Large crowds angry over the George Floyd death gathered peacefully for hours around New York City, but by 9:30 p.m. some clashes with police were reported along with small street fires and looting.
NEW YORK — Large crowds angry over the George Floyd death gathered peacefully for hours around New York City, closing the Manhattan Bridge as they marched from Brooklyn to Manhattan on Sunday night, but by 9:30 p.m. some clashes with police were reported along with small street fires and looting. Earlier, hundreds of people could be seen marching through Midtown, Manhattan on 5th Avenue, stopping briefly in Times Square before continuing south on Broadway. The group appeared to be mostly peaceful and the sentiment was that they want justice. Several protesters said the focus should be peace. »Come in peace, say what you have to do, say what you have to say, » one protester said. « Black lives matter. That’s the message. Period. That’s it. Look at this. Peaceful. That’s all. Just hear us. Hear our cries. »At the same time, hundreds more protesters marched on Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn, making their way toward Barclays Center. Protesters had been gathering outside the Barclays Center throughout the day where police remained on the perimeter. At times, police and protesters shared moments of peace, kneeling together and even hugging. Eventually, protesters marched across the Manhattan Bridge, stopping all lanes of traffic, as they chanted « Black Lives Matter. » Other protesters marched across the Brooklyn Bridge, while another group crossed the Williamsburg Bridge. In Lower Manhattan, the protesters converged and faced a mass of police officers, but the situation while tense remained non-violent. By 9:30 p.m., tension gave way to some clashes with police, at least one vehicle fire and looting. One fire burned near the Strand Bookstore. Looters were spotted breaking into a Balenciaga store on Mercer Street. On Saturday, largely peaceful protests around the city also gave way to scattered clashes between police and protesters later in the evening.
