Violent Riots have mounted across many US states after President Donald Trump vowed to bring in military in his bid to put and end to the current, unprecedented in pace, protests over the brutal, racist killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
Reuters reported that as President Trump was there in the Rose Garden of the White House, vowing to use the U.S. military to halt the protests, law enforcement officers were firing rubber bullets and tear gas to clear demonstrators and allow the president to walk to a church and pose for pictures.
The security forces that moved against protesters at the White House included National Guard military police, Secret Service, Department of Homeland Security police as well as District of Columbia police. The White House said it was clearing the area ahead of a curfew.
"Mayors and governors must establish an overwhelming law enforcement presence until the violence has been quelled," the President said. "If a city or state refuses to take the actions that are necessary to defend the life and property of their residents, then I will deploy the United States military and quickly solve the problem for them."
Following his address, the President walked from the White House through the area that had been cleared for him to nearby St. John's Episcopal Church, where he clutched a Bible as he posed for pictures with his daughter, Ivanka, and U.S. Attorney General William Barr.
Critics for Trump Posing with Bible
Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer have blasted the president after police were ordered to clear out an area near the White House so he could make an incident-free trip to a church.
Calling on US President to “respect the dignity and rights of Americans” in a statement late on Monday night, Pelosi (D-California) and Schumer (D-New York) tore into the commander-in-chief after he ordered police to “dominate” the streets amid days of protests and violent unrest – sparked by the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody last week.
“At a time when our country cries out for unification, this president is ripping it apart,” the two lawmakers said.
The presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church diocese in Washington D. C., Michale Curry, was among those who criticized Trump's use of the historic church for a photo opportunity.
"In so doing, he used a church building and the Holy Bible for partisan political purposes," he said on Twitter. The church suffered minor fire damage during protests on Monday night.
Riots Mount in US States
But hours later, violence erupted for a seventh night. Demonstrators set fire to a strip mall in Los Angeles and looted stores in New York City. Thousands of people marched through the streets of Brooklyn, shouting "justice now!" while cars drove alongside, some drivers honking in support.
Television images showed throngs smashing windows and looting luxury stores along Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, one of the cities toniest shopping districts, before the city's 11 p.m. curfew. Mayor Bill de Blasio said the curfew would be moved to 8 p.m. on Tuesday.
Two police officers were struck by a car at a demonstration in Buffalo, New York, on Monday night. Erie county’s chief executive Mark Poloncarz said the driver and passengers of the vehicle were believed to be in custody. It was not immediately clear if the incident was intentional.
In Hollywood, dozens of people were shown in television images looting a drug store after the front door was smashed. Windows were shattered at a nearby Starbucks and two restaurants before suspects scattered as police arrived.
Anti-police brutality marches and rallies, which have turned violent after dark each night over the last week, erupted over the death of George Floyd, a 46-year-old African American who died after a white policeman pinned his neck under a knee for nearly nine minutes.
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