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Cuomo Prime Time
Protests Flare Nationwide For Fourth Straight Night Over Floyd Death; Curfew Begins Now in Minneapolis and St. Paul; Atlanta Mayor on CNN Center Being Damaged During Floyd Protests. Aired 9-10p ET
Aired May 29, 2020 - 21:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[21:00:00]
SARA SIDNER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Now, that is teargas right there. So, we're going to back-up a little bit.
SIDNER (voice-over): The colored, you see the - the sort of smoke- colored gas, that gas is not teargas. But this is, and it is potent and strong, Anderson.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: Sara, I'm going to hand things over to Chris Cuomo for CUOMO PRIME TIME. Chris?
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TEXT: CUOMO PRIME TIME.
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CHRIS CUOMO, CNN HOST: All right, everybody. I am Chris Cuomo. Welcome to PRIME TIME.
Right now, a new curfew is going into effect in Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota, on this the fourth straight night of unrest that you see on your screen. Now, the curfew will remain in effect until 6:00 A.M.
The question is will it work or will it be another very long night there and elsewhere?
Across the country, D.C., New York, Denver, Los Angeles, we're seeing and hearing echoes of the outrage. CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta, you'll see it there, swarmed and defaced. Cars set on fire outside our building.
All this on the day that the fired officer seen kneeling on the neck of George Floyd was arrested. His name is Derek Chauvin.
And that is the officer that we clearly see pinning Floyd to the ground with his knee on his throat, for nearly nine minutes, as Floyd gasps for breath. Chauvin now faces third-degree murder and manslaughter charges.
But crowds of, you know, mostly Black that you'll see on these different streets. But, you know, if you look, a lot of people have masks on, which is
ironic, right? They're out there, supposedly in a rage to riot, but they're being conscientious enough to wear masks, because we are in the middle of a pandemic.
But you'll see clusters of Whites, you see young, you see old, you see people from the community, you see people from elsewhere, all making the same plea for justice, many of them saying that they're waiting for the other three disgraced officers to be arrested and then charged.
The Hennepin County Prosecutor says he does expect more charges to come. So, where does that leave us?
The haunting question isn't really what the Prosecutor is going to do. That seems more likely after today, but why these officers acted this way in the first place. We have new information for you on this.
We have new video of the stop from the beginning, how the incident began in Floyd's car, and the really long process that included what you're seeing now.
This is one of the new pieces of video. But I have stuff even before this to show you. That is what we're going to show you tonight, so you can decide for yourself.
Now, let's get ourselves to the scene right away, Sara Sidner, in Minneapolis.
How is it going right now?
SIDNER: All right, I want to give you the scene. Behind me, right here is the 3rd Precinct. That is what you watched last night burn, catch fire, the protesters trying to get in.
Down to the street that is near the Target, that is where the police line is, along East Lake Street here. This is where the protest has been. But they have been pushed away from this for hours today. There was no one here.
SIDNER (voice-over): To my left, you're seeing the protesters, who are refusing to leave, even though the curfew started exactly three minutes ago. What is interesting, Chris is that, as we're watching this, there was an entire group of state police.
SIDNER: And you also had - we watched as the National Guard rolled in with their military-style vehicles, and they have moved back in an unusual move because usually you have a police line that is pushing protesters forward, that are trying to push them out of an area that they said that they wanted people to leave.
SIDNER (voice-over): But here you have a very different scenario. About what's going to happen next, we don't know. We don't know if they're going to flake this group, and try to move them out, as they tried to do two days ago, when we were here.
SIDNER: What we do know is that the police keep moving back, so does the National Guard, at this point.
And we also know, in talking to some of the protesters, they have no intention, the folks that are here right now, of leaving, during the curfew. They are willing and going, they said, to stay here, because they believe these streets, as they chant, are their streets.
Chris?
CUOMO: So Sara, stay with us for a second.
So, you said - you just reported that they know about the curfew. You have seen no enforcement of the curfew, at this point, even though we are past 8 o'clock local time.
Now let's talk about the composition of the people, at least on the street where you are. It's obviously not an all-Black protest. There are plenty of White kids there, a lot of young people. What's your idea of the composition in the groups, if you can talk and stay safe?
SIDNER: All right, we got to, we got to.
CUOMO: Get somewhere safe.
SIDNER (voice-over): There's a lot of folks running. And the reason why they're running - hold on.
CUOMO: Yes, get somewhere safe.
[21:05:00]
SIDNER (voice-over): The reason why they're running.
CUOMO: That sounds like fireworks. But get somewhere safe.
SIDNER: Yes. We're all right. The reason why they're running is that this is what they do. When they see an officer lift their non-lethal weapon to - to send out teargas, or smoke bombs, or flashbangs, this is what happens.
People see it, and they start running, knowing what is coming. And usually, this is followed by teargas. There are folks setting off fireworks here that had people a little bit spooked.
But I will tell you, folks here knew. We were listening to them say, "You know what? We got 30 minutes until there is the 8 o'clock curfew. If you want to stay, and get arrested, stay. But if you don't want to get arrested, leave."
So, these folks are very aware that that is what the law - the law enforcement is asking them to do. And they've also heard from the National Guard and from the state police that indeed they are - have been asked to leave the area, not asked, I should say, ordered.
CUOMO: Right.
SIDNER: As you know. Ordered to leave this area. And so, the crew that doesn't--
CUOMO: Now, Sara, are you OK with what you guys are walking into right now?
SIDNER: --so anyone who didn't know there was a curfew now does.
CUOMO: Sara?
SIDNER (voice-over): Yes, I think - yes, so I've been looking around to see where the sort of police line is. And look, nothing is ever perfectly safe, Chris.
CUOMO: Right.
SIDNER (voice-over): You know this. We are just taking a calculated risk, as we have done, as I've done, and this crew has done, dozens of times, in our career.
CUOMO: Right.
SIDNER (voice-over): But we're taking the calculated risk to try and show you exactly what is happening on the streets for people--
CUOMO: Right.
SIDNER (voice-over): --who have been in a - at a rage over what they've been seeing, and we're trying to stay as safe as possible, but also give you an idea of what is happening here in Minneapolis, Chris.
CUOMO: Also, Sara, two things.
One, the mask you have on, you have on like a stay-safe-from-COVID mask, not from teargas or pepper spray.
SIDNER: Yes.
CUOMO: So, you know, just remember. That stuff will go--
SIDNER: Yes.
