DC Uprising for George Floyd forcibly blocked from Lafayette, police cars burned in response

Video-scenes from the uprising 2 min 37 sec

Update May 31: Protesters return to streets, WUSA reports no curfew on grounds Mayor believes it would not be obeyed.

On the 30th of May, Donald Trump invited fascists to a "MAGA night" in front of the White House in response to the previous night's protests. No such thing could occur after protesters beseiged the entire area and several times tore down barricades meant to deny access to Lafayette Sq. As police violence and threats of kettles escalated, a dumpster and police car went up in flames. Still further riot squad aggression led to trashing and debris fires in more locations.

A Gucci store was smashed up (confirmed by photos) and there is a report that a CVS was looted. If so, its worth remembering CVS charges so much for meds that normally they are the ones DOING the looting. For one over the counter generic anti-diarhea drug they charge nearly $10 for a package half the size of one that that Shoppers Food Warehouse used to sell just months ago for $2.99. Thus looting at (or actually by) CVS is quite normal.

There were multiple reports of Secret Service vehicles "damaged" and the confirmed near-total destruction by fire of a police SUV on I st NW a block north of the H st main battle zone. This created the dense smoke that rose over H st from the north. Earlier, dense smoke from the south appeared over H st. The source of this smoke was a burning dumpster in Lafayette Square. Both of these fires produced smoke from burning plastic that when combined with firefighting chemicals was easily mistaken for weak tear gas.

There are reports of protest "gassed away" from Lafayette by police (followed immediately by a reported looting of a T-Mobile store), but normally only pepper spray and not gas is used in DC. Protesters remained in or returned to that area at least until 1AM, though there were many stampedes early on caused by the first few flashbangs or fireworks to be detonated. As more explosions sounded the stampedes dies out, people becomeing used to the sound of the blasts as they would on July 4th. Not confirmed whether police bothered to "spice up" the already acrid mix of plastic smoke and firefighting chemicals with actual tear gas, though the smoke did tend to sting the eyes. Masks worn for COVID-19 protection reduced the effect of the smoke on lungs though a nunber of people were observed coughing from the smoke.

Use of rubber bullets and/or pepperballs by police is CONFIRMED, as is the use of flashbangs by police, fireworks by their opponents, or both. Some of the explosions of these could be heard for many blocks as the smoke and din of battle rose over H St and Lafayette Square. Trump did NOT get his "MAGA Night" in the end. First of all, Secret Service would have had to open at least one gate in a siege, which normally means losing that gate or fence position. Second, it would have been suicidal for fascists to attempt to reach Lafayette Square in the middle of a pitched battle between over 1,000 anti-racist fighters and huge numbers of riot cops, Secret Service, National Guard, and Military Police.

A report that the Hay Adams luxury Hotel was burned proved to be FALSE. It was graffitied and "smashed up" but it was NOT set afire. Apparently some scaffolding caught fire(source of ignition not reported) in the alley behind it and DC Fire Department responded to that. DC Fire and EMS reported "There is no fire extension into the hotel."

As we've already seen in Minneapolis, any attempts to respond to the overwhelming explosion of rage over not just one but several police murders in the past week with curfews and martial law should be expected to face overwhelming resistance. People are already under extreme stress from the COVID-19 lockdowns and panemic, and the addition of repeated and brazen murders by police has detonated this already volatile mix in a very big way. Politicians have been exploiting the (very real) COVID-19 pandemic to sieze unprecedented powers for themselves, and in this atmosphere police somehow got the idea they they could brazenly commit murder by shooting or by a knee in someone's neck. Now they find that was more than anyone could tolerate, and the fight is ON.