'Outside agitators' blamed for violent protest wave

Minnesota officials said Friday's outbreak of violence across the country went beyond normal protesters and was the work of 'outside agitators' like white supremacists.

Conway G.

Gittens reports.

With Saturday's light of day, the true damage from overnight protests and riots in Minneapolis was beginning to be made clear.

But officials from Minnesota on Saturday said the protests have taken on a more destructive tone due to an infiltration by extremists and outside agitators.

Minnesota Public Safety Commissioner John Harrington: "We have began analyzing the data of who we have arrested and begun doing what you might think is similar to doing what we are doing with COVID.

It's contact tracing.

Who are they associated with?

What platforms are they advocated for?

And we have seen things like White Supremacist organizers who have posted things on platforms about coming to Minnesota.

We have seen flyers about protests where folks have talked about 'we're going to get our loot on." Protests turned violent in many cities across America Friday, like in Atlanta where police cars were damaged and the headquarters of CNN was attacked.

There have been several nights of demonstrations over the killing of George Floyd, a black man who died Monday after being pinned down by the neck by a white Minneapolis police officer.

Local police forces were overwhelmed Friday by crowds that were 80 percent non-Minnesotans, according to that state's governor Tim Walz, who says there are forces looking to use the protests as a cover for violence.

He's called up the full power of the National Guard to restore order.

"This is the challenge they were looking for.

The call will go out to join and the call will be there to try and break the back of civil society and the people putting it forward." There are more peaceful protests planned before another night of curfew goes into effect.

For those out after that, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey had this message.

"By being out tonight you are most definitely helping those to wrong our city." St.

Paul Mayor Melvin Carter wants to put the focus back on the original source of earlier demonstrations: the death of George Floyd.

"Those folks who are agitating and inciting are taking advantage of the pain, of the hurt, of the anger, of the frustration of the very real and legitimate sadness that so many of our community members feel.

Police officer Derek Chauvin, was fired from the force and arrested on charges of third-degree murder and manslaughter after he was seen in footage pinning Floyd to the street with his knee.

But the arrest has not stopped protesters from taking to the streets.