Seattle's mayor says white men are responsible for 'much of the violence and destruction' across the US following George Floyd's death

• Seattle mayor Jenny Durkan said Monday that white men are responsible for "much of the violence and destruction" in the city and across the US.
• "I want to acknowledge that much of the violence and destruction, both here in Seattle and across the country, has been instigated and perpetuated by white men," Durkan tweeted.
• Her tweet comes amid widespread protests following the death of George Floyd, a black man who died in Minneapolis on May 25 after a white police officer knelt on his neck for eight minutes.

Seattle mayor Jenny Durkan said Monday that white men are responsible for "much of the violence and destruction" in the city and across the US.

"I want to acknowledge that much of the violence and destruction, both here in Seattle and across the country, has been instigated and perpetuated by white men," Durkan tweeted.

Her tweet comes amid widespread protests following the death of George Floyd, a black man who died in Minneapolis on May 25 after a white police officer knelt on his neck for eight minutes.

Many of the protests have turned violent, and public unrest has also grown over law enforcement's heavy-handed crowd control tactics.

Some have also alleged that undercover police officers are to blame for some of the destruction of commercial properties in Minneapolis. Last week, several observers shared footage on social media of an unidentified man in a gas mask carrying an open umbrella who was filmed breaking store windows with a hammer.

The man's actions were so odd that some protesters paused their demonstrations to call him out.

"Are you a f---ing cop?" someone yelled at the man, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Last week, Hennepin County prosecutors charged former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who was filmed kneeling on Floyd, with third-degree murder in the case.

Attorney General William Barr also on Friday announced a federal investigation into Floyd's death.

Barr said in a statement that a state prosecutor "has been in the process of determining whether any criminal charges are appropriate under state law."

He added that the Justice Department, including the FBI, was also "conducting an independent investigation to determine whether any federal civil-rights laws were violated" related to Floyd's death.

Barr said in his statement that state and federal officers "are working diligently and collaboratively to ensure that any available evidence relevant to these decisions is obtained as quickly as possible."

He called video images of the incident "harrowing to watch and deeply disturbing."

President Donald Trump also weighed in on the protests last week, calling the demonstrators "thugs" and threatening to send in the National Guard.

"These THUGS are dishonoring the memory of George Floyd, and I won't let that happen. Just spoke to Governor Tim Walz and told him that the Military is with him all the way. Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts. Thank you!" Trump wrote in a tweet.

Shortly after, Twitter flagged the tweet with a "public interest notice," which warned that it "violated the Twitter Rules about glorifying violence."

However, the social-media company did not take down the tweet, saying was "in the public's interest" for Trump's tweet to remain accessible, though users can no longer reply, like, or retweet it.