People love singing together at the best of times, and perhaps even more at the worst of times. For example, currently gaining traction on Instagram are the trans-Atlantic Lockdown Duets videos that pair Broadway and West End performers. The series was hatched by Alistair Brammer, who played the G.I. Chris in the recent revival of “Miss Saigon.â€
“The idea was to spread some joy and get people who would never normally sing together to sing together,†Brammer said.
You don’t need a Tony Award to make your own music: Despite social distancing, family members, friends and perfect strangers can join their voices from separate locations. Here are a few simple, economical ways to make it happen.
Find the right video-conferencing app.
Although it feels as if everybody uses Zoom nowadays, it’s not optimal for duets, because of a lag that complicates synchronization. Gary Clark who helped compose the musical “Sing Street†and worked on the livestreamed event “Sing Street: Grounded,†recommends the free services Source Elements Meet and JamKazam, which help family members or friends to perform together while in different locations.
Try different ways of recording vocals and voice-overs.
Most phones and tablets come with a recording function, and many great songs have started as a simple Voice Memo on an iPhone. But you may want more options or higher-quality sound, and that’s when you download something like Voice Record Pro, Recorder Plus or even Voloco, an app that lets you process your pitch to emulate auto-tuning.
Don’t hesitate to trade music.
The best-sounding results tend to involve exchanging sound files over Google Drive, Dropbox and the likes. For the Lockdown Duets, one singer records his or her half, leaving gaps and reacting to what they imagine their virtual partner is doing. They send the file to Brammer, who layers that vocal with the backing track and forwards it to the second person.
And why stop at two? Seventy-five people played and sang on a recent viral clip of “What the World Needs Now.†In a phone interview, its creator, Shelbie Rassler, then a student at the Boston Conservatory, explained that she sent a guide track to the participants, who listened to it on their laptops while recording their audio or video part on another device like a phone or a tablet, before returning it to Rassler who edited them all together.
Put yourself out there.
Once you’re ready, you might want to test out your chops in front of a live audience. This can be daunting, but the app StreamYard will make it technically smooth. “It’s similar to Zoom or Google Meet but with live-streaming on top of it,†said Geige Vandentop, the app’s co-founder. “There’s a link to invite people into your show, then you push a button and you can go live to whatever major platform you want — Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn.â€
If you miss gathering with friends for a night of karaoke, try StarMaker or Smule. Both apps have functions that foster virtual collaboration — with friends, family members and even prerecorded celebrities and animated characters.
Have fun with it.
In the end, singing is about communicating. “In modern digital recording, you can fix pitch and you can fix rhythm, but you can’t create energy, emotion or vibe,†said Deke Sharon, the a cappella master who did vocal arrangements on the “Pitch Perfect†films. “Many amateurs when recording themselves make the mistake of focusing on their technique and the technical hurdles. Pour your heart out, and then clean up any loose ends after the fact.â€
The dilemma The lockdown has made it crushingly obvious how few friends I have, and I feel depressed and lonely. It feels as if everyone else is having Zoom parties, quizzes and virtual meet-ups, while I’m sending the odd message and going to bed early after spending the day talking to no one except my partner and one-year-old. In normal life, interactions with colleagues and “mum friends†helped disguise the fact I don’t foster close relationships. Now that it’s all about keeping in touch, there aren’t many people who are bothered about a catch-up with me.
I feel like a big part of it is caused by my relationship. I used to have an active social life, but when I left a very outgoing partner 10 years ago for my current one, that ended. He’s awkward, a terrible drunk and not as cool, so friends slipped away. I feel resentful towards him – as if he’s led me to a life of loneliness.
Before lockdown we had been trying to forge new friendships, but few had made it to the point of warranting an online meet-up. I don’t know if I can face another 10 years of this and I don’t want to end up like my parents, who never had any friends.
Mariella replies You say that social isolation has forced you to acknowledge the absence of good friendships in your life, but that it’s your relationship that needs attention. You’ve summarised your partner’s less appealing characteristics, but provided no mitigating qualities. It makes me wonder why, last year, and nine years down the line, you thought it a good idea to start a family with this man who made your world smaller.
There’s nothing like being trapped with someone to bring them out in all their gory glory. If there are issues in your relationship that you’ve been able to deftly dodge in normal times, then having no escape from them during lockdown will have been pretty traumatic. I can’t really point the finger of blame as I only have your word for your partner’s shortcomings.
The father of your child may be a sociopath with an alcohol problem, or he might still be the same guy you found appealing enough to leave your last lover for – and all that has changed is that you’ve simply had an overdose of him in recent months.
There’s no question that this enforced period of close proximity has driven many of us to look around for a place or person to blame for the multiplying cracks that have become ever more visible in our lives. We can try to conceal these cracks from the world by trumpeting our perfect sourdough, sharing memes of Donald Trump or celebrating crazy haircuts (or all three). When even these things start to wear thin, along comes Zoom seemingly to the rescue. But complaining about video conference calls has created a new standard by which to gauge our self-worth: in the post Covid-19 social pecking order, the more you complain about your endless day on Zoom, the more important you clearly are. It leaves those whose computer cameras aren’t perpetually switched on feeling redundant.
It’s really important not to let other people’s propaganda affect your expectations of your own life. Friends are essential to our wellbeing, no question, and a few of them are worth huge investment but, like an over-large garden, they do require energy and attention. If you’re not prepared to put in the work, dare I say it’s time to downsize? A single person who you can turn to in a crisis is worth 20 people available for a chit-chat – and I’m pretty sure you have the former.
