Joe Biden comments on the protests taking place across America, over 25 cities under curfews

A Los Angeles Police Department kiosk is seen ablaze in The Grove shopping center during a protest over the death of George Floyd, on Saturday, May 30, in Los Angeles. Mark J. Terrill/AP. Sketched by the Pan Pacific Agency.

WASHINGTON D.C., May 31, 2020, CNN. Presumptive Democratic Party presidential candidate Joe Biden has released a statement on the unrest gripping America, saying: “Protesting such brutality is right and necessary,” CNN reported.

“It’s an utterly American response,” Biden said. “But burning down communities and needless destruction is not. Violence that endangers lives is not. Violence that guts and shutters businesses that serve the community is not.”

“These last few days have laid bare that we are a nation furious at injustice. Every person of conscience can understand the rawness of the trauma people of color experience in this country, from the daily indignities to the extreme violence, like the horrific killing of George Floyd,” he added.

As protests continue across the United States into the early hours of Sunday morning, at least 25 cities across 16 states have imposed curfews. The National Guard has also been activated in around a dozen states and the District of Columbia.

CALIFORNIA: Beverly Hills, Los Angeles

COLORADO: Denver

FLORIDA: Miami

GEORGIA: Atlanta

ILLINOIS: Chicago

KENTUCKY: Louisville

MINNESOTA: Minneapolis, St. Paul

NEW YORK: Rochester

OHIO: Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, Toledo

OREGON: Eugene, Portland

PENNSYLVANIA: Philadelphia, Pittsburgh

SOUTH CAROLINA: Charleston, Columbia

TENNESSEE: Nashville

UTAH: Salt Lake City

WASHINGTON: Seattle

WISCONSIN: Milwaukee

California Governor Gavin Newsom has declared a state of emergency in Los Angeles County, according to statement from the governor’s office.

The governor also authorized assistance to Los Angeles, after receiving a request from the city and county to deploy members of the National Guard to help disperse protests.

Earlier, curfews were announced in multiple cities across California, and the National Guard was put on standby to respond to unrest in San Francisco.

The City of San Francisco is under curfew until 5 a.m. local time on Sunday, Mayor London Breed announced in a press conference.

“These are challenging times for our city and in our country,” Breed said. “We ask that you follow our direction and support what we’re trying to do here to make sure that all of us are safe.”

Breed said the California National Guard will remain on stand-by to respond to protests.

Some two dozen other cities across the US have announced curfews for Saturday night into Sunday morning, and more than 10 states have deployed the National Guard.

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