George Floyd protests continue for 10th day in US

By Servet Gunerigok

WASHINGTON (AA) - Protests continued over George Floyd’s death for a 10th consecutive day Thursday as mostly peaceful demonstrations were held in several US cities.

In the nation’s capital Washington, DC, hundreds of people gathered at Lafayette Park across from the White House for a seventh day.

The focal point of the protests was free of any military presence and protestors were separated by a tall metal fence erected days ago.

Protestors chanted “Black Lives Matter,” “No Justice, No Peace” and “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot.”

Several cities, including Washington, DC and Los Angeles, lifted curfews put in place following looting and arsons that angered local leaders.

Earlier in the day, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser said there will be no curfew in the city.

Thousands of people marched across the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City after a memorial that commemorated Floyd.

Mass gatherings also took place in Atlanta, Georgia, Los Angeles, California and Portland, Oregon, among others.

Hundreds of mourners on Thursday attended the first of several memorials at North Central University in Minneapolis.

The event was attended by Floyd's family and Ben Crump, the civil rights attorney representing the family, as well as celebrity guests.

Floyd, 46, died last week in Minneapolis, Minnesota when now-former police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes. His last words, "I can't breathe," became a slogan for worldwide protests.

An independent autopsy Monday found Floyd was killed by "asphyxiation from sustained pressure."

His death prompted largely peaceful mass demonstrations that have continued across the US, though some have devolved into violence and looting.

Chauvin was taken into custody last Friday when authorities announced an initial set of charges that were upgraded Wednesday from third-degree murder to murder in the second degree.

Three other officers at the scene when Floyd was arrested for allegedly using a $20 counterfeit bill at a store -- Tou Thao, J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane -- were charged with aiding and abetting murder in the second degree, a felony offense.