Your insecurity about friendships appears to have a historical precedent – it’s possible that you’ve repeated the pattern you saw in your parents’ lives. So, how much of your dissatisfaction is provoked by unsettling times, and how much by your choice of partner mirroring your parents’ dysfunctions? Whatever the cause it’s an issue that’s entirely in your gift to change and therefore it’s slightly disingenuous to blame your partner.
If there are people you’d like to talk to, call them. Don’t sit around evaluating whether the relationship has “matured†enough. And if your partner is as hard to love as you suggest, it might be time for an upgrade – but consider first that being part of a highly sociable couple in your 20s and being a parent in a partnership in your 30s are two very different lifestyle choices.
Being stuck in one place with your family forces you to take a hard look at who you’re shacked up with, but let’s not forget that the list includes you. The possibility here is that too much exposure to each other has begun to take a toll on tolerance levels. Most modern relationships aren’t built on 24-hour proximity to one another, and few are improved by it. The easiest thing in the world is to blame the person next to you and it doesn’t require a global pandemic to acquire that bad habit. If none of that rings true, then roll on the end of lockdown and the beginning of your new single life.
• Comments on this piece are premoderated to ensure discussion remains on topics raised by the writer. Please be aware there may be a short delay in comments appearing on the site.
The TCL 10 Pro isn’t the best smartphone in the world – and in fact, it didn’t even break into our main list of the top 15 phones you can buy right now – but nevertheless, I’m excited to see it on virtual shop shelves.
The TCL 10 Pro received three stars out of five from TechRadar, and we called it “not a bad phone†with a further (and more damning) clarification that “you can get so much more for the money, whether you’re minded towards Android or iOS.â€
For clarity, I didn’t review the TCL 10 Pro for TechRadar so I haven’t used the handset extensively, but I’m excited because this phone shows there’s still space for new entrants in the mobile market.
Welcome to a new contender
That quote from our review is quite damning, right? But that doesn’t mean we want TCL to give up. In fact, I want TCL to see that criticism (and it’s not just us, a lot of our rival tech publications seem to agree with our review of the phone) and run further with a sequel.
TCL entering the phone game with its own branding is an exciting move. Previously, the company has produced handsets through its sub brands of Alcatel and BlackBerry, both of which catered to a very different niche than TCL is trying to target with the 10 Pro.
BlackBerry handsets under TCL haven’t thrived, but they’ve consistently offered a business-focused experience that you can’t really get anywhere else. Alcatel on the other hand has been consistently producing some of the best affordable phones on the market.
With the TCL brand becoming more and more recognized in the TV market, it makes sense for the company to apply the name – and the methodology associated with it – to smartphones too.
That methodology involves offering a quality product, but making some necessary cuts to ensure it comes in at an affordable price, which is what it has tried to do with the TCL 10 Pro.
The rear cameras on the TCL 10 Pro (Image credit: TechRadar)
The TCL 10 Pro isn’t looking to compete with the very top-end handsets for a lower price. This isn’t going to be the phone you consider instead of a Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra or iPhone 11 Pro Max, but it may be an alternative to a Samsung Galaxy A90 5G or even something like the OnePlus 8.
And while the TCL 10 Pro isn’t entirely successful, with the experience of making that phone behind it, whatever comes next from TCL may be a true contender for the very best mid-range phone that money can buy.
No matter what, we now have another major manufacturer with a lot of money behind it – along with experience in the consumer tech market – going full throttle and developing 5G handsets for the mid-range mobile phone space.Â
That’s exciting, and while I won’t be recommending the TCL 10 Pro itself to people, I’m excited to see what the company is capable of doing next.
As Africa heads into the next and most dangerous phase of the pandemic, there are eight things that South Africa can teach the rest of the continent, the BBC says in a report published on Saturday, 30 May.
But the report, written by veteran foreign correspondent and long-time South Africa resident Andrew Harding, says SA is itself bracing “for a dramatic rise in infections that will almost certainly overwhelm its relatively well-resourced healthcare systemâ€.
These are among the key points highlighted by the BBC:
Keep the tea rooms in hospitals clean
Governments and medical teams still need to focus a lot more on hygiene. The evidence from South African hospitals already grappling with the virus points to the need for vastly improved hygiene protocols.
Doctors are warning that medical staff continue to congregate in tea rooms, removing their masks, passing mobile phones to each other, and undermining all the work they do on the wards.
“The most dangerous place in a clinic is undoubtedly the tea room. We’re trying to get that message out,†said Doctor Tom Boyles, an infectious disease specialist in Johannesburg.
Do fast tests – or no tests
After a promising start, South Africa is now “struggling woefully†with its testing, the BBC says.
“It has built up a huge backlog – ‘tens of thousands’ according to several sources – at its laboratories, which is now undermining the validity of the entire testing process. Tests are of no real use, doctors insist, unless the results of those tests can reliably be produced within, ideally, 24 hours.
Much longer than that and an infected person will either have spread the virus to too many others to trace properly, or they will already be in hospital, or they will have passed the point of serious risk for infecting others.
“The same concerns apply to South Africa’s much-hailed community screening and testing programme which, experts say, has outlived its usefulness, since the virus has now spread far beyond the capacity of the country’s large team of community health workers to track with any effectiveness,†the report states.
It is not old age, it is obesity
Much has been made of the fact that Africa has an unusually young population. But the evidence from several South African hospitals already suggests that alarmingly high levels of obesity – along with hypertension and diabetes – in younger COVID-19 patients are linked to many fatalities.
