Thread by @KevinLewisNomad

NOW: Well over 1,000 people have gathered at the Capitol Reflecting Pool in D.C. to protest the death of George Floyd.

As I understand it, this is the group that had originally planned to gather at the U.S. Department of Justice around 2:30p.

Very peaceful demonstration so far.

Here's a pan of the entire crowd. We're now on the move. Based on banter, it appears we're headed to the White House via Pennsylvania Avenue.

At the Reflecting Pool, people sang, chanted things like "Black Lives Matter," and shouted out names of black men killed in recent years.

Chaos outside the White House!

UPDATE: Rioters have spray painted and smashed out windows of multiple U.S. Secret Service vehicles outside of the White House.

People were stomping on the vehicle's roofs and tossing objects at the police line.

This is at the corner of Pennsylvania Avenue and 17th Street.

UPDATE: It's 5:41 p.m. and law enforcement has regained control outside the White House.

I estimate the crowd of civilians is around 500 strong right now.

Plastic bottle, clothing, protest signs, even an apple are strewn on Pennsylvania Avenue, behind the police line.

Vandals spray painted a concrete column at 1700 G Street NW, a stone's throw from the White House. There is spray paint on a construction site banner as well.

We are about to head to the National Mall where we believe the demonstrators have headed, their plans, unclear.

Photo Courtesy: Sean Gearhart @CharmCityPiper

UPDATE: It’s 8:38p. A large group has gathered at Lafayette Square, directly north of the White House.

A fight just broke out as protesters tried to burn the American flag.

Protesters than began to toss water bottles at police who are standing shoulder to shoulder in riot gear.

This man just climbed a street light, the White House visible behind him.

UPDATE: Rioters used two electric scooters to smash out a large window at the T Mobile store located a 15th and H Streets NW.

It does *not look like the rioters entered the store to loot.

Officers just roped off the scene with police tape, and are now standing guard.

A man just climbed on top of a DC Circulator bus along L Street NW.

This tense interaction just happened at 16th and L Streets NW.

The DC cop car was speeding down 16th with its lights and sirens on.

The man walking his dog felt the cop car did not properly yield to him.

The rest speaks for itself.

DC Police taking A LOT of heat at 16th and K Streets NW.

Someone just chucked a newspaper stand at officers. Cops sprayed some sort of chemical at the crowd, temporarily calming things down.

There is so much law enforcement in Downtown D.C. tonight, and it's certainly needed.

UPDATE: It’s 10:23 p.m. Dumpster fires and other small-scale arsons are now popping up across Downtown D.C.

Protestors spray painting buildings and smashing out windows.

This is getting worse and worse.

A vehicle has been set on fire on I Street NW, between 16th and 17th Streets.

Here's a closer look of the SUV on fire at 1600 I Street NW. Two people on a motorcycle can be seen nonchalantly driving by.

This is a DIFFERENT SUV that's been set on fire, also on the 1700 block of I Street NW.

It had initially been broken into by rioters. I stuck my head inside after the break in and saw equipment belonging to Fox News.

No word if Fox was targeted or of it's merely a coincidence.

Last night I watched as these three individuals briskly walked out of a shattered window at the Teaism teahouse located at 800 Connecticut Avenue NW.

I peered inside the window and saw the dining room was on fire. I immediately called 911.

MORE: When I returned to Teaism around 70 minutes later, the fire sprinkler system was running.

It certainly prevented the fire from spreading but left the eatery with extensive water damage.

It's unclear if/when the fire department arrived at the business.

One could physically step into the lobby of the PNC Bank at 800 17th Street NW after vandals used rocks, bricks and electric scooters to smash the windows.

In fact, scooters were one of the more popular items used to shatter windows across D.C. last night.

Two trash cans burning on a street corner in NW at 1:53 a.m. last night.

Vandals also broke into The Oval Room restaurant and started a fire.

I interviewed a man who told me he grabbed a fire extinguisher, entered the dining room, and put out the budding blaze.

Spray paint on the upscale restaurant's facade reads, "The Rich Aren't Safe Anymore!"

Here a person can be seen using, what appears to be a blow torch, to ignite items on I Street NW.

Vandals later placed those burning objects in a television outlet's SUV. The vehicle quickly burnt to a crisp.

