.The helicopter could be seen making slow low-level passes, using its propellers to kick up strong wind and debris.

Looting in Manhattan: Widespread looting erupted in upscale parts of Manhattan in New York on Monday evening in scenes described by CNN Senior Media Correspondent Brian Stelter as “anarchy.” In Midtown Manhattan, there was looting along the eastern portion of the neighborhood, including on Fifth Avenue and Madison Avenue, close to Trump Tower.

Arrests: Atlanta police have made 350 arrests related to the George Floyd protests since Friday, the department said on Monday. In Saint Paul, Minnesota, police arrested 66 protesters Monday night during a peaceful protest outside the State Capitol, police said. And in In Oakland, California, more than 40 protesters were detained and arrested for being on the streets past the curfew.

Solidarity protests: From Amsterdam to Berlin to Rio?de Janeiro, thousands around the world have taken to the streets to protest?George Floyd’s death in solidarity with Black Lives Matter activists in America.

Tiger Woods?joins a growing list of athletes?to express their thoughts on?George Floyd’s death?and?the protests that have followed.?

The star golfer released a statement on Twitter saying his heart goes out to Floyd’s family and “all of us who are hurting right now.”

He added that he has “always had the utmost respect for our law enforcement.”

“They train so diligently to understand how, when and where to use force,” Woods said. “This shocking tragedy clearly crossed that line.”

Magic Johnson,?Kareem Abdul-Jabbar?and?LeBron James?also are among the athletes who have either released statements, made social media posts or written about the protests and why they have struck a nerve in America.

Floyd Mayweather celebrated his birthday at the Sunset Eden in Los Angeles, California, on February 21.

Boxing champion Floyd Mayweather will pay for George Floyd’s funeral, a representative for the athlete told?ESPN.

Floyd died at the hands of Minneapolis police?last week as former officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on his neck and two other officers restrained him. A fourth officer stood by as it happened. The former officers have all been fired by the department but only Chauvin has been charged in the death.

A?funeral for Floyd?will be held in his hometown of Houston on June 9, family attorney Ben Crump said.

Leonard Ellerbe, the CEO of?Mayweather Promotions, confirmed the boxer’s involvement in a statement to ESPN.

“He’ll probably get mad at me for saying that, but yes, (Mayweather) is definitely paying for the funeral,” Ellerbe said.

Ellerbe also told ESPN that Mayweather did not want to talk about what he is doing.

Protesters are handcuffed outside the State Capitol in St. Paul, Minnesota, on Monday, June 1.

Law enforcement in Saint Paul, Minnesota arrested 66 protesters Monday night during a peaceful protest outside the State Capitol, police said.

Demonstrators marched from the governor’s mansion to the Capitol to protest the death of George Floyd.?Those who refused to leave after the 10 p.m. curfew went into effect were quietly taken away in restraints.

St. Paul Police Chief Todd Axtell told CNN earlier today that “our heart breaks for the Floyd family.”

“Our community is hurting, our police officers are hurting,” Axtell said. “All of the police leaders throughout the country and leaders throughout the country in general need to open our eyes, ears, and most importantly, our hearts to what is going on throughout the country.”

He also suggested the other Minneapolis officers involved in Floyd’s death held responsibility. “We have a strict policy in the St. Paul police department that you have an absolute duty to intervene,” he said. “It was absolutely preventable.”

Mark Zuckerberg, CEO and founder of Facebook Inc., speaks on stage during the Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany, on February 15.

Facebook employees?staged a virtual walkout on?Monday, with many expressing anger and dismay that CEO Mark Zuckerberg has refused to take down?controversial posts from President Donald Trump.

Some context: Trump’s tweet over the weekend, warning that “when the looting starts, the shooting starts,” was flagged by Twitter as violating the platform’s rules on “glorifying violence.”

It has resurfaced the conversation over social media platforms’ responsibility when it comes to disinformation or violent speech online – and Facebook was notably quiet during this debate, with no similar marker flagging Trump’s post.

Zuckerberg’s response: The CEO said yesterday that though he personally had a “visceral negative reaction” to Trump’s “divisive and inflammatory rhetoric,” he also felt Facebook had a commitment to free expression.

Employees protest: Many Facebook employees are still working from home, so many simply took the day off in protest on Monday.

Others were more vocal, with one posting on Twitter, “I work at Facebook and I am not proud of how we’re showing up.”

Some major corporations are taking the opposite route by taking a clear stand, with some?donating millions of dollars to?civil rights groups.

