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New Day Sunday

Anger And Frustration Spills Across The Country For A Fifth Night; Forty Million Out Of Work, More Than 102,000 Dead From Coronavirus As Fifth Night Of Protests Erupts Across America; At Least 13 States Activate National Guard Amid Violent Protests; Protests Erupt Across The U.S. Following Death Of George Floyd; Journalists Covering Protests Face Assault And Arrest. Aired 6-7a ET

Aired May 31, 2020 - 06:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Good Sunday morning to you.

[06:00:00]

I'm Victor Blackwell.

CHRISTI PAUL, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Christi Paul.

BLACKWELL: We're starting this Sunday with a familiar expectation of what could come for the rest of this day as we look at the scenes across this country overnight, starting to feel pretty familiar.

PAUL: Mm-hmm. The anger, the frustration of protesters. You're seeing here they're in the street for a fifth night, calling for change. And in dozens of these cities, there were clashes with police. This is a level of unrest that we haven't seen in decades, because you've got a collision of social, political, economic, and health crises.

BLACKWELL: Yes, these protests going on across the country, happening as more than 102,000 people dead now from the coronavirus, more than 40 million Americans out of work.

PAUL: What you're seeing there, obviously, are some of the protest images cycling on your screen. In a lot of cases, they are peaceful. You're likely seeing in your own cities police and protesters, though, getting caught up in some violence. Some have been deadly, we've learned this morning. One person died last night in Indianapolis, and a young man died in Detroit Friday.

BLACKWELL: We are now seeing law enforcement with some new, strict measures they're enacting. The National Guard is being deployed in more than a dozen states. Millions of people were put under curfews in more than two dozen cities.

PAUL: And a big concern for authorities is looting and vandalism as well, after scenes -- look at this. This is a Target store, and it says it has temporarily closed 175 stores across the country, including 71 in Minnesota. That's where this all began, of course, after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

BLACKWELL: And speaking of George Floyd, there's this new video taken when Floyd was taken into custody, right before he was pinned to the ground.

PAUL: Yes, it's a 20-second clip. It's from a convenience store security camera. We want to be very clear here, we never see George Floyd. We do see these four officers appear to be, I don't know, struggling or something with something or someone in the back seat of that patrol vehicle. At one point, one of them moves around the vehicle, the back of the vehicle. But again, we do not ever see George Floyd in this video.

BLACKWELL: Yes. We're getting more video coming in from surveillance and cellphone video, still waiting, though, for the body cam video from those officers on the scene.

Let's go to New York now, where the protests are growing from night to night. CNN's Polo Sandoval is there. What happened overnight? Because we're seeing new cellphone video showing fires being set across that city and we're seeing similar scenes across the country.

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. You see cellphone video. You see photographs that are making their rounds on the Web. It gives you a better understanding of what took place overnight.

Some of the arrests that went down actually happened here in Times Square, but when you take a step back and you look at it nationally it really was yet another round of these fiery clashes between protesters and police. And when you hear from demonstrators, what you're hearing from them, it's that constant call for justice.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL (voice-over): A wave of protests over the death of George Floyd spread from coast to coast on Saturday and spilled over into the morning.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I want to be able to go into a white neighborhood and feel safe. I want to be able when a cop is driving behind me, I don't have to clench and be tense, OK? I want to be able just to be free and not have to think about every step I take.

SANDOVAL: Authorities responded to a fifth night of protests, while at least 25 cities across the U.S. enacted curfews. Peaceful protests took place, as well as acts of vandalism in cities large and small.

Numerous states have either activated or requested National Guard forces to assist their cities. There was a scuffle in Times Square when several New York City police officers in helmets took down a protester to effect an arrest, and an NYPD vehicle could be seen burning near Union Square. In another incident, an NYPD vehicle appeared to drive into a railing, blocking protesters after items were hurled at the car.

