Multiple cities in the United States rush to impose sweeping curfews and deploy law enforcement authorities as thousands of protesters participated in violent demonstrations following the death of 46-year-old African American man, George Floyd.

The strong response comes after a white police officer from Minneapolis held his neck on the victim's neck despite pleas he "can't breathe." The incident, which lasted for nearly ten minutes, was caught on footage and circulated on social media platforms, stoking the anger of U.S. citizens.

La Mesa

An estimated crowd of 1,000 protesters overwhelmed officials as they took over the La Mesa Police Department parking lot following the arrest of a black man who allegedly assaulted an officer on Wednesday.

According to a social media post, the officer used force to push the victim, who was identified as Amaurie Johnson, into a sitting position onto a bench. The police officer was put on administrative leave while the department reviews the incident.

As of 2:30 PM Saturday, The demonstrators chanted "Black lives matter" as they stormed down University Avenue. The group broke through the California Highway Patrol officers line to get on I-8 at the Baltimore drive. The CHP initially stopped the eastbound traffic on the freeway before suspending westbound operations as the protestors continued their march towards the law enforcement department.

Around 6 PM, the crowd started throwing water bottle and rocks at the police officers, forcing the deputies to fire rounds of rubber bullets and tear gas into the crowd. The crowd dispersed but returned shortly after. Two hours later, local authorities fired a barrage of tear gas and flashbangs to clear the parking lot in front of the La Mesa Police Station.

Violent Protests

In Tennessee, demonstrators set fire to the building that houses Nashville's City Hall as well as the local criminal courthouse on Saturday. The protesters also tore down a statue of former Tennessee senator and newspaper editor Edward Carmack who was known for belittling black journalist Ida B. Wells.

In Los Angeles, at least six officers were injured, and more than 500 demonstrators were arrested on Friday night. According to reports, the protesters jumped on public buses and attacked police cars-at least one car had its windshield smashed while the others were painted on. LAPD officers fired rubber bullets and swung their batons at the protesters. To address the conflict, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti imposed an 8 PM curfew starting on Saturday for the downtown area.

In Georgia, Governor Brian Kemp authorized 1,500 National Guards to be deployed in Atlanta where a 9 PM curfew was recently put in place.

In New York, thousands still stormed the streets for the third consecutive day. Two police vans were also recorded plowing into protesters who stopped traffic in Brooklyn.

Other cities, including Washington D.C., Baltimore, Seatle, and Chicago were also overwhelmed by demonstrators on Saturday evening.

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