The Fifth Day of Civil Unrest Across the United States

Protests and riots in the wake of George Floyd's death continue into their fifth day and spread to more cities.

Minneapolis and surrounding areas implemented a curfew yesterday. The curfew will go from 20:00 to 06:00 local time. The curfew was not enforced as riots and looting continued throughout the area. At some point in the day the National Guard and State Patrol abandoned their established perimeter around the former 3rd Precinct police station. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz announced he is utilizing intelligence support from the NSA and DoD to assist in quelling riots in the state. He also mobilized the entire Minnesota National Guard (about 13,200 soldiers). He was clear that this doesn't mean every soldier would be involved in quelling the riots and no additional deployments have been announced as far as I'm aware.

The Pentagon has directed Northern Command to prepare several units for deployment to Minneapolis. This would comprise of mostly military police forces from Fort Bragg, North Carolina and Fort Drum, New York.   

The White House was placed on lockdown yesterday as mass protests began to gather outside of the residence. Secret Service officers dispersed the crowds and the lockdown was lifted after a few hours. Tonight, as unrest continues in Washington DC the Secretary of the Army Gen. Ryan McCarthy has activated the DC National Guard. Troops are currently being deployed to assist law enforcement with containing the unrest.

In New York City, clashes broke out between rioters and police around the 84th and 88th Precinct stations. Homemade explosives and bricks were thrown at riot officers. Clashes between rioters and law enforcement are still ongoing across the city.

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp declared a state of emergency in Fulton County after riots began in Atlanta. He also authorized the deployment of 1,500 National Guard troops and 100 Humvees to patrol the city.

In Los Angeles, riots lead to over 500 arrests and five LAPD officers injured. Mayor Eric Garcetti announced a curfew for tonight from 20:00-05:30PST. Protests and riots in the city are still ongoing.

In Oakland, the Mercedes-Benz dealership was set on fire and multiple businesses were looted. At the city's Federal Building two Federal Protective Service officers were ambushed at their post by an unknown gunman. One officer was killed and the other is in critical condition. Throughout the night 18 rioters were arrested and six Oakland PD officers were injured. 

More riots and protests are breaking out in numerous cities around the city. The number is too expansive to list them all. Dozens of cities have put curfews into place. Washington, Colorado, Utah, Kentucky, Ohio, and Texas have also activated their respective National Guard forces.

I can't possibly record every bit of information due to the rapid nature of the protests/riots across the country. I will, however, do my best to gather crucial information and compile it in the least confusing manner possible.

As always, stay safe and have a good one,

Brodie