At least three people were reported shot and one dead amid protests in downtown Indianapolis on Saturday night. This according to Indianapolis Police Chief Randal Taylor. Police are still investigating the incidents and have told citizens to avoid the area. The Minnesota National Guard had more than 4,100 citizen soldiers and airmen responding to the twin cities, according to a tweet from the guard. The tweet said, over 10,000 National Guard members are expected to join the response.

A group of protesters who were marching from Minneapolis to Saint Paul tried to cross the Lake Street-Marshall Bridge but were met with tear gas. Protesters could be seen running back in the direction that they came from.

CNN's Miguel Marquez nearby as protesters held their hands in the air as some people shot off fireworks. Law enforcement let off tear gas and the crowd scattered. Cars were set on fire in Los Angeles, Seattle, and Miami.

[06:05:00]

Members of the California National Guard were deployed to L.A. to support law enforcement authorities amid protests, Mayor Eric Garcetti said in a statement to CNN. One demonstration in Los Angeles led to clashes between police and protesters. Police vehicles were vandalized by some protesters who kicked in the windows or sprayed the cars with graffiti.

Police fired rubber bullets at demonstrators who chanted "Black lives matter" and "George Floyd." Looting could also be seen as protesters went under a metal gate inside a store and walked out with various merchandise in Los Angeles.

There was also an extensive looting in Philadelphia. Protesters there also vandalized the statue of former mayor, Police Commissioner Frank Rizzo in front of the city's municipal services building, as seen in live aerials from CNN affiliate KYW. Philadelphia police say protests at city hall and the art museum began peacefully before a group of others began committing criminal acts, including vandalism, said authorities.

Aerial footage from CNN affiliate WLS showing protesters in Chicago vandalizing police vehicles, some throwing water bottles at police officers in riot gear, while others were seen lifting police barricades and throwing them at police cars. At a press conference last night, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said that she had been engaged the past six hours in -- quote -- "Watching a tragedy unfold in our city. What started out as a peaceful protest has now developed into criminal conduct."

In Washington, D.C., U.S. Secret Service police vehicles near the White House were vandalized by protesters with graffiti, seen in the video shot by CNN. In another incident, a fire could be seen burning behind the historic Hay-Adams Hotel near the White House.

In Atlanta, members of the National Guard gathered at Lenox Square Mall after the police department said that it would be assisted by about 20 other agencies to monitor activity and protect retail centers. In downtown, the Atlanta police department said one of their officers appears to have been struck by someone riding an ATV and sustained significant injuries as a result.

Georgia governor signed an executive order on Saturday night authorizing the activation of up to 3,000 National Guard troops statewide, Kemp calling for the activation in advance of several planned protests on Sunday.

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine activated the Ohio National Guard to respond to protests in Columbus, according to a release from his office. Columbus City Council President Shannon Hardin says she and Democratic U.S. Representative Joyce Beatty of Ohio were among those sprayed during a protest in Columbus Saturday morning. Beatty tweeted a photo sequence of the incident.

Democratic Representative John Lewis releasing a statement Saturday night, saying he understands protesters' pain, but he called on them to refrain from rioting. "I know your pain, your rage, your sense of despair and hopelessness. Justice has, indeed, been denied for too long.

Rioting, looting, and burning is not the way. Organize. Demonstrate. Sit-in. Stand-up. Vote. Be constructive, not destructive. History has proven time and again that non-violent, peaceful protest is the way to achieve the justice and equality that we all deserve."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: A quick final note on that dramatic video showing the NYPD driving into that crowd. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio reacting, saying that he wished that those officers would have found perhaps a different approach but then, ultimately, he did say -- quote -- The protesters "did the wrong thing" surrounding that police car, period.

It's a statement that's certainly not going to be well received by many here in New York including Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio- Cortez, who tweeted that that kind of response is unacceptable -- Victor, Christi.

BLACKWELL: Polo Sandoval there in New York, thanks so much.

Let's go to Minneapolis, where this all started and continues now. Police there used tear gas to disperse some crowds there. They say that some of the people started throwing things at police.

