The ninth straight evening of protests over the police killing of George Floyd kicked off on a calmer note in many parts of the United States Wednesday — a fragile peace that officials hoped would hold.
In Washington, D.C., hundreds of protesters took a knee in front of a wall of law enforcement officers and National Guard near the White House. Some protesters played music and handed out water in a stark contrast to scenes from earlier in the week, when witnesses said tear gas and smoke was used to disperse demonstrators. A curfew for the nation’s capital was pushed back from 7 p.m. the prior two nights to 11 p.m. Wednesday.
“I believe it was very effective in ramping down the level of violence,” D.C. Chief of Police Peter Newsham said of the curfew, according to NBC Washington.
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In New York City, a curfew started at 8 p.m. for the second night in a row after it yielded less looting, vandalism and violence in the nation’s most populous city on Tuesday versus Monday night, NBC New York reported. Shortly before the curfew began on Wednesday, hundreds of kneeling protesters gathered outside Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Gracie Mansion residence, chanting Floyd’s name and cheering.
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The significantly more tranquil gatherings came hours after more charges were handed down in Floyd’s death. A murder charge against Derek Chauvin, the police officer seen in a video digging his knee into Floyd’s neck for more than eight minutes as Floyd pleaded for his life, was elevated to second-degree from third-degree. And the three other officers who were present while Floyd was on the ground were charged with aiding and abetting murder. All four were fired after Floyd’s killing.
Full coverage of George Floyd’s death and protests around the country
In announcing the charges, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison addressed protesters around the country who have seized on Floyd’s death as the latest symbol of police brutality and systemic racism in America.
“There’s a lot more to do than just this case, and we ask people to do that,” he said, encouraging others to continue fighting for justice, NBC affiliate KARE 11 in Minneapolis reported.
Protests with hundreds of people dotted cities in California on Wednesday, most of which saw no violence as of Wednesday afternoon. But in Los Angeles, where 61 people have been charged with crimes committed during the unrest over the past several days, Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey had a stern warning for anyone who might get out of control.
“I support the peaceful organized protests that already have brought needed attention to racial inequality throughout our society, including in the criminal justice system,” she said in a written statement on Wednesday. “I also have a constitutional and ethical duty to protect the public and prosecute people who loot and vandalize our community.”
The widespread demonstrations come as city officials across the country are already stretched thin with fighting the coronavirus pandemic, some still enforcing stay-at-home orders.
In Boston, protesters held a peaceful “die-in” Wednesday evening that lasted longer than anticipated, but still ended well before 9 p.m., the hour local officials recommended everyone retreat to their homes by because of the pandemic, NBC Boston reported.