CUOMO: --right through that mask. And the people around you, there are a lot of young people, and a lot of White people. What are the composition of the protesters, at least where you are right now?
SIDNER (voice-over): Oh, yes. I mean, it is a very mixed crowd. It is - it is--
SIDNER: --it is different than some protests that I've been in, from Baltimore to - to Ferguson, for many months. There are far more people, far bigger mixture of people than we've seen.
We've seen quite a few White folks here, obviously a lot of Black and Brown folks here, Native American folks here.
The composition, and for a little while, where there was 50-50. It was 50 percent White folks and 50 percent Black folks with - with a few folks sprinkled in from the Native American community.
SIDNER (voice-over): But you're definitely seeing sort of the gathering of many of the folks that are out here now are younger.
We did see families earlier that had children. They have decided to leave, of course, to protect their children. They don't want them exposed to any kind of dangerous situations. So, they all took a knee, just before this. They literally took a knee.
SIDNER: And now, you are seeing the teargas. You are seeing the smoke bombs. You are seeing all of this happening again. This is exactly where we were, by the way.
SIDNER (voice-over): If you look over my right shoulder, that's the 9th Precinct that we watched it, as they tried to breach that precinct. All of their ire has been pointed at this, now, wherever the police are. That's where their ire is pointed because they believe that for too long--
SIDNER: --they have been targeted themselves, and they've never really felt like they've gotten justice for the - for the things that have happened to, not only them and their families, but have happened to other Black men, in particular, in this community. So, you're seeing it.
And I'm going to let you look around. Let's give a picture here.
SIDNER (voice-over): I mean remember when I said, you asked me what the composition was. You can see it yourself here, you know.
You've got White folks here. You've got Black folks there, you know. You've got a real combination of people. And there is no doubt - there is no doubt that these folks are not in solidarity with one another.
SIDNER: They say that they recognize that what is happening to the Black and Brown community is - is not only wrong, but is so deeply painful, for so many people.
I want to just give you a last picture here.
SIDNER (voice-over): Because what happens oftentimes is you will see the police send out teargas, and you will see the protesters send it right back. And so, we're going to go a little bit further. They have set up a barricade here.
Styke (ph), I'm going to have you turn to your right, Styke (ph). So there, the police line has gone further back on right near the railroad tracks. But let me show you what protesters have done.
To your left, you are going to see they have set up boards. They have set up - they have taken some of the - of the fencing that was part of the fencing that was around the police precinct, taking that down, and used it to protect themselves, from any sort of projectiles as much as possible.
[21:10:00] There are folks here that are begging people to be peaceful. There are other folks here that have lost their comportment and just don't care anymore about, you know, the idea of being peaceful because they feel like that is not how they're treated by police.
So, you do have quite a combination. But don't be surprised if all of a sudden people start running when you start seeing that teargas come flying this way or smoke bombs as well. They watch to see whether or not the police officers are lifting their non-lethal weapons--
CUOMO: Right.
SIDNER (voice-over): --towards the crowd, and then basically, for lack of a better word, Chris, all hell breaks loose.
CUOMO: Right. And look, and you know, Sara - Sara, I've been with you. You're a pro. You know that once they start running, you know, you got to be careful because that's when people get hurt. You know, they get scared.
SIDNER: Yes.
CUOMO: They get desperate whether they have good reason to be running.
SIDNER: Exactly.
CUOMO: Or not. Couple things. One, who's your PJ? Who's the photographer?
SIDNER: Styke Dimas (ph). I'm with Styke Dimas (ph) and Jason Gruberic (ph).
CUOMO: All right.
SIDNER: They have been with me throughout this entire time overnight while fires were being set. We have incredible crews here, who are literally just trying to--
CUOMO: Yes.
SIDNER: --record history. And this is historic.
CUOMO: Right.
SIDNER: This is a historic moment. There are people I've been talking to in the community, Chris that said this has set back the American Way.
SIDNER (voice-over): This has set that back a decade.
CUOMO: Well--
SIDNER (voice-over): That's how people feel.
CUOMO: And look, and they--
SIDNER (voice-over): What they saw on that videotape.
CUOMO: --and they felt like that even on the day--
SIDNER (voice-over): They can't get over it.
CUOMO: --when they got the arrest of the main alleged assailant.
SIDNER (voice-over): Yes.
CUOMO: That news, did it mean anything?
SIDNER (voice-over): That's right.
CUOMO: How did it impact? How did it not impact?
SIDNER: It's interesting. At first, the impact was, it wasn't first- degree murder. People were frustrated. But then you heard chants, "One down! Three to go!" You heard chants. What they were saying is "One officer arrested. We want to see three more." So, it is a balance of feelings here.
SIDNER (voice-over): Where there is acceptance that someone has been arrested, and brought - brought into custody, and charged. But with every detail, there's still frustration that there are three other officers--
SIDNER: --who are involved in this, who were fired, just like the officer Derek Chauvin, who was fired, who have not been charged. All right, I want to let you listen to the announcement.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You are ordered to cease your unlawful behavior and disperse peacefully.
SIDNER (voice-over): --to cease your unlawful behavior and disperse peacefully. That's what you're hearing from the state control. They are in a military-style vehicle. And they are making that announcement.
And you're seeing people are going towards them, not away from them. And so, clearly, these folks that are here today are not planning to go anywhere. Despite the fact that there is a curfew, they're staying put, Chris.
CUOMO: Well let's see what happens. The night is very young.
Sara, to you, and Styke (ph) and your producer--
SIDNER: Yes.
CUOMO: --you guys work as a team. They only see, you know, the people who are on television. But the people behind the camera, integral part of the team--
SIDNER: Right.
CUOMO: --keeping each other safe, figuring out the best way to tell the story.
SIDNER: Absolutely.
CUOMO: God bless all three of you. Let us know what we need to do, and what voices we need to hear tonight, and be safe, OK?
All right, so I'm going to go from Sara. Sara, you know how to get in my ear, all right? Be safe, tell the team as well. Thank you, fellas.
SIDNER: Yes.
CUOMO: Fellas and Sara.
Now, let's go to different phases of this. Do we want to go to Atlanta right now? All right this - so this is outside the World Headquarters in Atlanta. Let's find out what's going on there right now.
Nick?
NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Chris. We're here inside CNN Center, where just in the last 10 minutes, demonstrators have started to come up and down this Thoroughfare of Marietta and break out windows of CNN Center.
