Demonstrations rage across the country

Protests erupted in cities across the country on Friday night amid mounting unrest over the police-involved death of George Floyd, with violent demonstrations and clashes between protesters and law enforcement stretching from coast to coast and reaching the outer barriers of the White House.

Footage of burning police cars in Atlanta, a gas station and other buildings on fire in Minneapolis, a police precinct in Brooklyn being charged by people and a standoff between demonstrators and Secret Service members wearing riot gear in Washington, D.C., were scattered across social media.

Video showed baton-wielding officers shoving individuals outside the Barclays Center in Brooklyn as they attempted to take people into custody. Police reportedly sought to use a city van to transport arrested individuals while elsewhere in Brooklyn at least one abandoned police van was set ablaze.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) appealed for calm as images surfaced of numerous altercations between police and demonstrators. The mayor said that authorities were focused on "deescalating this situation" but he vowed "a full review" of what took place on Friday night.

"We don’t ever want to see another night like this," he tweeted.