“It was not a downtown I recognized:” Mayor Durkan becomes emotional while speaking looting, destruction

SEATTLE — Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan held a press conference Sunday afternoon to speak out after a night of violence and destruction in downtown Seattle.

Durkan was joined by Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best and Seattle Fire Chief Harold Scoggins.

She made it clear early on in her comments that the vandalism and looting during the latter end of Saturday’s protests were not committed by people seeking justice for George Floyd, but but those aiming for “chaos, destruction and hate.”

In her comments, Durkan said “young white men” are mostly responsible for the chaos, saying “these were not the acts of allies” but of “destruction and chaos.”

Durkan was briefly in tears during her remarks when talking about the damage done to the downtown core.

“I visited downtown this morning, and it wasn’t a downtown I recognized,” she said.

City officials also made it clear that the curfew will be strictly enforced, and further acts of violence will not be tolerated.

Watch the full comments in the video below:

RAW: Mayor Durkan press conference May 31 at 12:30 p.m. following protests RAW: Mayor Durkan press conference May 31 at 12:30 p.m. following protests

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