Posts Tagged: protests

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Chicago Mayor Vows to Arrest Looters After Night of Unrest in Affluent Downtown

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Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot vowed to arrest rioters who went on a looting spree in downtown Chicago after news of a police-involved shooting in the city's Englewood neighborhood.

Mayor Lightfoot joined Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown and city officials at a news conference following a night of unrest reportedly due to a police-involved shooting in Englewood, a neighborhood in Chicago. The 20-year-old victim is in stable condition at a hospital.

After the shooting, a crowd gathered on the South Side, The Loop, Mag Mile and the Gold Coast areas. Social media posts encouraged "a caravan of cars" to go loot downtown. 400 officers were dispatched to the downtown area.

Social media videos shows looters ransacking stores and fleeing with cash registers. In one video, a stolen Audi was rammed into a Tesla dealership. More than 100 looters were arrested on Sunday night.

Superintendent Brown said the looting happened on Sunday night because there were no consequences after the George Floyd riots. Very few criminals were prosecuted after previous riots in May and June.

Mayor Lightfoot was heated, as she called the rioters "felony criminals," and she instructed one reporter not to "bait" her and the police chief with loaded questions.

"This was not protected First Amendment speech," Mayor Lightfoot said. "This was not poor people engaged in petty theft to feed themselves. This was straight-up felony criminal conduct."

The mayor said the shooting in Englewood was not a driving factor in the looting last night. She said the looting was "deeply painful" for residents and merchants, and she thanked the police for their professionalism.

The former prosecutor urged law enforcement to put their best officers on the investigation into the looting.

"To those who engaged in this criminal behavior, let's be clear, we are coming for you... You have no right to take and destroy the property of others."
 

 

 

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Black Lives Matter protester killed in Austin, TX after reportedly pointing an AK-47 at driver *Update*

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A Black Lives Matter protester was gunned down by a motorist at a demonstration in Austin, Texas on Saturday night.

Witnesses say Garrett Foster, 27, was killed after he reportedly pointed an AK-47 at a driver who was blocked by demonstrators in the roadway. The driver shot Foster with a handgun before he sped off.

Foster was pushing his fiancee Whitney Mitchell in a wheelchair in downtown Austin in the moments before he was shot. Mitchell, a quadruple amputee have dated since they were 17.

A grainy photo circulating on Twitter.com shows Foster with his AK-47 near the driver's side window of the vehicle. Whitney is not seen in the photo.

Austin police confirmed a 911 caller told the dispatcher he was just involved in a shooting after 10 p.m. on Saturday. The caller said he shot a man who approached his vehicle and pointed an assault rifle at him.

The caller was instructed to park his vehicle and an officer would be dispatched, according to Austin police.

Officers arrived and brought the caller to the homicide division where he was interviewed. His handgun and vehicle were secured as evidence.

Officers at the scene of the shooting spoke with witnesses and received several different versions of the incident.

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Instagram.com

Police spoke with another individual who said he heard the first volley of gunshots and observed the vehicle speeding away.

The witness said he drew his handgun and fired at the fleeing vehicle. His handgun was also taken into evidence and he is cooperating with police.

Both individuals were released by police. Both men had valid carry/conceal licenses.

Cell phone video captured the sounds of the shooting. Gunfire from a semi-automatic rifle can be heard, then a brief pause followed by several shots from a small caliber weapon.

Reddit.com users identified the first shots as gunfire from a semi-automatic rifle similar to an AK-47.
 

A police officer is seen securing the Ak-47 in another cellphone video after the shooting.

Foster was interviewed moments before he was killed. He said he was licensed to carry a weapon and that he carried the AK-47 to protect himself. "They don't let us march in the streets anymore, so I've gotta practice some of our rights," Foster said in the video.

When asked if he planned to use the weapon, Foster said, "Nah… If I use it against the cops, I'm dead. I think all the people that hate us and want to say sh** to us are too big of pussies to stop and actually do anything about it."

