The White House went into lockdown Friday night as protests over the police-custody death of George Floyd escalated in the city and moved toward the president’s home.
Protests have sprung up across the country following days of unrest in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where Floyd was killed after former police officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee into his neck for several minutes. Crowds outside the White House were breaking through barriers and being stopped by the secret service throughout Friday night, leading to the lockdown, according to USA Today.
Protest moved down Pennsylvania Ave to the Trump Intl Hotel after the White House. African American protester yelled to the @DCPoliceDept officers standing in front of the Ben Franklin statue:” Y’all don’t care about our lives. You all are protecting White lives.” @CBSNews vid. pic.twitter.com/mm06lJMUt2
— Fin Gomez (@finnygo) May 30, 2020
While Chauvin himself has been arrested and charged with 3rd degree murder and manslaughter, three other officers who witnessed the incident and stood by have not been charged.
President Donald Trump called on the Justice Department to expedite its investigation into the killing of Floyd earlier on Friday, saying he had already spoken with the victim’s family. Floyd’s fiance has already called for protests in Minneapolis to be more peaceful.
“Our nation’s deepest condolences and heartfelt sympathies to the family of George Floyd,” Trump said at the beginning of a White House roundtable event. “It’s a terrible thing. We all saw what we saw … and it’s very hard to conceive of anything other than what we did see.”