PAUL: Josh Campbell joins us with the latest from Minneapolis this morning. So, Josh, we know, as Polo was talking about, there is a National Guard presence there. Have you seen that perhaps over the last couple days that has changed anything?

JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, we certainly have, Christi. A noticeable change in the posture by law enforcement. But overnight, that doesn't seem to have affected some of the rioting and some of the looting in certain places.

We're here at what used to be a retail shopping center. You can see one building here was set ablaze. The water there on the ground from the sprinklers likely the only thing saving this building, putting out that fire. But as we walk here, you can see, I mean, this is a scene that we've seen in so many neighborhoods, and that is graffiti.

I want to show you just kind of a tale of two experiences here. This here, this is a broom and dustpan. This is left behind from members of the community who were here yesterday cleaning up rubble and rubbish and destruction from the day before. But overnight we see more of that very same thing. Now, in this area, we're across from the police precinct here, which is not far from where police officers took George Floyd into custody.

[06:10:01]

He later died in custody as well, we know, sparking all of this violence that we've seen. This overnight was the scene of another clash with protesters, and you can see here, protesters brought in rocks that were then used to throw across, towards police officers. There was a massive show of force here last night by law enforcement officers.

You see up near this police station, they've erected barricades and barriers. There's razor wire here now. And one thing which is not typical of a police department, this morning you can see behind me officers on the roof keeping watch, looking for anyone who may be coming in to this area.

And I can tell you, we had our own experience, my crew this morning, whenever we arrived our caravan, we were immediately met and confronted by police officers. They wanted us to identify ourselves. They were very polite and very cordial, but they wanted to know who we were.

Interestingly enough, they told us that they saw us coming. There's a helicopter above right now that's in what's called stealth mode that's keeping tabs on different neighborhoods, looking at people that are moving in and out, trying to determine if there are any agitators.

They saw our caravan coming. They wanted to see if we were coming for a peaceful purpose or possibly to cause some kind of destruction. That's what they're under alert for right now, and this all stems from the governor saying that this neighborhood will be seeing overwhelming force. They're certainly seeing that today.

BLACKWELL: We also heard from the governor, similar to what Polo described hearing from the mayor of Chicago, people who are coming in from out of town or people who don't share the values of those who are protesting.

CAMPBELL: Yes, exactly, Victor. That's one theme that we've continued to hear, both from residents and from the politicians.

You can tell in just listening to the voices of some of the elected officials here, they're trying to make that point. They're trying to both assure their community that they're doing what they can to try to stop the violence, but they're also sending a message to the protesters, to the outside agitators, especially those who, in their view, they're saying, are trying to hijack this peaceful protest that's been pointing out the alleged police brutality against George Floyd.

Let's listen here to how the governor explained that difference between the community and those who are coming from outside.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. TIM WALZ (D-MN): Minnesotans, this is a challenging time. Our great cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul are under assault by people who do not share our values, who do not value life and the work that went into this, and certainly are not here to honor George Floyd, and they need to see today that that line will stop and that order needs to be restored.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMPBELL: Now, as we stand here now, smoke continues to billow in the distance behind us, closer to downtown. There were fires that were set at night. The fire department, obviously, doing a repeat of what they did the day before, putting out hotspots.

With that call for overwhelming force that we've seen, and now the National Guard being fully deployed here in this area, again, it's yet to be seen whether we'll continue to see more of this violence, more of this destruction, and we'll obviously be keeping a sharp eye on the police and their response as they try to safeguard these neighborhoods -- Victor and Christi.

PAUL: All right. Yes, take good care there, Josh Campbell and your team. Thank you.

BLACKWELL: Josh, thank you. Let's say good morning now to Michael Harriot, writer for "The Root." Michael, good morning to you.

MICHAEL HARRIOT, WRITER, "THE ROOT": Good morning. Thank you for having me.

BLACKWELL: Certainly. You're more than a writer. You're a student of history.

