Protesters defied curfews across the US as leaders scrambled to stem anger over police racism.
Standoffs between police and demonstrators stretched into the night in cities from New York City to Los Angeles over the death of George Floyd, an unarmed African American, whose killing has brought once-in-a-generation protests to the nation for the past week.
However, there were fewer reports of the looting and violence that had soured street demonstrations in previous nights.
Photo: AP
Tens of thousands earlier on Tuesday gathered in Houston to pay a hometown tribute to Floyd, who grew up in the Texas city and is to be buried there next week.
“Today is ... about George Floyd’s family — we want them to know that George did not die in vain,” Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner told an estimated 60,000 people.
A tearful Roxie Washington, the mother of Floyd’s six-year-old daughter, Gianna, told a news conference that she wanted justice.
“I’m here for my baby and I’m here for George, because I want justice for him. I want justice for him because he was good. No matter what anybody thinks,” she said.
In New York City, which on Tuesday prolonged its first curfew since World War II for the full week, reporters saw hundreds refusing to go home after the 8pm cutoff, instead chanting slogans and peacefully walking the streets in Manhattan and Brooklyn.
Hours after the curfew, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said that it was a “very calm situation,” a day after several Manhattan luxury stores were looted.
“So far, the curfew is certainly helping, based on everything I’ve seen in Brooklyn and Manhattan over the last three hours,” he wrote on Twitter.
Minnesota took one of the first concrete actions to address the grievances behind the uprising, which began after Floyd’s death on Monday last week in the state’s largest city, Minneapolis.
The state launched a civil rights investigation of the Minneapolis Police Department, looking at possible “systemic discriminatory practices” going back 10 years, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz wrote on Twitter.
In Los Angeles, one of dozens of cities hit by unrest, police officers and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti dropped to their knees in a symbolic act of solidarity as they met marchers led by African American Christian groups.
In Washington, thousands returned to the streets for a peaceful “Black Lives Matter” march.
Hours after the 7pm curfew protesters could be heard chanting, as US National Guard troops stood on the streets near the White House and helicopters hovered above.
Broadcast footage showed police firing tear gas shortly after midnight, but the situation appeared to be calm overall.
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