JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Protesters gathered in downtown Jacksonville Tuesday for the fourth day of protests against police brutality that resulted in the death of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and others.
At around 6 p.m., people began gathering in front of the Duval County Courthouse as leaders encouraged peaceful protesting.
"I always say if they aren't going to hear us, they are going to feel us. Today we had our presence," said organizer David Sollars.
He anticipated a smaller crowd, but as word of mouth spread, the crowd grew in number.
"Three people turned into 50 and 50 turned into 60. I guess it spread like wildfire and everyone showed up," he told First Coast News.
There was a police presence, both on the ground along the protest route, and on top of buildings. First Coast News saw no arrests.
Sollars, who was part of the Sunday protest, organized Tuesday's gathering after a group of people were pepper-sprayed on the Main Street Bridge.
He wanted to return to show police there can be peace.
"We were protesting peacefully. As soon as mace comes into your eyes, people start panicking and yelling. They don't know what to do at that point and that was the reason that it got chaotic. We came with peace and we were met with violence," he said.
Protesters have been gathering downtown since Saturday. That initial protest started out largely peaceful, but ended with damaged buildings, vandalized Jacksonville police vehicles and many arrests.
Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams said by the end of Saturday, 25 arrests made. Protests continued Sunday and were more peaceful but still ended with 53 arrests.
Live tweets from Tuesday's protest:
PHOTOS: Black Lives Matter protesters gather in downtown Jacksonville
PHOTOS | Protesters gather in Jacksonville, St. Augustine to rally against police brutality
PHOTOS: Police, protesters clash in Downtown Jacksonville in aftermath of George Floyd death
PHOTOS: Protest in Downtown Jacksonville against police brutality
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