I want to just start here. Why is this becoming this national moment, when similar situations -- we think back to 2016 with Philando Castile, unarmed black man, a man who had not pulled a gun, who was killed on camera. Terrence Crutcher who did not -- unarmed. He killed on camera. Months apart. That did not become a national moment. Why is this happening now?

HARRIOT: I think it's because, you know, I think Malcolm X described it as a powder keg. I think other people have described it as a pot on a stove. At some point, it has to boil over. It has to explode, and that's this moment.

I don't -- when we see all of these people asking the questions like that, I don't understand what they thought would happen if you keep raining injustice and chaos and violence on one community for years and years and years. It will eventually -- you're going to have to reap it. Even the Bible says it, right? You're going to have -- it's going to explode. You can't rain injustice on one person and not expect reciprocity.

So, this is what America has reaped, right? It is getting back what black people have experienced, the violence and the chaos and the injustice, right? Like, they want to make sense out of protests against something that does not make sense. So, I think the question is, why wouldn't this happen?

BLACKWELL: And why hasn't it happened sooner?

HARRIOT: Yes. I think, like, that's a good question, because I think what people should be praising is the remarkable, long suffering of black people to take this day in and day out and day out, right?

[06:15:05]

We saw it in Georgia. We saw it in Louisville. And now we're seeing it in Minneapolis. Like, we keep taking this -- these are only the cases that make national news. These are only the cases that people hear about, but this happens in communities of black people every day.

And so, you know, at some -- again, at some point, it has to explode. And you know, I guess it's time for this -- and what we have to realize, too, also, is that this country is only seeing and reaping a microscopic fraction of the injustice and chaos and violence that we experience every day. So, that is a great question, why hasn't it happened sooner?

BLACKWELL: Let me ask you about the tactics though because -- and I've looked at some of your statements on Twitter and I want to read one here. You know, politicians and police officers and civil rights leaders have condemned the damage, the looting, the arson, especially. You tweeted this, so, if you want to change the system, history has repeatedly told us how to do it -- burn that shit down.

HARRIOT: Right. I mean, when you talk about most of the -- let's go back through history, right? So, we can start with the Boston Tea Party. What was that besides a looting and rioting, right?

The reason that black people have been suffering injustice for these years goes back to reconstruction, when a national terror cell of white terrorists rained down injustice on us and terrified us for years until the federal government conceded that they will be able -- that the south could treat black people any way they want in exchange for them installing Rutherford B. Hayes as president. When you see the civil rights movement -- well, let's go back to right after the First World War.

BLACKWELL: Let me stay here -- let me stay here because I want to ask you about the civil rights movement. And we hear from Congressman John Lewis, who says that the destruction of property, the setting fires, the looting, the graffiti is not the way to accomplish the goal. It is a distraction. Your response to that assertion from Congressman Lewis?

HARRIOT: Well, you know, I respect John Lewis more than, you know, almost anyone on earth. But I think that, you know, the people who John Lewis is talking to, right, they forget how -- because history has white-washed the past and because our education system -- the civil rights movement was very violent, right? That was just us who the violence was inflicted on, right?

I mean, John Lewis had his skull cracked. He was fire-bombed, right? And so, one, why wouldn't you expect reciprocity for that? And two, like, I guess, like, so we should sit back and keep taking that, and there is no indication that there will be the same kind of thing on the other side from white America.

In other words, we can't expect white -- we don't -- how would we know that white America will have some kind of sorrow and some kind of empathy for us when we just keep taking these brutal slayings in our communities every day? Because that's what it was, right? Like, one of the little-talked-about things about the civil rights movement is that the role that television played in it because America started seeing how brutal the south and this country was treating black people.

BLACKWELL: It was unavoidable --

(CROSSTALK)

HARRIOT: And so John Lewis is right --

BLACKWELL: -- televisions across the country. Listen, I have so much more I want to get to, Michael, but we've run out of time. I thank you so much for being with us this morning, to be part of the conversation.

