Authorities prepared for possible protest Floyd trial

The US federal, state and local authorities are preparing these days to face an eventual wave of protests or demonstrations in the country once the verdict is known in the trial against former police officer Derek Chauvin for the death of African American George Floyd in Minéapolis in May 2020.

White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki confirmed at a press conference that the federal government is in contact with mayors of major cities and governors to deal with what may happen once the ruling is known.

The goal, Psaki said, is to ensure there is room for peaceful protests.

“This country has gone through a long period, especially for the black community, of pain and exhaustion,” not only because of this trial but also because of the “additional violence” registered in recent weeks, the spokeswoman said.

Preparations have also been made in New York City for eventual protests, according to the NYPD.

Police said they have been preparing for this “for many months” and have provided necessary training to police officers to “protect and facilitate” what the department described as “the constitutional right to peaceful protest.”

The White House spokeswoman on the other hand, did not want to advance any opinion on what the jury may decide and pointed out that when that happens the president himself will give his assessment.

Psaki referred, on the other hand, to the controversy caused by the Democratic congresswoman for California Maxine Waters, who this weekend in one of the concentrations held in Minneapolis encouraged the protesters to stay in the streets and ignore the curfew.

Although he did not want to directly value Waters’ words, he noted that Biden has always advocated that the protests be peaceful.

And he stressed that “the president has always been very clear” about violence against people of color and is “committed” to ending this “systemic problem.”

Security measures have increased in several American cities given the possibility that the ruling for this trial will occur in the coming days, and although in many it is not perceived – it is not noticed, for example, in central Washington – the authorities they claim to be preparing for eventual protests.

Where security is most visible is, in any case, in Minneapolis, which has become a besieged city these days, with a high police and military presence.

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