ST. LOUIS — Rallies and protests continue amid the death of George Floyd.
He died at the hands of Minneapolis police. Four Minneapolis police officers were fired after the incident was captured on camera.
One of those officers has since been charged in connection to Floyd’s death. The video showed former officer Derek Chauvin with his knee of Floyd’s neck for more than five minutes. Chauvin was charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
Protesters across the country are calling for first-degree murder charges.
‘Expect US’ organized a rally at the St. Louis justice center Monday afternoon.
The large group then marched to rally under the Gateway Arch. From there, protesters marched together toward Ballpark Village and down Broadway right by Busch Stadium.
At about 6 p.m., protesters entered the ramp to westbound Interstate 64. Police on bicycles rode onto the interstate and formed a line in front of the protesters as they tried to enter the interstate. Police formed the line in order to reroute traffic so protesters could safely enter the interstate.
Protesters were on the interstate for less than an hour.
As of 7 p.m. they were back on the streets of downtown. They marched down Market Street and back in front of city hall.
But around 8 p.m. the protests started to turn violent.
At about 8:30 p.m., police were seen running out of police headquarters to form a line on Olive Street as a small group of protesters walked up to the building. Rioters threw several fireworks at police officers, with some of them going off within feet of officers.
At about 8:55 p.m., police threw several tear gas canisters into the crowd. Protesters quickly scattered throughout the streets in downtown.
By 9:30 p.m., looters set fire to a 7-Eleven store near downtown.
In O’Fallon, Missouri, the police chief and another officer walked arm-in-arm with demonstrators in a protest that was organized by a member of the class of 2020. It started at 7 p.m. at Fort Zumwalt West High School.
The police department held a prayer with students before beginning their march.
The police chief then led the crowd while walking with about 400 students and their families. Four officers joined the students in their march, including the high school's school resource officer and a patrol lieutenant.
Students told 5 On Your Side they wanted to be a voice for their generation. And they said it was crucial that the march be a peaceful protest.
There were several protests across the weekend in Ferguson, the City of St. Louis and St. Louis County.
Sunday night, police fired tear-gas canisters toward a crowd of protesters. Police said agitators threw objects including fireworks at them in Ferguson. Two officers suffered minor injuries and six people were arrested, a spokesperson from the St. Louis County Police Department said.
Protesters remained outside the Ferguson police department on South Florissant Road after the city's 8 p.m. curfew Sunday, and were mostly peaceful until around 9 p.m.
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