US cities on alert as anti-racism protests rage ahead of Chauvin murder trial verdict

US anti-racism protesters have rallied in Minneapolis as the murder trial of former police officer Derek Chauvin was taking place.

The protesters chanted "guilty" as they marched through the Minnesota city, carrying banners reading: “Justice for George Floyd. The World is watching."

The jury went into deliberation to determine whether Chauvin is guilty of killing African American George Floyd by kneeling on his neck for almost 9 minutes last May. Deliberations resume on Tuesday.

Chauvin has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder, third-degree "depraved mind" murder and second-degree manslaughter.

Minneapolis and state officials have ramped up security precautions in the city, in particular around the tower in which the courtroom sits. The tower is ringed by barbed wire and armed soldiers from the National Guard.

Civil rights activist Jesse Jackson joined the Minneapolis demonstrations on Monday, saying that, "Tomorrow, even if we win. It's relief, not victory. They're still killing our people.”

For the second-degree murder charge, 12 US jurors will have to agree that prosecutors proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Chauvin committed a felony that was a substantial cause in Floyd's death. They do not have to find that Chauvin intended to kill Floyd, according to US media.

That crime carries a punishment of up to 40 years in prison.

US cities on alert

Minnesota Democratic Governor Tim Walz declared a preemptive state of emergency in the Minneapolis metropolitan area and requested security assistance from other states, citing the "threat of civil unrest."

At a news briefing, Walz said "systemic changes" were necessary to protect Black Americans but said, "We cannot allow civil unrest to descend into chaos. We must protect life and property."

Minneapolis has been on high alert amid protests over the fatal police shooting of a Black man in Brooklyn Center, a Minneapolis suburb, on April 11 and over the Chauvin trial verdict.

Nightly protests have been held in the Minneapolis suburb since the police shooting of 20-year-old Daunte Wright after a routine traffic stop.

In Washington DC, the National Guard said it was activating about 250 personnel to help police with street closures in the city ahead of the verdict. Thousands of people protested Floyd's death last June.

New York City police had also been preparing for the Chauvin trial verdict and doing "a lot of work" engaging with local leaders, clergy and community organizations.

"We’re just asking anyone that may come out to voice their concern over this trial...do it peacefully, no property damage and we’ll get through it together,” New York City Police Commissioner Dermot Shea said.

Illinois was also activating 125 personnel from the state's National Guard to support the city's police starting Tuesday.

In Chicago, which has seen protests in recent days after the city released graphic body-camera video from the fatal police shooting of 13-year-old Black teeenager, Adam Toledo, police department said it deployed additional resources throughout the city.

Chicago businesses have boarded up windows in anticipation of possible unrest.

Florida Republican Governor Rick DeSantis signed an "anti-riot" bill into law on Monday, with tougher penalties for people who engage in violent protests, noting his expectation of potential fallout from the Chauvin verdict.

‘Biden keeps watchful eye on Chauvin murder trial’

US President Joe Biden voiced his concerns over the Chauvin trial verdict during a private meeting last week with members of the Congressional Black Caucus, and is reportedly likely to address the outcome of the trial.

The US president is carefully following the trial in the George Floyd case, fearing that the verdict could exacerbate racial tensions and further undermine confidence in the police, CNN reported.

According to officials, Biden also spoke with the Minnesota governor to help grasp the sentiment on the ground.

Biden faces a turbulent period, marked with protests over growing frequency of police killings in US cities, with demonstrators calling for police reform and an end to racial injustice.

Floyd’s killing by white police officers brought US racism back into focus and became an emblem of the Black Lives Matter movement. It has, however, not stopped trigger-happy cops from unleashing terror on hapless minorities, including African Americans and Asian Americans.

In an interview with Press TV last week, US-based journalist and political analyst Dr. Abayomi Azikwe said the surge in violence against people of color in the US is a systemic problem rooted in the legacy of slavery and legalized segregation in the country.

Commenting on protests in the wake of Wright’s killing, he said these “social dynamics will continue to unfold in 2021.”

Fatal attacks on people of color in the US have witnessed a disconcerting surge in recent years, which activists have attributed to former president Donald Trump's racist rhetoric.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.ir