In Photos: Nashville’s ‘I Will Breathe’ Rally, From Daytime Unity To Nighttime Chaos

Demonstrators begin to arrive at War Memorial Plaza for Nashville’s ‘I Will Breathe’ rally on Saturday, May 30.

A woman enters the rally, holding a #BlackLivesMatter sign.

As speeches get started at the rally, a woman holds a “Black Lives Matter” sign toward the Tennessee State Capitol.

Rep. Harold Love, D-Nashville, addresses the growing crowd.

War Memorial Plaza continues to fill with several thousand protestors.

Nashville Mayor John Cooper approaches the podium to the sound of applause.

Sen. Brenda Gilmore, D-Nashville, lists for the crowd the names of black people killed by police officers across the country and nearby, including Nashville’s Jocques Clemmons.

Two signs in the sea of thousands show George Floyd, who was killed by a white police officer earlier this week in Minneapolis, and the phrase “let me breathe,” referring to his dying words caught on now-viral videos.

A field of signs mention Black Lives Matter and a widely used quote from Nobel Peace Prize award-winner Desmond Tutu.

One demonstrator gets the crowd so fired up that he is later asked to come up and speak at the podium.

A sign alludes to George Floyd having an officer’s knee leaned against his neck for several minutes — minutes that ended up being his last.

As demonstrators start leaving the plaza for the march portion, they take the few steps up to see that behind the podium blocking the view, the capitol across the street has filled with fellow attendees.

Marchers begin heading down Dr. M.L.K. Jr. Boulevard, toward the Broadway tourism district.

With a backdrop of honky tonks behind them, the marchers carry on toward Bridgestone Arena.

Demonstrators hold up their homemade signs as they continue on Broadway.

A man holds up an American flag that’s been spray painted with the phrase “I can’t breathe.”

In a matter of seconds outside the Music City Center, two men spray painted “Do you hear us now?” and the anarchy symbol often associated with antifa, short for anti-fascist.

A Nashville police officer tries to make a tight u-turn in a patrol car as demonstrators pass with hands in the air, chanting a popular rally cry, “Hands up, don’t shoot!”

The windshield of a squad car outside of the Central Precinct is smashed after police got into a scuffle with protestors after an officer pulled a man down by his ankles from atop the car and several people jumped on top of the officer to free the man.

One of the attendees leans against the railing outside of the precinct as he chats with one of the officers.

After the physical altercation over the squad car, several officers return in body armor vests and with batons, or riot gear.

Officers on horseback blow their whistles at nearby demonstrators, as they ride them into the portion of the crowd closest to the building. Many yell at them for “almost trampling people.”

One of the marchers stands, fist raised in front of a banner that reads, “Black Lives Matter. Not 1 More.”

Marchers head back down Broadway — this time, eventually to City Hall.

Isabela Horner (center) is one of about a half dozen people who were pepper sprayed during a scuffle that broke out on the steps. Through streaming tears, she said, “I don’t mind. It’s for a good cause.”

A man holds a sign with the common chant “No justice. No peace.” outside of the court house.

A woman gives an impassioned speech to officers, pleading with them to put a stop to police brutality by speaking up when they see the warning signs in fellows officers. “I know you’re not all bad,” she tells them. You may not be racist. But, you know at least one racist cop.”

Facing a line of officers in riot gear, a woman holds a sign that reads, “We will not be silent.”

A woman collapses to the ground coughing and crying after tear gas is deployed to disperse the crowd.

Clouds of tear gas rise in the now-almost-empty lawn in front of the court house.

After a crowd returned to the back of the court house lawn and some knocked over the lamp posts and graffitied the stairwells, the remaining people took to the streets.

People block the intersection of 2nd Avenue North and Union Street, continuing to chant into the night.