Police across country respond to riots, protests

In Brooklyn Center, Minn., officers used nonlethal weapons to disperse a crowd of hundreds, some of whom opened a section of fencing around the police station Friday night. In Oakland, Calif., what started as a peaceful protest ended with multiple fires started and windows and cars damaged. And in Portland, Ore., a riot broke out and caused significant damage after police shot and killed a man on Friday while responding to reports of a person with a gun.

Why all the protests? As the trial of former officer Derek Chauvin comes to a close in Minneapolis, communities and police departments across the country anticipate more demonstrations. Chauvin is accused of murdering George Floyd last summer in an arrest attempt that was caught on camera and sparked anti-racism and anti-police protests and riots across the country. Attorneys are set to deliver closing arguments on Monday. Meanwhile, recent shootings by police of a man during a traffic stop in Brooklyn Center, Minn., and a 13-year-old boy in Chicago have ratcheted up the tension between law enforcement agencies and their critics.

Dig deeper: Read Sophia Lee’s report on the movement to defund police departments.