- Saturday marked the fifth straight night of unrest across the United States after the death of
George Floyd , a black man who was killed in police custody in Minneapolis. - Clashes broke out in cities across the country between protesters and police.
- Many videos circulated online showing instances of police officers using
excessive force , both against demonstrators and members of the media.
Police across America drew outrage amid protests and riots on Saturday, the fifth night in a row of unrest in the wake of George Floyd's death.
In a number of different cities, police officers were seen on cellphone videos mowing down protesters with their cruisers, shoving people, pepper spraying protesters who were not resisting, and arresting or using force against journalists.
One incident in
—Pierre G. (@pgarapon) May 31, 2020
—Marco Francesco (@chieffymac11) May 31, 2020
The New York Police Department did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment on the videos. Mayor Bill de Blasio called the incident "troubling," but suggested the protesters were to blame for not getting out of the path of the cruisers.
Also in New York, an officer was filmed pulling down a protester's face mask and spraying him with pepper spray. The protester's hands had been in the air and he had been backing away when the officer approached.
—Ms. Anju J. Rupchandani (@AJRupchandani) May 31, 2020
Another video from Salt Lake City, Utah, showed officers aggressively shoving down an elderly man holding a cane.
—Timothy Burke (@bubbaprog) May 31, 2020
In Louisville, Kentucky, videos showed what appeared to be plainclothes police officers destroying water jugs left outside for protesters, and throwing bottled water into the back of a pickup truck. Other officers in riot gear could be seen surrounding the officers as they smashed the water jugs.
—Natalie Neysa Alund (@nataliealund) May 30, 2020
A video from a residential neighborhood in Minneapolis showed police in riot gear marching down a quiet street, shouting at residents to get inside their homes and shooting non-lethal weapons at people on their porches.
—Tanya Kerssen (@tkerssen) May 31, 2020
Police arrested and fired tear gas and rubber bullets at journalists
Members of the media also reported rough treatment from police — and even arrests. The Minneapolis TV station WCCO reported that one of its photojournalists had been arrested, as did HuffPost in New York City.
Other reporters in Minneapolis reported that authorities had fired tear gas at point blank range, and rubber bullets, despite members of the media wearing their press credentials and clearly displaying their cameras and equipment.
—Michael George (@MikeGeorgeCBS) May 31, 2020
- Read more:
- LIVE UPDATES: Protests erupt across the US for the 5th night in a row, cities implement curfews and call in the national guard, police draw furor for excessive force
- Videos show NYPD cruisers ramming into protesters behind a barricade and sending bodies flying
- Trump says George Floyd's killing 'should never have happened,' vows to 'stop mob violence, and we'll stop it cold'
- 'You're not going to out-concern me and out-care me': Atlanta's mayor makes a powerful plea against violence and destruction in George Floyd protests
- Police chiefs in Dallas and Atlanta walked their cities' streets and talked directly with demonstrators protesting against the killing of George Floyd