George Floyd death: US woman's plea to rioters goes viral

Desiree Barnes. Photo / Dan LaDue

Warning: Offensive language

A New York woman's impassioned plea to rioters has gone viral after it was shared online, with millions watching her tell rioters: "You are here profiting off of our pain."

Desiree Barnes was captured on video speaking to protesters who had been vandalising her neighbourhood in New York's East Village as protests against the killing of George Floyd turned into violent clashes across the city.

Freelance videographer Dan LaDue filmed the encounter and posted it to Instagram, where it exploded.

Barnes, who once worked for Michelle Obama and as a press aide in the White House, castigated the group for the damage they were causing.

"These are ****ing people who live in public housing and you just made a ****ing melee," Barnes said.

"You took down bus routes. There are people who live in this neighbourhood who have to go back uptown to work, and you are here profiting off of our ****ing pain."

‘You wanna f*cking do something? Make sure you’re registered to vote. Don’t start another goddamn fire,’ — This Black woman went off on people trashing her NYC neighborhood pic.twitter.com/GQsTQXQSgw

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) June 2, 2020

Barnes also pleaded the group to be "****ing responsible" and "have a ****ing plan", adding that they should all register to vote and vent their frustrations at the ballot box.

"You can protest all you want but the s*** I just saw take place," she said.

"I know there are people out here, homeless people who ****ing rely on those banks to charge their phones. And you think it's okay to take down a neighbourhood. You don't see corporations here. There are human beings that live in this goddamn neighbourhood."

The East Village has rapidly gentrified in recent decades but Barnes points out the area is still home to hard-working immigrants and essential workers such as nurses.

After the video became popular on Instagram, LaDue wrote: "She's frustrated and wanted to be heard. Some people don't want that opinion heard.

"And based off the overwhelming amount of messages people sent yesterday, she isn't alone."

New York has seen huge protests in the wake of George Floyd's death, with widespread looting and disorder.

Mayor Bill de Blasio has struggled to keep a lid on the situation and police have been widely criticised for their tactics, including driving police cars at protesters.

Police have also been targeted across the city, with officers hit by cars and one stabbed in the neck during an anti-looting patrol.