Page 4 - aruba-today DEC 14 2020

A4 U.S. NEWS
Monday 14 deceMber 2020

Vandals hit Black churches during weekend pro-Trump rallies

By MICHAEL BALSAMO and Joe Biden as the 46th presi-
ASHRAF KHALIL dent. Trump, whose term
Associated Press will end Jan. 20, refuses to
WASHINGTON (AP) — Van- concede, while clinging to
dals tore down a Black unfounded claims of fraud
Lives Matter banner and that have been rejected
sign from two historic Black by state and federal courts,
churches in downtown and Friday by the Supreme
Washington and set the Court.
banner ablaze as nighttime A pro-Trump demonstra-
clashes Saturday between tion last month, which drew
pro-Donald Trump support- 10,000 to 15,000 people
ers and counterdemonstra- to the capital, also ended
tors erupted into violence late on a Saturday evening
and arrests. with scattered clashes be-
Police on Sunday said they tween Trump’s allies and
were investigating the inci- local activists near Black
dents at the Asbury United Lives Matter Plaza near the
Methodist Church and Met- White House.
ropolitan A.M.E. Church On Saturday, police took
as potential hate crimes, more steps to keep the two
which one religious leader sides apart, closing a wide
likened to a cross burning. swath of downtown to traf-
“This weekend, we saw With the U.S. Capitol building in the background, supporters of President Donald Trump stand fic and sealing off Black
forces of hate seeking to Pennsylvania Avenue during a rally at Freedom Plaza, Saturday, Dec. 12, 2020, in Washington. Lives Matter Plaza.
Associated Press
use destruction and intimi- But while Saturday’s rallies,
dation to tear us apart,” tor at Asbury church said in comfortable in your home ter sundown Saturday. including one on Freedom
District of Columbia Mayor a statement Sunday. “For as Trump send his goons in Four men were stabbed Plaza downtown, were
Muriel Bowser said Sunday. me it was reminiscent of to brutalize your citizens.” around 10 p.m. after a fight smaller than on Nov. 14,
“We will not let that hap- cross burnings. Seeing this She said the mayor’s state- downtown, police said. At they drew a larger contin-
pen.” act on video made me ment was meaningless least one suspect, 29 year- gent of the Proud Boys, a
A video posted on Twitter both indignant and deter- without action. old Phillip Johnson of Wash- neo-fascist group known to
showed a group of men mined to fight the evil that A spokesperson for D.C. po- ington, was arrested on a incite street violence. Some
appearing to take down a has reared its ugly head.” lice said Sunday that it was charge of assault with a wore bulletproof vests as
BLM sign at the Metropoli- “We will move forward, un- taking the offenses seriously dangerous weapon. they marched through
tan A.M.E. Church as others daunted in our assurance and actively investigating. A police report obtained town.
in the crowd shout, “Whose that Black Lives Matter and The incidents came follow- by The Associated Press The group saw its profile
streets? Our streets.” An- we are obligated to contin- ing weekend rallies in sup- said at least one of the vic- raised after Trump in Sep-
other video showed peo- ue to shout that truth with- port of Trump’s baseless tims identified Johnson as tember famously told them
ple pouring an accelerant out ceasing,” she added. claims that he won a sec- the person who stabbed to “stand back and stand
on a BLM banner and set- Leaders of the Black Lives ond term, which led to doz- him. by.”
ting it ablaze in the street as Matter organization de- ens of arrests, several stab- Eight police officers were After the rallies ended,
others cheered and cursed cried the attacks on the bings and injuries to police also injured during the downtown Washington
antifa. Someone walks up churches, partly faulting officers. demonstrations, officials quickly devolved into
about a minute later and police for allowing white Police in the District of Co- said. crowds of hundreds of
uses a fire extinguisher to supremacists to “run ram- lumbia said they arrested The earlier rallies of mostly Proud Boys and combined
put out the flames. pant.” nearly 30 people for a vari- unmasked Trump loyalists forces of antifa and local
“It pained me especially April Goggans, a lead or- ety of offenses, from assault were intended as a show of Black activists — both sides
to see our name, Asbury, ganizer for Black Lives Mat- to weapons possession and force just two days before seeking a confrontation in
in flames,” the Rev. Dr. Ian- ter’s D.C. chapter, accused resisting arrests and rioting. the Electoral College meets an area flooded with po-
ther M. Mills, the senior pas- Bowser of “sitting silent and The violence broke out af- to formally elect Democrat lice officers.q

Gunman shot by police at NYC cathedral Christmas concert

NEW YORK (AP) — A man mother church of the Epis- a rifle. After the gunfire
was shot by police on the copal Diocese of New stopped, a large group
steps of a landmark New York. The 45-minute con- of police officers, guns
York City cathedral Sun- cert, held outdoors on the drawn, approached the
day afternoon after he cathedral’s steps, had just suspected gunman as he
began firing a gun at the concluded and people lay wounded at the top of
end of a Christmas choral were starting to walk away the steps, near the cathe-
concert. when a series of shots was dral’s huge doors.
Police said there was no heard, sending people “Don’t move! Don’t
indication anyone but the running down the street move,” some officers
suspected gunman was screaming and diving to shouted. Ambulances ar-
shot. The man was taken the sidewalk. Officers who rived moments later.
New York police officers move in on the scene of a shooting at to a hospital in critical con- had been on hand to pro- Police Commissioner Der-
the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine, Sunday, Dec. 13, dition. The shooting hap- vide security for the event mot Shea and Chief of
2020, in New York.
Associated Press pened just before 4 p.m. quickly moved in and shot Department Terence Mo-
at the Cathedral Church the gunman, who police nahan were headed to
By TED SHAFFREY The Associated Press of Saint John the Divine, believe was armed with the scene.q