Protesters in California, New York and Washington DC have confronted and stopped looters from ransacking stores during protests demanding justice for the killing of black man George Floyd on Sunday.
As protests emerge in hundreds of cities across the country, many have been marred with looting and violence. But on Sunday, some protesters confronted looters in a bid to stop the store raids and focus on police brutality instead.
On Sunday at noon several hundred people peacefully marched down Ocean Boulevard in Santa Monica but after a couple hours some people were seen looting the popular beachside shopping center.
Shocking video footage and photographs emerged of people leaving stores with their faces covered and arms filled with goods like shoes and clothes, and loading boxes into cars.
Protesters in California, New York and Washington DC have confronted and stopped looters from ransacking stores during protests demanding justice for the killing of black man George Floyd on Sunday. A woman carrying an ‘End the violence’ poster picture blocking a looter from breaking into an REI store in Los Angeles
The two peaceful protesters carried posters that said ‘We protest, not loot’ and successfully spoke with and blocked two looters from breaking into an REI store on Third Street Promenade
In Los Angeles on Sunday as hundreds gathered for peaceful protests, raids unfolded nearby where stores were broken into, their glass windows shattered, and merchandise stolen
Looters pictured smashing the windows of a Nike store in Santa Monica and running off with goods on Sunday
Looters pictured running out of stores with arms filled with racks of clothing during Sunday’s raids amid George Floyd protests
On Sunday as some people broke into stores including an REI shop on Third Street Promenade, two demonstrators intervened to stop them while holding signs saying end the violence and stop the looting.
A woman wearing a face mask and carrying a protest poster stepped in front of the glass entrance to the store as a man was smashing the glass with a hammer.
Even after he pushed her away she returned to stand her ground in front of the store. Her peer, a man in a purple sweater, then talked to the man trying to break into the store, and successfully convinced him to leave the shop alone.
‘We’re here for the protests but when we see people looting, it defeats the cause. So we decided we would come here and when we see anything happen – any violence or anything that shouldn’t happen – we’ll try our best to stop it. REI doesn’t need to be broken into,’ the female protester said according to Fox11.
The male protester said that one of the looters threatened to pull a gun on him. But the protester said he carried and pressed the looter to back off raiding the store. When he saw that the protester was filming their conversation, he left.
In Washington DC a rioter who was damaging a public sidewalk was stopped by protesters who carried him over to the hands of police.
In Brooklyn on Saturday evening protesters spread their arms and blocked the entrance to a Target from looters who were rallying to break in
Protesters pictured making a human chain with their arms to block looters from raiding a Target across Barclay Center in Brooklyn
These female demonstrators block with a stake the crowd who wants to storm the Target store after leaving the Barclay Center in Brooklyn on Saturday. The NYPD confirmed at least 345 arrests were made Saturday and 33 cops injured all over the City
One protester claimed that undercover cops were the people trying to instigate the break in of the Target store and said, ‘We are simply doing a peaceful protest’
Video footage shows a white rioter breaking up the sidewalk with a hammer, but he was carried away by a man and lifted into the air by three other protesters.
The group then pushed the resisting man into the arms of cops to be arrested.
‘Take his a**’ protesters are heard saying as they shoved him towards officers.
In Brooklyn, New York protesters were seen shielding the front door of Target on Dekalb Avenue, even as some demonstrators called to break into the store and loot it.
‘F**k no! F**k no! Back off! Stop!’ protesters are heard screaming.
At least a dozen organizers are seen making a human chain with their arms spread to protect the store and prevent people from breaking in.
‘Violence isn’t the reason!’ one person is heard yelling.
‘The reason why I held people back from target is because the individuals who wanted to break into the target in the first place are undercover detectives by the NYPD…and I was right there in the front line saying that we are simply doing a peaceful protest,’ one organizer said to Forbes reporter Andrew Solender.
On Sunday at noon several hundred people peacefully marched down Ocean Boulevard in Santa Monica but after a couple hours some people were seen looting the popular beachside shopping center
Singer Machine Gun Kelly pictured at the Black Lives Matter protest in Santa Monica on Sunday
A young girl carrying a sign joins protesters as they march along Ocean Boulevard during a Black Lives Matter protest in Santa Monica, California on Sunday
An ‘I Can’t Breathe’ poster echoing black man George Floyd’s last words before he died as a white cop’s knee was pressed to his neck on Monday in Minneapolis, Minnesota, pictured above
Protestors confront police while marching through Santa Monica on Sunday
Women driving by in a convertible raise their fists in support as a Black Lives Matter protest marches past along Ocean Boulevard on Sunday
The protest was one of hundreds unfolding across the country this weekend to decry the horrifying death of George Floyd, a black man who was killed while in the custody of Minneapolis, Minnesota, police officers on Memorial Day.
At Sunday’s protest in Santa Monica, much of the raids unfolded on Montana Avenue. Some vehicles were seen with out-of-state license plates or covered plates.
By late afternoon police started to deploy tear gas and called in the National Guard to disperse the crowd.
Officers were seen firing nonlethal rounds and smoke bombs into the crowd.
In some areas outrage ensued and a car was set on fire, prompting people to take selfie with the smoldering vehicle and rising smoke.
The frantic protests and raids led Los Angeles city officials to impose a curfew from 4pm Sunday through 5.30am Monday and the 10 Freeway was shut down near its western edge in an effort to end the protests.