A day after thousands of people flooded D.C. demanding justice for the death of George Floyd, protesters are vowing to keep up the pressure.
Newly named Black Lives Matter Plaza near the White House was full of peaceful protesters Sunday evening.
Leaders at St. John's Church had been holding services online due to COVID-19, but events of the past week motivated pastors to step outside Sunday. They held morning prayers for peace and justice.
Graffiti scrawled on the outside showed the building had not escaped unscathed from the anger in the wake of the death of George Floyd. A fire was set in the basement of the historic church last week.
“The message today is justice, unity, healing for this land,” Ordinary Rev. Paula Clark said.
Local
Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia local news, events and information
“It’s very inspiring and I love the persistence and resilience of this church," attendee Cathie Siders said.
Earlier in the day, hundreds of people laid down on the pavement to protest police brutality.
Federal law enforcement officers and National Guard members who had been out in force for a week have largely withdrawn and have been replaced by D.C. police, who blocked off adjacent roads to give demonstrators space.
The jingles of ice cream trucks mixed with protest chants. Protesters posed with the new sign the city painted in big yellow block letters on 16th Street that reads “BLACK LIVES MATTER.”
Stay with news4 and NBCWashington.com for updates.
