By Marisa Herman
Attorney General William Barr is sending federal riot teams to Washington, D.C., and Miami to give local law enforcement agencies some help in handling violent George Floyd protests, USA Today reports.
A senior Justice Department official told the newspaper that riot teams from the federal Bureau of Prisons are being deployed to help cities facing civil unrest in the wake of the death of a black man at the hands of a white police officer. The official also said that the FBI deployed its Hostage Rescue Unit to help in Washington.
The newspaper reports that the federal prison squad arrived in Miami on Sunday. Miami placed a citywide curfew in effect between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m. after protests turned violent and destructive.
Miami Assistant Police Chief Manny Morales told USA Today that “instigators” turned a peaceful protest into a violent one on Saturday night. Protesters threw rocks and bottles at cops, and five police cars were set on fire, he said.
“These were not the demonstrators, but criminals who were taking advantage that some of the police were tied up,” Morales said, adding there were 58 arrests made. “The vast majority of the protesters are law-abiding citizens that are exercising their constitutional rights.”
Morales said he wasn’t aware that federal riot teams had been deployed to Miami.
He said the protests on Sunday were much more peaceful, except for a few incidents involving graffiti. Peaceful protesters even blocked “some agitators” from breaking into a CVS pharmacy, he added.
In the nation’s capital, 88 people were arrested after large parts of the city were looted and police officers and Secret Services agents were injured.
Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser put a 7 p.m. curfew in place on Monday that would last for two days. She told USA Today the area around the White House was significantly damaged.
“There is significant damage in the downtown areas, especially in the blocks immediately around Lafayette Square,” Bowser said. “Smashed windows and looting are becoming a bigger story than the broken system that got here.”
Police Chief Peter Newsham told USA Today that 44 of the 88 people arrested Sunday were charged with felony rioting.
He called the looting and damage to businesses extensive and said he anticipates there will be more arrests as police review security footage of rioters.
“I anticipate there will be more arrests,” Newsham said, also warning that curfew violations will be enforced. “That is a warning.”
Newsham is offering up to $1,000 rewards for anyone who can identify people involved in violence during the weekend protests.