Two-thirds of coronavirus deaths in South Africa so far are among people aged under 65, according to Prof Shabir Madhi, a prominent vaccine expert. “Obesity is a big issue, along with hypertension and diabetes,†he said.
HuffPost reporter Chris Mathias was taken into custody Saturday while covering anti-racism protests in New York City.
Mathias, a senior reporter who covers the far right, disinformation and hate, had been reporting for days on the protests, prompted by the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. He was in the Flatbush area of Brooklyn when police took him into custody.
Phoebe Leila Barghouty
HuffPost senior reporter Chris Mathias was taken into custody while covering an anti-racism protest in New York on Saturday.
Reporter Phoebe Leila Barghouty tweeted that she saw the NYPD “violently arresting†Mathias and others as they tried to clear a street.
“They grabbed Chris aggressively and turned him over on either a car or a barricade to zip tie. I believe he was yelling, ‘Let me get my phone,’ but they obviously didn’t [let him] and they just took him away from there,†Barghouty told HuffPost. She said she never saw Mathias provoke or be aggressive with police.
Mathias identified himself as a journalist while at the protest and was wearing a press badge, which can be seen hanging from his neck in the photo below.
Phoebe Leila Barghouty
Mathias’ press badge can be seen hanging from his neck.
Danny Gold, a journalist and documentary filmmaker who witnessed the incident, said “there should have been no doubt among police that he was press.â€
“It was an extremely chaotic situation, but Chris was clearly wearing his press [badge] and identifying himself as a reporter,†Gold said.
HuffPost executive editor Hillary Frey emphasized that Mathias was just doing his job when he was taken into custody.
“Chris Mathias is a dogged, empathetic reporter who was arrested on Saturday night while doing his job as a journalist,†Frey said Saturday. “We are alarmed that police would treat him or any other clearly credentialed journalist in this manner, and prevent them from documenting the protests happening here and around the country.â€
We are extremely alarmed that our reporter Chris Mathias (@letsgomathias) has apparently been taken into NYPD custody while doing his job as a journalist. We demand that he be released immediately. CC: @NYPDnews@NYCMayor@NewYorkStateAG
HuffPost’s union, organized under the Writers Guild of America, East, also condemned the arrest.
“Tonight a member of our unit was arrested with his press badge clearly displayed,†the union said in a statement. “We condemn in the strongest terms law enforcement interference with our right to do our job.â€
Some reporters in Minnesota said they were hit with rubber bullets, while others were hit with tear gas. Freelance photographer Linda Tirado was shot in the eye while covering protests in Minneapolis. A journalist in Louisville, Kentucky, shouted “I’m getting shot!†as she was hit with pepper bullets on live television.Â
Thousands of people gathered in cities across the U.S. Saturday to demonstrate against racism and police brutality, days after Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee into Floyd’s neck for almost nine minutes. Floyd, who was Black, repeatedly said he could not breathe and eventually became unresponsive.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Calling all HuffPost superfans!
Sign up for membership to become a founding member and help shape HuffPost’s next chapter
Sony Entertainment Television announces the return of its cult love stories, that set a benchmark in the industry – Kuch Rang Pyaar Ke Aise Bhi and Bade Achhe Lagte Hain. While Kuch Rang Pyaar Ke Aise Bhi will air at 9:30 PM, Bade Acche Lagte Hain will air at 10 PM on weekdays starting 1st June.
Dr. Sonakshi and Dev Dixit from Kuch Rang Pyaar Ke Aise Bhi, essayed by Erica Fernandes and Shaheer Sheikh brought a smile to audience’s faces and set their hearts racing with their chemistry and romance. Though culturally different, the two came together and redefined the meaning of love.
On the other hand, Bade Acche Lagte Hain, the love story of Priya and Ram, starring the hit and relatable pair of Sakshi Tanwar and Ram Kapoor, not just captured the imagination of the audience, but went ahead and catapulted this mature love story to greater heights! The show celebrates 9 glorious years of Priya and Ram and their beautiful journey of getting married, then getting to know each other and eventually falling madly in love.
President Trump said on Saturday that he planned to postpone the annual Group of 7 summit of world leaders until September and that he wanted to invite Russia to rejoin as part of an alliance to discuss the future of China.
Mr. Trump told reporters traveling with him aboard Air Force One on his way back from Florida, where he attended the launch of the SpaceX rocket, that he also planned to invite South Korea, Australia and India to the meeting to discuss China’s future.
“I don’t feel that as a G7 it properly represents what’s going on in the world,†Mr. Trump said, according to a pool report of his remarks. “It’s a very outdated group of countries.â€
The United States currently holds the presidency of the Group of 7 industrialized nations, which also includes Germany, Japan, France, Britain, Canada and Italy.
“We want Australia, we want India, we want South Korea,†Mr. Trump said. “And what do we have? That’s a nice group of countries right there.â€
Mr. Trump made the announcement not long after Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany had suggested she wouldn’t attend a summit held in Washington amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The president’s saying he would invite Russia — which was indefinitely suspended from the group in 2014 after the annexing of Crimea from Ukraine — could inflame other member nations.
Mr. Trump has previously floated the idea of asking Russia to rejoin, but other member nations have opposed the suggestion, and their approval would be required.
Still, as the host president, Mr. Trump is allowed to invite whoever he wants. And by making Russia one of four countries he said he wants to invite, it means that Russia would be a guest, the way it was before it formally joined the group in the mid-1990s.
