May 31, 2020

“It Sounds Like a War Zone Down Here”— On the Ground at Demonstrations Sunday Night

Our reporters were in DC and Minneapolis.

Police form a line on H Street as demonstrators gather to protest the death of George Floyd, Sunday, May 31, 2020, near the White House in Washington. Alex Brandon, AP

Get your news from a source that’s not owned and controlled by oligarchs. Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily.

For the sixth-straight day, demonstrators took to the streets across the country Sunday to protest systemic police brutality and racism following the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis on Memorial Day. The Washington Post reports, “Police arrested more than 2,500 people in two dozen U.S. cities over the weekend.” But that was before Sunday night was over.

On Sunday, Washington, D.C., joined the 40 cities that have imposed curfews, aiming to stem the violent turn the demonstrations have taken over the weekend. As our colleague Nathalie Baptiste reported, “Police officers in cities around the country responded to protesters with egregious tactics, from unprovoked violent shoving to indiscriminate pepper spraying.”

Mother Jones’ Julia Lurie has been reporting on the protests on the ground in Minneapolis, and Stephanie Mencimer and Will Peischel were on the scene in D.C. Here’s what they’ve seen.

After a day of peaceful protests in DC, as night fell, thousands of protesters gathered on the streets near the White House. A few hours ago, Mayor Muriel Bowser announced an 11 p.m. curfew and activated the National Guard to assist D.C. police.

 

Take the next step: Help us fight for the truth.

Investigative journalism, like the story you just read, takes time to do. Months of research. Weeks of writing, editing, and fact checking—and putting together the photography, art, video, and audio that tell the stories in a new way, illuminating new perspectives and voices.

We can afford to take that time because we don’t report to an oligarch or corporation with a special agenda. We report to you, and for you. That’s why we unabashedly pursue the truth and relentlessly shine a light into the darkness.

In this month’s Summer Membership Drive, we’ve got to raise $200,000 to support more crucial investigations. This is a pivotal moment in our nation, with democracy on the line, and we can only do this work because readers like you step up. Every donation, of any amount, makes a difference here. We cannot do this work without you.

So, we’re asking: Will you support independent journalism that demands those in power answer for their actions?

Take the next step: Help us fight for the truth.

Investigative journalism, like the story you just read, takes time to do. Months of research. Weeks of writing, editing, and fact checking—and putting together the photography, art, video, and audio that tell the stories in a new way, illuminating new perspectives and voices

We can afford to take that time because we don’t report to an oligarch or corporation with a special agenda. We report to you, and for you. That’s why we unabashedly pursue the truth and relentlessly shine a light into the darkness.

In this month’s Summer Membership Drive, we’ve got to raise $200,000 to support more crucial investigations. This is a pivotal moment in our nation, with democracy on the line, and we can only do this work because readers like you step up. Every donation, of any amount, makes a difference here. We cannot do this work without you.

So, we’re asking: Will you support independent journalism that demands those in power answer for their actions?

We Recommend

Latest

Sign up for our free newsletter

Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

Get our award-winning magazine

Save big on a full year of investigations, ideas, and insights.

Subscribe

INDEPENDENT. BECAUSE OF YOU.

Mother Jones has no billionaires calling the shots—just readers like you making fearless reporting possible

Donate