TYLER, Texas — For a third straight day, protesters will gathered at the Square in downtown Tyler to make the voices known against police brutality against African Americans.
At its peak, there were roughly 200 protesters downtown. However, the crowd has since started to thin to about 20. There are no reports of violence or any major traffic issues.
The protesters are holding signs on the corner of Broadway Avenue and Erwin Street.
At 6:30 p.m., the crowd was about 20-people strong, though it is growing. Most of the early crowd was white. A black protester soon joined the group, thanking them for being out there.
There is a police presence on the scene. The protesters say they have talked to police to help keep the protesters safe. Organizers say the event is meant to be peaceful, and police will help deescalate any threat of violence.
Police have also blocked areas where the protesters will march.
"My hope is that we can come together to be on the same page, just to emphasize how imperative it is to stand in solidarity, to be united because we can't make any type of change if we are divided," organizer Kierra Green said. "I want to initiate a peaceful protest."
By 7 p.m., the crowd had swelled to more than 100 and eventually reached around 200. The crowd was diverse in both race and age. CBS19 says there were several people who had not been at the previous protests. Some of the protesters had even brought dogs.
The protesters marched single-file from the square along Broadway towards The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. The protesters held signs and chanted "Black Lives Matter!" "No Justice, No Peace!" and "I can't breathe! Get your knee off my neck!" a reference to the last moments of George Floyd's life.
Several vehicles passed by the protesters, honking their support for the cause. Each time a vehicle honked, cheers erupted from the protest.
After briefly standing in front of the church, the crowd began their march north along Broadway to return to the square. As they marched, some of the protesters thanked the officers who had blocked off the road to protect the protesters.
At about 7:30 p.m., Green addressed the large crowd telling them about the importance of voting. There is a voting registration table set out at the square.
While addressing the crowd, Green urged protesters not to do anything that may take away from the point of the demonstration.
At about 8:30, after roughly 90 minutes, the crowd began to thin out as people returned home. However, there are still between 50-75 protesters downtown. Still the reduced number continued to march along Broadway while organizers helped people register to vote.
The crowd, which still numbered at about 75, marched back up Broadway once again at 10 p.m.
After returning to the Square, several protesters laid face-down on the ground with their hands behind their back chanting, "I can't breathe!"
Others stood around, continuing to hold signs up. All of the protesters remained on the side of the road and did not block traffic.
By 10:30, the crowd decreased to just about 20 people. The protesters left the Square by midnight.
Mayor Martin Heines appeared at the scene during the protest. He told CBS19 he was pleased with how the protesters and police handled themselves.
As many as 200 people protested at the Square between Saturday and Sunday in the wake of George Floyd's death in Minneapolis. There was no violence on either day. For a short period of time, protesters blocked traffic on Broadway Avenue. They left the road on their own without incident.
As protests continued across the country, the results of an independent autopsy of George Floyd was released Monday. According to the autopsy, Floyd died of homicide of asphyxia from sustained forceful pressure to the back and neck. The autopsy contradicted the original autopsy that ruled out asphyxiation.