Protesters demonstrate against police brutality and the death of George Floyd through downtown St. Louis on June 1, in St Louis, Missouri.

At least four officers with the St. Louis Police Department in Missouri were struck by gunfire on Monday night, said the department.?

“We have had 4 officers struck by gunfire tonight. All have been transported to an area hospital. All are conscious and breathing. Their injuries are believed to be non-life threatening. Officers are still taking gunfire downtown,” said the police department on Twitter.

Protests took place in multiple cities across the state this week. In Kansas City, protests prompted the mayor to enact a curfew and request assistance from the Missouri National Guard.

In Ferguson – where protests against police brutality and racism broke out in 2014 after black teenager Michael Brown was shot and killed by a white police officer – the police department building was damaged and evacuated on Sunday.

People hold placards as they join a spontaneous Black Lives Matter march at Trafalgar Square to protest the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis and in support of the demonstrations in North America on May 31, in London.

From Amsterdam to Berlin to Rio?de Janeiro, thousands around the world have taken to the streets to protest?George Floyd’s death in solidarity with Black Lives Matter activists in America.

In Amsterdam, around 3,000 people gathered in the city’s Dam Square on Monday to protest against police brutality and racial inequity.

“Institutionally racist violence against black people is a problem that also occurs in the Netherlands and the rest of Europe,” the organizers said in a press statement, according to CNN affiliate and national broadcaster NOS.

In Rio de Janeiro, protesters gathered on Sunday in front of the?governor’s palace for a Vidas Negras Importam (Black Lives Matter)?demonstration.?

Demonstrators carried signs saying: “If racism is international, so is antiracism,” “Stop killing us,” and “Justice isn’t blind. It’s paid not to look.”

In Paris, a small crowd of peaceful protesters representing several French anti-racism organizations gathered near the US embassy on Monday.

They wore black clothing and face masks, took a knee and held up signs saying “I can’t breathe,” “We are all George Floyd” and “Racism chokes us.”

In London, protesters have been arrested throughout the weekend for defying Covid-19 lockdown rules as they march in solidarity with their American counterparts.

“It happens everywhere in the?world.?People choose to think?that it’s not going on anymore.?That’s the biggest racism of all?right now – the fact that they’re sitting?there thinking that it doesn’t?exist,” said one protester.

There are countless other protests going on: Demonstrations have happened or are being planned across Australia, Germany, Ireland, Greece, and a number of other countries.

Even world leaders are weighing in. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said she was “horrified” by George Floyd’s death, and welcomed peaceful solidarity protests in her country.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau addressed it as well, saying racism against black people was “real in the United States?but it’s also in Canada.”

NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted early Tuesday morning that he was leaving the Bronx borough, and that the police commissioner was sending additional assistance.?

“Real problems on Fordham Road, also Burnside Avenue. Spoke with Councilman Fernando Cabrera about immediate steps to address the situation. Also spoke to Commissioner Shea + Chief Pichardo, who are sending additional help,” he said.

Earlier Monday night, in the late hours, he had tweeted that it was time for people to go home, as there were people in the city whose intention was “not to protest but to destroy property and hurt others.”

He also said he had visited Barclays Center in Brooklyn, which was “pretty calm” near midnight, and added that protesters today had been “overwhelmingly peaceful.”

However, there was also widespread looting later into the night, with store windows smashed and merchandise taken all the way from Midtown and Fifth Avenue down to Union Square.

“That we won’t allow,” said de Blasio.

New York State Sen. Zellnor Myrie had been peacefully protesting with a crowd in Brooklyn when he was handcuffed and pepper sprayed by police, he told CNN late Monday night.

“I am from Brooklyn.?I happen to represent a huge?swath of central Brooklyn and?when I heard there was a group?of folks protesting police?brutality I decided to make my?way down,” he said.

He wanted to join not only to show solidarity – but also potentially act as a liaison between protesters and law enforcement, given his position as an elected official, he said.

Once he arrived, he alerted police of his presence, and wore a neon green shirt with his name and title on it. But still, he got caught up in escalating scuffles, he said.

He said it took a little while for law enforcement to realize who he was – and he was finally released and given medical attention.

But this treatment was “only because of my?title,” he said. “Had I not had the luxury of my?title, I would have been in the?system and processed, much like?any of the other protesters.”