HARRIOT: Thank you for having me.

BLACKWELL: Certainly. Conversation continues tonight at 8:00 Eastern right here on CNN. Don Lemon is leading an important conversation "I Can't Breathe Black Men Living And Dying In America." Again, 8:00 Eastern tonight, right here on CNN. You'll want to watch that.

PAUL: Absolutely.

So, we're headed to the nation's capital live for you next. The National Guard has been activated to help protect the White House there.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:23:34]

PAUL: So, there were clashes between police and protesters last night as there were crews battling fire in the nation's capital.

BLACKWELL: Yes, this was a fire behind the historic Hay-Adams Hotel near the White House. Fire crews say that this started in a construction area. No damage to the hotel, but the building was covered in graffiti, including some specifically directed at the president.

CNN's White House Reporter, Sarah Westwood with us. Second night there outside of the White House, clashing with protesters. What happened? SARAH WESTWOOD, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: That's right, Victor and Christi, the second night of unrest here in the nation's capital. But unlike on Friday night, law enforcement, primarily Secret Service, was keeping those protesters far away from the White House.

Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House was closed down and those protesters were eventually kept out of Lafayette Park across the street from the White House, and that's because they wanted to create as large a buffer as possible between those demonstrators and the White House. There were some skirmishes, though, that broke out between law enforcement officers and some of those protesters at certain points. Pepper spray was even used on that crowd.

And as you mentioned, a fire did break out near that historic Hay- Adams Hotel. It appeared to start on some sort of scaffolding near a construction site near that hotel. That hotel is actually just a block or two away from the White House, so very close.

Luckily, the hotel was not damaged, but there was graffiti drawn on that hotel and also nearby the windows were smashed in of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation building also near the White House, so we did see more unrest here in the nation's capital last night, including near the White House, where, by the way, the National Guard was activated to help keep the peace, Victor and Christi.

[06:25:16]

PAUL: We did see the president yesterday in Florida for the SpaceX launch. Did he at any time, in speaking with the press, react to any of the protests that we've been seeing?

WESTWOOD: Christi, we did hear the president address some of this while he was speaking after the launch of the "Dragon" into space, which he watched yesterday. He addressed us with the unrest that we've been seeing, some of the protests. It was a really striking contrast, though, to the tone that we've been seeing in the many tweets that he sent about the protests and about the George Floyd case. I want you to take a listen to what he said during those formal remarks yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I stand before you as a friend and ally to every American seeking justice and peace, and I stand before you in firm opposition to anyone exploiting this tragedy to loot, rob, attack and menace. Healing, not hatred, justice, not chaos, are the mission at hand.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WESTWOOD: And later, the president took to Twitter to criticize the Democratic mayor of Minneapolis for not getting protests in that city under control fast enough. He wrote, the National Guard has been released in Minneapolis to do the job that the Democrat mayor couldn't do. Should have been used two days ago and there would not have been damage and the police headquarters would not have been taken over and ruined. Great job by the National Guard. Now, of course, the president has sent a number of tweets like this, going after protesters extensively. He spent a lot more time criticizing those demonstrators than the police officers who killed George Floyd, so that is just a juxtaposition that we've been seeing in how the president has talked about this, Victor and Christi.

PAUL: All right, good to know. Sarah Westwood, good to see you. Thank you.

BLACKWELL: Thank you, Sarah.

The likely Democratic nominee for president, Joe Biden, is now speaking about the violent protests. He says that protesting brutality is right and necessary.

In a statement, he writes in part -- quote -- "These last few days have laid bare that we are a nation furious at injustice. Every person of conscience can understand the rawness of the trauma people of color experience in this country, from the daily indignities to the extreme violence, like the horrific killing of George Floyd. We are a nation in pain, but we must not allow this pain to destroy us. We are a nation enraged, but we cannot allow our rage to consume us. We are a nation exhausted, but we will not allow our exhaustion to defeat us."

