Protesters gathered in Charlotte for a third straight night on Thursday, as National Guard troops patrolled the streets and the city underwent a midnight curfew in hopes of heading off the violence that occurred after a black man have been shot fatally by police.

Large crowds swept chanting through the streets, at one point surging onto Interstate 277 before police drove them back with tear gas.
Police shouted, eventually restoring the free flow of traffic on the busy thoroughfare “Move back! Move back!”.

While Wednesday’s protests saw hotel windows smashed and demonstrators pushed back by tear gas and riot police, Thursday night’s demonstrations had ben unfurled without major incident.

In some cases, citizens positioned themselves as buffers between the angriest demonstrators and the police. One man shouted as he stood, raised above the cheering crowd, “All we need is to let people know, stop killing God’s people,”.

Mayor Jennifer Roberts signed a midnight curfew order early in the evening, but as the deadline came and went, protesters showed few signs of dispersing.

At least 100 people continued to make their way through the streets, and police suggested the curfew would be enforced only if there were trouble.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg police Capt. Mike Campagna said,“We hope things remain peaceful,”.By 12:30 PM police made no curfew-related arrests.

The night was not entirely without incident. Two officers were “sprayed with a chemical agent by demonstrators” and receiving medical attention, the Police Department said on Twitter without providing more details.

By Prakriti Neogi