Foster's mother, Sheila Foster, told ABC News her son and his fiancee were demonstrating in the street, when the driver, "got out of his car and started firing shots, and my son was shot three times."

An unidentified protester told a reporter, "A car drove up. We were taking the streets, and he shot Garrett. Garrett is the husband of Whitney, a quadriplegic in a wheelchair, and he is her caretaker and has been for like 10 years. They've been out here for ... all 50 days so far."

Other witnesses described a blue car "swerving" into the crowd of demonstrators. Some of the protesters pounded on the trunk of the car. No one mentioned Foster firing the AK-47 in the seconds before he was killed.

Foster's friends and family say he is a hero for protecting his girlfriend.

In a Facebook post, Foster appeared to approve of three federal officers suffering permanent blindness after BLM rioters pointed lasers at their eyes.

"They're cops it doesn't matter," he wrote.

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Facebook.com

 

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Trump to send federal troops to Chicago after 63 shot, 12 killed – including 2 children – in weekend violence

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President Trump vowed to send federal troops to Chicago after a bloody weekend of violence left 63 shot and 12 people killed, including two children.

Tensions between Trump and the mayor of Chicago erupted after he tweeted about the ongoing violence in her city.

Trump vowed to send federal troops to the Democratic stronghold this week to quell the violence.

"How about Chicago? Would you say they need help after this weekend?" Trump told reporters at the White House on Monday. "You know the numbers that you hear, the numbers? Many, many shot. Many, many killed."
 

Mayor Lori Lightfoot said she had concerns about federal troops who disrupted Antifa and Black Lives Matter uprisings in Portland, Oregon over the weekend.

"I have great concerns about that in particular, given the track record in the city of Portland," Mayor Lightfoot said.

Federal agents in unmarked cars ambushed startled protestors in Portland and took them to unknown locations over the weekend.

Unlike the National Guard, federal agents have more powers to arrest and detain people who trespass or commit crimes on federal property.

"I have talked to the mayor of Portland (and) we don't need federal agents without any insignia taking people off the street and holding them, I think, unlawfully," Lightfoot added.

At least 18 Chicago police officers were hospitalized after hundreds of protesters - many holding black umbrellas to shield their identities, assaulted police with frozen water bottles, rocks, and other projectiles as they tried to take down the statue of Christopher Columbus in Grant Park on Friday.

Mayor Lightfoot blamed "a group of vigilantes" who came to Chicago "for a fight, not a peaceful protest."

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Porsha Williams Arrested at Breonna Taylor Protest

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Porsha Williams is cooling her heels in a Louisville jail cell. Williams was arrested while protesting the murder of Breonna Taylor by Louisville police officers in March.

The Real Housewives of Atlanta TV personality joined other protesters outside the home of Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron in Louisville to demand justice for Breonna.

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Taylor, an emergency medical worker, was fatally shot multiple times in her own home during a bungled drug raid by three plainclothes police officers.

One officer has since been fired, but protesters say that's not enough. They won't rest until all three officers are let go.

Paras Griffin/Getty Images

According to Williams' fiance Dennis McKinley, the reality TV star and mom-of-one was arrested alongside Women's March co-organizer Tamika D. Mallory, rapper Trae tha Truth, and Love & Hip Hop co-creator and star Yandy Smith, among others.

Photo supplied by WENN.com

Fans and friends admired Porsha's courage and willingness to give her freedom for what she believes in.

"She has always been fearless. You mess with her people, you mess with her," her sister Lauren Williams wrote on Instagram. "She takes the case of #breonnataylor personally and she's sacrificing work, time with her loved ones, and her comfort to make sure the offenders are held accountable for their actions.

"This is her passion, this is her purpose. God please protect them," she added.

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PICS: Seattle police dismantle CHOP zone after 2 Black teens fatally shot

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Police reclaimed the area of downtown Seattle, formerly known as CHOP (Capitol Hill Occupied Protest zone) early Wednesday.

Around 5 a.m., police moved in to dismantle the area around the East Precinct 29 days after Black Lives Matter activists took over six city blocks and chased the police out.

