Wednesday marks the ninth day of protests around the country over racial injustice, police brutality and the killing of George Floyd, a black man who was pinned to the ground by a white police officer who refused to remove his knee from Floyd’s neck as Floyd said he could not breathe.

In Minneapolis, Floyd’s son and his family’s attorney visited the site where former officer Derek Chauvin subdued Floyd for more than eight minutes as three other Minneapolis officers failed to intervene.

Floyd’s death was ruled a homicide. On Wednesday, the charges against Chauvin were upgrade to second-degree murder and three other officers involved in the case now face charges of aiding and abetting.

Curfews continued in major cities Wednesday night including Washington D.C., Los Angeles and New York City. Previously, law enforcement across the United States have used tear gas, pepper spray and physical force on demonstrators, many of whom have been peaceful. 

The Associated Press has calculated at least 9,300 arrests in protests around the country since the killing of George Floyd.

Here’s a look at city-by-city protests on Wednesday night: 

Minneapolis

George Floyd’s son knelt and prayed at the spot where his father was killed, making his first public appearance Wednesday morning.

Quincy Mason Floyd, 27, was trembling when he first saw the spot on Chicago Avenue where his father, George, died May 25 while handcuffed and in police custody.

“I appreciate everyone showing support and love,” Quincy Mason Floyd said.

“We absolutely believe that he was tortured in the last 8 minutes and 46 seconds of his life,” attorney Ben Crump said of Floyd.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz made an appearance at the intersection earlier Wednesday. Peaceful groups gathered to honor Floyd and place flowers on memorials.

– Mark Emmert

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Washington, DC

Early Wednesday, heavily armored police with shields formed lines on the streets near the White House, blocking them off to traffic.

Videos and photos on social media showed a peaceful group gathering around the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday morning.

A curfew would be in effect starting at 11 p.m. Wednesday, Mayor Muriel Bowser said. The prior two nights, a 7 p.m. curfew had been in effect.

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Tuesday protests in D.C. remained largely peaceful, though CNN reporter Alexander Marquardt tweeted video of police pepper spraying demonstrators who remained near the White House into early Wednesday. Marquardt and his cameraman were also pepper sprayed.

Chicago

The city began returning to normal on Wednesday, with drawbridges lowering and restaurants reopening downtown.

Authorities had effectively isolated downtown from the rest of the city by raising the bridges, and posting police and national guardsmen at checkpoints, but those had been removed as of Wednesday morning.

Although there were scattered reports of looting across the city, things appear to have calmed significantly, especially as light rain fell as the day dawned. 

– Trevor Hughes

New York City

As protests continued in New York City on Wednesday, officials were hopeful that an earlier curfew and refined police tactics will bring the city closer to restoring order after days of unrest.

A curfew, barring people from streets citywide and nonessential vehicles from part of Manhattan from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m., has been imposed to prevent the nighttime chaos that followed peaceful protests for several days in a row.

Hundreds of protesters were in Manhattan’s Washington Square Park when it was announced Wednesday that three other Minneapolis police officers would be charged in connection to Floyd’s death.

“It’s not enough,” protester Jonathan Roldan said, contending all four officers should’ve been charged from the start. “Right now, we’re still marching because it’s not enough that they got arrested. There needs to be systematic change.”

Portland

The police chief in Portland, Oregon issued a plea Wednesday to the city’s residents to help its leaders stop the violence that has engulfed the city for five consecutive nights.

Chief Jami Resch said at a news conference that a peaceful march and rally Tuesday that attracted more than 10,000 people was marred when several hundred people broke off late and confronted police officers guarding a building that holds police headquarters and a sheriff’s detention center. 

Louisville, Kentucky

Demonstrations have popped up around the city once again Wednesday evening, the seventh night since the protests began downtown last Thursday.

Around 200 people at a busy intersection at 7 p.m., with cars honking at them as they passed. Someone delivered pizzas and smoothies to the crowd and another man offered the protesters masks.