Mr. Trump at one point described the theoretical gathering as the “G10 or G11,†which would mean making those countries members — something he cannot do on his own. He said he had had conversations with the leaders of those countries.
At one point Mr. Trump suggested he would host the summit in September, possibly around the time of the United Nations General Assembly, which is slated to begin Sept. 15 in New York, a city that is scheduled to begin its first phase of reopening from coronavirus shutdowns on June 8. At another point, Mr. Trump mused that he might schedule the summit for after the November general election.
Russia’s status in what was then the G8 was a source of consternation for other member nations in 2014, some of whom disagreed on how to punish Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, for aggression in Crimea.
Mr. Putin last visited the United States for an event that was unrelated to the U.N. General Assembly in 2007, when President George W. Bush invited him to the Bush family compound at Kennebunkport, Maine. Mr. Putin, through advisers, has been pushing for another invitation to the United States since 2018. In July of that year, Mr. Trump stunned his director of national intelligence at the time, Dan Coats, when he announced he planned to invite Mr. Putin to visit in the fall. That visit never took place.
Inviting countries with geopolitical significance to discuss China, a country that Mr. Trump has seen as a competitor and an adversary, gives the president a rationale to host Mr. Putin. But the sight of Mr. Putin appearing in the United States two months before the presidential election, after the U.S. intelligence community determined that Russia interfered in the previous one to benefit Mr. Trump, will inflame his critics and risk discomfiting some of his Republican allies.
Even before Mr. Trump’s announcement Saturday, the planning of the summit has fueled months of drama. Mr. Trump had previously suggested holding the summit in June. At the time, officials said it would be held virtually because of the pandemic.
But in late May, Mr. Trump suggested holding the event at Camp David, the rustic presidential retreat that the president has visited only periodically during his term.
It is not only the invitees that have been a source of drama at the U.S.-hosted summit. In October, Mr. Trump announced he would host the summit at one of his private clubs, the Trump National Doral near Miami.
That prompted a widespread outcry from critics, including some Republicans, who said that Mr. Trump had crossed a line in trying to hold that kind of event at one of his properties, where he would ostensibly profit off the spending of taxpayer funds to host the event and receive free publicity. World leader summits like the G7 typically involve hundreds of officials and support personnel and elaborate security measures.
He then said he would host it at Camp David instead.
Last August, Mr. Trump called for Russia to be readmitted to the summit.
“I think it’s much more appropriate to have Russia in,†Mr. Trump told reporters. “I could certainly see it being the G8 again.â€
He said at the time that a rationale for readmitting Russia was that “a lot of the things we talk about have to do with Russia.â€
During his presidential campaign, in July 2016, Mr. Trump was dismissive about objections to the Russian incursion into Ukraine during an interview with George Stephanopoulos on ABC News.
“The people of Crimea, from what I’ve heard, would rather be with Russia than where they were,†Mr. Trump told Mr. Stephanopoulos. “And you have to look at that, also.â€
Israeli police have shot dead an unarmed autistic Palestinian man in Jerusalem’s Old City after saying they suspected he was carrying a weapon. an unarmed autistic Palestinian man in Jerusalem’s Old City after saying they suspected he was carrying a weapon.
The shooting drew broad condemnations and revived complaints alleging excessive force by Israeli security forces. On social media, some compared the shooting to police violence in the US
Relatives identified the man as Iyad Halak, 32. They said he suffered from autism and was heading to the school for students with special needs where he studied each day when he was shot on Saturday.
“They killed him in cold blood,” Halak’s mother, Rana, told Israel’s Channel 12 TV.
In a statement, Israeli police said they spotted a suspect “with a suspicious object that looked like a pistol”. When he failed to obey orders to stop, officers opened fire, the statement said. Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld later said no weapon was found.
Channel 12 said members of Israel’s paramilitary border police force fired at Halak’s legs and chased him into a dead-end alley. It said a senior officer ordered a halt in fire as they entered the alley, but that a second officer did not listen and fired six or seven bullets from an M-16 rifle, killing Halak. The report said both officers were taken into custody and interrogated for several hours.
AP video from the scene showed three bullet holes in a white wall at the end of the alleyway.
Halak’s father, Kheiri, said police raided the family’s home after the shooting. “They found nothing,” he said, claiming that police had cursed his daughter when she became upset at them.
Lone Palestinian attackers with no clear links to armed groups have carried out a series of stabbings, shootings and car-ramming attacks in recent years.
Palestinians and Israeli human rights groups have long accused Israeli security forces of using excessive force in some cases, either by killing individuals who could have been arrested or using lethal force when their lives were not in danger.
Thousands of protesters participated in dozens of demonstrations nationwide Saturday, a day after a Minneapolis police officer was arrested and charged with the third-degree murder and manslaughter of George Floyd.
Former officer Derek Chauvin faces the charges, which activist groups say are inadequate. Video from a bystander showed Chauvin pressing his knee on Floyd’s neck for more than eight minutes.
The demonstrations Saturday were part of a National Day of Protest against Chauvin and police brutality inflicted nationwide. Protesters also called out the names of other people of color killed by police, including Louisville’s Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old ER tech who was shot and killed by police in March.
Here is a city-by-city look at what’s happening across the country.
