A trail of damage marked the path where protesters marched in downtown Chicago Saturday evening, leaving behind broken windows, graffiti and the damaged remains of some of the city's most popular shops.
Debris and shattered glass lined Michigan Avenue after thousands marched in the city to decry the death of George Floyd, a handcuffed black man who died after a Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee into his neck for several minutes.
Nearly every storefront on the popular strip saw some form of damage. Among them were Zara, Nike, CVS, Walgreens and Neiman Marcus, along with the Macy's storefront on State Street.
Scenes From Chicago Saturday Protests Following the Death of George Floyd
Flames were seen shooting out of Chicago Sports & Novelty- one of multiple fires set in the city Saturday night.
Several police cars were damaged, including at least one set on fire, as a curfew was implemented beginning at 9 p.m. and continuing until 6 a.m. Sunday.
The city's mayor applauded protesters who remained peaceful but condemned those who "came armed for all-out battle."
"To be clear, I've marched in a few protests in my day, but neither I nor anyone that I was with saw the need to bring weapons in order to lift up our voice and express our First Amendment rights," Lightfoot said.
Lightfoot condemned Floyd's death during a Saturday night news conference and defended the idea of demonstrating to honor him. But she added that a peaceful protest has “devolved into criminal conduct” and police will be aggressive with arrests for anyone caught damaging property.
Feeling out of the loop? We'll catch you up on the Chicago news you need to know. Sign up for the weekly Chicago Catch-Up newsletter.
“When you or anyone else behaves in this way, we all lose by giving the very same forces of oppression we are fighting against the false validation that they crave,” the mayor said.
The crowd of thousands converged on Chicago's Loop for Saturday's protest march. The demonstration began at 2 p.m. and protesters began marching north about 90 minutes later.
As a result of the protests Saturday evening, Lake Shore Drive was shut down at around 5:30 p.m., according to the Chicago Office of Emergency Management and Communication.
CTA suspended bus and train service on multiple lines as protests continued to escalate around 7:30 p.m.
Brown, who was out on the streets with city officers Saturday, said that while Floyd "did not deserve the treatment he received," those destroying property "are not representing the Floyd family in the right way."
"We will be taking you into custody when you destroy property...when you burn cars, when you break out windows," he said, noting that police officers would be actively enforcing the new curfew.
Brown said dozens of officers were injured in clashes with protesters Saturday.
The demonstration came after Chicago officials, following overnight incidents with protesters that resulted in more than 100 arrests, asked that additional protests remain peaceful. Demonstrations are expected throughout the weekend over Floyd's death.
The violence in Chicago and many other cities was sparked by anger over over Floyd’s death in Minneapolis on Monday, which was captured on cellphone video. It led to the firing Tuesday of the four police officers who were arresting Floyd for suspicion of passing a counterfeit bill and to third-degree murder and manslaughter charges being filed Friday against the officer who used his knee to pin Floyd down for more than eight minutes, even as Floyd pleaded for air and went limp.
