Hundreds of people gathered outside the White House to protest the death of George Floyd.

Dee Dwyer / DCist

This story was updated at 11:03 p.m.

Hundreds of demonstrators moved through D.C. Friday night, marching, chanting, holding a vigil, and, at one point, blocking highway traffic. They join a nationwide outpouring of rage and grief over the death of George Floyd, a black man who died after a Minneapolis police officer was captured on video pressing a knee on his neck until he became unresponsive.

The demonstrators, many of them wearing masks and standing apart from each other, initially gathered at 14th Street NW and U Street before marching toward the White House. They held signs with statements like “Justice 4 George Floyd” and “Police Brutality Must Stop!” They chanted “No justice, no peace!” and “I can’t breathe!”

In front of the White House, protesters clashed with law enforcement officials, who attempted to clear the area and maintain a barrier. At least two people have been arrested.

Earlier, the White House was on lockdown, the AP reported. NBC News White House Correspondent Peter Alexander tweeted at the time that he and eleven other reporters remained inside the West Wing. He has since reported the lockdown is over.

Hundreds of people gathered outside the White House to protest the death of George Floyd. Dee Dwyer / DCist
Hundreds of people gathered outside the White House to protest the death of George Floyd. Dee Dwyer / DCist
Hundreds of people gathered outside the White House to protest the death of George Floyd. Dee Dwyer / DCist
Hundreds of people marched to the White House to protest the death of George Floyd. Dee Dwyer / DCist
Hundreds of people marched to the White House to protest the death of George Floyd. Dee Dwyer / DCist
Hundreds of people marched to the White House to protest the death of George Floyd. Dee Dwyer / DCist
Hundreds of people marched to the White House to protest the death of George Floyd. Dee Dwyer / DCist

At 8 p.m., the crowd seemed to be dispersing with demonstrators still chanting. People were then seen streaming out in front of the Trump International Hotel.

Some protesters surrounded two D.C. police cars. The confrontation did not escalate, and some of the march’s leaders continued to move people along.

Protesters marched to the east side of the Capitol building, where they held a vigil for Floyd using their cell phones as lights. Some moved toward Eastern Market.

Some protesters then moved in the direction of Interstate 395/695 and blocked traffic while walking in the middle of the highway.

The police officer who pinned Floyd’s neck to the ground, Derek Chauvin, was arrested and charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter earlier on Friday.

In Minneapolis and other cities across the country, protesters gathered to express outrage over Floyd’s death.

One sign featured the name of Ahmaud Arbery, a young African American man killed in February by armed white residents in Georgia while he was out for a run.

The D.C. gathering was publicized on Twitter by Our Revolution D.C., which also called for protesters to join a second demonstration tomorrow, in front of the Department of Justice. The demonstration comes as the District begins its first phase of reopening.

One speaker, captured on a video posted to Twitter, said “for far too long have we just slapped Band-Aids on issues.”

“When we fail to reform things, when we fail to reform police, when we fail to reform economic institutions, this is the result,” the man said. “We die every day for this country.”

The Metropolitan Police Department sent out an alert about the protest activity, recommending that motorists use alternative routes.

D.C.’s National Guard sent a message to its troops in the evening, informing them that they should be ready for deployment within three hours notice at any point before midnight, essentially putting them on standby.

Additional protests are scheduled for Saturday.

This story was updated with additional information from the protest.

Filed Under: protest, U street,