Six people - all Black - were shot by CHOP zone "security" forces over the past 2 weeks. Two Black teenagers, ages 16 and 17, were killed by CHOP security.

David Ryder/Getty Images

City workers used heavy machinery to clear out barricades, tents, sofas, armchairs and other junk from the area. They removed tons of trash.

David Ryder/Getty Images

BLM activists were rousted out of their sleep by police who ordered them to evacuate their tents in Cal Anderson Park. 23 arrests were made when some activists refused to leave.

Police tweeted anyone who remains in the area or returns to it will be subject to arrest.

David Ryder/Getty Images

Mayor Jenny Durkan, who initially supported the protesters, signed an executive order allowing police to clear the CHOP zone and arrest protesters if necessary.

"Due to ongoing violence and public safety issues in the East Precinct/Cal Anderson Park area, Mayor Jenny Durkan has issued an executive order to vacate the area. Seattle police will be in the area this morning enforcing the Mayor's order," the Seattle Police Department tweeted on Wednesday.

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"As I have said, and I will say again, I support peaceful demonstrations. Black Lives Matter, and I too want to help propel this movement toward meaningful change in our community.?But enough is enough," she said.

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CHOP was previously called CHAZ (Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone), but the name was changed after the shootings began and police and paramedics refused to enter the autonomous zone to treat the wounded.

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NY City Council Votes to Cut $1 Billion From Police Budget

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Ny Post

The New York City Council voted overnight to slash $1 billion from the NYPD's spending budget. The council voted 32-17 to cut the police budget just after midnight Wednesday.

The council vote came in response to demonstrations in the wake of the death of George Floyd in Minnesota in May.

NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio said the money will be transferred from the NYPD budget to fund youth organizations in the city.

$350 million that would have been allocated for schools safety will be transferred to other city agencies.

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De Blasio was reportedly angry that the NYPD leaked his daughter's arrest information to a news media outlet last month. He said the leak was a violation of his daughter, Chiara's privacy.

The budget cuts will trim the police force by 1,163 cops, which Mayor de Blasio insisted would not decrease public safety or increase the crime wave the city is currently under.

Violent crime waves in the city have spiked, as murders, car theft, burglaries, and rapes are all up double digits since February.

"Today is not a day of celebration, we are not in a time of celebration, it is the time of necessity and today's budget agreement is one of necessity," Council Speaker Corey Johnson said following the vote.

Occupy City Hall demonstrators and activists say the City Council's vote don't go far enough. They demand more police reforms.

"A $1 billion budget cut can't address the racism that runs rampant in the NYPD," said Councilman Donovan Richards (D-Queens).

"We must send a clear message that it's not okay to kettle peaceful protesters, that it's not okay to place black and brown New Yorkers in a chokehold as they gasp for air."

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Teens, 16 and 14, Shot by Armed Protesters in Seattle’s CHOP Zone

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A Black teenager driving through Seattle's notorious occupied "CHOP" zone was shot and killed by protesters who claim the teen shot at them first.

The driver of the white Jeep, a 16-year-old boy, was killed during the shooting. A 14-year-old passenger was also shot. The boy, who is also Black, was rushed to a hospital by bystanders. He is reportedly in critical condition.

The CHOP zone protesters said occupants of the white Jeep fired on them so they returned fire. But witnesses say they targeted the wrong vehicle.

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911 callers said several people fired into the Jeep. Cellphone video of the 3 a.m. incident shows a man in the CHOP zone yelling "You're not dead yet?"

The heavily armed CHOP security guards claim they were fired on by the teenagers. But police secured the Jeep and found no weapons. Police say there is evidence the Jeep had been "disturbed."

The latest murder comes a week after a 19-year-old Black man was fatally shot and another Black man was wounded by gunfire in the CHOP zone, an occupied area of about 3 city blocks in downtown Seattle.

Horace Lorenzo Anderson (pictured above) cried as he spoke to reporters about his son, Horace Lorenzo Anderson Jr., who was killed earlier this month by CHOP forces.