It was just a short time ago that they started shooting what appeared to be BB status. I was struck with a BB pellet.
It's unreal to witness here, Chris. This police line, we just saw an officer extracted, an officer was down. We don't know exactly how they were injured.
VALENCIA (voice-over): Another officer here that was standing on these steps took some glass in the arm. These demonstrators are ready to confront these law enforcement officers. You have law enforcement in--
VALENCIA: --heavy tactical gear, protesters that are, you know, clearly ready.
VALENCIA (voice-over): You just see something else happen there, another demonstrator threw what appeared to be a large object at one of those SWAT officers. They're throwing signs at the police officers, and they're not showing any sign of dispersing. And about 15 minutes ago, they gave an order from the armored vehicles--
VALENCIA: --that had shown up here just outside those images. I'm not sure if you're looking at them.
They gave the demonstrators an order to disperse. It was then that we saw more show up in tactical gear, teargas masks, and that's when we heard, over the radio, that this was happening.
VALENCIA (voice-over): They've broken out the windows here, and are continuing to throw objects. There's just another projectile fired. Appear to be a full water - water bottle. But there are officers that we can report. At least two officers have been injured.
[21:15:00]
VALENCIA: One of them, it appeared to be seriously injured, he was being dragged out. You can see what's left behind of this glass--
VALENCIA (voice-over): --the glass partition that separates the street. These demonstrators are now launching something. It appears to be some sort of smoke grenade that they're throwing inside CNN Center right now.
They're kicking it back out guys. This is live happening in front of your eyes. They've just thrown, I think, Powerade or some sort of Gatorade or liquid, guys, on the officers. These officers are being confronted.
And these demonstrators, they know - they know what's on the other side of this. They've been warned. These officers have already fired and deployed teargas into the crowd. We saw another with a long gunfire what appeared to be a rubber bullet at another demonstrator who had thrown a large object.
You see these demonstrators are walking inside CNN Center, at this point. It seems as though this might - this man might be detained. He's being detained. Let's see if we could talk to him.
CUOMO: Watch it.
VALENCIA (voice-over): Another rock just thrown there at police. We're right behind the police line.
VALENCIA: These are very large objects.
VALENCIA (voice-over): Police being hit. This demonstrator. Let's see if we could ask him why he was here guys.
VALENCIA: Hey, why - why did you show up here today? Why are you here? Why did you come here? What made you show up?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): There need to be change, here in our country. It's not Black, White. Officers need to be trained better.
VALENCIA (voice-over): They took me off the air?
CUOMO: No. Nick, you're still there. You OK?
VALENCIA (voice-over): Hey, yes, OK, yes, sorry, sorry. I didn't know if I was taken off the air. This is in a live, active situation.
CUOMO: What did he say?
VALENCIA (voice-over): He answered that there--
CUOMO: I couldn't hear all of it.
VALENCIA (voice-over): --I was trying to get an interview with the demonstrator. He said he wanted to - "Police can do better. Police can do better. I'm here for change." We've heard the chants of "No justice! No peace!"
Another large object just thrown there at CNN. This is our home, Chris, you know. This is where we come to work every day, journalists who were trying to tell the truth, trying to deliver information.
It's one of the noble parts about society, and these demonstrators have decided to come here today, to take out their frustration, and their anger, and not just on the police, but it seems on our CNN Center as well.
These police officers now are advancing.
CUOMO: Uh-oh.
VALENCIA (voice-over): They're grouped together, as those objects continue to fly, being blocked by SWAT teams shields.
There appears to be one person in front of the demonstrators, Chris. I don't know if you can make him out on camera. He's got a white bandanna on with his shirt off.
He's trying to keep his crowd back and to try his - it appears as though this is happening right live in front of us that they're understanding the gravity of the situation here and what might escalate next.
CUOMO: So, Nick? Nick?
VALENCIA (voice-over): As this is happening, you're seeing just - just next to us, Chris, they're taking objects out of McCormick & Schmick's to try to remove large objects away from the demonstrators.
CUOMO: Right.
VALENCIA (voice-over): Go ahead, Chris.
CUOMO: Nick, are the cops that are inside the CNN Center the only cops that are there? Or there're more cops on the back side of this crowd?
VALENCIA (voice-over): No, no, no.
We're giving you a different vantage point, a different perspective. There's - there's a larger police presence.
But what has happened here, in the last 20 minutes, is as the demonstrators were pushed out, in front of the big red letters, that they're in front of CNN Center, pushed into the main intersection, they started to move, you know, sort of down, more towards, you know, more towards Centennial Olympic Park.
And - and, you know, they took advantage of police not being in this area. They started to throw rocks at these windows. And it's just before we joined you live on air that this situation unfolded.
You know, it is unreal to see this. I know I keep using that word. But you never think something like this is going to happen here.
Atlanta has been historically a City that, you know, has held demonstrations, even during the rash of police shooting of African American men in 2015. This was the City that held large demonstrations. But they were, by and large, peaceful. This is nothing but.
CUOMO: Now, how long has this been going on, Nick?
VALENCIA (voice-over): They've been here since 3 o'clock this afternoon.
We understand it was, you know, a smaller crowd, which gathered this afternoon. And it was about 7 o'clock that we started to get alerts from our National Desk that they were throwing projectiles out in front of CNN Center, doing graffiti.
VALENCIA: You know, we showed up about a half hour later.
VALENCIA (voice-over): And within minutes, things took a turn.
Here comes another object being thrown by a demonstrator in a mask. Now more reinforcements being brought in, coming behind our photographer, William Walker. What's going on Kevin?
CUOMO: So, what they're doing is what--
VALENCIA: They're calling for more shields guys.
CUOMO: Yes. They're - yes so--
VALENCIA: Things are taking--
VALENCIA (voice-over): Things are getting really bad down here, Chris.
CUOMO: So, Nick? Nick, what they're going to do is they're going to create what they call a phalanx, OK?
VALENCIA (voice-over): Things are just getting really bad.
CUOMO: They're going to create an angle of these shields.
VALENCIA (voice-over): OK.
[21:20:00]
CUOMO: And what they're going to then have to make a decision to do is to either hold, which is they expect these windows to be broken, and people to advance, and this is going to be the line that the officers draw that you will not come any further than this.
The decision that's more complicated for them is whether or not to move forward because they only have where this White guy with the skateboard is standing, that's the only way out of the building for them.
VALENCIA (voice-over): Yes.
CUOMO: And they will not fit through this.