Nashville: Fires at courthouse and City Hall building
Fires in Nashville led Mayor John Cooper to declare a state of civil emergency. Police announced a 10 p.m. curfew for the city, and Gov. Bill Lee deployed the National Guard.Â
Dozens of protesters had gathered on the steps of Nashville’s criminal courthouse and City Hall after a rally and march. Demonstrators smashed windows with rocks and other materials, drawing a swarm of police. The situation at the building appeared to subside around 7:30 p.m.
By 8:15 p.m., fire was visible from a first-floor office at the courthouse. A short time later, police with riot gear arrived as a fire burned inside a window at City Hall. Officers deployed tear gas as demonstrators clustered in the center of Public Square Park.
— Staff of The TennesseanÂ
Miami: Curfew after fire in cars, rubber bullets
The Miami Police Department announced a 10 p.m. Saturday curfew for the city. The city also will have a Sunday curfew for 8 p.m. until 6 a.m. Police warned violators would be subject to arrest. Thirty-eight people had been arrested as midnight approached, police said.
The police department asked residents to stay away from Miami’s downtown and Wynwood areas, citing a “situation involving large crowds of protestors.”
The Miami Herald reported protests in the area started peacefully but eventually devolved into violence. People threw things at officers and s
New York City: Videos show fire, vehicle’s confrontation with crowd
Hundreds of protesters walked against traffic in Manhattan on Saturday afternoon, temporarily stalling vehicles on 7th Ave. The group chanted: “No justice, no peace†and “Whose streets? Our streets.â€
An initially peaceful demonstration in the city had spiraled into chaos Friday, as protesters skirmished with police officers, destroyed police vehicles and set fires.
Video posted to social media on Friday showed officers using batons and shoving protesters as they took people into custody and cleared streets. One video showed an officer slam a woman to the ground as he walked past her.
Minneapolis: National Guard moves downtown
The National Guard started moving into downtown Minneapolis on Saturday, after days of unrest.
“The situation in Minnesota is no longer in any way about the murder of George Floyd. It is about attacking civil society, instilling fear and disrupting our great cites,” Gov. Tim Walz said in a press conference.
An 8 p.m. curfew would be strictly enforced, major highways would be closed and those on the streets Saturday night could be subject to arrest, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Saint Paul Mayor Melvin Carter said Saturday night.
“Don’t go out of your homes; don’t make things more difficult,â€Â Walz said.Â
As curfew approached, hundreds of protesters sat to await the arrival of law enforcement near Fifth Precinct. One commented that police couldn’t arrest the whole group.
Soon, black-clad law enforcement approached to the sound of explosions. Some demonstrators chanted: “Hands up, don’t shoot!â€
Police officers fired nonlethal projectiles toward masses of people, including a crowd of journalists gathered in an alley next to a looted store.
Protesters reported tear gas being used. Some people hobbled away from an intersection appearing to be injured.
“State Patrol troopers are moving in to secure the Fifth Precinct. Go home and obey the curfew order now,” Minnesota Department of Public Safety tweeted.
“The situation in Minnesota is no longer in any way about the murder of George Floyd. It is about attacking civil society, instilling fear and disrupting our great cites,” Gov. Tim Walz said in a press conference.
Earlier, hundreds of protesters gathered downtown at Federal Plaza on Saturday afternoon for a demonstration organized by Black Lives Matter. Protesters chanted “Say his name, George Floyd†and “Say her name, Breonna Taylor†as drivers honked their horns. Some held signs saying “Black lives matter†and “Liberty and justice for all.â€
At least two police vehicles were covered in spray paint.
Protesters reported seeing demonstrators being arrested outside Trump Tower as the group marched north through downtown. After passing Trump Tower, thousands of protesters took a knee in silence. A spokesperson for Chicago police said he was not immediately able to provide an update.Â
The Chicago Transit Authority temporarily suspended train services to downtown.
— Grace Hauck and Jordan Culver, USA TODAYÂ
Detroit: Day starts peacefully, turns violent
Saturday, in the light of day, the protesting crowd appeared to be mostly peaceful, with police following marching protesters closely and even handing out masks, a coronavirus precaution, to those who did not have them.
The situation changed late in the evening. A new — and larger — crowd filled downtown and turned violent. In the skirmishes, Detroit Free Press reporters were exposed to tear gas, and a phone was violently knocked out of a photographer’s hand.
Police in riot gear, supported by armored cars, moved toward protesters.Â
Crowds began to gather at about 4:30 p.m. Most wore masks, and many carried signs, some with angry slogans. By about 8 p.m., and just after a moment of tension between protesters and police, the crowd began to disperse, with a few folks saying they’d be back again for a third day of demonstrations at 4 p.m. Sunday.
On Friday, a 21-year-old male from Eastpointe was been fatally shot near a protest in downtown Detroit when he was approached by an unknown suspect while in his vehicle, police said. Friday night’s protest had at least 60 arrests.Â
— David Jesse, JC Reindl, Branden Hunter and Frank Witsil, Detroit Free Press
Charlotte, North Carolina: State of emergency
The City of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County announced a state of emergency for the area Saturday night. A curfew was not included in the declaration.Â
“The proclamation grants the city and county managers the authority to enact a curfew if necessary,” the city announced via Twitter as protests continued in the city. “If a curfew is enacted, it will be announced in advance to allow residents to prepare.”
Previously, the National Guard was deployed to Charlotte to assist with the city’s response to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Indianapolis: Officers fire tear gas at protesters
Police told protesters late Saturday they were subject to arrest for unlawful assembly and should “disperse immediately.”
