Tension has risen in the United States over the past week amid new reports of deadly police shooting and in anticipation of the verdict in the Minneapolis police officer’s murder trial.
Protests erupted across the country this week over police shootings of Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old black man, and Adam Toledo, a 13-year-old boy.
In addition, cities are preparing for riots as the nation awaits the verdict of Chauvin, who faces multiple charges for the murder of George Floyd, a black man who died in police custody in May last year. .
The city of Minneapolis, as well as several major U.S. cities, have called for a greater police presence and the deployment of National Guard troops.
Protests erupted in Minnesota earlier this week following Wright’s police assassination in downtown Brooklyn City on Sunday. Former police officer Kim Potter, a white woman, shot Wright during a traffic stop. Local police said the officer thought he was deploying the Taser, but fired the service weapon.
Protests over the shooting continued Friday for the sixth day in a row in Minneapolis.
Most of the demonstrations have been peaceful, but on Friday, a small group of protesters began throwing objects and trying to break through a fence surrounding the Brooklyn Center police department.
Of the estimated 500 protesters, 136 people were arrested that day, the state said on Twitter.
Another 24 arrested for violating the curfew on Wednesday and 72 arrested on Tuesday.
Protesters also rallied over the Toledo police murder after new camera images were released Thursday of his death. The agent, after a chase, reached the boy and Toledo turned and raised his hands in a surrender pose.
Police said they saw the 13-year-old boy who had a gun, although it was not immediately clear in the video.
The images led activists and advocates to accuse authorities of lying about the circumstances that led to his death on March 29.
Demonstrations were held in Chicago, New York, to demand justice in Toledo. About 1,000 people gathered in Chicago on Friday night, according to NBC News. The media reported that some people were singing “stop killing children.”
Protesters also gathered at Black Lives Matter Plaza in DC Friday to the protests over the murders of Wright and Toledo. Some clashed with police after attempting to walk through the dining areas, throwing fireworks and shining lasers at officers.
Protesters protesting against the deaths in Oakland, California, set fire to small fires, smashed windows and spray-painted companies, according to the media.
And in Portland, a riot was declared Friday night after law enforcement said protesters attacked an Apple store and set fire to its premises for the same reason.
To raise tensions, the nation awaits the verdict of the Chauvin trial. Closing arguments are expected to begin Monday. The nation’s cities are building their police presence in anticipation of the unrest.
The Minnesota National Guard told The Hill that it maintains more than 3,000 guards to help with possible protests and that they are “prepared to flex that number as needed to support civilian permits.”
According to reports, wire is also being installed around police buildings.
The city of Brooklyn Center declared a curfew for 11pm on Saturday night, after imposing the same curfew on Friday night.
On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday a curfew was imposed at 10 p.m.
Minneapolis moves its public schools to e-learning starting Wednesday as Chauvin’s trial ends.
Police presence in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Washington, DC, Atlanta and New York is also expected to increase.
Similar protests erupted across the country just a year ago over the assassination of Floyd Breonna Taylor and the execution of Jacob Blake.
Images of the viewer showing Chauvin on top of the man with his knee on Floyd’s neck went viral, sparking outrage that restarted the national dialogue about police.