VALENCIA (voice-over): Yes, that's right.
CUOMO: And that is a very dangerous thing to do. So, they are doing a stand-and-hold right now. What are you hearing?
VALENCIA (voice-over): Well it's - it's pretty clear that these officers are nervous. They're seeing this situation de-escalate. They're trying to, as you say, hold this line here.
And to the credit of the police officers, so far, we have seen them not use much force, while they've been having these large objects thrown at them.
You know, they are establishing their presence right now, there's no doubt about that, holding this line here, Chris. And, you know, we're watching it happen right in front of us.
CUOMO: Well they - they are preparing for what they--
VALENCIA (voice-over): Look at - look at what's going on here, you have red beams.
CUOMO: --anticipate to be a rush of the building.
VALENCIA (voice-over): Red beams putting on this individual here in front of you, the man with the skateboard. You've got, you know, weapons pointed at him. This is - this is just so sad to see happen here.
CUOMO: Now, that's what the umbrella is about, is to try to block the officers' vision of what's going on.
The question becomes once this guy with the skateboard succeeds and breaks the window, what does it mean to the crowd? Is that what they - is that the satisfaction they want? Or are they going to try to advance?
And God forbid they do, you're going to have a very different situation.
VALENCIA (voice-over): Well we'll be live right here, covering it all, Chris. We're right behind the police line.
You know, they're clearly, the officers are outnumbered. Those demonstrators - those demonstrators are going back, you know. They're very deep going back towards Central - Centennial Olympic Park.
I - I feel as though I just, I believe I just heard what I - what I thought was a TASER deployed. I don't see anyone though, that was on the other end of it.
You're seeing more shields, more reinforcements, come into that line, police officers telling their colleagues, directing them to where they need more reinforcement. We're seeing now more demonstrators come to the front.
They seem like they're antsy, Chris. They seem like they're ready to charge. This is not a good look. This is not a good sign here for these officers on the other side of it.
CUOMO: Well--
VALENCIA (voice-over): And certainly not for the demonstrators who are coming towards us.
CUOMO: All right, so Nick, let's just go through this one step at a time. First, you and the team have a secondary location for you? If - if they come through here?
VALENCIA (voice-over): We do. We do.
CUOMO: And the police start going--
VALENCIA (voice-over): We have another location to fall back.
CUOMO: --you have a way to get up the stairs?
VALENCIA (voice-over): We absolutely do.
CUOMO: All right.
VALENCIA (voice-over): We - we've managed to put ourselves in a position where, you know, our viewers can see what's going on though, you know, we know safety, and there's no story worth risking your life over, Chris. You know, we know that. I've got a daughter and a wife I want to get home to tonight.
CUOMO: You got a beautiful family. I see them all the time.
VALENCIA (voice-over): And I'm sure everyone wants to get home safely there.
CUOMO: You're a lucky man. You just make sure that the team has a place to go. You can always report later.
And again, this is a tough situation because you have a small opening. And if they break the other window, then you have a bigger opening for the protesters to come in, although that would be a really, really dangerous thing, for them to do.
And then, you also have another option for the officers to try to move the line farther outside CNN.
The big question becomes, Nick, do we have any way of knowing what's happening with that crowd outside, in terms of policing? Or is this it, just these cops here? You said there's a larger police presence. Where?
VALENCIA (voice-over): There is a larger police presence, you know, just - just east of me here, Chris. You know, you have the majority of those officers here. That's where the reinforcements are coming from. The crowd is, you know, we hate to give these estimates because we haven't talked to police, but there was over a 1,000 people here, you know, perhaps even closer to 2,000 people here, officers outnumbered.
They did bring in those reinforcements, the SWAT team, members of the bomb squad, State Patrol, local police officers, plainclothes, you know, they've given these orders already to these demonstrators to disperse.
They were starting to gear up with teargas masks, ready to deploy teargas when, all of a sudden, these windows started breaking, and those projectiles continued to fly, in the direction of the police, Chris.
There's another one.
CUOMO: Well--
VALENCIA (voice-over): Gosh!
CUOMO: So, and just so people understand what's going on. This is a big building. And this is an expansive lobby area. You are not in the newsroom. This is the front of--
VALENCIA (voice-over): You know, Chris, yes, this--
CUOMO: --a big corporate complex.
VALENCIA (voice-over): --this used to be - this used to be the world's largest indoor amusement park, the Wacky World of Sid and Marty Krofft, before Ted Turner bought this, and turned it into, what is the Omni Center, and then became CNN Center.
[21:25:00]
You know, this - this used to be the site of an indoor roller coaster. It still has the world's longest freestanding escalator. You know, thousands of CNN employees are here. It's connected to a hotel, you know, we--
CUOMO: Wait, hold on a second. Nick? Nick? Nick?
VALENCIA (voice-over): --capacity of the hotel right now. You--
CUOMO: Nick?
VALENCIA (voice-over): Go ahead.
CUOMO: Are those guys in front preparing to light something on fire? You see how they're wrapping his hand up right now?
VALENCIA (voice-over): Looks like it.
CUOMO: They're either wrapping his hand up.
VALENCIA (voice-over): It looks like it, Chris. CUOMO: Because they - he's going to punch the glass, and he wants something to protect his hand. But I saw him pouring something on it. Maybe he hurt his hand, and they're just trying to wrap his hand.
Just keep an eye on that situation. Hopefully, he just is taking care of a wound, so if he cut himself, he's not going to bleed too much. Good, that's what it seems to be.
VALENCIA (voice-over): Well they've - they've already lit things on fire so far, Chris. They lit a police car on fire--
CUOMO: Right, but not there.
VALENCIA (voice-over): --at about 8 o'clock that was just, you know, still smoldering. They've lit signs on fire. You know, I mean this - this is a crowd that came--
CUOMO: Right.
VALENCIA (voice-over): --to confront police. They're angry. And we can't underscore, you know. On the cursory level, you see the violence that is happening and - and unfolding right in front of our cameras.
They're here under the premise because a Black man was killed by police. They want to hold police accountable.
Their message, however, has taken a violent tone here. And we don't hear the mention of George Floyd's name at all. We - we just see the violence happening here in front of us.
CUOMO: Well this is a bizarre scene for people who aren't used to this. You have some people are laughing, some people are videotaping.
VALENCIA (voice-over): They just threw something on fire, Chris, a firecracker.
CUOMO: Yes.
VALENCIA (voice-over): It's on fire, shit.
