Civil Unrest

Reuters reports: Kazakhstan’s president said Friday he had ordered his troops to “shoot to kill without warning” in an effort to quash anti-government protests that have been raging since the weekend. Chaotic and violent scenes persisted in the resource-rich Central Asian country of 19 million, as the first “peacekeeping” troops from a Russia-led military alliance arrived following the leader’s request …

Reuters reports: Russia sent paratroopers into Kazakhstan on Thursday to help put down a countrywide uprising after deadly violence spread across the tightly controlled former Soviet state. Police said they had killed dozens of rioters in the Central Asian country’s main city Almaty. State television said 13 members of the security forces had died, including two found decapitated. A presidential …

The New York Times reports: The revolt began on Sunday in western Kazakhstan as a protest against a surge in fuel prices. Four days later, with government buildings, TV stations, the airport and numerous businesses stormed by thousands of anti-government protesters, the uprising has expanded into a full-throated attack on an entrenched Kazakh elite widely reviled as autocratic and corrupt. …

Reuters reports: The mayor of Rotterdam on Saturday condemned “an orgy of violence” at protests against COVID-19 measures in the Dutch port city, in which seven people were wounded and more than 20 arrested. Crowds of several hundred rioters torched cars, set off fireworks and threw rocks at police during the protests on Friday evening. Police responded with warning shots …

Law & Crime reports: A truck driver who drove his rig through a large crowd of demonstrators protesting the death of George Floyd on a Minnesota highway last summer will no longer face criminal charges, provided he does not get into trouble with the law for the next year. Bogdan Vechirko, 36, and prosecutors in Hennepin County reached a deal—called …

CNN reports: The Army is preparing to approve a request for DC National Guard forces to deploy as soon as Monday night if there is unrest in the wake of the verdict in the Derek Chauvin trial, according to a US defense official. The move comes amid nationwide tensions after recent police killings of Americans of color and as cities …

The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports: Thousands of armed Guard members in fatigues are stationed on street corners — in front of libraries, laundromats, pharmacies, restaurants, office buildings and grocery stores. Businesses have boarded up windows, public buildings are surrounded by razor wire and for several nights last week curfews forced Twin Cities residents indoors after dark. Some residents and business …

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports: Philadelphia officials and community leaders Friday outlined plans for increased emergency operations and law enforcement staffing, while Gov. Tom Wolf activated more than 1,000 Pennsylvania National Guard members to the city in preparation for any potential unrest following the verdict in the trial of Derek Chauvin. At the request of the city, Wolf signed a proclamation …

CNN reports: A police officer who authorities say shot and killed a Black man in a Minneapolis suburb after a traffic stop has been charged with second-degree manslaughter, a prosecutor said Wednesday. Brooklyn Center police Officer Kim Potter is charged in Sunday’s shooting death of 20-year-old Daunte Wright, Washington County Attorney Pete Orput said. In Minnesota, second-degree manslaughter applies when …

The Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports: By shortly before 8 p.m. Monday, police began to warn demonstrators, who still numbered in the hundreds, that they were in violation of curfew. Authorities fired multiple rounds of tear gas, along with rubber bullets and flash grenades. Protesters dispersed from areas hit by tear gas were regrouping and retaliating by throwing water bottles and launching …

The Washington Post reports: Determined to avoid a repeat of last summer’s chaos and destruction, which included the burning of the 3rd Precinct police station, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey (D) and other local leaders have sought to display an unprecedented level of security in the city. The area around the downtown Minneapolis courthouse has been transformed into a militarized zone …

Gothamist reports: Mayor Bill de Blasio and his embattled police department are facing yet another lawsuit over the NYPD’s treatment of Black Lives Matter protesters — with a potentially “astronomical” price tag for city taxpayers. Filed in federal court on Thursday, the new class action lawsuit accuses the NYPD of violating the rights of New Yorkers through “demoralizing and brutal …

NBC News reports: The police officers involved in the shooting of Jacob Blake, which touched off days of civil unrest this past summer in Wisconsin, will not face any criminal charges, Kenosha County District Attorney Michael Graveley [photo] announced Tuesday. Blake, who is Black, was struck by seven bullets at close range on Aug. 23 as he walked away from …

The New York Daily News reports: As Election Day updates slowed to a trickle into Wednesday morning, most New Yorkers appeared to have stayed home rather than take to the streets. The NYPD had braced for protests Tuesday night over the outcome of a contentious presidential race between President Trump and Democratic candidate Joe Biden, dispatching officers throughout the five …

Washington DC’s CBS News affiliate reports: DC businesses are boarding up ahead of expected demonstrations throughout the week of the 2020 Election. Despite the wet weather Sunday morning, workers near Black Lives Matter Plaza were busy erecting more plywood barriers over some buildings’ windows. If you didn’t know any better, you could be forgiven if you thought they were prepping …

CNN reports: Federal authorities are expected to put back into place a “non-scalable” fence around the entire perimeter of the White House on Monday as law enforcement and other agencies prepare for possible protests surrounding the election, a source with knowledge of the matter confirmed to CNN. The fence, the same type that was put up during protests this summer, …

The Washington Post reports: One day after announcing it had removed all guns and ammunition from store shelves because of fears of “civil unrest,” Walmart said Friday it had begun putting those items back on sales floors. The retail giant said it originally instructed store managers to move firearms and ammunition from in-store displays to a secure location in the …

The New York Daily News reports: Macy’s is preparing for the mayhem on 34th Street. Workers on Friday were boarding the windows of the iconic flagship store in preparation of possible unrest in the days before New York and the nation cast ballots for America’s next president. NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea acknowledged that business owners have expressed concerns about lawlessness …

The Hill reports: Walmart announced Thursday that it has removed ammunition and firearms from sales floors at its U.S. locations in anticipation of “civil unrest” in parts of the country. The retail giant said it was removing guns and ammunition to avoid thefts if its stores are broken into, though the company will still sell the products, The Wall Street …

CNN reports: Two of the Department of Homeland Security’s immigration enforcement agencies are preparing for the possibility of more civil unrest amid a contentious election, according to officials, part of a concerted effort by federal and local authorities to prepare for large-scale protests. The Trump administration’s deployment of federal officers to US cities came under scrutiny this summer and drew …