Looters broke into Madame Tussauds located at 1001 F Street NW. It was not immediately known if they stole any of the wax sculptures.

A sculpture of Marilyn Monroe remained on display in the lobby area early Sunday morning. No police were present.

Looters also nailed CityCenterDC. I saw broken windows at:

•Burberry
•Canali
•Dolcezza
•Gucci
•Hugo Boss
•Moncler
•Paul Stuart

DC Police had at least 40 officers guarding the luxury, outdoor mall around 4:15 a.m today.

Looters also targeted shops in Georgetown, mostly on M Street and Wisconsin Avenue.

I saw broken windows at:

•Calvin Klein
•Hugo Boss
•Hu's Wear
•Kate Spade
•Michael Kors
•Rothy's
•Sunglass Hut

Looters also ripped a wooden board off of a window at the Apple Store.

Friendship Heights wasn't spared either.

Looters broke into Mazza Gallerie, which houses Neiman Marcus and AMC Theatres, among others.

They also targeted Saks Fifth Avenue in Chevy Chase, Md. Purses and other high-end merchandise were strewn on the sidewalk, grass and street.

The folks at A-1 Wines & Liquor on K Street NW estimate looters stole at least $40,000 in merchandise.

Louis XIII, Dom Pérignon, and Cristal all snagged.

"Anything they could get their hands on, they were grabbing it," a store employee told me as he swept up glass at 5 a.m.

PHOTOS: 7 On Your Side created a slideshow to illustrate the aftermath of Saturday's vandalism and looting in D.C.

Hundreds of broken windows, several fires set, and one D.C. Police officer undergoing surgery today for a bad leg injury.

wjla.com/news/local/pho…

The Baltimore Riots of 2015 are forever ingrained in my mind. Similarly, I'll never forget reporting on May 30, 2020, in D.C.

Here is one of my live shots as the dining room of Teaism near Lafayette Square went up in flames, the victim of arson.

BREAKING: Active looting underway in Friendship Heights. Heavy @DCPoliceDept and @mcpnews presence. More to come.

MORE: A group of at least 50 people just raided the CVS Pharmacy in Friendship Heights.

The looters took off with boxes filled with prescription medicine. In fact, medicine is now strewn across the sidewalk.

Friendship Heights was hit by looters last night but nowhere close to this degree.

I have blurred out photos of the medicine to protect patient privacy, but some of it includes painkillers.

Montgomery County Police holding the line at Wisconsin and Western Avenues.

My estimate is at least 100 officers in the Friendship Heights area.

Heavy looting of the CVS Pharmacy and Mazza Gallerie. There very well could be more.

Mazza Gallerie boarded up its entrances and windows earlier today but the looters still managed to get inside.

More medicine and prescription transfer form pads stolen, and later discarded, following the looting at CVS in Friendship Heights.

Lord & Taylor’s main entrance in Friendship Heights was smashed out but it does not look like anyone managed to get inside.

Crews are feverishly boarding up the entrances and windows at Bloomingdale’s on the Montgomery County side of Friendship Heights.

Workers admit it won’t stop looters but it serves as a deterrent, plus buys police time to respond to looting calls.

Here are more photos of the vandalism on the D.C. side of Friendship Heights. The Montgomery County side has been spared so far.

List of impacted buildings/stores:

•Chevy Chase Plaza
•CVS
•Lord & Taylor
•Mazza Gallerie
•rochebobois Paris
•Saks Fifth Avenue
•T.J. Maxx

Based on the size of the crowd, members of law enforcement told me tonight’s looting in Friendship Heights was coordinated.

Some of looters arrived via Metro while others drove to the area and parked on residential roads like 43rd Street NW.

Looters also hit Rodman's Discount Food & Drug tonight. It's unclear if prescription medicine was stolen here as well.

The business has been family owned and operated since 1955. It is located at 5100 Wisconsin Avenue NW.

STORY: My Twitter thread provides a fairly good account of what went down in Friendship Heights last night.

I am actively writing a more comprehensive story for the ABC7 website. It’ll all be updated at this link:

wjla.com/news/local/vid…

JUST IN: The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is assisting across the DMV tonight.