CUOMO: Nick, you all right?
VALENCIA (voice-over): You OK? You OK? You OK, guys? You all right? Is everyone OK? You all right, William? OK. We're OK. Our crew's okay. They just threw a firecracker in on us. That was - what was that?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. They were throwing the firecrackers--
VALENCIA (voice-over): Well--
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: --one of those--
CUOMO: Was that like a--
VALENCIA (voice-over): Pretty powerful firecracker, that's--
CUOMO: It might have been a flashbang, Nick.
VALENCIA (voice-over): --heart, pumping a little bit.
CUOMO: It might have been a flashbang. They may have gotten their hands on an undetonated flashbang that the police use, which does exactly what you just saw. Everybody's OK?
VALENCIA (voice-over): Good gracious! They just put something else on fire. Everything is OK. But they've just set something else on fire outside, Chris. We don't want to get any closer than here. But can you see what's going on? You're pushing on that?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, OK.
VALENCIA (voice-over): These demonstrators are starting down to make their way back towards the Park.
CUOMO: Well--
VALENCIA (voice-over): They're loading. We understand, my producer, Kevin Conlon says that they're loading teargas canisters up right now.
CUOMO: But if that's teargas that's in front of there, Nick?
VALENCIA (voice-over): And security's telling us to move. Chris, I got to - I got to go.
CUOMO: Yes, Nick. If that's teargas, you're going to want to get away from it.
VALENCIA (voice-over): I'm moving here.
(CROSSTALK)
VALENCIA (voice-over): --get safe, I'm going to the other side.
CUOMO: Because it's going to come up the stairs fast.
VALENCIA (voice-over): Yes, we're getting out of here, Chris.
CUOMO: All right, get yourself--
VALENCIA (voice-over): Yes, yes, yes, we're getting out of here.
CUOMO: --to a safer location.
VALENCIA (voice-over): We'll get back to you later. You got it, thanks buddy.
CUOMO: All right, so here's what we've been watching, OK? You're actually not looking at Minneapolis.
On your screen, you'll see it's Atlanta. That is the CNN World Headquarters. Police had been outside.
And then, as the crowds advanced on CNN, and they were on top of this CNN logo, and spray-painting things on it, and they started to light cars on fire, and become increasingly violent, we had the police move inside CNN.
And then the windows of CNN were broken. And then, so you had big point of ingress.
But then you had, what we were showing you for the last few minutes, a standoff where you had rows of protesters, or whatever you want to call them, demonstrators, angry agitated individuals, up against the face of a phalanx of police, inside CNN World Headquarters.
Nick Valencia took cover after what appeared to be what they call a flashbang, which does what it sounds like. And now, you see canisters coming, which are probably some kind of deterrent spray, either a pepper spray, or teargas. And the officers are obviously trying to clear the area in Atlanta, as you watch it on your screen.
Again, this is not Minneapolis.
There were two sides to the police presence. There was one small group inside CNN, and then a larger group, down the street, where there had been more violence.
You see the stairs, at the top of your screen, on the right, that is the entrance to the CNN building. That's where we just were.
Now, you see where the smoke had been coming from, that started to fill the lobby. It's being fired by the officers here. You see, they're trying to create a corridor in that street.
You see the officers standing on the street, creating a phalanx, with the teargas, or whatever the deterrent is, I don't know, I'm not there, to keep people back, and create a new line.
Now, there are two reasons that they're doing this. One, they have their own parameters within their plan of policing for what creates a safe perimeter. Secondly, they were in a bad spot inside that CNN lobby. There was only one small area of ingress and egress.
[21:30:00]
So, if the protesters had come in, or - again, you call them what you want to call them. If you see this as a rebellion, then that's who they are, they're the rebels. If you see them as rioters, then that's who they are, they're the rioters. If you see them as protesters, etcetera.
But if they came inside to confront the police, there was literally nowhere for anyone to go, and that can get very ugly very quickly.
So, this is the scene right now. We're also looking at scenes in D.C., Minneapolis, Los Angeles, in New York, in Denver, why?
Because what we saw in Minneapolis, even on the day that the officer who is now infamous for having his knee on the neck of George Floyd, he was arrested. He was charged with third-degree murder, which is a little bit of a
peculiar charge, if we get an open window later on, I'll explain how legally that's a confusing charge, and also manslaughter, which is something you're more familiar with, something that was so recklessly done that you should have known that something horrible could come as a result, and yet you did it anyway.
Now, where's Miguel Marquez?
All right, we're going to Saint Paul, OK, which is obviously next to Minneapolis, and here is Miguel.
Miguel, can you hear me?
MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: So, we are in Minneapolis. This is Downtown Minneapolis.
CUOMO: OK, good, thank you.
MARQUEZ: There's probably a 1,000 people out. Check this out, Phyllis (ph) check this out.
MARQUEZ (voice-over): We are a half hour into the curfew here. This is defiance on every level and it is everybody across the spectrum coming out.
MARQUEZ: Young, old, White, Black, Latino, it is a massive turnout. We have seen very, very little police presence so far, off the sides, blocking traffic for the most part.
One interesting thing here is that the - the crowd has got - tried to go in different ways, it has broken up at least once. A smaller crowd went one direction. We're sticking with the larger number here.
Turn around here.
MARQUEZ (voice-over): And show - show how big this crowd is.
(VIDEO PLAYING - MINNEAPOLIS, FLOYD PROTESTS)
MARQUEZ (voice-over): It just keeps going. It was - it was at Vikings Stadium. They gathered there. It started to get a little smaller as the 8 o'clock hour approached when the curfew goes into effect. And as they started marching, the crowds just exploded. They're much, much larger.
MARQUEZ: It's not clear where we're walking. I tried to talk to a couple of the leaders up there. It's not clear they know.
There is concern that the 1st Precinct, which is the biggest precinct in the City, which is down near us that that may be the target of these protesters.
Police are in Downtown in very big numbers, but they're not making themselves known to this protest very well so far. They're staying off to the side. It is not clear where this is going, but the anger is real. This City is angry, and they don't feel that anything that's been down so far has met the threshold to not come out on the streets and not defy the curfew order.
Chris?
CUOMO: All right, Miguel, be careful, you and the team. It's very interesting, in Minneapolis, we have these real mixed crowds, you know. You see a lot of young people.
There are a lot of backpacks, a lot of kind of school-aged, university-aged kids, a lot of White kids, frankly, mixed in with people also often presume is going to be an all-African American experience.
