Protests against police brutality roll through Tennessee as calls for action grow

Protests against police brutality continued across Tennessee on Monday and Tuesday, as leaders called for unity and demonstrators demanded action instead of words.

Activists took to streets and civic spaces in Nashville, Memphis, Knoxville, Chattanooga, Murfreesboro, Clarksville, Jackson and beyond. They were met with police, the National Guard and state troopers.

Confrontations in Tennessee were tense but largely peaceful Monday. The groups in each city were diverse and sometimes disagreed over the right approach, but their mission was a common thread.

The demonstrators continued to demand concrete changes to policing in response to the death of George Floyd, a black man who died last week in Minneapolis after a white officer knelt on his neck for more than eight minutes.

Floyd's death spurred a wave of outrage and condemnation. Protests swept through cities across the country, sometimes marked by police in riot gear firing tear gas and rubber bullets as individuals set fires and damaged buildings.

In Nashville on Saturday, a peaceful afternoon march was overshadowed by destruction later in the evening, when some in the crowd broke windows and set fires in city hall. Police wearing masks and carrying shields deployed tear gas and arrested dozens.

Gov. Bill Lee authorized curfews in several Tennessee cities this week to curb the unrest.

Early in the week, there were signs of common ground and enduring anger across the state.

In Nashville on Monday, hundreds gathered for a vigil at the Capitol as state lawmakers returned to session. The crowd sang, prayed and chanted together before moving their group to the steps of the Capitol, singing "This Little Light of Mine."

They were confronted by lines of National Guard members holding their shields high. Then, after a protester asked them to put their shields down, they did.

Trey Gibson, 20, who attended the Saturday and Monday protests in Nashville, said Monday's gathering was about healing.

Although the crowd cheered when members of the National Guard put down their shields, Gibson had a different reaction. 

"I feel like it's symbolic," he said. "It looks good, but I'm not buying it. I need to see something concrete."

City leaders in Nashville called for an end to nightly curfews on Tuesday and demanded more robust support for the city's black residents.

A pair of protests in Memphis on Monday night appeared to end without confrontation with law enforcement, unlike previous nights. Divisions among some local activists appeared to be on the mend when two groups reconciled early in the evening.

A group of marchers urged support for more black-owned businesses while outside the Greater Memphis Chamber offices, criticized Memphis Light, Gas and Water for power cuts and encouraged voting for representative leadership.

At least 200 protesters kneeled, sang, cheered and marched together through downtown Knoxville on Monday afternoon, blocking traffic but dispersing peacefully.

Murfreesboro protesters gathered Monday to speak out against arrests made during a weekend demonstration. Protesters shouted at officers, expressing anger and frustration.

Deputies began conversations with many demonstrators, although some of the protesters remained skeptical.

Chattanooga saw a tense but largely peaceful demonstration Monday evening. According to a report from the Chattanooga Times Free Press, a line of demonstrators insulted and mocked officers before the crowd dispersed overnight.

Reporters from The Tennessean, The Daily News Journal, The Commercial Appeal and the Knoxville News Sentinel contributed.