Demonstrators marched peacefully to the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday night, protesting the death of George Floyd in Minnesota and demanding that laws be changed to prevent more like it.
Along their route from near the White House, there were troops in fatigues and officers from federal agencies keeping watch on the crowd.
Barricades were put up around the Capitol, and the Capitol Police stood guard behind them.
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“We came here because they make laws here and we want the laws to change,” said Mohammed Wagdy, 26, of Prince George’s County.
Wednesday night’s D.C. curfew ended at 6 a.m. Thursday, with no reports of any arrests.
As the District’s 11 p.m. curfew went into effect, groups of protesters that had been marching throughout the District converged once again in the area of Lafayette Square near the White House, where they protested earlier Wednesday. Some of them sang Bill Withers’ “Lean on Me” to cap a sixth day of protests, WTOP’s Alejandro Alvarez reported.
Night has fallen in DC and the massive crowd gathered at I and 16th streets have turned away from the lines of federal and military police in riot gear to raise their phones, lights on, and sing Bill Withers’ Lean On Me. pic.twitter.com/BGeWqgKZbf
— Alejandro Alvarez (@aletweetsnews) June 4, 2020
Protesters chant ‘I can’t breathe’ on Pennsylvania Avenue
Around 8 p.m., groups of peaceful protesters that had been marching throughout D.C. gathered again in Lafayette Park, where earlier law enforcement forced them back half a block.
They had been protesting at different locations in D.C., during a sweltering day with temperatures reaching 92 degrees.
Protesters laid down on Pennsylvania Avenue near the Wilson building chanting “I can’t breathe” for about 8 minutes.
Protesters on their backs chanting “I can’t breathe” for 8 minutes near the Wilson building on Pennsylvania Ave for George Floyd #dcprotest #dcprotests pic.twitter.com/ezP3TDw61h
— Ken Duffy (@KenDuffyNews) June 3, 2020
Those were the words that Floyd could be heard saying in a video that showed a police officer with his knee on Floyd’s neck while he was being taken into custody.
Before that, the protesters had come from the U.S. Capitol, where the names of those who died during police encounters over the years were read aloud. Demonstrators could be seen kneeling on the West Lawn.
Protesters kneel outside the Capitol Building #dcprotest #dcprotests pic.twitter.com/QTojSckGH7
— Ken Duffy (@KenDuffyNews) June 3, 2020
They also stopped in front of the Trump International Hotel.
Several hundred protesters marching and arriving at Trump International Hotel #dcprotest #dcprotests pic.twitter.com/X8fvEaq8Mv
— Ken Duffy (@KenDuffyNews) June 3, 2020
A vigil had been planned at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Lafayette Square, where President Donald Trump had his picture taken Monday after protesters were cleared of the area.
However, Wednesday’s vigil was moved to the intersection of 16th and I streets because the church was blocked off by federal officers.
A line of law enforcement officers pushed away the protesters from the intersection about half a block north between H and I streets, WTOP’s Ken Duffy reported.
They keep boosting their numbers. The episcopal diocese of Washington is holding a vigil here at 16th and I with around a hundred people. They’re sure bringing in a lot of extra boots to watch over an event led by clergy. pic.twitter.com/w0sHRmUgmp
— Alejandro Alvarez (@aletweetsnews) June 3, 2020
The Episcopal Diocese of Washington organized the event after Trump was widely criticized for posing for photos in front of the church after protesters were forcibly cleared from the area.
“In faithfulness to our savior who lived a life of nonviolence and sacrificial love, we align ourselves with those seeking justice for the death of George Floyd and countless others through the sacred act of peaceful protest,” Washington Bishop Mariann Budde said in a news release announcing the vigil.
Across the river in Fairfax County, Virginia, hundreds gathered in Herndon’s Town Greene Park and marched through the town, NBC Washington reported. Watch a video of the protest in Vienna below.
Hogan: Maryland National Guard members guarding monuments
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said members of the state’s National Guard are in D.C. only to patrol monuments.
Hogan said Wednesday that Defense Secretary Mark Esper called him directly to request guard members, because he did not want to use active duty military during protests in the nation’s capital.
Hogan emphasized that Maryland’s guard members had nothing to do with the dispersal of protesters near the White House on Monday.
Maryland’s guard members went to D.C. on Tuesday, and Hogan said they’re on a specific mission to “spread out, standing at monuments.”
Troops flown to DC in national response
Though nationwide gatherings continued, calls to charge the other three former Minneapolis police officers who were at the scene of Floyd’s death were addressed. Prosecutors also elevated charges against Derek Chauvin, the officer accused of kneeling on Floyd’s neck.
Ahead of Wednesday’s protests, over 1,000 Army troops were flown to the D.C. region. The Pentagon made the announcement less than a day after the president threatened to deploy the U.S. military to American cities if local governments didn’t crack down on violent demonstrations.
Esper announced Wednesday afternoon the troops were unnecessary and would begin to leave, but went back on that announcement later in the day after a visit to the White House.
The decision to keep the troops in the area came after Bowser said in a briefing Wednesday that she is looking into the legality of measures taken by the federal government during the protests.
Bowser said the use of a low-flying helicopter to scatter protesters and federal officers blocking city streets are points of contention.
“We think that the federal purposes are being stretched, and there has to be a determination of what federal purposes are being served, and that’s what we will continue to examine legally and push back on,” Bowser said.
WTOP’s Alejandro Alvarez, Ken Dufy and Matt Small contributed to this report.