“ATF is deploying resources and supporting our local and state law enforcement partners to uphold the rule of law.” - Steve Blando - ATF Washington Field Division

JUST IN: Multiple suspects broke into the Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. It happened around 11p.

Police quickly responded to the burglary call. The suspects, however, fled before officers arrived.

This comes one night after looters targeted stores in Friendship Heights.

I should add that no valuables were stolen from the Montgomery Mall.

As far as I understand, Friendship Heights has been quiet so far tonight.

Earlier today, several stores in Downtown Bethesda put plywood over their windows and entrances to prevent looting. Most have hired companies to do the labor-intensive work.

The boarded-up stores in Bethesda include:

•The Apple Store
•Blue Mercury
•Pampillonia Fine Jewelry

After reporting on the peaceful protests in Germantown on Sunday, and Gaithersburg yesterday, @ABC7News will be providing coverage of today’s Black Lives Matter protest in Bethesda.

It is scheduled to begin at 1p at the Connie Morella Library at 7400 Arlington Road in Bethesda.

UPDATE: Today's Black Lives Matter protest in Bethesda is now underway.

There are at least 1,000 people gathered in the library's parking lot.

Organizers tell me the speaking portion is expected to last around 90 minutes. The group will then march though Downtown Bethesda.

MORE: For those who are curious, the two helicopters flying overhead are news media, not police.

Organizers emphatically told the crowd that violence will not be tolerated today. They ordered anyone with any such plans to leave immediately.

Watch live: facebook.com/wjlatv/videos/…

A young woman just read a list of black minors and adults who've been shot and killed by law enforcement across the country.

The woman also quoted some of each person's final words such as, "I can't breathe."

There was then a moment of silence.

Here, one of the organizers thanks the crowd for coming out today.

It's now "open mic" time. There's a line of people wanting to share their thoughts with the crowd.

Once that concludes, the march will begin. I have live reports near the top of the 4, 5, and 6 p.m. newscasts.

The march is now underway in Bethesda. There are at least a few thousand people taking part.

A lot of passion and a lot of peace.

I forgot to post this photo of the young ladies who organized Tuesday's Black Lives Matter protest in Downtown Bethesda.

It was taken minutes before the start of the march.

Amid concern over looting, many stores and restaurants in Downtown Bethesda have placed plywood over their windows and doors.

On Monday, Montgomery County began allowing restaurants to serve outdoor diners.

It's worth noting, some stores and restaurants have not boarded up.

Aveda Salon & Spa placed a handful of fliers on its boarded-up storefront. They read, "We support George Floyd. #Justice."

Last night, Montgomery County Police had a strong presence in Downtown Bethesda, just in case looters decided to strike.

DC resident Diego Garces has spent the last seven days separating trash and recycling in the protest zones.

He estimates he's filled hundreds of 55-gallon bags, keeping trash cans from overflowing.

"As a Colombian, we're taught to keep our home clean, Well, DC is my home."

Joe Birmingham of Annandale and Kihsan Strother of Alexandria are part of "The Night Shift 15."

The group pushes 🛒s full of snacks, water, masks, and first aid kits in the protest zones. The items, free of charge.

"We want to spread wealth and health to everybody." - Strother

Protesters are actively painting "DEFUND THE POLICE" on 16th Street in NW Washington, two blocks north of the White House.

This is being done in a similar font and color as the BLACK LIVES MATTER mural unveiled earlier this week.

No word if this was approved by DC Government.

A person (or people) defaced the Black Lives Mural on 16th Street NW. The spray-painted comments include:

•"This 'Mural' Ain't Doing Sh**."
•"Cops Got Me Hot. Bowser Got Me Hotter."
•"Stop This. Defund Police."
•"Fu** the 'Mural' Change the System."

Protesters just aimed a flood light and green laser pointer at law enforcement perched on the roof of a building at 888 16th Street NW.

The officers initially backed away but quickly returned to the ledge and aimed a flood light in the direction of the White House.

These three porta potties are maxed out, and protesters didn't miss the opportunity to take a crack at President Trump.

STORY: The massive "BLACK LIVES MATTER" mural that gained worldwide attention last week has been vandalized.

On Saturday, a person (or persons) spray painted at least half a dozen biting, expletive-laden messages. Some took aim at DC Mayor Muriel Bowser.

wjla.com/news/local/def…