The group chanted the name of Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old EMT who was killed by  officers in her own home, and laid out its demands, including an end to no-knock warrants and more transparent investigations into officers accused of wrongdoing. 

– Lucas Aulbach, Ben Tobin and Emma Austin, Louisville Courier Journal

Milwaukee

A march organized by young people at the Islamic Society of Milwaukee Wednesday afternoon drew a diverse and intergenerational crowd to call for justice for victims of police violence. 

“Our religion tells us that if one part of your body’s in pain then the whole body’s in pain,” said organizer Sumaya Abdi, 19. “So if our black brothers and sisters are in pain, we’re in pain too.”

The crowd met some resistance along the way, including one person who yelled from a lawn chair, “Because of you we have curfew.” But most spectators were supportive, passing out water, raising fists in the air and honking horns. 

Over 300 people attended the march, which started and ended at the ISM center on 13th and Layton streets, running from 2-4 p.m. Elsewhere in the city, protests drew hundreds as well.

– Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Detroit

Protests in Detroit over police brutality and the killing of Floyd have started for a sixth consecutive night. 

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan has placed a curfew on the city from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m., indefinitely. Hundreds of people have been arrested since the protests started, many of whom live outside Detroit, city officials have said.

With temperatures in climbing over 80 degrees again, some thought Wednesday’s protest might see a decline in numbers. But several in the crowd who have been there multiple days said the crowd is as large or larger than other days. 

Detroit Police Chief James Craig said at a Wednesday news conference 127 people were arrested after curfew the night before.

– David Jesse, Mark Kurlyandchik, Darcie Moran, Branden Hunter, Adrienne Roberts, M.L. Elrick and Cary Junior II, Detroit Free Press

Los Angeles

Los Angeles County has ordered another overnight curfew, but it will be shorter than previous nights. The curfew will begin at 9 p.m. Wednesday and end at 5 a.m. Thursday. Previous curfews ran from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.

An aerial photo from a local news station showed protesters gathering again Wednesday afternoon.

Cincinnati

A protest outside City Hall Wednesday took a scary turn and brought to mind images from Charlottesville in 2017 when a car drove through a group of protesters.

No one was hurt this time, and police do not believe the car that drove through protesters Wednesday did so intentionally.

In a tweet, the Cincinnati Police Department said the driver of a black BMW sedan drove toward protesters on Plum and 9th streets near City Hall. The department “does not believe this incident to be an intentional act,” the tweet says.

–  Chris Mayhew, Madeline Mitchell and Scott Wartman, Cincinnati Enquirer

Indianapolis

Demonstrators gathered downtown for the sixth consecutive day Wednesday to protest recent police-involved killings of black people, including Dreasjon Reed in Indianapolis.

Protesters listed several demands for the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department : Review of use of force policies, identification of the officer who shot Reed, charging that officer, telling the truth about Reed shooting, and getting body cameras.

– Matthew VanTryon, Indianapolis Star

Casper, Wyoming

At least 300 people protested in the streets of Casper Wednesday afternoon, silently marching at the request of George Floyd’s uncle, organizers told the crowd and the Casper Star-Tribune reported.

The group marched through streets with raised fists, carrying signs decrying police brutality. They broke their silence only at the end of the march with a round of applause and several impromptu speakers.

The crowd  chanted “I can’t breathe” and “black lives matter.”

– Elinor Aspegren

Anderson, South Carolina

Protesters gathered in downtown Anderson Wednesday afternoon as streets were blocked off for a protest.

A crowd of about 350 chanted, “Say his name. George Floyd. Say his name. George Floyd.”

Anderson Police Chief Jim Stewart spoke to the people with a megaphone.

“For what law enforcement did, I apologize,” he said as some in the crowd cheered in reply. “It was uncalled for.”

– Nikie Mayo, Kirk Brown and Mike Ellis, Anderson Independent Mail

Contributing: The Associated Press

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