"There must be changes, the officers must be better trained," a protester arrested in Atlanta to CNN's Nick Valencia said while in police custody.
Lack of change and police reform are just a few of the reasons why people are enraged.
"This protest isn't just about George Floyd, and when people watch these protesters - this rebellion going on across the country - I hope they have empathy because these people are going home. We are going home we blacks go home, browns go home and drink dirty water, go to poor schools, don't have access to quality care and so it boils over, "said CNN political commentator , Bakari Sellers.
Minneapolis
Leslie Redmond, President of Minneapolis NAACP"I can't tell you how many governors I have sat down with, how many mayors we have met. And we have warned them that if you continue to murder black people, the city will burn. We stopped the city from burning at several times, and we are not responsible for the fire now. "
Payton Bowdry, 22"We must advocate for justice, real justice must happen," Bowdry told CNN.
Bowdry said that things getting violent were not part of the plan.
"The riots were not part of the protests," he said. "The looting and the riots were not in the name of George Floyd."
Alicia Smith, a community organizer"There are no words in English that will express the desperation I felt when I saw the life of this man leave his body and cry out for his mother," Smith told CNN. "I heard my son say," Mom, save me. ""
"My children are little boys and my son asked me:" Am I going to live to be an adult? "", She told CNN. "I have to ruin his innocence and tell him how to exist as a young black boy in this country."
Shanene Herbert, community organizer"They (the young people) have suffered a trauma," she told CNN. "Seeing your friends, families and even yourself being harassed by the police and killed by the police is traumatic. And they don't know what to do with it."
Charlotte
Kass Ottley, a community activist Greg Jackson, the founder of Heal Charlotte"You have to remember that they are not angry with a situation," Jackson told the WCCB. "It's a systematic change that has to happen."
Atlanta
"I literally cannot breathe, I cannot think, because I know at all times that my life, or the life of my brother or my friends is in danger just because of the color of their skin", a she said.
New York
Gwen Carr, mother of Eric GarnerDenver
Max Bailey, 22"If you can tell me something better to do for me - if you can tell me how we could change the world without trying to make noise like that, then I'll get off the street. If you can show me the way, I'm going to get out of the street, "he said. "I won't be in front of any car anymore if there is an easy way."
Kansas City
Randy Fikki, protester"Your ignorance is not proof of your innocence," he said. "The fact that you remain ignorant, you are no different from the individual who had the knee on this gentleman's neck."
Anna Maria Kretzer, mother of a 10 year old boy"I need to have a chat with him to make sure he doesn't become one of those cops who kills a black man or a black woman," she told the WDAF. "I have to make sure that this cycle doesn't continue for him."
Portland, Oregon
Chelsea Peterson, protester
"I protested this evening to show my solidarity with my black brothers and sisters who are openly murdered in the streets by the people who are supposed to protect them. I protested for all the black women who die disproportionately during the childbirth versus their white counterparts. I protested for the black men who are disproportionately arrested and convicted compared to their white counterparts. And I protested for the black children who were shot over the bags of bowling.
"I protested because black life is important and because it's not enough to share a message or use a hashtag, and because silence is complicity. It was important to me as a white person to come forward because it is our responsibility to dismantle the oppressive systems that we have created. "
Oakland, California
Mackenzie Slagle, protester"I participated because it is time for this police brutality to end. I do not agree to enter all the businesses, but I can understand the indignation after repeated incidents. We demonstrated peacefully against all these ... it wasn't until Minneapolis got violent, they finally arrested a police officer. It's really a story that there are measures taken against police violence. I don't couldn't sit still and watch it happen again. I hope this time - our nation can see the severity of this climate.
"I am a white woman, and I had to introduce myself to all my brothers and sisters. I had to show that it didn't suit me. He could be my friend. I had to be there and show that I wanted to change."
Charlotte, North Carolina
Craig Maxwell, protester"I spoke to several of my black friends the last day or two and heard what they are going through. A lot of introspection and acknowledging that I am not putting my money where my mouth is sufficient. Basically I was there because they were there, if that makes sense.
"I couldn't go on waiting for something more immediate in my life to get me out. It can't be about me; otherwise, it won't work. I needed to strengthen my advocacy. I have shown myself more than I could do tonight and this has helped me connect to the goal I should be protesting for. As uncomfortable as I may have been, not everyone can not get away from the situation just because it is uncomfortable ... Until you are there looking someone in the eye, you are not connecting with them as fully as you should. "