“This is no longer a lawful assembly. You are subject to arrest,” an officer told protesters.Â
A reporter at the scene saw 10 officers and four police cars. Most were wearing gas masks and standing still. One protester threw a water bottle at an officer, and several others followed.
Officers then began firing tear gas.
On Friday, of the more than 200 estimated to be demonstrating, 27 had been arrested, Police Chief Randal Taylor said, and at least 30 businesses sustained some sort of damage, including a CVSÂ store that sustained fire damage.
Five police vehicles were damaged and three officers were injured, he said. Three civilians were also injured.
— Staff of The Indianapolis Star
Washington: Protests escalate near White House, Trump warns against ‘mob violence’
Protesters clashed with police outside the White House Saturday, as tensions flared there for a second day.Â
Protesters marched and chanted “No justice! No peace!” and “I can’t breathe!” – a phrase Floyd was heard saying before his death – in Lafayette Square, across the street from the White House and along surrounding streets. Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., stood with peaceful protesters outside the White House during the afternoon.
Protesters stood facing a line of police wearing helmets and holding shields, the officers with their backs to the White House. At times, some protesters tried to knock over barriers or attacked officers around the White House perimeter, although none scaled the surrounding fence, according to the Secret Service. “Multiple” special agents and uniformed officers were injured when some protesters threw bricks, rocks, bottles and fireworks at officers, officials said.
President Donald Trump attended the historic SpaceX rocket launch in Florida during the afternoon, but was flying back to Washington by 6 p.m. He used an address at the Kennedy Space Center to offer a stern warning against violence by “rioters, looters and anarchists.”
Mayor Muriel Bowser tweeted Saturday that the city’s police department would protect everyone, regardless of whether the mayor agreed with them.
— Nicholas Wu, David Jackson, Courtney Subramanian and John Fritze, USA TODAY
Jacksonville, Florida: Peaceful march turns violent, officer injured
Violence erupted in Jacksonville’s downtown Saturday night, after thousands of people earlier marched peacefully on police headquarters in protest against law enforcement abuses of force.
Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams said one officer had been hospitalized after being “slashed in the neck.â€
Broken glass and damage to Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office vehicles were reported, as was the firing of tear gas. Police urged people not already downtown Saturday night to stay away from the area.
Attorney General Barr: Peaceful protests ‘hijacked’ by ‘far-left extremist groups’
Attorney General William Barr said violent protests that have erupted after the death of George Floyd appear to be organized by “anarchic” and “far-left extremist groups” pursuing their own aims.Â
Addressing “rioting” in many cities, Barr said:Â “The voices of peaceful protest are being hijacked by violent radical elements.”
“Groups of outside radicals and agitators are exploiting the situation to pursue their own separate and violent agenda,” he said. “In many places, it appears the violence is planned, organized and driven by anarchic and … far-left extremist groups using Antifa-like tactics.”
Charred cars, one lying flipped on its roof in a pile of ashes, lined John F. Kennedy Blvd. Saturday night as the city started to clean up after peaceful protests gave way to a fiery afternoon.Â
Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said 13 police officers were injured in protests that resulted in property damage and several burned cars. Fourteen people were arrested, police said just before midnight.
By the 8 p.m. curfew set by Philadelphia police, the large crowds had mostly dispersed. Dozens of officers stood in a line at the municipal services building, steps away from where at least one of the department’s cars was burned.
Just hours before, hundreds flooded City Hall, damaging cars and spraypainting messages on buildings, vehicles and the city block.
— Phaedra Trethan and Jeff Neiburg, Cherry Hill Courier-Post
Montgomery, Alabama: Largely peaceful protests at precinct, Capitol
Dozens gathered Saturday afternoon in front of a Montgomery police precinct before a gathering at the Capitol, where law enforcement blocked off traffic for a rally that lasted more than two hours.Â
Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed on Friday called Floyd’s death a “lynching” in a virtual town hall before asking for a moment of silence for him at an afternoon press conference.
Police Chief Ernest Finley also spoke, calling Floyd’s death “very disturbing.”
— Melissa Brown, Montgomery Advertiser
Los Angeles: Looting and destruction mount, mayor sets curfew
Looting and property destruction mounted Saturday in Los Angeles as police worked to disperse protesters after the third evening of mass demonstrations. City Mayor Eric Garcetti set a curfew from 8 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. throughout the whole city.
Police set up skirmish lines throughout the downtown area and fired non-lethal ammunition in at least one incident, City News Service reported. The Associated Press reported Garcetti requested the National Guard.Â
Protesters looted several downtown businesses, including a Target store, a Rite Aid, a Starbucks and jewelry stores near Sixth Street and Broadway. Fires were ignited near the intersection of Hill and Seventh Street, and in one case, a person threw the hose being used by a firefighter into a smoldering fire.
Garcetti urged residents to go home.
“When things burn, it is not the time to stay,†he said. Taking part in civil unrest, he added, does a disservice to the memory of George Floyd.
He noted Los Angeles has seen unrest over racial issues before, a nod to the Watts Riots in 1965 and the disturbance after the Rodney King verdict that exonerated the police officers who were videotaped beating him in 1992.
“The National Guard is on stand by to assist the Seattle Police Department as requested by Mayor Durkan,” Inslee said in a statement. “They will be unarmed and assist with infrastructure protection and crowd movement. They will only be utilized if absolutely necessary and we appreciate their efforts to help in this important work.”
Hundreds of people gathered outside Seattle Police Department headquarters midday Saturday, where speakers from the NAACP and ACLU spoke to the crowd. “Hands up, don’t shoot,†the group chanted.
