PHOENIX — Marchers gathered in downtown Phoenix to memorialize Michael Brown on the sixth anniversary of his death Sunday evening. The march ended with eight people arrested.
Brown was shot by police and killed in Ferguson, Mo., on Aug. 9, 2014.
The people at the rally asked for justice in instances of police brutality and the killing of African Americans by law enforcement.
A protest leader wore a red shirt reading "I can't breathe" which were the last words of George Floyd who was killed by a Minneapolis police officer in May.
"We want you all to stop killing us," he said.
About 40 people set off from 201 Washington Street.
The march ended at police headquarters in Phoenix where protesters pushed down a fence, then police deployed pepper spray and flashbangs, according to the Arizona Republic.
The protest was declared an unlawful assembly at 7:13 p.m. due to "criminal activity," according to a spokesperson with the Phoenix Police Department. Eight people were arrested.
Police say the investigation is ongoing.
The eight people who were arrested were 35-year-old Bruce Franks, 27-year-old William Reed, 29-year-old Khiry Wilson, 22-year-old Jonah Ivy, 27-year-old Richard Villa, 21-year-old Niyen King, 26-year-old Elizabeth Urias and 27-year-old Nikkolas Quinones.
There was an excessive heat warning in effect Sunday. It was 109 degrees in Phoenix at 6 p.m., according to data from the National Weather Service.
Protests erupted in Phoenix in late May and June after the death of George Floyd. Local groups also rallied around Dion Johnson.
Phoenix police later released an edited version of the incident that included bodycam footage.