Resist

Scenes From Washington, D.C.’s Largest George Floyd Protest Yet

More than 5,000 protesters gathered in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, making for the capital’s largest protest over the death of George Floyd yet. They had company; more than 1,000 Army troops flew into the D.C. area earlier that day. And yet, things were relatively peaceful. Closely watched by the National Guard and cops in riot gear, the crowd marched from the White House to the Capitol Building, pausing only to lie down on the streets for eight minutes and 46 seconds—the amount of time the white former police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck. Miraculously, zero were arrested, down from 289 just two days earlier. Mayor Muriel Bowser even lifted the city’s curfew on Thursday morning—reportedly, to President Donald Trump’s displeasure. (Crews have already installed concrete barriers and even more fences surrounding the vicinity of the White House to keep the protesters back.) For the D.C.-based filmmaker and photographer Nate Palmer, documenting the protests has been an “empowering experience.” “We’re at a pivotal point in our country’s history, but still far from where we need to be,” he says. “There is a newfound awareness about the Black struggle in our country, and while that awareness can be exhausting for us, it’s a good thing overall.” See the photos he took on the ground on Wednesday, here.
by Michael Beckert and Stephanie Eckardt
June 4, 2020 5:36 pm
w_magazine_nate_palmer_1
1 / 15
Salina Dailing, 28, and her daughter Saige Bland, 4, protest in front of the White House in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, June 3, 2020. Photograph by Nate Palmer for W magazine.
A man climbs to the top of a street light pole in front of the White House.
2 / 15
A protester climbs up a street light pole in front of the White House in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, June 3, 2020. Photograph by Nate Palmer for W magazine.
w_magazine_nate_palmer_3
3 / 15
A protester holds up a Black Lives Matter sign in front of the White House in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, June 3, 2020. Photograph by Nate Palmer for W magazine.
Anthony Boyd protests in front of Lafayette Park in Washington, DC.
4 / 15
Anthony Boyd protests in front of Lafayette Park in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, June 3, 2020. Photograph by Nate Palmer for W magazine.
Jihad Basir, 26, protests in front of the White House in Washington, DC.
5 / 15
Jihad Basir, 26, protests in front of the White House in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, June 3, 2020. Photograph by Nate Palmer for W magazine.
A member of the US Military stand in front of Lafayette Park in Washington, DC.
6 / 15
A U.S. military officer stands in front of Lafayette Park in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, June 3, 2020. Photograph by Nate Palmer for W magazine.
w_magazine_nate_palmer_7
7 / 15
Deshawn Kelly, 23, leads a chant while marching from the White House to the Capitol in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, June 3, 2020. Photograph by Nate Palmer for W magazine.
w_magazine_nate_palmer_8
8 / 15
Volunteers hand out snacks and water to protestors as they march from the White House to the Capitol in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, June 3, 2020. Photograph by Nate Palmer for W magazine.
Cops and National Guard at a protest
Nate Palmer
9 / 15
Police officers surveil protestors as they march from the White House to the Capitol in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, June 3, 2020. Photograph by Nate Palmer for W magazine.
w_magazine_nate_palmer_10
10 / 15
A protestor chants while marching from the Capitol to City Hall in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, June 3, 2020. Photograph by Nate Palmer for W magazine.
w_magazine_nate_palmer_11
Photograph by Nate Palmer for W Magazine.
11 / 15
Protestors lay on the ground for 8 minutes and 46 seconds—the amount of time that police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on the neck of George Floyd—in Freedom Plaza in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, June 3, 2020. Photograph by Nate Palmer for W magazine.
w_magazine_nate_palmer_12
12 / 15
A protestor kneels on top of an electrical box while protesting in front of the White House in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, June 3, 2020. Photograph by Nate Palmer for W magazine.
Protestors march from the Capitol to the Wahite House in Washington, DC.
Protestors march from the Capitol to the White House in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, June 3, 2020. Photograph by Nate Palmer for W magazine.
13 / 15
w_magazine_nate_palmer_14
14 / 15
Hakeem Olayinka, 22, in Freedom Plaza during the march from the Capitol to the White House in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, June 3, 2020. Photograph by Nate Palmer for W magazine.
w_magazine_nate_palmer_15
15 / 15
Protestors lay on the ground for 8 minutes and 46 seconds—the amount of time that police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on the neck of George Floyd—in Freedom Plaza in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, June 3, 2020. Photograph by Nate Palmer for W magazine.