Demonstrations from Washington DC to Los Angeles swelled from peaceful protests - sparked by the death of a black man, George Floyd, in Minneapolis police custody last Monday into scenes of violence that drew National Guard troops in at least 15 states and Washington.
More than 4,100 people were arrested this weekend alone as the violence continued to escalate and cities enacted strict curfews.
The threat of heavy officer presence didn't deter protesters from lighting fires just mere feet from the White House, crowds raiding high-end stores like Gucci and Chanel in New York and San Francisco or hurling rocks and Molotov cocktails at police in Philadelphia.
Police fired tear gas and stun grenades outside the White House late Sunday as fires were set in the historic St. John's Episcopal Church and Lafayette Park in front of the White House.
In some cities, thieves smashed their way into stores and ran off with as much as they could carry, leaving shop owners, many of them just ramping up their business again after coronavirus pandemic lockdowns, to clean up their shattered storefronts.
Protests have unfolded in at least 145 cities across the country over the past week as people gather in outrage over the horrifying death of George Floyd, a black man who was killed while in the custody of a white police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota on Memorial Day.
The demonstrations have marked unparalleled civil unrest in the US that hasn't been seen since the 1968 assassination of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
