Thousands are marching in cities across America calling for justice for George Floyd
They marched by the thousands in Houston. They called for a better America in Los Angeles. They sat in the streets in Chicago and in silence in St. Paul.
Protests continued Tuesday for an eighth night across the United States, with demonstrators peacefully gathering to shout George Floyd’s name and to call for justice in the wake of his death at the hands of a now-jailed former police officer.
Several cities re-established curfews for Tuesday night in an attempt to stop the after-hours violence and looting of businesses.
Minneapolis, where Floyd died, New York City, Philadelphia and Washington DC, are among the cities with curfews.
The New York Police Department had arrested about 40 people as of 10 p.m. a number expected to increase, a law enforcement official told CNN.
In Atlanta, a protest was calm but after 9 p.m. police and National Guard began to sweep the streets to clear them. Tear gas being used.
Police in Charlotte, North Carolina, said they used chemical agents to disperse a crowd after “being assaulted with bottles, rocks, and chemical agents.” One person was arrested there and police later tweeted that a protester with a rifle was also taken into custody.
Many of the protests began in the afternoon and lasted hours.
Earlier in Houston, where a public memorial for George Floyd will take place next week, tens of thousands of people marched to City Hall to shout his name and call for justice after his death.
The marchers, who chanted “no justice, no peace” and “Peace on the left, justice on the right,” walked or rode horses from Discovery Green park toward their destination, where organizers were scheduled to speak.
George Floyd’s brother, Philonise Floyd, addressed the crowd asking for a peaceful protest. He told them to be steadfast in the quest for police reform.
“We’re trying to break the cycle right now. We got this,” he said.
By Ayooluwa Joshua