Protests Set To Continue In Charlotte Following Floyd Death

CHARLOTTE, NC — For the fourth night in a row, protesters returned to the streets of Uptown Charlotte Monday night to denounce the death of Minnesotan George Floyd killed by police during an arrest attempt last week.

Floyd, 46, died Monday after being stopped by Minneapolis police investigating a reported forgery. Video from the scene showed former police officer Derek Chauvin kneeling on a handcuffed Floyd's neck as Floyd cried out, saying he couldn't breathe.

Floyd's death has sparked days of protesting and street violence in every major city in the country, including several in North Carolina.

Tuesday, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg branch of the NAACP and Kidz Fed Up will hold a peaceful protest set to begin at 4:45 p.m. at the Charlotte Government Center, located at 600 East 4th Street in Charlotte.

Monday night, an estimated 1,000 protesters convened in Charlotte's Freedom Park in Dilworth for a justice walk, WSOC reported. As the crowd marched through Dilworth and Myers Park, families emerged from their homes and stood on the sidewalk holding signs with messages of solidarity.

Following the march, which Charlotte police called a "lawful protest," about 200 protesters continued to march throughout Uptown.

"Protesters chanted 'hands up, don't shoot' and 'no justice, no peace,'" the Charlotte Observer wrote. Police officers fired pepper pellets to disperse the crowd, it said.

SEE ALSO: Charlotte Police Arrest 25, Recover 4 Firearms During Protests

"Officers have made one arrest as they continue attempts to de-esculate rising tension," CMPD said. Shortly afterwards, tensions began to flare, according to CMPD, leading officers to issue an order that protesters disperse at Church Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

"Protesters have begun to throw rocks and firecrackers," CMPD said around midnight. "Officers have deployed riot control agents to disperse crowds after refusal to disperse."

The scene contrasted that which unfolded in the city one night before, when CMPD arrested 25 protesters, and recovered four firearms.

Police response to a protest in Fayetteville Monday evening also drew attention following a video showing dozens of police officers stretched in a line across a highway in what appeared to be a standoff with protesters.

The line of officers dropped to their knees.

"As a show of understanding the pain that is in our community and our nation regarding equality, the [Fayetteville Police Department] took a knee to show that we also stand for justice for everyone. We are committed to listening and treating everyone with dignity and respect," Fayetteville Police Department said Monday.

Fayetteville resident Mimamo Monika said she watched the moment on a live stream as it was happening.

"[T]he protesters first got mad when asked to step back," Monika said on Facebook. "But once the officers knelt down it was on... men and women alike started crying and then cautiously came toward the police officers to shake their hands."