ST. LOUIS — They first huddled in the cold outside St. Louis City Hall.
"Off the sidewalk and into the streets! Off the sidewalk and into the streets," the Reverend Darryl Gray shouted as he led demonstrators into the streets near Tucker and Market downtown.
Several dozen people of all races then quickly marched a few feet and blocked the streets.
The crowd of mostly adults, college students and a few city aldermen and alderwomen chanted familiar phrases like "Black lives matter" and "Say his name: George Floyd," as they made a circle at the intersection.
They went there two hours after a jury convicted former Minnesota police officer Derek Chauvin on three charges in the death of 46-year-old George Floyd in May of 2020.
"It's not a celebration, but it's a continuation because we continue to fight every day against injustice," said the Reverend Darryl Gray.
Gray said a guilty verdict against Chauvin surprised him.
"I was surprised because we haven't seen it in this country. We've seen the complete opposite. There's been nothing to make us think any differently," Gray said.
"It definitely feels like a glimmer of hope that change is possible, but I'm not celebrating," said demonstrator Ishmaiah Moore.
Now, after a Chauvin conviction, the fiery demonstrators insist their movement won't end until they see an end to police brutality and racial injustice.
"If you really look at it, there was no other way that this trial could come out. The video of that officer's knee on George Floyd's neck for more than nine minutes, spoke for itself," said Gray.
"I think what happened today is a step in the right direction. However, we still need to come together. There have to be improved efforts to have better police-community relations in St. Louis and in this country," said Michael McMillan, the President of the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis.