News

Protesters knock down White House security barricades as tensions mount over Floyd’s death

by Marina Pitofsky - 05/30/20 7:19 PM ET

Protests broke out near the White House on Saturday, with demonstrators pushing down multiple security barricades and some clashing with police, according to multiple reports.

Demonstrators protested over police brutality and the killing of George Floyd, a 46-year-old unarmed black man who died in police custody on Monday.

WTOP reporter Alejandro Alvarez shared video from the scene Saturday, showing protesters pushing against a crowd of police officers.

Barricades have fallen to the west of the White House and the crowd is surging forward, once again coming face-to-face with Secret Service who’ve moved into formation and raised their riot shields—a few stained yellow from eggs just thrown. pic.twitter.com/B0AMIk8aMZ

— Alejandro Alvarez (@aletweetsnews) May 30, 2020

Insanity outside the White House. Three warnings of an unlawful assembly from the Secret Service before storming into the crowd.

A lot of people have been hit with paper spray. In all the chaos, at least one person was tossed to the ground and presumably arrested. pic.twitter.com/Ab2eSkq9CS

— Alejandro Alvarez (@aletweetsnews) May 30, 2020

The protests mark the second violent clash between law enforcement and protesters in as many days, The Washington Post reported. Hundreds of demonstrators gathered at the Capitol on Saturday afternoon and moved toward the White House.

Protesters pushed against barriers on Pennsylvania Avenue and the riot shields of Secret Service agents, according to the Post. Several Secret Service vehicles were damaged.

Officers were also seen swinging riot batons and firing pepper spray projectiles. National Guard trucks were also deployed Saturday evening.

Secret Service and U.S. Park Police officers in riot gear were at the scene of the protests, according to WUSA9.

Friday night, more than 1,000 demonstrators marched on Pennsylvania Avenue into the early hours of Saturday morning, according to the Post. They dispersed after Secret Service agents fired chemical agents.

The Secret Service said in a statement on Twitter that it made six arrests during the protests that began on Friday.

Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) shared video of the protest earlier Saturday in which protesters can be heard chanting, “Hands up, don’t shoot!”

People are in pain. We must listen. pic.twitter.com/5PJ9gqyu1q

— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) May 30, 2020

Outrage reverberated through the country after bystander video captured former officer Derek Chauvin pinning Floyd down behind a police car with his knee on Floyd’s neck. Floyd can be heard in the video pleading for air and telling the officer that he could not breathe. In the moments following, Floyd’s body goes limp. He was pronounced dead 90 minutes after his arrest.

The protest in Washington, D.C., comes as demonstrations, many of which have turned violent, raged on this week to speak out against the killing of Floyd.

The Friday protests prompted the White House to go on lockdown for a brief period.

Saturday morning, President Trump praised the Secret Service for its efforts to secure the White House. On the same day, Trump lobbed criticism at D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D), claiming that she is “always looking for money & help,” according to a post on Twitter. He also asserted that Bowser did not allow D.C. police officers to get involved in the confrontation outside the building.

The Post later reported that the D.C. Metro Police had in fact been present at the protest to assist the Secret Service.

Updated 8:10 p.m.

Tags Black Lives Matter demonstrations Donald Trump George Floyd political protests Protests Washington D.C. White House