Seattle's police chief Carmen Best now says "enough is enough."

"Two African American men are dead, at a place where they claim to be working for Black Lives Matter. But they're gone, they're dead now,” the police chief told reporters.

Mayor Jenny Durkan, who previously praised the protesters, said last week that the city would dismantle the CHOP zone after last week's killing.

But city workers were prevented from removing barricades by armed CHOP forces.
 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uROOn6t0DAs
 

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Open Post: Trump deletes ‘white power’ tweet

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President Trump deleted a tweet that contained a video of a white man yelling "white power". But the White House stated the president didn't hear what the man yelled.

The video, which Trump retweeted on Sunday morning, shows two groups of senior citizens yelling at each other during a pro-Trump parade at a retirement community in Florida.

In the viral video, a pro-Trump supporter riding in a golf cart yelled "White power" in a mocking tone at an anti-Trump protester.

Trump captioned the video, "Thank you to the great people of The Villages. The Radical Left Do Nothing Democrats will Fall in the Fall. Corrupt Joe is shot. See you soon!!!"

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Trump also took aim at Democratic nominee Joe Biden's mental status, tweeting that Biden is "shot", meaning he is mentally unfit.

Many believe Biden suffers from senile dementia.

The president deleted the tweet Sunday morning on the advice of his White House advisors.

The White House was adamant that the president didn't see or hear the language used by his supporter.

Another possibility is that Trump did hear what the man yelled - and he retweeted the video anyway to troll his haters.
 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bpua7fd3Dog
 

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BET Founder Robert Johnson: ‘Black People Laugh at White People Tearing Down Statues’

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BET founder Robert L. Johnson said Black people laugh at white protesters who tear down statues of Confederate generals and presidents.

The billionaire businessman referred to white protestors as "borderline anarchists" -- and he said their actions "absolutely means nothing" to Black Americans.

During an appearance on Fox News on Wednesday, Johnson said white people "have the mistaken assumption that black people are sitting around cheering for them saying 'Oh, my God, look at these white people. They're doing something so important to us. They're taking down the statue of a Civil War general who fought for the South."

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Johnson, who became America's first Black billionaire, said white people tearing down statues is "not going to close the wealth gap. It's not going to give a kid whose parents can't afford college money to go to college. It's not going to close the labor gap between what white workers are paid and what black workers are paid. And it’s not going to take people off welfare or food stamps."

Johnson continued: "You know, black people, in my opinion, black people laugh at white people who do this the same way we laugh at white people who say, 'we got to take off the TV shows.'"

"If you ask us what would make you feel better, and we said fine, everybody write us a check starting tomorrow. Eleven thousand dollars every year for the next 30 years. That makes us feel better. You okay with that? That's what's missing in this whole thing.

He added: "To me what white people are doing with the idea that they are making us feel good is tantamount to rearranging the deck chairs on a racial Titanic. It absolutely means nothing."

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California school board member resigns after telling protesters ‘go back where you came from’

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Richard Atikins, a board member for Central Unified School District in Fresno, Calif. resigned after a blogger mobilized her Instagram followers to get him fired.

Californians have endured ongoing protests as Black Lives Matter and Antifa organizations clash with police while attempting to tear down historic statues.

Atkins allegedly wrote an Instagram post urging protesters to "go back to the country you or your ancestors came from."

He added, "I am SICK of this shit."

Instagram blogger @gossipofthecity_ urged her followers to call the board and demand his termination.

"Call up @centralusd right now at their board meeting & demand Richard Atkins be terminated . Call : 559-276-3150."

Atkins apparently resigned during the board meeting on Tuesday.

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Shaun King : ‘Tear Down Statues of White Jesus Christ’

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Shaun King says statues of "white" Jesus Christ should be torn down. He made his remarks as Black Lives Matter protesters have torn down statues of past presidents and Confederate generals.

