Civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis calls for protesters to be constructive
Utah activates National Guard
Utah has activated the National Guard to help deal with protests in Salt Lake City, Gov. Gary Herbert tweeted Saturday evening.
Salt Lake City was not the site of a particularly large or violent protest on Friday, but clashes in the city's downtown area had already begun on Saturday afternoon.
Bill Clinton: 'If you’re white in America, the chances are you won’t' die like George Floyd did
NFL commissioner says 'urgent need for action' to mend America
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell conceded Saturday that there "remains an urgent need for action" to mend America's racial divide in the wake of George Floyd's death.
The NFL has been a flashpoint for protests over police violence ever since Colin Kaepernick began kneeling during national anthems before games. Kaepernick has since gone unsigned — and emerged as a leading voice in opposition of police violence.
"There remains an urgent need for action," Goodell wrote. "We recognize the power of our platform in communities and as part of the fabric of American society.
Goodell's statement also mentioned the recent police killing of Louisville EMT Breonna Taylor and the fatal shooting of Ahmaud Arbery by white suspects in Georgia.
NFL players union chief DeMaurice Smith penned a letter to members and told them they should be empowered to speak up about Floyd’s death: "It impossible to not to take this personally. We should take this personally.”
Protesters in Minneapolis take knee, chant names of people who have died at hands of police
Pockets of violence at New York City protests, NYPD says
NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea said on Saturday afternoon that protests, some with pockets of violence, have already begun in New York City.
When a reporter asked him what he expects tonight from protesters, Shea replied: “Tonight started already. It started about 5 hours ago."
When asked about who is perpetrating the violence and if people are coming in from out of town, Shea cautioned that they’re still sorting out everyone’s addresses. But he said at least 20 percent are from "out of town."
"It's probably higher, maybe much higher," he added.
He said he suspects some of the people they took into custody have given false Brooklyn addresses
Protest during a pandemic
NYPD to cops: be ready to come to work whenever, wherever needed
The NYPD has told its officers that they should be prepared to come to work whenever and wherever they are needed in the city due to the ongoing protests and events citywide as a precautionary measure.
The memo to all NYPD officers, sent Saturday and reviewed by NBC News, says "in light of citywide events and the ongoing need to provide extensive police services on a citywide bases, the police commissioner has directed that the duty chart be suspended until further notice."
The memo is described by police officials as "an emergency measure" given the ongoing protests and means that NYPD officers may be called in and that they can be sent to various precincts and commands as needed.
Chrissy Teigen says she will donate $200K to bail out protesters
Chrissy Teigen announced on Saturday she will donate $200,000 to bail out protestors as Americans continue to take to the streets to protest the death of George Floyd.
Teigen originally said on Twitter she would be donating $100,000 in "celebration" of President Trump saying Saturday evening might be "MAGA night" at the White House. She then doubled the amount after someone in her Twitter replies called the protesters "rioters and criminals."