Photos: Protest At CA Capitol Demands Justice For George Floyd

SACRAMENTO, CA — Protests over the police killing of George Floyd have swept cities across California, including Sacramento, where hundreds of people gathered Monday at the State Capitol building and at Cesar Chavez Plaza.

Scroll through the 11 photos above to see scenes from the peaceful protest, where demonstrators were met by hundreds of California Highway Patrol officers in riot gear, according to photographer Al Francis.

The peaceful protest began at the Capitol building, which the CHP surrounded in force, before marching through downtown Sacramento to the plaza, where more than 1,000 people gathered, KCRA reported.

Demonstrators, holding signs reading "Black lives matter," "No Justice No Peace" and "I can't breathe" protested the deaths of black people at the hands of police, including Floyd, who died May 25 after a Minneapolis police officer kneeled on his neck for more than eight minutes while Floyd, 46, begged for air.

At 7:45 p.m., organizers asked the crowd to leave the park due to the city's 8 p.m. curfew, as city police blocked nearby onramps to Interstate 5 to prevent protesters from marching on the highway, Francis said.

While the demonstration largely ended by 9:30 p.m., police arrested 50 people, including 48 for curfew violations, Capital Public Radio reported. Still, Monday's event was more peaceful than previous protests over the last two days, which were followed by some vandalism and looting.