In my experience, at these situations, it's never been like that. It's always exactly like what you're seeing right now.
And I only tell you because you're being given a lot of explanations by people about what this is about, and how certain people want to destroy society. And, you know, "This is about angry Blacks, and they are the tyrants."
You're seeing that they get joined by a lot of White people who are equal - equally outraged by what's happening. I mean just look at your screen. That's Minneapolis, all right?
Now, Nick Valencia is in a very different situation outside this CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta. Now, Nick had been inside. The officers dispersed some type of deterrent gas, and sent people moving outside. That's where Nick is right now. You see him.
What happened?
VALENCIA: Hey, guys, we're back here live.
You saw that scene that unfolded just inside CNN Center. The crowd has largely thinned out. You see the SWAT police.
VALENCIA (voice-over): The tactical gear - the officers in tactical gear have pushed the demonstrators further away from the intersection. They are continuing, though Chris, to throw projectiles.
I want to - I want to show you one of them here, as I make my way towards the police line, you can see some of the remnants here, Chris, still hot.
The teargas canister, that's - that smell is still in the air. It's burning your nostrils.
VALENCIA (voice-over): We got to back up a little bit guys. I'm sorry.
CUOMO: Yes.
VALENCIA (voice-over): Getting a little too close here to the police line.
VALENCIA: But, you know, the news here--
[21:35:00]
VALENCIA (voice-over): --just in the last couple minutes or so, the police have been able to push those demonstrators back further out of the intersection, you know, really the heart of Downtown, Atlanta.
It, you know, it's really hard from this vantage point. We're at the ground level. You can't really see how many demonstrators are left. But the crowd is - is half the size if that from when we first showed up here. Clearly still angry, clearly still agitated, chanting "No justice! No peace!" holding signs up.
You know, we just, right before we went on air, saw somebody that was being detained, led away, in zipped cup - zip ties. You know, this is far from - this is far from over here, Chris, though it appears that just in the last several minutes, the police have been able to gain the upper-hand.
You know, that scene, I want to pull away here, let's pull away from the crowd. I want to show you where we were on the other side--
VALENCIA: --if you want to walk with me a little bit here, guys. I know it's dark here. But this line here, the police officers--
VALENCIA (voice-over): --those are the officers that were on the other side of those flashbang, the rocks, the projectiles that were thrown. This is the--
VALENCIA: These are the windows, you know. This - that's business, you know, I'm sorry, brother.
VALENCIA (voice-over): The business here, you know, broken out windows, you know, you have signs here left behind.
VALENCIA: "Justice for Sean Reed." You know, these are crowds. They're tired of remembering names for hashtags. They're tired of seeing their brothers and sisters gunned down by police, you know, that's the message that we saw, before things turned violent.
VALENCIA (voice-over): You know, now you're seeing officers that - that have been injured because of what happened here. We saw one officer who was struck with - with some sort of object and - and dragged on the ground, dragged away.
VALENCIA: We don't know how seriously that officer was injured. When we got here to the scene--
VALENCIA (voice-over): --just on the other side of those SWAT - SWAT officers--
VALENCIA: --there was one - one Atlanta Police Department officer who was telling me he had just been hit with BBs. You know, I got hit with what I believe was a - what they were shooting was BB guns at me, and our crowd.
Be careful, brother. That's hot. I just tried to pick it up. That's hot.
You see right here, that's left over, the teargas canister that they just deployed a little while ago, Chris.
You know, this is the intersection of Downtown, Atlanta. You've been here several times, brother. You know how, you know, what a joyous scene is it is, and usually is on a Friday night.
VALENCIA (voice-over): And it's so unbelievable because, right now, we saw the Coronavirus pandemic happening, and that's not anywhere near, you know, the - the top of these, the minds of these demonstrators here.
You know, they're angry, they're frustrated, and they're taking it out on law enforcement, and there seems to be some collateral damage as well. Chris?
CUOMO: Give me a sense of the composition of the people you've seen on the streets there.
VALENCIA (voice-over): You know, they're diverse, it's mostly young. You know, I haven't seen anyone that appears to be over the age of 40.
You know, they - they appear to be, you know, anywhere from college age, you know, college age to early 20s, early 30-something-year-olds. We've seen, you know, working-class people, white-collared people in the crowd.
I interviewed a demonstrator who showed up after they set a car on fire, who said, "Hey I just - I got here too late," you know, "I wanted to be a part of it. I wanted to join my friends."
You know, we tried to interview that demonstrator that was taken away as that flashbang was deployed. He was saying he wants to be here because he wants to hold people accountable.
But, by and large, you know, as we're seeing, and as we have seen, throughout the country, in these demonstrators - demonstrations, these uprisings, these riots that you and I have both been on the ground for, you know, by and large, the composition of the crowd is young, and that's what we're seeing here on the streets of Atlanta tonight. Chris?
CUOMO: All right, Nick, listen stay aware of the situation. Keep the team safe.
This is not a good setup where you are because you have this happening at an intersection. So, you're going to have all of these different potential - potential angles for people to break through. There aren't enough police there to guard all the angles.
VALENCIA: The good news.
CUOMO: So, just keep yourself safe and find a good position.
VALENCIA (voice-over): The good news here is we've got armored vehicles right here, Chris.
CUOMO: Yes.
VALENCIA (voice-over): We've got armored vehicles. And behind us, this is the CNN Center. It is - it is a line that is protected. This is our fallback location. You know, we know this building better than they do.
CUOMO: Good.
VALENCIA (voice-over): And we're going to count on that for our safety.
CUOMO: Good. Because, you know, once people go into a rage, they're not thinking anymore, so you have to think for yourself about where to be, and not be. Stay safe. Let me know when I need to come back to you.
VALENCIA (voice-over): Thanks for caring. Thanks for caring.
CUOMO: Hey listen, you - thanks for caring. You're doing the job. Thank your - your photographer and your producer. Thank you for letting people see what's going on in their country right now. I'll be back with you. Stay safe.
I want you to hear what Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, Mayor of Atlanta, said about what was happening, and that did flow right into the CNN Headquarters.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR KEISHA LANCE BOTTOMS, ATLANTA, GEORGIA: You are burning cars. You have defaced the CNN building. Ted Turner started CNN in Atlanta 40 years ago because he believed in who we are, as a City.
There was a Black reporter who was arrested on camera this morning who works for CNN. They are telling our stories, and you are disgracing their building.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[21:40:00]
CUOMO: All right, so there's the Mayor talking about what happened at CNN.
