Fires burn in Minneapolis as protesters are arrested for defying a curfew.
The police in Minneapolis began arresting protesters who defied a newly issued curfew on Friday night to swarm smoky intersections on the fourth night of protests since George Floyd’s death in police custody.
Gunshots rang out near a police precinct and flames streamed from several businesses — a gas station, a post office, a bank, a restaurant — as residents continued to show their anger even after a police officer was charged with third-degree murder.
Protesters marched peacefully for much of the day in Minneapolis, but the demonstrations escalated around 11 p.m. local time, three hours after a curfew went into effect for the first time since Mr. Floyd’s death. Demonstrations were held in dozens of cities, several of which turned destructive, including those in Atlanta, New York and San Jose, Calif.
In Minneapolis, protesters gathered near the Police Department’s Fifth Precinct the day after they had taken over another precinct and set it on fire. Unlike Thursday, the police did not abandon the precinct, even as shots were reportedly fired in the area. Several protesters were arrested for refusing to disperse, the Minnesota Department of Public Safety said on Twitter.
In a late-night tweet, Gov. Tim Walz urged residents to “go home immediately,” saying the streets were not safe for civilians or emergency workers.
Paul E. Gazelka, the Republican majority leader of the State Senate, told the KARE 11 news channel that he was frustrated the police had not acted more swiftly to clear the streets.
“You cannot allow anarchy,” he said. “You cannot allow this lawlessness to continue.”