The transracial Caucasian activist, who claims to be a Black man, says historians believe Jesus likely had the appearance of people who typically lived in the Middle East rather than the white, bearded man depicted in the Holy Bible and other Christian literature.

"Yes, I think the statues of the white European they claim is Jesus should also come down. They are a form of white supremacy. Always have been."

He added: "In the Bible, when the family of Jesus wanted to hide, and blend in, guess where they went? EGYPT! Not Denmark. Tear them down."

He also said that stained glass windows and other images of a white Jesus, his white mother and "their white friends" should all be destroyed."

The backlash was swift. King complained that he'd received 20 death threats in a span of 12 hours.

Some Twitter users said King's comments are in keeping with the Democrats' goal to destroy traditional values, the church and family.

Others noted the irony in King's words, since he himself is a white man.

Twitter user @CharriseLane tweeted:

"Shaun King is trying to take down White Jesus statues while knowing that he himself is White.

Sit your White behind down and mind your business Shaun."

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Demonstrators block traffic in protest of 18-year-old man fatally shot by sheriff’s deputy

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Demonstrations and clashes with police continued for a third day in California after an 18-year-old man was gunned down by LA County sheriff's deputies while working as a security guard at an auto body shop.

"He ran because he was scared," one of the protesters' signs read as the crowd chanted, "Why'd you kill that kid?" during a protest on Sunday.

As protesters blocked traffic, a sheriff's helicopter circled overhead. "We don't want to see your children hurt," a voice announced from the helicopter.

He urged the protesters to leave the area so the women and children weren't exposed to pepper spray or tear gas.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department confirmed a sheriff's deputy fired six shots at Andres Guardado during a foot pursuit at the rear of a car business at 420 West Redondo Beach Blvd on Thursday, June 18.

The incident happened shortly before 6 p.m., when two Compton Station deputies who were on patrol spotted Guardado talking to someone in a car that was blocking the driveway to the body shop.

Guardado reportedly looked at them, produced a handgun and fled southbound between two businesses.

The police stopped him at the rear of the car business and one of them fired six rounds at him, killing him.

A .40 caliber semiautomatic pistol with no markings or serial number was recovered near his body. The gun had been altered with an illegal, extended 15-round magazine with 13 live rounds in it, police say.

Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images

Guardado's sister, Jennifer Guardado, 22, (pictured above), said her brother ran when he saw armed police because he was scared.

"He was going to have a great career and a family," she said Friday, according to The LA Times. "He'll never get to experience that. They took that away from him. I never got to say goodbye."

She said her brother was a hard-working teenager who held down two jobs and loved going to the gym. He was working at the auto body shop to get back into school.

But police say Guardado was not wearing a security uniform, nor was he wearing a gun belt or holster. He did not have handcuffs or a security badge.

The age requirement to work as a security guard in California is 21.

Guardado's family want an independent investigation into Guardado's murder.

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Minnesota Freedom Fund Received $35M in Donations, Spent $200K to Bail Out Protesters

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The Minnesota Freedom Fund revealed it used only $200,000 out of $35 million in donations to bail out protesters during the civil unrest following the murder of George Floyd.

The unrest has resulted in millions of dollars in donations to help those arrested. But many say they have not seen an accounting of the money from any bail fund organization.

The MFF is a small, volunteer community fund based in Minneapolis -- the city where Floyd was killed by a former Minneapolis cop.

In the last few weeks, the MFF has been hashtagged in posts on Instagram and Twitter, asking for donations to bail out protesters.

But in the last week, donors -- particularly major corporations -- have been asking for an accounting of where the money went -- since many of those arrested are still sitting in jails.

One Twitter user, Evelyn Woodsen, founder of The Affinity Mag, tweeted, "Wait till Twitter wakes up tomorrow and finds out the Minnesota Bail Fund got $35 million and only used $200k to bail out protestors."

After calls for transparency and accountability, the MFF finally acknowledged it was overwhelmed with donations and struggling to figure out what to do with the money.

