Curfew Ends In Atlanta, Protests Continue For 9th Day In GA

ATLANTA, GA — Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms ended the city's curfew Saturday as protests over George Floyd's death continued for a ninth day statewide. The planned 8 p.m. curfew was lifted after no arrests were reported Friday in Georgia’s largest city.

The city had been under a nightly curfew since May 29, when a downtown protest dissolved into window-smashing, arson and looting of stories.

More than 20 protests were scheduled Saturday across the Atlanta metro area, including in Cobb, Forsyth, Fayette and Gwinnett counties, AJC.com reported. Cumming, Marietta, Athens and Duluth were the sites of protests, plus the King Center and Atlanta police headquarters.

Bottoms says she will monitor the situation before deciding whether to reimpose a curfew on Sunday night, the Associated Press reported.

Protesters marked eight minutes and 46 seconds of silence in Freedom Park to denote the amount of time a Minneapolis police officer had his knee on Floyd’s neck before his death.

“I need you to look at this like you lost a father, an uncle, or a brother, because the truth is, you did,” organizer Sergio Tuberquia said, AJC.com reported.

Journalist Je' Wesley chronicled Saturday's march with videos along the route.

On Thursday, Bottoms walked with protesters on the streets and told them they matter to her. The mayor this week that she would establish a commission to look at the city’s use of force policies.

U.S. Senate candidate and Ebenezer Baptist Church senior pastor the Rev. Raphael Warnock said the focus is on police brutality, but also reminded the crowd of America's long racial history, systemic racism and multifaceted issues, such as the industrial prison complex.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.