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Military choppers lulled us to sleep from Woonsocket to Newport
It was the sound of military helicopters that lulled many to a more secure sleep, knowing the state’s military and law enforcement were out in force, and on duty against violence outbursts from Woonsocket to Providence, to Cranston and Warwick, and to Newport, and spots in between in Rhode Island.
All in all, a peaceful night was experienced in the area, with the exception of Brockton that had violent actions take hold shortly after a peaceful protest event. Fires, altercations, and fireworks being thrown at police officers kept the city scrambling to regain control.
There was little debate about enacting the RI National Guard in Rhode Island after “intel” assured the Governor and Mayors that plans were solid enough to take this action.
The night was calm by all accounts. Curfews were put into place – and in the case of Providence they will remain in place starting at 9pm until Tuesday, June 9th.
Earlier in the day, the Governor, speaking at her daily Covid-19 press conference was asked about the situation the night before, when Providence experienced such destruction. She said that that night had not been about peaceful protest or the murder of George Floyd, but it was about an organized, strategic plan paid for by a group or individuals to come into Rhode Island, to blow up the Providence Place Mall, set the RI State House on fire, and burn most of downtown Providence. The statement was the first acknowledgement that peaceful and legal protests had been usurped by factions out to take the opportunity of public unrest to organize destructive forces.
A youth group part of the Black Lives Matter protest planned for Friday at 4:30pm in Providence splintered away from the main group out of concern for the violence and said it will hold their peaceful protest “at another time”.
Around the country, states were not so lucky, and many groups began to call for the replacement of New York City DeBlasio for his resistance to bring in the National Guard, with out of control violence the result. Governor Cuomo talked openly about the replacement possibility.
Washington, DC was the location of early and violent actions, with some groups intent on getting into Lafayette Park and as close to the White House as possible.
An officer was shot and gravely injured in Las Vegas, and a police officer was beaten, and another struck by a car in New York City, with demonstrators, store owners, and others injured.
Demonstrations were large in Houston, Los Angeles, St. Paul, South Carolina, Atlanta, and Orlando, and visible in most every state.
In New York City’s poshest shopping areas, stores were boarded up, some with razor wire surrounding the windows. In Providence, vandalized shops and restaurants set to open yesterday remain closed and boarded.
It was estimated that 17,000 National Guard troops were active last night in the United States.
The result of such mass gatherings, after months of identifying “social isolation” as the main way to keep people safe from the coronavirus – and knowing the inequity with which the virus hits blacks and others of color – has yet to be known. Medical experts estimate up to a month before the impact will be known, while telling anyone involved in large group gatherings to go and get tested.
Black leadership and average citizens spoke out across the country to reclaim their protest around the issue of racial inequality, and institutional racism – saying that the violent demonstrations were clouding these issues and being taken over by others, with all together different goals in mind. From coast to coast leaders of color unite to call for change in the country, in police departments, and in the government.
Meanwhile, Providence maintains a weeklong curfew and RI’s strong military presence will stay at the ready as this situation continues to unfold and transition.
Sharing a short Twitter post from NBC10 Connor Cyrus…