SAN DIEGO _ After a morning of chanting through the streets of downtown San Diego on Sunday, hundreds of demonstrators protesting the death of George Floyd marched on Interstate 5, blocking traffic in both directions.
Although the protest was largely peaceful, there were several moments of tension in the afternoon. At one point, several water bottles were thrown at officers, and police fired what sounded like flashbangs soon afterward. At least three people had been arrested. It's unclear what crimes they are suspected of committing.
About 2:45 p.m. local time, a stretch of Broadway was shut down and protestors were told to clear the area. Demonstrators could be heard shouting "Let us walk!" as more flashbangs went off. Officers also fired a volley of rubber bullets or some other less-than-lethal ammunition in an effort to disperse the crowd.
Throughout the demonstration, organizers and attendees urged each other to remain peaceful as they demonstrated their anger at systemic racism and police killings of black people. The protest comes on the heels of another protest in La Mesa on Saturday that turned riotous as night fell.
Sunday's march began around 10 a.m. in front of the Hall of Justice on West Broadway. A half hour later, enough people to fill up a city block were in attendance.
"We have to let the cops know they work for us," Abdur-Rahim Hameed told the crowd. "We have to hold them accountable. There's times when we need them and times when we don't but we damn sure don't need them with their knees on our necks."
Chants remembering the lives of George Floyd, who died in Minneapolis after a police officer there pressed his knee to Floyd's neck for several minutes, and other black victims of violence like Ahmaud Arbery, who was shot and killed while jogging in a South Georgia neighborhood, echoed throughout the crowd.
But there were also moments of silence.
At one point, the group that stretched four city blocks took a knee to remember black people who have died at the hands of the police, including Floyd and Breonna Taylor. Taylor, 26, was killed in March when police forced their way into her Kentucky apartment.
One attendee said the march was more than just an opportunity to remember Floyd _ it was a call for police across the country to change the way they interact with black people. Joshua Williams shared with demonstrators that he grew up fearing the police.
"Seeing all of you here, colors of every different background standing in solidarity, that's what it's all about," Williams said.
San Diego officers were out in force in the area, lining streets and surrounding the downtown police headquarters. Around 12:15 p.m., demonstrators moved around a group of police officers at the E Street on-ramp to I-5 and then onto the freeway.
Several times during the demonstration, protesters knelt in front of police officers who were blocking their path, once while on the freeway under a bridge near the Imperial Avenue off-ramp.
"This is why we're here and what we have the power to do," one woman said, addressing the crowd.
Soon after, the crowd split into two groups, with one continuing to march toward the Coronado bridge. Traffic on the bridge was temporarily closed around 12:45 p.m..
By about 1 p.m., the protesters had moved back onto city streets, with several groups headed in different directions. As protestors made their way back toward the Hall of Justice, attendees could be seen passing out snacks and water.
Tensions started to rise about 2:15 p.m. after a line of police officers attempted to move the crowd away from San Diego's federal courthouse on West Broadway, across the street from the Hall of Justice.
At one point, a white man got into a shoving match with police officers. A woman of color stood in front of him to protect him.
As officers blocked of more streets, protesters could be heard chanting "Let us walk!" After several water bottles were thrown at officers, a number of flashbangs were fired in an effort to get the crowd to disperse.
