CHICAGO _ After intense clashes overnight, officials asked protesters in Chicago to remain peaceful as demonstrations are expected to continue throughout the weekend over the death of George Floyd.
Police said there were about 108 arrests, but there was no word of any serious injuries.
Speaking at a service event on the South Side on Saturday morning, Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown and Mayor Lori Lightfoot decried the actions of the officers in Minneapolis.
"I understand and I feel the pain and anguish the killing of George Floyd has evoked all over this country," Lightfoot said.
She referenced the 2014 killing of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald by Chicago Police officer Jason Van Dyke, calling it a "painful period we experienced as a city."
"We have lost too many people to violence in the city. It wasn't just Laquan McDonald," she said.
When asking protesters to stay peaceful, Lightfoot criticized President Donald Trump's response to protests in Minneapolis, saying, "it's not easy when we have a president who is inciting violence."
"Let's be better than him," she said.
Brown said there were about 108 arrests made in connection with the protests Friday and early Saturday.
"Many came to the downtown area in Chicago last night," Brown said. "The protesting early on started peacefully and ended more aggressive and intense."
Asked about whether there was looting downtown where store windows were smashed, Brown said police hadn't yet gone through inventory with store owners to see whether anything was missing. It remains under investigation.
By the time the demonstrators dispersed from Chicago's downtown area early Saturday, windows of several Loop businesses were broken, leaving shards of glass strewn on the streets and sidewalks. Garbage cans and flower pots were also toppled over.
About a dozen squad cars were damaged, and some officers were injured, including one with a broken wrist, Brown said.
Lightfoot also warned city residents that COVID-19 "isn't gone from Chicago" and that they should wear masks while protesting.
By about 4:30 a.m., a truck from a board-up company could be seen outside a State Street Old Navy store, which had its windows damaged. A group of people could also be seen inside a Champs sports apparel store near State and Monroe streets assessing damage from a broken front window there.
A work crew was shoveling broken glass outside Jewelers Row at Madison and Wabash Avenue, where a couple of businesses had their front windows shattered or cracked.
Before 5 a.m., dozens of Chicago police officers were still clearing streets of protesters who continued to linger. By then, numerous squad cars illuminated Michigan Avenue and surrounding downtown streets with their blue lights flashing.
A police spokesman said a few police vehicles had their windows damaged.
Crowds persisted into the overnight hours after a demonstration began late afternoon Friday in Millennium Park, before moving through the Loop, west to the Jane Byrne Interchange and eventually ending on the Near North Side.
That demonstration was peaceful, but chaotic at times. Some protesters tried to evade police barricades that officers set up with their bicycles.
"Multiple marches," are expected in the downtown area this weekend, and motorists are urged to use alternate routes because of the anticipated congestion, according to a statement from the city.
Public transportation should also be considered and the Chicago police will continue to work with rally organizers "to provide the safest routes for marches and to ensure the protests remain peaceful."
Parking will be restricted from Chicago Avenue to Ida B. Wells Drive and Lake Shore Drive to Wells Street. Any vehicles relocated as a result of parking restrictions can be retrieved without charge at a lot located at 1802 S. Lake Shore Drive, the statement said.
Floyd, who was black, died Monday after Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin, who is white, was captured on video pinning Floyd down by his neck.
The video footage went viral on social media, sparking national outrage that resulted in protests, rioting and looting in several cities. Minneapolis and St. Paul have seen fires set by protesters and major property damage this week.
A civil rights investigation was launched after the video surfaced and Chauvin and three other officers were fired. On Friday, authorities announced that Chauvin had been charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter.
In the video, Floyd is lying face down on the street and handcuffed, while Chauvin pressed his knee into his neck. And then, Floyd is heard on the video repeating, "I can't breathe."