For more on the protests and the politics, stay with CNN. You'll want to watch "STATE OF THE UNION WITH JAKE TAPPER."

BLACKWELL: Up next, two national emergencies now, the pandemic and police brutality and the response to the killing of George Floyd and several others now overlapping. Brian Stelter here to discuss that.

Plus, the freedom of the press as we witness an alarming number of reporters caught in the middle of this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:30:00]

BLACKWELL: So, this weekend across this country, we have seen so many protests. And in every community, you're likely seeing what's happening in Washington and Philadelphia and New York and Minneapolis, and the list goes on, because there are reporters there, television reporters, print reporters, people there on social media as well collecting all of the images and telling what's going on.

PAUL: And as dicey as it is for all of the people at the protests, they are included. Our colleague, Omar Jimenez, was detained while covering the aftermath of protests on Friday. Thankfully, he was released quickly, he and the whole team.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REPORTER: I'm getting shot. I'm getting -- rubber bullets, rubber bullets. It's okay. It's those pepper bullets. It's those pepper bullets --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL: This was live on the air. Some reporters being caught during the protests, including one with our affiliate, WAVE, this in Louisville, Kentucky. Police apologized. They shot her by -- she was shot by an officer with a pepper ball launcher. Again, as you can hear her there, live on the air. It was so good to hear her immediately clarify when she said she was shot that that's what it was.

CNN's Chief Media Correspondent and Anchor of "RELIABLE SOURCES," Brian Stelter, joining us here. Just two examples here, obviously, but, Brian, what are you hearing about some of these cases that we're seeing that, yes, it is dangerous to be out there with everybody, but it's dangerous for everybody. But for reporters specifically, it seems like some things happening.

BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: Yes. In some cases, it is the police that is firing at folks, and that's what's causing injuries among reporters, as well as protesters. In other cases, protesters are ganging up on members of the media at some of these protests. It's happening in both different directions in these cases.

Look, we all saw the arrest of our CNN crew on Friday morning. That was shocking. Friday night ended with two other arrests in Las Vegas of two other photographers, of two photographers there who were then released the next morning. On Saturday, we continued to see examples of reporters being hit by tear gas, by rubber bullets, et cetera. In Pittsburgh, there was a photojournalist beaten by members of a mob and then rescued by other protesters.

So, there's been a lot of these skirmishes. Some are pointing the finger at the police, saying the police are being way too aggressive, way too violent in these crowds. In other cases though, protesters or rioters are actually being the aggressors and beating up on cars, beating up on news trucks and vehicles, et cetera.

[06:35:08]

Look, I think the reason why we're seeing so many incidents against journalists is because we are seeing such widespread disturbance across the country.

I spoke with Dulles Brinkley overnight, our CNN Historian, who said that he has not seen spasms of violence and rioting like this, as widespread as it is right now, since 1968. Because we're talking about big cities like Philly and L.A., but we're also talking about smaller cities.

Grand Rapids, Michigan, had heavy looting overnight, scattered looting in Austin, Texas, vandalism in cities like Nashville, Tucson, Scottsdale. I mean, the list goes on and on. A lot of this is because protests get out of hand. In other cases, you know, these are -- we were hearing from protesters who say they feel they are being provoked, they are being challenged by the police and that the police are the aggressors.

Look, this is going to go back and forth. It's going to go on and on. My fear, Christi and Victor, is that every time we see videos of police being too aggressive, and every time we see videos of rioters engaging in property destruction, it's just going to cause more the day after, the day after, the day after.

BLACKWELL: Yes, we'll see what this leads to today. We've talked about how this is happening while there is a pandemic going on. Have you noticed that this is changing how people are demonstrating, protesting?

STELTER: I think it's amazing how these stories have collided, in some ways, in the worst ways. You know, they're also seeing the best of humanity in these moments where people are looking out for each other. There's a protester in Columbus, Ohio, who put up a bottle of hand sanitizer so folks who were coming out to protest could try to do so safely, you know.