Atlanta: 9 p.m. curfew established
Georgia’s governor declared a state of emergency early Saturday to activate the state National Guard. Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms signed an executive order Saturday establishing a 9 p.m. curfew “as a result of the recent acts of violence demonstrated throughout the city.”Â
The curfew ends at sunrise Sunday.Â
Brian Kemp tweeted that up to 500 members of the Guard would deploy immediately “to protect people & property in Atlanta.†He said he acted at the request of Bottoms, who earlier appealed for calm.
At least three officers were hurt and there were multiple arrests in Friday’s protests, Atlanta police spokesman Carlos Campos said.
— Associated Press
Pittsburgh: Protests become ‘volatile’Â
Pittsburgh police deployed gas on a group of thousands of demonstrators Saturday after a peaceful protest against turned destructive.
Pittsburgh Public Safety declared the situation an unlawful assembly.
“This follows repeated acts of violence, property damage and looting of businesses, which is ongoing. Residents please stay home. Businesses should close. If you are Downtown, leave the area,†officials tweeted.
Pittsburgh Public Safety tweeted just before 6 p.m. that police had deployed gas after the protest became “volatile.â€
— Daveen Rae Kurutz, The Beaver County Times
Petal, Mississippi: Mayor sorry for comments, won’t resign
Petal Mayor Hal Marx said he apologizes that comments he made have caused so much pain to the city he leads and its people, but he denies his comments were racist, and says he won’t resign.
Marx came under fire Tuesday when he tweeted he “didn’t see anything unreasonable” in the incident that led to the death of George Floyd.Â
“I admit that my comments on the recent tragic death of George Floyd in Minnesota were made in haste and not well-thought out or expressed,” he said. “Because of this, my words were taken out of the context in which they were meant. For that, I apologize.
“I apologize to those who found them to be insensitive, and I apologize to the people of our city.”
— Lici Beveridge, Mississippi Clarion Ledger
Providence, Rhode Island: A chorus of 1,000 voices
A chorus of nearly 1,000 voices shouted Floyd’s name from the State House lawn on Saturday.
“I’m tired of watching young black, brown, beautiful people dying,†said Gary Dantzler, an activist with Black Lives Matter Rhode Island, the group that organized Saturday’s rally. “White supremacy, we gotta end it.â€
– Madeleine List, Providence Journal
Lake Worth Beach, Florida: No violence
Shouting “I can’t breathe” and “Hands up, don’t shoot,†about 250 demonstrators stopped traffic downtown on Saturday in a march that joined nationwide demonstrations seeking justice for Floyd’s death.
Unlike rallies that have turned violent in Minneapolis, Los Angeles, New York and Atlanta, the march down Lake Avenue from Bryant Park to City Hall was orderly and largely peaceful.
-Â Joe Capozzi, Palm Beach Post
Sarasota, Florida: Teens decorate cars
At Sarasota City Hall, about 30 masked protesters from teens to seniors decorated their cars with messages condemning police brutality in light of Floyd’s death.Â
Emily Wunderlich, Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Peoria, Illinois: ‘Fired up! Ready to go!’
A crowd of a few hundred marched for about a mile and a half in Peoria on Saturday afternoon, from the riverfront to the city’s police station and the courthouse, alternating call-and-response slogans, including “No justice, no peace; no racist police” and “Fired up! Ready to go!”
Most attendees wore masks or other face coverings, which organizers urged to abide by the state’s standing public health orders.Â
The peaceful demonstration of just more than two hours included participants chanting not only Floyd’s name, but also the names of Peoria men Eddie Russell Jr. and Luis Cruz, who were killed in police-involved shootings over the past three years.
New Orleans: ‘We are here in solidarity’
A crowd of close to 1,000 people gathered in heat at noon across the street from New Orleans City Hall carrying signs that read “No Justice No Peace†and “Say his name! George Floyd.” Within thirty minutes groups of people clustered across the park preparing to march out in three rows through the streets of downtown to the New Orleans Police headquarters several blocks away.Â
“I’m here to make them see we are here with Minneapolis — we are here in solidarity as a community,†said Andrew Miragliotta, who went to the rally with his wife Jenna Miragliotta. As organizers started leading the crowd in a chant of “No Justice No Peace”, Jenna Miragliottta said, “white silence is perpetuating this and it keeps happening. We are bringing our bodies, our voices to support and show up. Visibility matters.â€Â
The crowd was organized in three rows in an effort to social distance during the march. Most people wore masks.Â
– Maria Clark, The American South
Denver: 19 arrests
Police announced 19 arrests Saturday in Denver amid Floyd protests.
Visalia, California: ‘This is America’
Hundreds of protesters – from toddlers to adults – lined a highway, chanting “Black lives matter†and holding signs that said “justice for George Floyd†and “we will be the change.†One protester brought a portable speaker and played Childish Gambino’s “This is America.†Cars honked as they drove past.
Cincinnati’s worst night of civil unrest in almost two decades gave way Saturday to calls for peaceful protests and an end to violence.
But even as businesses cleaned up the damage caused by vandals and looters Friday, police and city officials braced for the possibility of more trouble. Mayor John Cranley said the city will impose a 10 p.m. curfew Saturday and Sunday in an effort to tamp down unrest.
“We believe it’s prudent,” Cranley said of the curfew. “We will get through this.”