Watch more:

A Twitter account that tweeted a call to violence and claimed to be representing the position of?“Antifa”?was in fact created by a known white supremacist group, Twitter said Monday. The company removed the account.

“This account violated our platform manipulation and spam policy, specifically the creation of fake accounts,” a Twitter spokesperson said in a statement. “We took action after the account sent a Tweet inciting violence and broke the Twitter Rules.”

Although the account only had a few hundred followers, it is an example of white supremacists seeking to inflame tensions in the United States by posing as left-wing activists online.

Antifa, short for anti-fascists, describes an extremely broad, loosely-organized group of people whose political beliefs lean toward the left — often the far-left — but do not conform with the Democratic Party platform.

The revelation of the deceptive account comes as President Donald Trump increasingly blames left-wing activists for violence occurring at protests. On Sunday,?he tweeted he would designate Antifa a terrorist organization, despite the US government having no existing legal authority to do so.?

Read more here:

A protester runs past burning cars and buildings on Chicago Avenue, on Saturday, May 30, in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Related article White supremacists pose as Antifa online, call for violence

Milk is poured into a demonstrator's eyes to neutralize the effect of pepper spray during a rally at Lafayette Park near the White House in Washington D.C., on Sunday, May 31.

The mayor of Washington, DC, Muriel Bowser, tweeted that the actions of the?federal police at the White House on Sunday had been “shameful.”

She also urged residents to go home and stay safe.

What happened today:?On Monday evening, Trump delivered remarks in the White House Rose Garden, before walking to the church to take a photo with a Bible.

Before his remarks, police released tear gas and fired rubber bullets at protesters near the White House in an effort to disperse the crowd for the visit to the church.

Watch more:

People react after a tanker truck drove into a crowd peacefully protesting the death of George Floyd on the I-35W bridge over the Mississippi River on May 31, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Minnesota authorities are now saying a man who drove a tanker truck toward protesters may not have done so intentionally.

What happened:?On Sunday, Bogdan Vechirko drove a tanker truck toward a group of protesters on the I-35W bridge near Minneapolis.?It doesn’t appear anybody was injured. He was subsequently arrested and charged with assault.

On Sunday, Public Safety Commissioner John Harrington’s department tweeted that the driver was “inciting a crowd of peaceful demonstrators.”

But Harrington walked it back today,?saying, “We don’t have any information that makes this seem like this was an intentional act.”

Harrington says the state had not yet finished putting up roadblocks when Vechirko was on the freeway.?“He saw the crowd, and from what it looked like, panicked,” said Harrington.

Vechirko is being interviewed by investigators, but Department of Corrections Commissioner Paul Schnell says it will be up to the county attorney whether to pursue the case.

Jail records show that Vechirko was still in custody without bail Monday night.

A memorial site where George Floyd died May 25 while in police custody, on June 1, 2020 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Ben Crump, the attorney for George Floyd’s family, said the independent autopsy released today shows the other police officers involved were also directly responsible for Floyd’s death – not just former officer Derek Chauvin, who has been charged with third degree murder.

The autopsy:?Independent medical examiners hired by Floyd’s family said today that the cause of death was asphyxiation due to compression of the neck.

The examiner added that “compression of the back” from other officers who knelt against Floyd’s back also interfered with Floyd’s breathing.??

“Hopefully, (Minnesota) Attorney?General Keith Ellison will now?consider that as he looks at the?other officers,” Crump told CNN tonight. “The ambulance?was the hearse for George Floyd …?because he was dead at the?scene.”

A protester is arrested for violating a curfew on Monday, June 1, in the Hollywood area of Los Angeles.

In Oakland, California, just east of San Francisco, peaceful protesters are being detained and arrested for being on the streets past the curfew.

“This follows a very peaceful?protest that we saw this afternoon.?We saw hundreds of youth?throughout Oakland marching?throughout the streets.?There was a rally at a local?high school, then they came downtown,” said CNN Correspondent Dan Simon on the scene.

The Oakland Police Department said in a tweet that it had detained more than 40 people for violating curfew, and urged people to stay home.

The curfew went into effect at 8 p.m. local time, and will stay in place until 5 a.m. Tuesday morning.

It’s not just Oakland:?Further south along California, police in Los Angeles also arrested protesters who are out after curfew. A small crowd was detained in Sunset Boulevard, in the middle of Hollywood, with their hands held by zip ties.

Police officers in squad cars were seen shouting out their windows that it was a curfew, and that those still out would be arrested and have their cars impounded.