"We are a volunteer community fund who until last month was doing all we could to pay a handful of misdemeanors each month, steadily paying, getting funds back, raising more $ when we could, doing it again," they wrote.

They removed their "donate" button and tried to redirect funds to other organizations with bail-out initiatives. But donations kept pouring in.

A lawyer contacted by Refinery29 explained the organization's dilemma:

"We were a small organization that was not ready for this kind of influx and so we're working as quickly as possible while being mindful that we have to take slow, necessary steps and have conversations with the group about hiring an accountant and attorney who can help us go through these processes," Mirella Ceja-Orozco, the Immigration Attorney Volunteer on the Board of Minnesota Freedom Fund, told Refinery29. "Before, we were an organization that had two staff members and maybe 8 volunteers and that's completely changing now."

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Seattle’s police chief says she did not give the order to abandon police precinct to Antifa

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Screengrab: YouTube.com

Seattle, Washington police chief Carmen Best apologized to her police officers for abandoning the city's East Precinct located inside the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ) in the Capitol Hill neighborhood that was taken over by Antifa anarchists.

Protesters chased the police out of the East Precinct and caused some damage to the building during their occupation of a 6-block area of Seattle. An order was given to police to abandon the precinct. But Chief Best said that order did not come from her.

"You should know, leaving the police precinct was not my decision," the somber police chief said during a 3-minute message to her police officers. "It seems like an insult to you," she said, before adding that city leaders "had other plans for the building."

She noted that "armed people" are patrolling the neighborhood and police response times for major crimes such as murder and rape have tripled to an average of 18 minutes.

"This is very concerning, especially because we don't know who these people are," she added.

JASON REDMOND/AFP via Getty Images

The protesters said they will continue to occupy CHAZ until their demands are met. Those demands include releasing inmates and abolishing police and the courts system.

Capitol Hill residents complain that Mayor Jenny Durkan and Governor Jay Inslee are protecting the protesters and not taking the city's occupation seriously.

Earlier this week, Gov. Inslee made light of the situation, saying he knew nothing about an Antifa takeover in his state.

Durkan referred to her city's takeover as "patriotism" and she compared the rallies inside the autonomous zone to a "gay pride parade."

President Trump called on Washington lawmakers to put an end to the occupation of the Capitol Hill neighborhood, or else.

Trump said the city or the state has to do something about it, or he will step in and do something about it.

All three major networks have ignored Antifa's occupation of Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood.
 

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Porsha Williams breaks down over racism and George Floyd protests

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Porsha Williams teared up while discussing racism in America and the ongoing George Floyd protests.

"Extra" spoke to Porsha, who recently attended protests in Atlanta.

Overcome with emotion, she said, "It's just difficult to keep waking up and seeing more and more death.

"More black people being killed and even more and more white people being mistreated at the protests. It's just hard to wake up and see what we're dealing with."

Paras Griffin/Getty Images

Porsha said her 15-month-old daughter, Pilar Jhena, is part of the driving force to fight for change, explaining, "When I see my daughter, it's just like... 'I'm gonna fight. I'm gonna push.' I don't want her to have to deal with this. I don't want anyone to have to deal with this, honestly," she said tearfully.

The 38-year-old took to social media to explain how she and others were tear-gassed by police on the frontlines of an Atlanta protest.

"That was just awful. It really was... It was disheartening to be out there and try to be heard and wanted to send this powerful message that we are standing together in a visual way... And to be gassed felt like I was being silenced."

Photo by FayesVision/WENN.com

The reality star, who has been active with Black Lives Matter in both Breonna Taylor and Floyd's cases, vowed to keep fighting emphasizing, "It was tough for me to go back out there after that. It was a bit traumatizing. But I'll tell you what it really taught me is that protesting is a real thing... You are definitely putting your life on the line."

"I am a black woman and I'm always gonna be proud of that," Williams continued. "And I'm always going to stand... with my people against injustice."

On a lighter note, Porsha is getting ready to celebrate her birthday. "My birthday is coming up June 22 — that's exciting. I’ll be 39, closer to 40.”