Chaos had swept the nation as violent protests erupted in several U.S. states spanning from California to Boston over George Floyd, an African-American man who died under police custody.

Within a week, America had seen the massive scale of protests. According to a report from The New York Times, the magnitude of the riots is comparable to historic demonstrations such as the civil rights movement in the 60s and the Vietnam War in the 70s. To contain the situation, mayors, and governors had tried to set a curfew, a restriction that had not been set in place since 1968- after the assassination of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

During the entire week, protesters loot stores, police stations, and churches burn down, and violence continues to rage, mostly directed towards the police force. In a statement to the media, Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva expressed the increasing concerns towards demonstrators, “there [are] no lawful protests anymore.”

In California, Villanueva remarked that “The peaceful [protesters]… tend to remain peaceful but what’s embedded within them are people that are right now, they’re just acting like terrorists, trying to instill fear, damage property, and loot.”

In Washington, Fox News reported that the newly renovated basement of the St. John’s Church parish house had gone into flames, although the fire’s cause has yet to be determined. On Sunday night, a senior official reported that more than 50 Secret Service officers were injured. Federal officials believe that the situation will continue to worsen, as demonstrators threw bottles and Molotov cocktails.

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On Sunday morning, people have broken into and robbed retail stores in Philadelphia. The situation became so chaotic that even President Donald Trump ordered to stop the unrest and had even called the national guard to intervene.

Road accidents also ensued as a hijacked police car crashed into another vehicle. Other demonstrators have ransacked and smashed another police car. To ensure the people’s safety, the city officials instructed retail businesses to close down.

In Indianapolis, two were dead after violent riots broke out. While in Boston, demonstrators ran after a police cruiser, throwing objects, and yelling the phrase “No Justice, No Peace.”

In addition, vandals have spread all around New York City, from historical buildings such as St Patrick’s Cathedral and Hay-Adams.

What’s even worse is that even regular civilians have become a new target for violence. A group of rioters viciously beat a woman with lumber in Rochester, NY. The woman’s husband tried to intervene, but instead, he became the next target of a brutal attack. In the footage, one of the assailants had even grabbed the woman’s neck and threw her against a brick wall.

In Washington, the century-old St John’s Church was set ablaze. A Parish official told Fox News that, “Unfortunately, I can add just a moment it does appear that St. John’s Church is on fire, the Parish office.” He continued, “We went downstairs, and it is on fire.”

Anti-Trump messages were also sprayed across damaged buildings, and shattered glass had filled the sidewalks.

In North Carolina, a man was also caught on fire after he attempted to burn down a building in Fayetteville.

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The U.S. Attorney General William Barr had condemned the violence and looting, “The greatness of our nation comes from our commitment to the rule of law.” Barr acknowledged the growing anger over Floyd’s death but reasoned out that it should not be an excuse to incite violence.

To contain the situation, a top official from the National Guard stated that almost half of the major U.S. cities had riots and that an additional 16,000 troops were deployed to de-escalate the situation.