RT, 1 Jun, 2020 - 02:53 / Updated 7 minutes ago
[Includes videos]
Multiple fires are flaring near the White House as a day of peaceful protests against police brutality escalated from tense standoffs with police into rioting and vandalism.
The St. John's Episcopal Church in Lafayette Square, a historic landmark located just 300 meters from the White House, was targeted by an apparent arson amid the chaos. Footage from the scene showed flames raging inside. The walls of the church have been tagged with graffiti.
The church is among the best-known features of Washington DC and has been attended by every sitting president of the US since it was built over two centuries ago.
DC police used tear gas to disperse crowds of rioters and make a clear path for firefighter trucks to get to the church.
The office of the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations in the 16th Street Northwest was targeted by vandals too. Its windows were smashed and fire could be seen inside the lobby.
Small fires were started by rioters across the US capital, with plumes of smoke partially covering the Washington Monument.
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Multiple fires set near White House minutes before DC curfew begins
May 31 -- 11:59 PM ET
WTOP All news radio (Washington, DC)
In response to a third straight night of protests over the death of George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser ordered a citywide curfew that started at 11 p.m. Sunday and lasts through 6 a.m. Monday.
Earlier in the day, Bowser had said she would not impose a curfew because she did not believe that the protesters engaging in violent behavior would abide by it.
Also, Justice Department spokesperson Kerri Kupec told NBC Washington that U.S. Marshals personnel, as well as DEA agents were deployed to assist police with security.
A tense night followed a day of protests at several spots in D.C., which prompted Bowser to call in the D.C. National Guard to back up D.C. police earlier in dealing with potentially violent protests.
Around the time curfew went into effect, a fire inside the AFL-CIO building on 16th Street and I Street Northwest was reported.
D.C. police said Sunday night that they were responding to “multiple fires intentionally set” around the city, including one reported at St. John’s Episcopal Church on H Street NW.
Near the Faragut West Metro, fire alarms went off inside a bank as its door was forced open and its windows shattered.
In Wisconsin Avenue NW in Friendship Heights, Montgomery County police provided backup support to D.C. police responding to dozens of people who broke into shops at the Mazza Gallerie.
Wisconsin Avenue at Western Avenue on the Maryland side was shut down. Montgomery County police said a group of about 75 people were running around after breaking into shops but none have crossed the city line into Maryland.
Protests at Lafayette Square, across the street from the White House, were at first “quite orderly but quite vocal,” WTOP’s Steve Dresner reported earlier Sunday.
As day turned into night Dresner said police attempted to disperse protesters, and what appeared to be rubber pellets were fired at the crowd, causing them to run and clearing Lafayette Square for a bit.
At around 7:30 p.m. WTOP’s Alejandro Alvarez reported that someone broke the windshield of a D.C. police car, which led to “a volley of flashbangs and pepperballs” – a form of pepper spray that’s concentrated and directional – from the D.C. police.
Law enforcement fire tear gas as protesters increased their resistance, which included throwing bottles and lighting a flag, Alvarez reported.
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See also Protesters deface World War II Memorial and other National Mall monuments (including Lincoln Memorial).
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