PHOENIX - Phoenix police say no arrests were made Wednesday night as hundreds gathered to protest the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis and to call on the city council to defund the police department.
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Wednesday marked the seventh consecutive day of protests in Downtown Phoenix over the death of Floyd, who died on May 25 after former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin held him to the ground by putting his knee on Floyd's neck for several minutes.
Floyd was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.
A memorial service for Floyd is planned for Thursday in Minneapolis.
The incident was captured on video and has sparked unrest and violence across the nation.
On Wednesday, charges against Chauvin were upgraded to second-degree murder, and charges were also filed against the other three officers involved in the incident.
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Protesters demand Phoenix Police defunding; city council adjourns with no action
Phoenix has seen multiple nights of protests over police-involved deaths. Activists say the money can be used to fund community programs. FOX 10's Matt Rodewald and Matt Galka report, in team coverage.
On Wednesday night in Phoenix, demonstrators put up with the intense heat to put pressure on the city to defund the police department.
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The demonstration started before the city council's meeting. Protesters wanted a 25% cut to the Phoenix Police Department and wanted that money to be used for minority programs.
The city council meeting also included a motion to vote on adding $2.5 million in funding to the Office of Accountability and Transparency, a civilian oversight board that the council agreed to create earlier this year.
That vote failed in a 5-4 vote.
A large number of people who called in for public comment supported the protesters outside the meeting and were strongly in favor of redirecting funds from police into public programs.
The council considered the possibility of moving out of the contingency fund but at this time, the oversight board will only see $400,000.
After six hours, the city council left 15 budget items up for consideration, which will be voted on during a special session on June 8.
Protesters outside of the meeting cleared the area before the statewide curfew went into effect at 8 p.m.