WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 02nd June, 2020) The wave of riots across the Untied States after the death of African-American George Floyd in police custody is organized in part to deliberately create chaos, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio told a press conference on Tuesday.
"We're seeing the same pattern in a number of cities to some extent organized how to create chaos, how to get it on video," de Balsio said. "Anyone who doesn't see this isn't looking very hard: You're not trying, if you can't see it. ... It's clear there is an organized piece to this."
Some 700 people have been arrested for looting following Monday night's wave of rioting, mainly in the Bronx and Union Square areas of the city, New York Police Commissioner Dermot Shea told the press conference.
"There were nearly 700 arrests and that number will go up. There was looting taking place. There were multiple arrests for those offenses," Shea said.
De Blasio also expressed concern that the mass protests and multiple nights of rioting in New York might cause a renewed wave of the novel coronavirus to sweep the city, boosting the death toll which is already the highest in the United States.
"I m very worried about any resurgence that might come from these protests, I really am," de Blasio said.
New York City has recorded 204,000 novel coronavirus cases and 16,410 virus-related deaths, according to figures reported on Tuesday.
Peaceful protests across the United States took place after Floyd died in police custody when a white police officer pinned his neck with his knee while Floyd lied handcuffed on his stomach. However, the protests soon turned into riots complete with arson, violence and significant property destruction.
The wave of violence across has not also affected the members of the media reporting in the events.� Sputnik journalist Nicole Roussell said she was fired at by police several times while covering protests in Washington, DC despite identifying that she was a member of the media.
