United States: Clashes erupt in multiple cities across western US

Event

Clashes between police and protesters have been reported in multiple cities across the western US on Sunday, May 31, and Monday, June 1, as demonstrations over the death in police custody of George Floyd continued for a sixth consecutive night.

Demonstrations were held in:

• Alaska: A peaceful protest was held in Fairbanks.
• Arizona: Peaceful demonstrations were reported in Phoenix. A statewide curfew has been implemented until June 8.
• California: Several large protests were reported in Bakersfield, Sacramento, San Jose, Oakland, San Francisco, Santa Rosa, Huntington Beach, Santa Monica, and San Diego overnight, with reports of looting and vandalism taking place in Huntington Beach, Santa Monica, and Oakland. Shots were reportedly being fired at Oakland Police headquarters. Curfews are in effect for Los Angeles County, the San Francisco Bay Area, with the exception of Oakland, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, West Hollywood, San Jose, and San Leandro. A state of emergency was implemented for Los Angeles. All government offices in downtown areas have been ordered to close on Monday. The National Guard has been activated to enforce the overnight curfew.
• Colorado: Protests were held in Denver despite an overnight curfew being in place. Police deployed tear gas to disperse crowds. Following a peaceful start to the demonstration in Colorado Springs on Sunday, there were reports of objects being thrown at police on Monday morning and police deploying tear gas in response. The National Guard has been activated in Colorado.
• Hawaii: A peaceful vigil was held at Magic Island, Honolulu.
• Idaho: A peaceful protest was held at the state capitol in Boise.
• Montana: A small, peaceful protest was held at the state capitol in Helena.
• Nevada: Protests were held in Las Vegas, with police reported to have fired non-lethal rounds to disperse the crowd. Small peaceful protests were reported in Reno before a curfew was implemented. The National Guard has been activated for Nevada.
• New Mexico: Protests were held in Albuquerque, with the police deploying tear gas to disperse the crowd. One protester was reportedly injured by a canister. Additionally, there were reports of fires being set, and police officers fired upon during the night.
• Oregon: Large demonstrations were reported in Portland, with thousands of people marching through the streets despite an overnight curfew. Riot police dispersed the crowd as government buildings were damaged. A curfew was also implemented in Eugene and Salem. 
• Utah: An overnight curfew was in place on Sunday in Salt Lake City. The National Guard has been activated in Utah.
• Washington: Hundreds of protesters continued to protest in Seattle, closing I-5 for a second day running, despite a 17:00 (local time) curfew being in place. Demonstrations were also reported in Bellevue and Tukwila, with 200 National Guardsmen deployed to disperse looters in Bellevue. The National Guard has been activated for Washington state.  

Further protests are likely to take place over the coming days. 

Context

George Floyd died while being arrested by Minneapolis police officers on May 25. The four arresting officers were subsequently fired, and one has since been charged with murder. Black Lives Matter (BLM) supporters gathered on May 26 to denounce the death and actions of the police officers. Clashes ensued between protesters and riot police, with demonstrators throwing bricks and projectiles at police and police property, and police responding with tear gas and rubber bullets as they attempted to disperse the crowds. Protests have since spread to a number of cities across the US.

Advice

Individuals across the US are advised to monitor developments, avoid all protests as a precaution, and adhere to all instructions issued by local authorities.