US protests latest: Washington braces for largest demonstration since George Floyd’s death
- Minneapolis bans police chokeholds; Trump invokes George Floyd during victory lap on economy
- Here’s the latest on the protests in the United States, sparked by the killing of unarmed black man
Washington has featured daily protests for the past week and they have largely been peaceful, with people marching back and forth from the White House to the Capitol and the Lincoln Memorial.
Those numbers are expected to swell. Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy told reporters on Friday that local officials were projecting between 100,000 and 200,000 protesters.
Metropolitan Police Department Chief Peter Newsham wouldn’t commit to a number but predicted it would be smaller than the 1 million people who attended the Women’s March in 2017.
It comes as authorities have sought to reduce tensions by having National Guard troops not carry weapons.
There were zero arrests during demonstrations on Thursday and Friday and DC Mayor Muriel Bowser cancelled the curfew that had been in place since Monday.
A number of DC churches and theatres have said they will open their lobbies so people can cool off.