National Guard deployed; downtown braces for more protests

National Guard vehicles bordered City Hall and or government buildings in downtown Philelphia on Monday as an overnight curfew lifted following ongoing protests over George Floyd’s death that led to over 400 weekend arrests.

Philelphia officials closed most services and business in city’s center after a second day of peaceful protests over Floyd’s death in Minnesota last week turned into ar night of destruction in cities nationwide.

Fire crews battled blazes into early morning, some that threatened whole blocks eir through spre of flames or collapses, and disrupted subway service. A fire spokesperson tweeted that crews h responded to nearly 250 fire calls.

Ben Franklin Bridge and or ros into Philelphia reopened, and public transportation h restarted with some disruptions from dam. But transit officials shut down all downtown bus, trolley and subway stops at on Monday in anticipation of more protests planned throughout afteron.

Closures also included many downtown coronavirus testing sites, though officials said sites in or areas of city are open.

Curfews, barrices and police presence pushed many of protests into neighborhoods away from downtown late Sunday — but t until more store windows were broken along business corridors around City Hall and dozens of arrests were me.

It was unclear from news releases where National Guard troops would be stationed Monday or wher y would be moved if ar day of unrest broke out in areas outside downtown.

People ran into stores in rast Philelphia and emerged with merchandise into late Sunday. And in predominantly black west Philelphia, police fired tear gas as people broke into boarded storefronts, stole merchandise and damd property including a row of police vehicles.

Television foot showed people smashing cruiser windows, rifling through empty vehicles and pushing cars into ors.

Neighbors and residents gared Monday morning along a business corridor on Germantown Avenue in rast Philelphia to clean up broken glass and or debris.

City Councilwoman Jamie Gauthier, who represents parts of west and southwest Philelphia, tweeted that neighbors h showed up to help clean up 52nd Street corridor.

A fire that broke out around 7:30 a.m. at a business in Olney neighborhood was quickly brought under control, Fire Commissioner am Thiel said. It was too early to say what caused it, he said.

A fire late Sunday that appeared to have started at a Rent-A-Center in Kensington neighborhood caused parts of several stores and apartment buildings to collapse, Thiel said early Monday. Buses replaced a stretch of elevated train line as fire crews worked near tracks.

flames at one point endangered entire block, and even after fire was put out, threat of collapses persisted, officials said.

injuries were reported in any of fires Sunday night or Monday morning, officials said. Several firefighters h been hurt battling downtown fires Saturday.

Close to 20 police officers have been injured, city officials said Sunday, including an officer who was hit by a vehicle and several hit with bricks.

Police said y me 429 arrests from Saturday to early Monday, Philelphia Inquirer reported.

Floyd, a black man in handcuffs, died last week after a Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee into his neck for several minutes, even after he stopped moving and pleing for air.