The Los Angeles police said on Twitter that “dozens” had been arrested for burglary after a drugstore had been looted earlier in the day.

Oakland mayor on freedom of protest:?Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf acknowledged earlier today that there is a painful history of curfews in America used as a form of government oppression – but that this was about safety and security rather than censorship.

Even as it approached midnight in Washington, DC, earlier tonight, protesters were still out in large numbers in the national capital.

At least one military helicopter was seen flying overhead and hovering in an attempt to disperse the crowds.

The helicopter was seen making slow low-level passes, using its propellers to kick up strong wind and debris. The tactic, known as a show of force, is commonly used by the US military in combat zones overseas to drive targets away from a specific area.

Protesters responded by raising their fists aloft in defiance.

The city curfew went into effect at 7 p.m. local time.

Watch the video:

People run out of stores on Broadway with merchandise during a night of protests and vandalism over the death of George Floyd on June 1, in New York City.

The looting and destruction in New York City’s Manhattan was “anarchy on the streets,” said CNN Senior Media Correspondent Brian Stelter earlier tonight.

In Midtown Manhattan, there was widespread looting along the eastern portion of the neighborhood – along the high-end shopping district Fifth Avenue and Madison Avenue, close to Trump Tower.

The looting also extended further south into Herald Square and the iconic Macy’s building, which was broken into, he said. There were also fires set and buildings vandalized.

“Property damage is nowhere near?as important as physical loss of?life … (but) I want you to know the property?damage is widespread,” he said.

Aerial videos of Midtown close to midnight showed looters running down streets in groups, playing a “cat and mouse game” with police, Stelter said.

Across the East River,?there were up to a thousand protesters peacefully marching in Brooklyn, despite the citywide curfew in place.

When asked whether they will go home, protesters told CNN reporters they need to get their message across against police brutality.

A protester is arrested in Atlanta, on May 31, after throwing tear gas back at police.

Atlanta police have made 350 arrests related to the George Floyd protests since Friday, the department said on Monday.

They made 77 arrests on Friday, 157 on Saturday, 64 on Sunday and 52 so far on Monday.

Skirmishes after curfew:?On Monday night, police and protesters clashed after the curfew came into effect at 9 p.m. ET, with protesters hurling projectiles and police responding by firing tear gas.

After the skirmish, the National Guard and Atlanta police got into formation and swept through the city’s downtown, clearing out protesters quickly.

In Dallas, Texas, protesters who shut down a city bridge are being detained by police, hours after a curfew went into effect.

Protesters had begun demonstrating peacefully at the steps of the county courthouse earlier in the day, before marching through downtown Dallas.

The curfew, effective as of 7 p.m. local time, is only being enacted in some parts of Dallas, creating “curfew zones” – so protesters marched around the edge of those zones, said CNN Correspondent Ed Lavandera on the scene.

When they reached the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge, just west of downtown, they were met with hundreds of law enforcement officers.

A confrontation erupted, with the protesters and police facing off in the middle of the bridge. Police fired tear gas, and detained many protesters with zip ties. Protesters can now be seen sitting on the ground, as police continue processing those on the bridge.

“We don’t know the exact reason … for why they’re?being detained, but I presume?it’s going to be related to marching?on the public streets here and?essentially blocking traffic on?to the Margaret Hunt-Hill bridge,” said Lavandera.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio extended the city’s curfew through Tuesday evening, after instances of violence and property destruction in Manhattan tonight.

The Tuesday night curfew will begin at 8 p.m. ET, de Blasio said on Twitter. The curfew tonight went into effect at 11 p.m. ET.

“These protests have power and meaning. But as the night wears on we are seeing groups use them to incite violence and destroy property. Our first priority is keeping people safe, so I’m extending the curfew to Tuesday. It will begin at 8pm,” de Blasio said.?

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, who is?taking over the prosecution?in George Floyd’s death, says they are taking another look at the actions of the other police officers present during it.

He explained that while he has spent the last 24 hours reviewing evidence, he cannot ethically comment as a prosecutor.??

This comes amid calls for justice in Floyd’s killing,?including the legal fate of those?three other officers?at the scene who were fired for not saying or doing anything to stop ex-Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin as he kneeled on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes.?

“We are looking very carefully at holding everybody accountable who failed to do their duty and fell below the legal requirements of their position, or did something affirmatively that would be in violation of the law,” Ellison said.

“When we are ready, and that won’t be long from now,?we plan on taking the proper and deliberate action.”