By Janelle Griffith and Deon J. Hampton - NBC News
Thousands of police officers and National Guard soldiers guard the streets of Minneapolis to prevent violent incidents as the jury continues to deliberate in the trial of former agent Derek Chauvin for the death of George Floyd, the black man who suffocated with his knee during his arrest. in May 2020.
[The jury begins its deliberation in the trial against Derek Chauvin while Minneapolis is armored]
The impact and
coverage of the trial have been felt from coast to coast
.
Demonstrations over police killings have been rekindled in New York, Portland or Chicago, where a video of the shooting death by a 13-year-old boy police officer was posted last week.
And there are fears that the protests will intensify once the verdict is announced.
The president, Joe Biden, plans to address the country then, according to the White House, which is planning how to deal with the demonstrations in meetings with counterterrorism and Homeland Security advisers.
One official said there has been talk of
mobilizing the National Guard in all 50 states
.
Minneapolis police and community leaders on Monday called on people to protest peacefully.
"We have listened, we have learned and we have reflected, and frankly, we have adjusted," Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo said at a press conference as part of Operation Safety Net, a task force of the security forces in charge of coordinating security measures during the trial.
"We have listened to the community
. We have listened to the activists. We have listened to the elected officials. And I will tell you that it is based on the de-escalation," Arradondo added.
The goal is not to stop people, he said.
"We want a peaceful meeting. We want a peaceful protest.
We know we have a city that is in mourning
. The last thing we want is to turn this into a law enforcement situation," he concluded.
Nebraska and Ohio state troops are helping to secure the city, in addition to members of the National Guard in Minneapolis and Saint Paul.
"We are on the brink of a
historic week in our state
and in our country, and certainly for the police profession," said Col. Matthew Langer, chief of the Minnesota State Patrol.
The State Patrol is under a
temporary restraining order
issued by a federal judge regarding its treatment of journalists, Langer said.
Authorities detained a CNN producer and allegedly assaulted a New York Times photographer, according to a letter on behalf of some two dozen media organizations, including our sister network, NBC News.
"We accept them. We think they are good, and we have worked as fast and as hard as we can to make sure we strictly comply with that restraining order," Langer said.
In Minneapolis, many residents are
restless awaiting a verdict
.
"There is a lot of uncertainty, because many times we have seen that justice is not really done," said PJ Hill, vice president of the NAACP in Minneapolis.
"But there is also an undercurrent of hope that this time it could be different."
Hill said he has heard from many residents who fear the city will burn if Chauvin is not convicted.
