BUFFALO, N.Y. — Buffalo Police officers took a knee, and protesters peacefully went home when the 8 p.m. curfew struck Wednesday at City Hall.
A group of 80 people had gathered downtown at Niagara Square, where people had gathered every day since Saturday following last week's death of George Floyd.
The 46-year-old black man died after Derek Chauvin, a white Minneapolis police officer, pressed his knee to Floyd's neck for almost nine minutes.
Earlier Wednesday, faith-based leaders and community activists held a rally at the same spot, calling for specific and immediate changes with police reform. That rally was organized by Voice Buffalo, a community activism group.
The evening rally was much quieter in nature, and it concluded after a Buffalo Police detective told the crowd that if the group agreed to leave at 8 p.m., no action would be taken against them.
The detective also told the crowd that police still on site would take a knee at 7:55 p.m. in a moment of solidarity.
The events at City Hall started around 3 p.m. and featured a diverse mix of people who used chalk, would would be easily washed away.