Protesters Target Confederate Statues

Multiple cities see graffiti attacks
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted May 31, 2020 7:34 AM CDT
Protesters Target Confederate Statues
Demonstrators block the street as a Los Angeles Fire Department ambulance tries to get through during a protest over the death of George Floyd, Saturday, May 30, 2020, in Los Angeles.   (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Protesters took to the streets of cities across America for a fourth night of rallying against the death of George Floyd, and the AP reports that Confederate monuments in Virginia, the Carolinas, and Mississippi were targeted. One at the University of Mississippi was spray-painted with the words "spiritual genocide," along with red handprints; one person was arrested. In Charleston, SC, protesters spray-painted the city's Confederate Defenders statue with "BLM" and "traitors." North Carolina's statue at the State Capitol was marked with a black X, "racist," and what the AP calls "a shorthand for a phrase expressing contempt for police." In Virginia, protesters in Richmond and Norfolk attacked statues, with statues of Gens. Robert E. Lee and JEB Stuart almost completely covered. Elsewhere around the country, per the AP:

  • La Mesa, Calif.: The quaint downtown of the San Diego suburb suffered major damage with Chase and Union banks next-door to each other burned to the ground. Windows were smashed at many businesses, including a Goodwill store, a Sotheby’s real estate office, and a popular bar.
  • Ferguson, Mo.: Mostly peaceful protests took a turn late Saturday when police said at least six officers were hit with rocks and fireworks. Police used tear gas to disperse a large group of protesters who had set off fireworks inside police headquarters. Gov. Mike Parson activated the National Guard.
  • Richmond, Va.: Photos on social media show several fires downtown overnight as protests in the Virginia capital continued. The headquarters of the nearby United Daughters of the Confederacy burned early Sunday and was marked with graffiti. A dumpster was set afire near the police headquarters, which had its front windows broken out Friday night.
  • Phoenix: Police had to defend the department’s headquarters shortly after 10 pm, when they said a large group of protesters downtown had become an unlawful assembly. The protesters were seen kneeling with their hands up in the streets outside Phoenix police and municipal buildings.
  • San Francisco: Mayor London Breed declared a citywide curfew from 8pm Sunday to 5am Monday as violent protests rage. She has asked Gov. Gavin Newsom to put the California National Guard on standby.
(More George Floyd stories.)

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