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Overnight on Monday and into Tuesday morning, the widespread civil unrest across the US continued. In some cities, daytime peaceful protests turned into looting and rioting after dark. In others, like Baltimore, demonstrators remained peaceful throughout the day. As for the nation’s capital, President Donald Trump claimed that the city had “no problems.”
“D.C. had no problems last night,” the president tweeted Tuesday morning. “Many arrests. Great job done by all. Overwhelming force. Domination. Likewise, Minneapolis was great (thank you President Trump!).”
Across the nation, protests continue to rock many major cities. Fires and looting have claimed some large businesses. While the nation was slowly emerging from coronavirus-fueled lockdowns, it’s now gripped in the midst of a new crisis. Protesters marching for the death of George Floyd, a black man who was killed by Minneapolis police, are now a common sight in the US.
Under normal circumstances, CPA tax preparation services would be getting ready for the tax filing deadline. Instead, many cities are now thronged by protesters and police. In other cities, the National Guard has been mobilized to act as further manpower. Some pundits have accused police of purposefully escalating violence with protesters in order to make them look worse. Others have insisted that the opposite is true, and that protesters are goading police.
There is no clear consensus on how authorities should handle the protests. Some plead for understanding, like Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders. Sanders has also been harshly critical of the president. On Twitter, he stated “Trump just had peaceful demonstrators viciously attacked. No, Mr. President. This is not a dictatorship. This is the United States of America. Our citizens have a constitutional right to peacefully protest. It’s called the First Amendment.”
The president has continued to focus on a “law and order” rhetoric in his responses to the protests. As of the time of this writing, Trump has not had a formal speech on the current unrest. On Saturday afternoon, after the launch of a NASA and SpaceX joint project, however, Trump briefly touched on the topic.
The White House published an odd, campaign-style video on Monday. Trump can be seen walking from the White House gates to St. John’s church in the video.
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) June 2, 2020
Critics say the odd scene was underscored by the events that preceded it. The path between the White House and St. John’s had to be cleared, forcefully, by the Secret Service, undercutting its intended message.
