EL PASO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 03rd June, 2020) More than 200 protesters gathered in the west Texas town of El Paso Tuesday night to condemn racism and police brutality in light of George Floyd's death.
The event was organized by a Latino activist group known as the Brown Berets Del Chuco, which aims to seek justice for minority groups.
"We want to say rest in peace to George Floyd and his family, our condolences," a member of the group told protesters.
Protesters held signs or wore clothing with the words, "I Can't Breathe" or "Black Lives Matter" in honor of Floyd. Several times throughout the demonstration protesters took a knee in honor of Floyd and tried to encourage law enforcement officers to join them but were unsuccessful.
More than a hundred National Guardsmen, US Customs and Border Protection agents, and state and local law enforcement officers in riot gear were present to contain the demonstration.
A helicopter with the Department of Homeland Security hovered over the demonstration throughout the night and flooded the group's chants at certain times.
Although the demonstration ended peacefully and there was no clash between authorities and protesters, it did get emotional and tensions rose toward the end of the night.
Several protesters talked about their personal experiences with police brutality while others praised the local law enforcement agencies.
Demonstrations also occurred in the Texas cities of San Antonio and Houston, where Floyd's family lead a march of more than 60,000 people.
Floyd's body will be transported to Houston early next week for his funeral and burial.
On May 25, Floyd died in Minneapolis police custody after being arrested. A video of the arrest posted online shows a white police officer pressing on Floyd's neck for nearly eight minutes while he was laying on his stomach handcuffed and saying he can not breathe. The incident sparked nationwide protests against police brutality and racism, but many turned into riots.
