Eliza Relman/Business Insider
- Thousands of protesters marched through Washington, DC, on Saturday. They demanded justice in the wake of George Floyd's killing in police custody on March 25, and the death of Breonna Taylor,who was killed on March 13 after police raided her apartment and shot her to death.
- Similar demonstrations have broken out in dozens of cities across the country amid nearly two weeks of nationwide civil unrest.
- Protesters told Insider they were there to show support for the black community and denounce police brutality.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
Washingtonians fanned out across the nation's capital to protest on Saturday, taking over landmarks like the Lincoln Memorial and surrounding the White House as police blocked most of the major roads leading into downtown.
Demonstrations have broken out in dozens of cities across the country in the wake of the death of George Floyd, who was killed after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes. The deaths of Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old emergency room technician who was killed by Louisville police after they raided her apartment during a raid and shot her several times.
As hundreds of marchers streamed toward the Capitol, helpers handed out water bottles as the temperature climbed towards 90 degrees. As the sun bore down, dozens of protesters stood on the steps of a Senate office building named for the Georgia segregationist Richard Russell, holding signs aloft that declared that "Black Lives Matter" and demanding justice — now.
Sharon Goolsby, her daughter Shala Goolsby, and Shala's teenage daughter Laila stood on the steps of the Russell Senate Office Building, representing three generations of their family whose history or protest stretched back to the Civil Rights Era.
"I protested in the '60s when I was ten," said Sharon Goolsby, who wanted her granddaughter, Laila, to have the same experience. "Social justice is in our blood."
"I think it's just important to come out here and protest," Laila told Insider. "I just don't want to be scared to go outside because of the color of my skin."
A few feet away, thousands of masked protesters marched down Constitution Avenue in the direction of the National Mall.
Here's how the protests unfolded in Washington, DC, throughout Saturday:
Protesters marched peacefully down the newly renamed Black Lives Matter plaza in front of the White House, chanting slogans like, "No justice, no peace," "Black Lives Matter," and, "Whose streets? Our streets."
Kayla Epstein/Business InsiderProtesters told Insider they wanted to show allyship with the black community. "I think we need to stop being silent — we're here to use our voice," said 23-year-old Melanie Herrera.
Eliza Relman/Business InsiderDemonstrators said they wanted to see extensive police reform in the wake of Floyd's death — some advocated for defunding police departments.
Eliza Relman/Business InsiderSee the rest of the story at Business Insider
See Also:
- Fox News apologized for airing a graphic 'without full context' that shows markets rising after black men, including George Floyd, were killed
- Black Lives Matter and the ACLU are suing the Trump administration for forcing peaceful protesters out of his way with tear gas before his church photo op
- Protesters say the nation's capital 'feels like it's turning into a military state' as National Guard and unidentified troops patrol the streets at Trump's command
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