DENVER — Mayor Michael Hancock called on his city to "stand united" after an hours-long protest into the police death of George Floyd escalated into the use of tear gas and vandalism right outside of the Colorado Capitol building Thursday.
Images from the protests show clouds of tear gas on East Colfax Avenue, marchers virtually stopping traffic on Interstate 25 and vandalism on the outside of the state Capitol.
“The men and women of the Denver Police Department are not the enemy. For the last three months as we have weathered the storm of this terrible pandemic, they have put their lives at great risk protecting all of us," a statement from Hancock read. "The road to recovery is before us, and all of us – black, Latino, Asian, white – all of us must recover together. That doesn’t mean we stand silent when injustice occurs – whether in Minneapolis or in Georgia or in our nation’s capital. We do not stand silent. We move, we act, and with respect, we create change – together."
RELATED: Tear gas deployed, windows shattered as crowd marches in Denver protesting death of George Floyd
Denver's protest was one of many across the country regarding a widely shared video on social video showing Floyd -- an African American -- die in police custody.
The organizers of Thursday's protest said they intended for the event to go on for three days. At this point, no information is available about arrests or injuries.
Below are photos and videos of Thursday's protest in Denver.
PHOTOS: George Floyd protest in Denver leads to vandalism, tear gas at Colorado Capitol
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