Thousands of demonstrators, stretching for blocks, took over downtown Denver Tuesday for a sixth night of protests, but while the crowds were at least as big as previous nights, the mood was more relaxed and peaceful and as midnight neared, it was winding down without tear gas or other major conflicts.
At the height of the protest, demonstrators moved through town, from the Colorado Capitol to Civic Center and then toward the 16th Street Mall, chanting, “No justice. No peace,” “Out of your home! Into the streets!” and “Hey hey, ho ho, these racist cops have got to go!”
At Coors Field, they dropped to their knees.
At 9:40 p.m., nine minutes of silence began as protesters sat near 20th and Champa, fists in the air. Photos showed people illuminating the night with their cell phone lights at the capitol.
Diego Garcia, 26, said Tuesday’s protest shows how peaceful protests should be done.
“I think Denver is doing it the right way – peacefully – to the point where we changed the narrative,” he said.
Charlie Shae of Denver said this is the first night she’s been at the protests here, but her friends have been.
“This is not the first time our country has had to do this,” she said, referencing decades of civil rights protests. “How are we still fighting for the same things in 2020?” she said.
Marchers have stopped for nine minutes of silence in honor of George Floyd. pic.twitter.com/9LoMgHCI5g
— Shelly Bradbury (@ShellyBradbury) June 3, 2020
Protesters are angered over the death of George Floyd, who died May 25 after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes, and have gathered nightly to protest his death and deaths of other people of color at the hands of police.
Protests were underway Tuesday in other Colorado cities, as well, from Colorado Springs to Gunnison, where the High Country News reported several hundred people were demonstrating. Late Tuesday, Fox21 reporter Brandon Thompson posted video of Colorado Springs police ordering protesters to disperse and then using tear gas.
From the beginning, Denver’s demonstrations have been tense with standoffs between Denver Police Department officers and people marching the streets, making Tuesday’s event notable.
Police have deployed tear gas, foam bullets, pepper balls and smoke bombs to deter protesters and disperse crowds. Protesters have started fires, vandalized buildings, shot fireworks and lobbed rocks and bottles at officers. Since Thursday, 338 people have been arrested on various charges.
Denver police will host an hour-long virtual town hall at 6 p.m. Wednesday so residents can discuss what policies they’d like to see moving forward, police announced in a news release late Tuesday night.
Mayor Michael Hancock ordered a 9 p.m. curfew through Friday, but protesters largely have ignored it. On Monday, thousands of people stayed on the streets well past the deadline to leave. A smaller group of protesters remained until midnight when a band of Denver police officers in riot gear fired tear gas at them.
On Tuesday, protesters were sitting in the middle of Lincoln Street after the 9 p.m. curfew but the demonstration remained peaceful except for the sound of gunshots fired into the air shortly after 10 p.m. There were no injuries reported.
Bri Patton and Joe Barker were present Thursday when a driver rammed her car through Denver protesters. It was terrifying and they’re disappointed police have not made an arrest in the case, they said. But they came out on Tuesday again despite the horrifying moment.
“The fight’s still going on,” Patton said.
Patton said she hopes the protests here and across the country change systems to ensure police are more accountable for deaths like Floyd’s. But watching how police have responded forcefully to protests across the country worries Barker.
“I feel like we lost our right to protest,” he said.
“We want everyone to know we’re not against them,” Patton said. “All lives can’t matter if black lives don’t matter.”