Mayor Steve Benjamin today declared a state of emergency and curfew amid protests in downtown Columbia over the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis on Monday.
The state of emergency will begin at 6 p.m. in the city center and Vista areas, he said.
“When protests go from being peaceful to being violent the situation changes ... and this won’t be tolerated,” he said. “We’re going to shut it down and shut it down right now.”
He added that any protesters who are not from Columbia should “take your asses home right now.”
Columbia police chief Skip Holbrook said four officers were injured, one seriously. A firefighter was also injured.
Holbrook said there were “multiple” arrests, including a suspect who allegedly fired a weapon.
Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott said much of the violence was caused by people not from Columbia. He added that protesters also were injured, but mostly by rocks thrown by other protesters.
“They injured themselves,” he said, adding that violence occurred “after the good people left.”
Early Saturday, several thousand people rallied at the S.C. State House in Columbia to protest Floyd’s death.
The protests began peacefully with demonstrators singing “Amazing Grace” and displaying signs that read “Indict. Convict. Throw the Killer Cops in Jail,” “No Justice No Peace” and “I can’t breathe.”
But the demonstration slowly devolved as the day progressed and the protests moved to Columbia Police Department headquarters. State and local police ringed the headquarters building on Washington Street
First water bottles were thrown, then rocks. Protesters removed the United States and South Carolina flags from in front of the police agency and set fire to the U.S. flag. The South Carolina flag was destroyed.
Vehicles were then damaged, including three police cruisers that were torched. One was still burning when Benjamin, flanked by other city officials, made his announcement.
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