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Demonstrators gather across from the White House to protest the death of George Floyd, a black man who died in police custody in Minneapolis, Friday, May 29, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) more >

'I can't breathe': White House locked down as crowd protests death of George Floyd

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The White House was on lockdown Friday night as hundreds of demonstrators gathered in adjacent Lafayette Park chanting, “I can’t breathe,” a reference to an alleged case of police brutality in Minnesota.

The Secret Service said its personnel were “assisting other law enforcement agencies during a demonstration in Lafayette Park.”

“In the interest of public safety we encourage all to remain peaceful,” the agency tweeted.

President Trump was in the White House at the time of the demonstration.

The demonstrators were protesting the killing of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, who died after Minneapolis police officers kneeled on him on the street for nearly nine minutes.