Manhattan’s flagship Macy’s store was among dozens of businesses hit by looters on Monday evening, as a nighttime curfew in New York failed to prevent widespread looting in the city.
While peaceful protests and marches over the police killing of George Floyd were taking place across the city, roving groups caused chaos in Midtown, smashing their way into shops and stealing merchandise.
The looting began around 8pm, lasting into the night and beyond the 11pm curfew. One video showed what appeared to be dozens of people streaming into the stories Macy’s store in Herald Square.
Other videos showed mostly young men taking part in the looting, ignoring the objections of protesters and unbothered by police stationed nearby. The New York Police Department said 700 people were arrested throughout the night in the city.
New York governor Andrew Cuomo called out the looters on Tuesday, saying they were not part of the protests - but also criticised the city authorities, saying mayor Bill de Blasio and the NYPD " did not do their job last night".
“That criminal activity hurt everyone,” he said during a press conference. “The looting and criminal activity must be stopped immediately.”
Mr de Blasio said the city’s curfew would be moved up to 8pm on Tuesday following the previous night’s incidents.
“These protests have power and meaning. But as the night wears on we are seeing groups use them to incite violence and destroy property,” he wrote on Twitter.
“Our first priority is keeping people safe, so I’m extending the curfew to Tuesday. It will begin at 8pm.”
Mr de Blasio said there were also "real problems" in the Bronx on Monday. Video posted on social media showed multiple piles of rubbish on fire on a debris-strewn street and people smashing into stores.
Another video showed a group of men beating a police officer who was alone and down on the ground, smashing him with pieces of wreckage until he pulled his gun and they ran.
The images of looting in Manhattan threatened to overshadow larger, peaceful protests across the city. As in previous nights, numerous marches made their way through Brooklyn and Manhattan simultaneously to demand action over the killing of Mr Floyd.
Protests sparked by the killing have morphed into wider calls for racial justice in the US. They have taken place in Minneapolis, the city where the killing took place, in Louisville, Los Angeles, California; Atlanta, Georgia and more than 70 other cities. More than 25 cities have introduced curfews in an attempt to bring calm.
— With agencies