Just to be very clear, CNN is here to tell the story. That's what we do. CNN is not being victimized, all right?
People are attacking the building. They're attacking a lot of things that are going on. This isn't about us. It's about our ability to tell the story. That's not going to change. They're different situations, different dynamics in different cities. This is Atlanta. We showed you Minneapolis. It is reverberating in
different spots around the country because what happened with George Floyd is not unfamiliar to communities. And let's be honest, it's not unfamiliar to you either.
So now, we come here to New York City, specifically Brooklyn, by the Barclays Center, all right? Our Shimon Prokupecz is there. You see on the street behind him, there's a police presence, and there are people there who are also angry.
Shimon, how are you? How's the team? What are you seeing?
SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE REPORTER: Everyone is good here.
It's been almost three hours now, and it's been the same scene, Chris. Police here, it's essentially been a standoff between the protesters and police here through the night.
At different times, police put on their helmets. And the reason why is because protesters have been throwing bottles, water bottles at the police. They've been gathering on various corners around here.
For now, it's been peaceful. But what happens is as they get agitated, and as things - the tension increases, the police will then move in.
We've seen several dozens of arrests here in the last several hours. They're bringing buses, busloads of people that they're loading them into these buses. They're making these arrests, and then they're moving them.
But this basically has been the scene here all night, police looking like this, wearing helmets, standing around with their batons, a lot of the protesters, getting in their face, trying to agitate them.
For the most part, police have been calm. But there have been pockets of tension where police will move in, and they will use force, and then we've been seeing that through the night. And really, it's been almost four hours now that this has been going on here, Chris.
CUOMO: You said they put on their helmets. We see they have them on now, Shimon. Tell me a couple of things.
One, has it ever gotten any worse? Did they have to put up shields? Did they ever get into any kind of position to push back against the crowd? And also, let us know who is in this crowd? What kinds of faces or different organizations are you seeing present?
PROKUPECZ: I mean it's obviously a lot of anger, a lot of people chanting "Black Lives Matter! No justice! No peace!"
And so, they're here. They're agitated. And, as you can hear, they want justice, they're saying. So, that's the type of people we're seeing. They do appear to be local folks here.
I marched earlier with a lot of them from Brooklyn. We were in Downtown, Manhattan, in Lower Manhattan, and we marched over the bridge. And it - at first, this was very peaceful.
I mean, the police allowed them in, this huge area here at the Barclays Center, and they gathered, and they chanted, and they were clapping. But then things escalated.
What happened was protesters started pushing on these metal barriers that we see the police use. They were pushing. And then police went in to push them back. And that's when things escalated.
And what we did see is police actually use pepper spray. We did see officers with shields, and then the helmets.
It's very rare that at protests, here in New York City, that the NYPD wears these helmets. And the reason is they don't want to escalate, and they know appearance matters. And so, it's rare you see them wearing helmets.
That's why you see these officers here, some of them are not wearing helmets. But then we've seen others on my left here, that are wearing helmets, and that is because of the bottle-throwing.
We - there was fireworks. Fireworks, we saw fireworks go off, protesters throwing fireworks at the police officers.
So, it gets tense and then it calms down, Chris. But, for the most part, this has been going on now, as I said, for almost four hours, Chris.
CUOMO: All right, so Shimon, stay safe with the team. Obviously, keep an eye on the situation. Let us know what we need to know. Thank you, and the team, for telling the story.
And again, this is New York, in Brooklyn. You are seeing pockets of this all over the country. The important thing to do in a moment like this is see it for what it is. They'll make it into something that it isn't.
We try to take you through moment-by-moment, try to give you a sense of the composition of the crowd, who is it that is doing these things. It's not as simple as what you're hearing in a lot of Fringe Media sets, about "This is angry Blacks, who are tyrannically running the streets of Minneapolis, and elsewhere."
You see that's not the case. The anger is real. The outrage is real. They're taking it out in ways that are certainly destructive to communities, all over this country, but it's not a simple story and it's not as simple as just angry Blacks running all over the place.
So, we're going to show you what's happening in different pockets. Let's take a break right now. When we come back, we'll try to get some of the perspectives of leaders and also try to give you the latest on what's happening.
[21:45:00]
Let's remember, there is a pandemic going on inside this state of outrage. We'll be right back, stay with CNN.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TEXT: CUOMO PRIME TIME.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TEXT: LET'S GET AFTER IT.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CUOMO: All right. We are covering the breaking situation that's going on across this country in response to the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
This is the most troubling thing I've seen on my watch. This is Los Angeles. Now, you see the officers there. They are backed up against regular traffic. They are surrounded by angry people.
Now, how angry? There were scenes that I'm trying to re-rack for you. I'm trying to rewind to it, and show it to you.
[21:50:00]
An officer was getting attacked badly by the crowd here. For whatever reason, he got out by himself, trying to get his hands on somebody. And he was met by, like, an increasing number of people, who were beating him badly.
And then, someone else came out of the crowd, certainly plainclothed, I assume it was a civilian, I don't know, it might have been a plainclothes officer, pulled him away from the crowd to safety. He reoriented himself and then walked out of our current frame.
Now you see the officers are getting more aggressive. They are pushing people back, OK? They're using a nightstick, double, you know, double handset on that nightstick. That's what he's holding.
You see a protester there. Now, this is a recurring thing. You see a protester come up.
Somebody just threw something over the top. It was a sandbag from one of the - the other barrier areas.
And a protester will come up, in this case, the White guy with the sign, and tell people, "Stop, stop, stop. Don't do anything to the police." This happens in cycles in these situations. One person asks for calm, and then a couple people throw something, and then you can have a back-and-forth.
And, of course, in this new technology age, ever-present are people filming these situations so, very often, people will get up into the faces of the officers with cameras, either to be provocative or because they're trying to document it. You know, very often, it's a little combination of both. So, that's what we're watching in Los Angeles.
You know, instructive also, the crowd, look at the faces. What do you see? Garbage bag just thrown, over the top, towards the officers. You see obviously African Americans, but Whites, young, a diverse crowd. This has been true in every city.
I'm pointing this out just so that you have the perspective of this not being as simple as angry Blacks rioting because they don't know how to control themselves, as you're hearing from Fringe Media, and people saying "They are the tyrannical. They are trying to destroy society because they don't - they're not stakeholders, and they want to ruin it for everybody else."
