United States' capital Washington, D.C. witnessed its second consecutive night of protests, coupled with a significant amount of looting on May 30. Responding to these ongoing protests, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser said these protesters should not destroy the city while exercising the First Amendment. During an interview on NBC's "Meet the Press," Bowser said the city experienced a maddening level of mayhem and destruction.
On May 30, the city's Fire Department had to extinguish a couple of vehicle fires around the north area of the White House. Aside from that, it extinguished numerous small fires in the downtown area, while some protesters made graffiti on several buildings in the region.
According to DC Chief of Police Peter Newsham, the Metropolitan Police Department arrested about 17 protesters on May 30. Newsham said eleven MPD officers were wounded amid the protests, but much to the department's relief, none of the officers sustained serious injuries. One officer who had multiple compound fractures in his leg after been hit by a rock thrown at him is undergoing surgery.
Among the 17 protesters who were arrested, Newsham said eight are either from DC or have some sort of ties with the area. Police are reportedly gearing up to make more arrests with the help of private businesses, who would be reviewing their security footage. Moreover, he said police will take the DC community's help to identify protesters who not only damaged the city's property but also hurt other people.
On May 30, Donald Trump took to Twitter to wrongly accuse Bowser of not permitting the DC Metropolitan Police Department to collaborate with the Secret Service in a bid to control the situation with protesters in Lafayette Square. That claim was proved false via a statement as the US Secret Service confirmed that the US Park police and the DC police department were present on the scene.
Defending his city, DC mayor answered the president via a tweet on May 30. Bowser said the DC police department will never stop protecting DC and the people living there, regardless of whether or not she agrees with them, particularly those exercising their First Amendment Right. Taking a jab at Trump, Bowser said he didn't agree with the POTUS who hides behind his fence afraid and alone.
Bowser said, she, on the other hand, stands with the people of DC, peacefully exercising their First Amendment Right after Floyd's murder, and several years of institutional racism. Trump warned the protesters that they would encounter vicious dogs and ominous weapons if they tried crossing the fence outside the White House.