So, there are these moments where you're reminded that we're in the midst of one national emergency, even when people are out protesting against another national emergency, you know. I'm certainly seeing that in New York City, where there are multiple marches every day now of protesters in different places organizing, trying to be socially distant, but in some cases unable to do so. And I think we're going to continue to see these two stories collide because it's impossible for them not to.

PAUL: All right. Brian Stelter, always appreciate seeing you, so thank you.

STELTER: Good morning. Thanks.

PAUL: You can see more of him on Reliable Sources. That's today at 11:00 A.M. Eastern right on CNN.

So, damage assessments are under way right now in cities across the country following another violent night of protests. Some mayors are already calling for curfews again tonight, and 13 states have activated the National Guard.

We have it all covered for you. We'll have more for you. Stay close.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:40:00]

BLACKWELL: A fifth night of protests, and more looting, more arson, more violence, more arrests. The fires raged across Los Angeles overnight. Thousands of protesters you see marching through the streets.

PAUL: Yes, that's frightening, isn't it? That south of Los Angeles in Santa Ana. Protesters were throwing rocks, bottle rockets, fireworks at police. According to the CNN affiliate there, thankfully, no one was injured.

Now, I want to show you this video as well. It's from our CNN affiliate in Seattle, reporting too that a security guard -- look at this -- took an AR-15-style rifle from a protester. The weapon had been taken from a police vehicle that was then set on fire. More than 27 arrests there overnight.

BLACKWELL: To Philadelphia now. Dozens of people arrested and at least 13 Philadelphia police officers hurt. Firefighters throughout the night still there fighting the fires.

And this from Dallas, pretty graphic, protesters attacked a man carrying a machete. According to Dallas Police, the man was there, he says trying to protect his store.

PAUL: Wow. And, you know what, we're seeing a lot of really sad images out of Florida as well. And it's the same thing, the protests begin non-violate, then they shift. This in Miami, at one point, firefighters were trying to put out the flames of a burning police car. Now, demonstrators also attempted to block traffic on what would normally be a busy highway.

Rosa Flores reports on what's going on there.

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm in Downtown Miami, where protests have been going on for hours. Take a look behind me. Protesters are taking a knee, which is what we've been seeing all around the country. At different times throughout the evening, there have been clashes with police.

At one time, both the northbound and the southbound lanes of I-95 were closed in Downtown Miami because protesters overtook the highway.

At one point, we know that at least two vehicles went up in flames. That, of course, prompted the fire department to rush to those areas to put the fire out.

But, again, very tense moments here in Miami, as protests continue for hours. The officials in this city and the county have issued a curfew that is mandatory. And so, we're going to wait and see what happens with these protesters, because the curfew hours have already started.

[06:45:00]

Rosa Flores, CNN, Miami.

BLACKWELL: Rosa, thanks.

The thousands of people marching across this country demonstrating because they are protesting the treatment of George Floyd, his death. Among them, two young NBA stars who hope their voices will make a difference.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL: Well, we are hearing from athletes across the sports arena now, as they had a lot to say about the death of George Floyd in their search, obviously, for justice and social reform.

BLACKWELL: Yes. Coy Wire joins us now. Coy post things on social media. You know, a lot of people are doing that. Not enough for at least one NBA star who drove 15 hours to take part in a protest.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Think that's important to him? Good morning to you, Victor, Christi. We're talking about Celtics star Jaylen Brown.

[06:50:01]

He grew up in Marietta, near Atlanta here, an intelligent, thoughtful leader. He is the youngest player ever to be voted vice president of the National Basketball Players Association.