This is not a political issue. This is a humanity issue. Do you understand? This country cannot be about cops versus outraged citizens. That's not what we can be. It doesn't work for us in this experiment.
And I think it is a good sign that you do not see one color in this crowd. You see different colors.
And, yes, I've been in these situations. Yes, you've got guys with the masks on that are looking for trouble. Yes, you have the anarchists who are looking for trouble. Yes, you have the people who were brought into these situations to foment trouble.
That is true. But a lot of things can be true at the same time. There is something organic about this. There is something that has been building about this, and there is something that has been around just too damn long about this.
The disenfranchisement is real. We're seeing it during the pandemic. COVID is an extension of the same complaints. It's not just policing. It's who dies the most, who gets sick the most, who gets treated the least, who has the hardest jobs, who gets fired the easiest.
There are a lot of issues that play into this outrage that you're seeing playing out on the streets across America.
Now, what the officers are doing is very commonly they don't like being in intersections.
And not just because they want to keep traffic going, which seems to be the case in Los Angeles, but it winds up being a very different area - difficult area to hold for them, in terms of position, because of common sense. There are too many ways in and out.
So, they will often push people off public streets, especially out of intersections, and into other areas. And that's what you see happening right now.
Now, remember what I told you when I came back from break, that this had been bad. As I hope you know, I am not in the hype business. I'm going to tell you what happens.
And when I say an officer got beat, I mean it, OK? I'm not trying to provoke a situation. Here it is. This is from moments before I came back on air. Please pick up the video, all right?
Now, you see the officer. He had his hands on somebody. That White guy runs up, gets him in a choke, pulls him off. Somebody pulls him off. He goes away. The officer is still on the back of this guy that he obviously wants to detain.
Other people are coming out and attacking the officer. You're going to see it. You see the kicks. You see them coming from behind. He still has his hands on the guy in the hoodie.
That person pulls out of traffic. They're afraid. They don't want to be a part of this melee. You see people. They're saying - they're going to say they're trying to pull the officer off, and you see the guy in the yellow.
But they're beating the officer, all right? Make no mistake. And this is the civilian, I believe, that I was telling you about, in the hat. Comes out, he's trying to keep the officer safe. The officer is getting pissed off, understandably, and now he's going to walk away, OK?
[21:55:00]
Now they walk off. Then you see them walking off the right upper side of your screen. That's when these officers started to create a position of strength, and start pushing them out of the intersection, all right?
So, that is the situation that I described. It is not unique in this country. And we're going to keep seeing it. For how long? Who knows? That's going to be about leadership.
It's not going to be about the streets dictating the tempo. It's going to be about people in this country, hearing what they want to hear, so that they move from the moment of not wanting to hear anything anymore, to starting to listen, and to trust. That takes action and it takes time.
Omar Jimenez - Jimenez and his team have been in Minneapolis. He is now of the famous moment from this morning when first he, and then his entire team were arrested, let's say detained. Because even though they were saying "We're CNN. We're on live TV," they took him.
Once the Governor found out about it, phone calls were made, they were released. Omar joins us now. He's back out, covering with his team.
I know you and the team are fine. This will be something you will look back on for a long time. What did it mean today to the team to hear the Governor speaking about why it was wrong, and how he wanted it understood by journalists, including you and the team?
OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It really meant a lot because I think he understands the moment that this community of Minneapolis and his State is in right now. It comes down to a relationship with the truth, and how the truth actually gets out.
And even in the aftermath, the immediate aftermath, of our release from - from their custody, the Minnesota State Patrol put out a statement on Twitter, saying their reason for why we were held for the time that we were held, a little bit over an hour to an hour and a half or so.
They say they were trying to verify that we were actually journalists, when multiple times, if you look at the tape, we showed our credentials. We said, not only myself but my producer, Bill Kirkos, and my photographer, Leonel Mendez, told them we were CNN.
We were also live on the air, as they were attempting to put handcuffs on us. And we sat in the transport van for a good 30 minutes before we moved, giving them presumably plenty of time to verify after they had gotten my name, confiscated my ID, and verified the facts that this video was already even spreading on social media within minutes of this happening. And so, our communications team corrected that.
The Governor came out, and again, issued that apology, in part, tied to that because, again, this is at its core, the story that we were covering, to begin with, George Floyd, a relationship between the truth and how that truth is getting out to the community, Chris.
CUOMO: Now, Omar, one of the things that makes this situation somewhat unusual is it's one thing about attacking local businesses, and even local people, and police. But a police precinct being lit on fire, and forced to abandon, I don't think I've seen that in recent history.
It is near you, right?
JIMENEZ: Well Chris, I want to give you a look at where we are right now because it is essentially ground zero of where these protests have been happening.
JIMENEZ (voice-over): So, over my shoulder here, this is what used to be the police precinct, the 3rd Police Precinct, as you see, people actually walking inside the precinct that was set on fire, just after 10:00 P.M. last night.
To use the Governor's words, what we have seen, over the course of the past two evenings, is 48 hours of anarchy. And that was something he was hoping to stop over the course of tonight that we don't see a third night of doing so.
Well, you see that police precinct, and how blown out it actually is.
Well, if you pan over to the left, you see what was also affected, liquor stores, small businesses here in the area, completely blown out, looking almost like a war zone at this point because, again, every single night, since George Floyd's unfortunate death that we saw play out on that terrible cell phone video, we have seen the protesters gather at this site.
Usually, at this time, it is a lot more violent and aggressive than it is right now. This, I can say, is the calmest it has been in all week.
But then, to give you an idea of the impact as well, as you continue to pan over to the left, you see - I showed you the police precinct, liquor store. You see often the building - that burned-out building over there.
And then you see this AutoZone that is completely looks like a bomb absolutely went off. This is similar to damage that you would see when you're covering wildfires out in California.
And again, this came from what started largely as peaceful protests, but then eventually devolved--
JIMENEZ: --into rioting and looting. That was where officials here drew the line. They supported the idea of protesting, and making your voice heard, over how George Floyd's death unfolded, and how it was being treated.
But where they drew the line was destruction of property. That is why we saw the National Guard deployed, additional State Patrol officers as well, to try and preserve as much as they could.
And only time will tell to see whether we see a third night of destruction, similar to what we have seen from the previous night, and the one before, Chris.
CUOMO: All right, Omar, thank you very much. We know it's going to be a long night for you. It's important to have you out there. Keep the team safe.
