Kelly Choos 
BOSTON (AP) — A Sunday afternoon of mostly peaceful protests in Boston erupted as night fell when protesters clashed with officers, throwing rocks, breaking into several stores and setting fires to a police vehicle.
Thousands of protesters, mostly wearing face masks, marched peacefully through Boston in several demonstrations during the day, lending their voices to national anger over the death of George Floyd, a black man who died Monday after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee to his neck. as he asked for air.
The largest protest of several thousand people began Sunday evening in the historically black neighborhood of Roxbury. Protesters carrying “Black Lives Matter” signs and chanting “The united people will never be defeated” slowly made their way several miles to the Massachusetts State House. The diverse and peaceful crowd was flanked by police on bicycles.
But as the march ended around 9 p.m., protesters clashed with police in downtown Boston. The rear window of a police car was smashed by a skateboarder. Police also tweeted that their officers were pelted with bricks, rocks and glass bottles.
As of 3 a.m. Monday, seven police officers had been hospitalized, 21 police cruisers were damaged and around 40 people were arrested, the department tweeted, calling the situation active.
Protesters stole items from several stores, including a Walgreens and a shoe store, and damaged several other storefronts, including a bank.
A National Guard unit was called in to help quell the violence around 11 p.m.
“Tonight’s protests were motivated by a just desire for equality, justice and accountability in our country. I see you. I hear you. I will use my voice for you,” Boston Mayor Marty Walsh said in a statement.
“I am, however, angered by people who have entered our city and chosen to engage in acts of destruction and violence, undermining their message,” he said. “If we want to achieve change and if we want to lead change, our efforts must be rooted in peace and respect for our community.”
Governor Charlie Baker slammed the violence in a tweet, calling it “criminal and cowardly” and saying it was “distracted from the powerful statement made today by thousands of Massachusetts residents.”
Earlier in the day, hundreds of people, including several families, marched through downtown Boston on Sunday carrying signs reading “Justice for George” and “Silence is treason,” among other things, and chanting “Raise hand, don’t shoot”. Orderly but energetic and at times angry, the crowd filled one side of a city street past City Hall, the State House and the Public Garden.
Some passing motorists honked their horns in support and, in one instance, several bikers spun their motorbikes, prompting cheers from the crowd. The protest then gathered at Boston Common, an iconic park in the heart of Boston, with some kneeling for several minutes in memory of Floyd and raising their fists in the air.
The earlier peaceful nature of the protests stood in stark contrast to the violence that has rocked cities across the country in recent days in response to Floyd’s death.
“They keep killing our people. I’m so sick of it,” said Mahira Louis, 15, who was at the afternoon protest with her mother and led chants of “George Floyd, say his name.” “On the news, every time we say black lives matter, they keep silencing us. Things will change. It’s going to change around here. They’re not going to kill black people for no reason.
Others said Floyd’s murder on top of the coronavirus that has disproportionately hit communities of color and led to job losses has made it imperative that they come out and protest.
“Recent events between COVID, the killing of George Floyd, the injustices that this society is kind of built on are just resurfacing in very undeniable ways,” said Silvian Castaneda, a 62-year-old social worker from Medford who is came to the rally with several family members and friends. “We have to do something.”
Coronavirus safety concerns were also on the minds of protesters, many of whom wore masks but rarely practiced social distancing. They were crammed side by side as they walked, which made several of them a bit anxious.
“It’s not comfortable to be at home, but it’s really uncomfortable to be here too, and to know that you are doing this in the face of the COVID-19 crisis,” said Vivian Lee, 22. , who participated with her sister and parents. “But it requires some discomfort for the change.”
A third protest featured church leaders who gathered outside Boston police headquarters, according to the Boston Globe. After speaking out against police brutality as well as income inequality and lack of coronavirus testing, the crowd observed a moment of silence for 8 minutes and 49 seconds, a reference to the several minutes the officer pressed his knee against Floyd’s neck.