He once said that people often get comfortable in their roles in life and forget about those who are uncomfortable. Brown hasn't forgotten. Driving 15 hours from Boston to Atlanta could not have been comfortable. Still, Brown was there along with Pacers star and fellow NBA Vice President Mike Brogdon, megaphone in hand and a sign that read, I can't breathe. There at the MLK Memorial site, they were there seeking to create positive change in our nation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAYLEN BROWN, BOSTON CELTICS GUARD: Some of the injustices that we've been seeing is not okay. And as a young person, you've got to listen to our perspective. Our voices need to be heard. I'm 23 years old. I don't know all the answers. But I feel how everybody else is feeling, for sure.

MALCOLM BROGDON, INDIANA PACERS GUARD: People are going to look back, our kids are going to look back at this and say, you were a part of that. I've got a grandfather that marched next to Dr. King in the '60s. And he was amazing. He would be proud to see us all here. We've got to keep pushing forward.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: All right. Finally, a moment of humanity for you. Raiders Receiver Zay Jones was at a store near his home in Los Vegas yesterday and an older white woman approached him and said that she was from Minnesota, apologized, and then with tears in his eyes looked at him and said, you matter to me. Zay sent me this message last night to share with our viewers. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ZAY JONES, LAS VEGAS RAIDERS WIDE RECEIVER: I hesitated on giving her a hug, because with the pandemic and everything, and I don't know how people are going to react or, you know, practicing social distancing, if I should have stayed away. But I asked her if it was okay if I gave her a hug. And I did. And instantly, you could see the tears begin to stream down her eyes.

That moment was just so special. It was just so genuine and organic that I knew it was coming from a great place, and it just reminded me to just love others, take the opportunity to look around, see who's around, grab that person and just show them that you care for that person, that you love them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: Victor, Christi, Jones says that the woman cried in his arms, told him how important it is to spread love. Zay says that that inspired him. He will never forget it. He's always going to pay that forward. And he said he never got her name, but if she's watching, he wanted to say, just know the impact you had and that I love you for that.

PAUL: Wow.

WIRE: Back to you, Victor and Christi.

PAUL: I hope she is hearing it this morning. That is something else. Coy Wire, thank you so much, Coy.

BLACKWELL: Thank you, Coy.

Coming up next, some of the realities of being black in 21st Century America, black men share their stories. Consider this, they're enough to post them online, hundreds of them, about the first time that a police officer pulled a gun on them, pretty raw accounts.

We'll be right back.

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[06:55:00]

BLACKWELL: Listen, we've been hearing from black men across the country, all ages, about what it's like being black in America and having a threatening encounter with police as part of the experience of being a black man in America.

And a question posed by Darryl Nunn on Facebook caught our attention. He asked his black male friends, the followers on Facebook -- here's the question -- how old were you when the cops first pulled a gun on you? There have been more than 100 responses. And I'm going to read some of them for you.

This is from Chris Moore. 17, pulled in my driveway, into the backyard, parked behind the house on the grass. When I got out and made it to the driveway, they were running up the driveway with guns drawn yelling for me to get down, searched my car and left.

From Thando, brutality? 15. Guns drawn? 18. Sitting in my car back in Newark during winter break, waiting for my friend to come out of the corner store, and then jump out boys, plain clothes drug squad, said I was sitting in a red zone. They turned friendly after they saw my Howard University I.D. Couldn't wait to get back to Howard in January.

From Gerald, I was 16. It was in Oak Park in front of my home. One had a gun drawn on me. The other tackled me. They thought I was an aggressor in a hit-and-run.

Frederick I was 15, Youngstown, Ohio. Put it back up on the screen. When I stood in the parking lot of our high school watching two police officers demand everyone out of their cars with guns drawn because the music was too loud.

This from Angel, the fact that you asked how old were you and not have you ever is a story within itself.

The next hour of New Day starts right now.

PAUL: Well, it was another tough night for a lot of cities across the country as protests -- and we are going to show you some of the latest video we are getting in from scenes of last night -- that are starting to almost feel familiar now.

BLACKWELL: There is anger, there is frustration, the protesters across the country in the streets for a fifth night.

[07:00:01]

They want change, dozens of cities. We saw the clashes between police and the protesters.