Thousands of protesters marched in Washington, D.C., on Saturday as largely peaceful rallies across the U.S. to protest the killing of an unarmed black man in Minneapolis police custody entered a 12th day and officials moved to rein in law enforcement tactics.
Tens of thousands of demonstrators marched in Washington, D.C., and other U.S. cities on Saturday to demand an end to racism and brutality by U.S. law enforcement as protests over the killing of an unarmed black man by Minneapolis police entered a 12th day.
The protest in the U.S. capital was shaping up as the largest of the marches seen this week in cities and smaller towns nationwide, as well as in countries around the world. It coincided with a second memorial service for George Floyd, 46, who died on May 25 after a Minneapolis policeman knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes.
Near the front of the White House, Katrina Fernandez, 42, said she was both hopeful and impatient in joining the protests to demand what she viewed as long overdue reforms in policing.
“I’m just hoping that we really get some change from what’s going on. People have been kneeling and protesting and begging for a long time and enough is enough,” she said. “We can’t take much more.”
WATCH | CBC’s Katie Simpson reports from the newly renamed Black Lives Matter Plaza:
Protesters marched in the U.S. capital following the killing of George Floyd, massing near the newly renamed Black Lives Matter Plaza. 4:31
Saturday’s protests took on a relaxed tone compared with the more angry though mostly peaceful demonstrations of recent days. The week began with sporadic episodes of arson, looting and vandalism that authorities and activists have blamed largely on outside instigators and criminal elements.
Authorities have at times resorted to heavy-handed tactics as they sought to enforce curfews in some cities, including New York and Washington, where baton-swinging police in riot gear dispersed otherwise orderly crowds.
Those clashes have only reinforced the focus of the protests into a broader movement seeking far-reaching reforms of the criminal justice system and its treatment of racial minorities.
On the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, Delonno Carroll, a 27-year-old construction worker, said he had come out to demonstrate because he “simply cannot” sit and watch from home.
“Our voices need to be heard,” Carroll said. “No longer can we have a man call out for his mom on the streets and have to go through what George Floyd did.”
Police — who drew criticism for firing smoke grenades and chemical irritant “pepper balls” before charging into peaceful protesters near the White House on Tuesday — were out in smaller numbers around the marchers on Saturday afternoon and generally in a more relaxed posture, wearing patrol uniforms rather than body armour and helmets.
Some passing motorists honked their horns in support, and some city residents came out on the street to hand out water and snacks to offer protesters relief from the sweltering heat.
A second memorial service was held for Floyd on Saturday in North Carol