— Dan Horn, Sharon Coolidge, Madeline Mitchell and Alexander Coolidge, Cincinnati Enquirer
Columbus: Daytime protests more peaceful
For the third straight day, protesters converged on downtown Columbus to demonstrate over Floyd’s death. Saturday’s daytime protest drew more people — at least an estimated 2,000 — but was more peaceful than Friday night, when windows of many businesses were broken and protesters faced off with police until the early morning hours.
— By Lucas Sullivan, Beth Burger, Marc Kovac, The Columbus Dispatch
Rochester: ‘For over 400 years, we have been in pain’
Hundreds marched to the Public Safety Building in downtown Rochester on Saturday to honor victims of police brutality. Organizers asked participants to wear masks and practice social distancing.
“Four hundred years ago, a lie got told — the lie of white superiority and black inferiority,†said Melanie Funchess, the Director of Community Engagement for the Mental Health Association of Rochester/Monroe County. “For over 400 years, we have been in pain.â€Â
Some members of the crowd spray painted poles and other objects along the way; their actions were later denounced by organizers of the event. Rochester Police were present at the rally, but did not intervene. Some were armed and carried shields.
– Sarah Taddeo, USA TODAY Network
Dallas: Public Safety troops deployed
Texas Governor Greg Abbott deployed the state’s Department of Public Safety troops to help local police departments with protests in Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and Austin.
CLOSE
Surveillance video in Minneapolis shows the first moments of George Floyd’s police interaction.
USA TODAY
Greenville, S.C.: Organizers encourage unity
More than 200 people gathered in Greenville on Saturday morning for a peaceful protest.
Dalores Bowens, one of the organizers, said the goal of the protest is to highlight the risks that black people, and others, face at times from police. But the big aim, she said, is to encourage unity and have a peaceful expression of anger and frustration.
– Mike Ellis, Eric Connor and Sarah Sheridan, Greenville News
Louisville: National Guard called after downtown vandalized
After a trail of vandalism across much of downtown Louisville, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear announced he’d send the National Guard to Louisville, calling it a step to “ensure the safety of everybody” and “help keep peace.”
Meanwhile, Mayor Greg Fischer said he is implementing a dusk-to-dawn curfew for future protests against the fatal police shooting of Taylor in March.
“What we have seen, especially last night, and what our intelligence says is going to happen tonight are outside groups moving in, trying to create violence to harm everybody who is on those streets,” said Beshear. “We cannot let Breonna’s legacy be marred by violence and we can’t let our streets turn violent.”
— Darcy Costello, Louisville Courier-Journal
Madison and Milwaukee: Tear gas disperses crowds
Gov. Tony Evers on Saturday authorized the Wisconsin National Guard to help respond to protests in Milwaukee, saying 125 guard members were made immediately available to local law enforcement.
Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett announced a 9 p.m. curfew for the city Saturday. Barrett did not say if the curfew will extend past Saturday.
“We have to get control of our city tonight,” Barrett said. “We will have the curfew tonight, the National Guard tonight, and then we can reevaluate tomorrow. I think we want to be as prudent as we can be. We want to make sure that we’re doing everything we can to protect the people who live in this community.â€
Demonstrations in Milwaukee escalated to violence overnight, with police using tear gas to disperse crowds and several stores vandalized and looted.
More than a dozen businesses were damaged and about 50 people were arrested overnight Friday, Milwaukee Police Chief Alfonso Morales said Saturday in a news release. A Milwaukee police officer suffered a minor gunshot wound during the protests.
— Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel staff
Memphis: Megaphone shared with crowd
Peaceful protests are expected to continue Saturday evening, likely mirroring Friday’s 300-person protest.
The Friday gathering had a decidedly different energy than the two days prior, which were fraught with anger.
Rather than one person leading call-and-response style chants, Memphis pastor and activist DeVante Hill shared his megaphone with people in the crowd, giving anyone who wanted a chance to address the crowd.
Some people shared stories about their own fraught interactions with police. One woman sang to the crowd. One man simply asked the crowd to say out loud that Black Lives Matter.
— Desiree Stennett, Micaela A. Watts and Laura Testino, Memphis Commercial Appeal
Portland: State of emergency
Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler announced a state of emergency Saturday morning after protests in the city intensified.
The state of emergency includes a curfew on Saturday beginning at 8 p.m. and running through 6 a.m. Sunday.
“Burning buildings with people inside, stealing from small and large businesses, threatening and harassing reporters,” he tweeted early Saturday morning. “This isn’t calling for meaningful change in our communities, this is disgusting.”
Three white people in a red pickup truck with a Georgia license plate yelled at a crowd of Black Lives Matter protesters, then drove into the crowd, witnesses said. Some wound up on the hood of the car and may have shattered the windshield.
Tallahassee Mayor John E. Dailey later tweeted that “no one was seriously injured” and the driver of the vehicle was “immediately taken into custody.”Â
— Nada Hassanein, Jeff Burlew and James Call, Tallahassee Democrat
Wilmington, Delaware: Protesters block traffic
In Wilmington, Delaware, dozens of protesters blocked traffic on Interstate 95. Delaware State Police temporarily closed the interstate around 2 p.m. ET. At least one protester could be seen smashing the window of a police SUV, according to videos posted on social media.
Read or Share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/05/30/george-floyd-protests-hundreds-arrested-national-guard-curfews/5291442002/
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
Cookie
Duration
Description
cookielawinfo-checbox-analytics
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checbox-functional
11 months
The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checbox-others
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy
11 months
The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
