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Australian Channel Nine reporter Alexis Daish confronted during Los Angeles George Floyd riots
An Australian journalist covering riots in Los Angeles over the death of George Floyd has been confronted by angry protesters who said they were being sick of being told what to do by people who look like her.
Alexis Daish was in West Hollywood with her cameraman and security guards about 4pm local time covering the protest for Channel Nine’s Weekend Today.
Ms Daish, who is the network’s US correspondent, first explained how police were outnumbered and had no escape after their cars were torched and destroyed, before asking a group of protesters to explain their outrage.
‘We’re tired of people like you guys telling us how to feel about our own lives,’ one of the protesters said, pointing at Ms Daish, who is blonde, and her crew.
‘This anger is coming from hundreds of years,’ he went on to say. ‘Three people in two weeks… How many times does this have to happen?’
Protests and riots have erupted across the US since George Floyd, 46, died in Minneapolis on Monday after a white cop pressed his knee against Mr Floyd’s neck for eight minutes.
A protester poses for photos next to a burning police vehicle in Los Angeles, Saturday, May 30 during a demonstration following the death of George Floyd
‘We’re tired of people like you guys telling us how to feel about our own lives,’ one of the protesters said, pointing at Ms Daish, who is blonde, and her crew
A person jumps on a burning police vehicle in Los Angeles, Saturday, May 30, 2020, during a protest over the death of George Floyd
Demonstrators smash a police vehicle in the Fairfax District as they protest the death of George Floyd, in Los Angeles, California on May 30
The officer involved, Derek Michael Chauvin, was charged with third degree murder and manslaughter days after footage of the incident went viral.
Protests erupted throughout the nation demanding reform after what many believe is another senseless death and example of police brutality. Mr Floyd had been accused of using a counterfeit $20 bill at a deli.
Los Angeles erupted in violence Saturday as cops in riot gear clashed with protesters and the City of Angels went up in flames.
Protesters sprayed graffiti and torched police cruisers while officers shot rubber bullets into crowds and were seen beating demonstrators with batons.
‘We have done everything white people have asked us to do,’ a protester told Ms Daish on the streets of West Hollywood, some 28 hour drive from where Mr Floyd died.
‘We’ve tried everything. We had a black f**king president and it didn’t work. Black people were still dying.
‘We’re tired of being told that these buildings and businesses are worth more than my body. That is not the case.’
Officer Derek Chauvin (pictured) was identified as the officer pinning down George Floyd in video footage that was widely shared on Tuesday
Pictured: A car is seen on fire at the parking lot of a Target store during the protests
Chaos continues: A shirtless man was seen running near a burning building in downtown Minneapolis after a night of unrest and protests over George Floyd’s death
George Floyd’s (pictured) heartbroken family have called white cop Derek Chauvin to be charged with a more serious crime than third-degree murder after their lawyer revealed that Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck for a staggering eight minutes during the arrest for forgery
Following his response, the crowd erupted in cheers and Ms Daish and her crew moved away from the group for their own safety.
She described the chaos as ‘just unbelievable’, particularly given the nation is still battling a deadly COVID-19 pandemic.
‘Los Angeles has been so strict about these shutdown stay at home orders,’ she told viewers back home in Australia.
‘You’re not even allowed to leave home without having a mask on you. We’re in the midst of a pandemic and now this.
‘If anything is going to lead to a second wave, this is the perfect storm.’
People gathered at the riots explained they planned for a peaceful protest, but were forced to ‘react with violence’ following the arrival of riot quads and police officers.
Officers are armed with rubber bullets and batons while they attempt to hold back growing crowds.
New York: Protesters on the West Side Highway confronted police officers as they marched Downtown toward City Hall during protests for George Floyd on Saturday in Manhattan
Washington DC: Protesters holding banners march from Capitol Hill toward the White House during a rally against the death in Minneapolis police custody of George Floyd on Saturday
Philadelphia: G. Lamar Stewart Sr. carries his son G. Lamar Stewart Jr. as protesters over the death of George Floyd gather at City Hall on Saturday
In Times Square, New York City, hundreds of NYPD officers formed a barricade and marched down the street to force protesters gathered in anger over police brutality back
About 20 police cars were torched or destroyed at the protests, meaning officers now have no means to quickly escape the protests should they have to flee.
Most of the cars have since been vandalised and now display expletive-riddled messages urging people to ‘kill cops’.
Los Angeles Police Department have declared an ‘unlawful assembly’, meaning they can ask people to disperse, but according to Ms Daish, the message has done little to sway the crowds.
Ms Daish’s run in with the protesters comes as Channel 7 journalist Ashlee Mullany was almost taken out by a stun grenade as police closed in on a Minneapolis protest.
Ms Mullany, who is the network’s US correspondent, crossed to Sunrise live from Minneapolis on Thursday afternoon to report on the mayhem as protests raged on in the city for a third day.
Footage showed the journalist duck for cover as a stun grenade was fired in her direction by police officers who descended on the protest.
State troopers were called in and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey asked for the National Guard’s help after one suspected looter was fatally shot and stores were ransacked and torched during the riots.
Los Angeles erupted in violence Saturday as cops in riot gear clashed with protesters and the City of Angels went up in flame
Harlem: Demonstrators participate in a solidarity rally for George Floyd on Saturday in New York
Shocking images Thursday morning showed the widespread destruction left overnight after stores including Wendy’s, Target, Walmart and Autozone were looted and some even set on fire.
Mayor Frey pleaded for calm ahead of more expected protests this evening telling residents ‘we cannot let tragedy beget more tragedy.’
Videos also showed what was reported to be an apartment building entirely engulfed by flames as rioters stood and watched. The fire department was nowhere to be seen.
Other demonstrators carried signs and wore T-shirts reading ‘I can’t breathe’ – some of the last words Floyd said as he begged the police officer for his life.
Some held signs reading ‘Black Lives Matter’ and pictures of Floyd as they marched through the streets.
Curfews have been introduced in 10 cities across the nation to restore a semblance of order.
So far, Chauvin is the only officer who has been charged in relation to Mr Floyd’s death.
Three of his colleagues were present at the time, and an investigation is ongoing.
The 44-year-old is reportedly effectively on suicide watch following his high profile arrest. His wife also filed for divorce
He has a camera focused on him all day and and cops check on his cell inside Ramsey County Jail in St. Paul, Minnesota in person every 15 minutes.
New York: Protesters gather in Harlem to protest the recent death of George Floyd on Saturday
Harlem: A crowd of hundreds grew to thousands in upper Manhattan as the protesters began to march Downtown
Source: Daily Mail australia
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