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Seattle under evening curfews through Saturday; protests continue for 5th day

SEATTLE — Hundreds of people gathered for the fifth day of protests Tuesday in Seattle. Neighboring cities have also had protests over the death of George Floyd in the last several days.

The Seattle demonstrations started in two separate groups earlier in the day. The first gathering happened around Westlake Park at about 3 p.m.

Many of them then walked up to Cal Anderson Park in the Capitol Hill neighborhood. As that group held speeches, another group with thousands of people gathered outside Seattle’s Emergency Operations Center at Fifth Avenue and Jackson Street.

Mayor Jenny Durkan held a news conference about the protests. But moments before it, she addressed the protesters at the EOC. Both police Chief Carmen Best and fire Chief Harold Scoggins also spoke.

>> WATCH: Mayor Durkan, Chief Best speak with protesters in Seattle

That group then made its way to Capitol Hill.

Later in the evening, Durkan issued an emergency order to implement an evening curfew from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. through Saturday for the city.

During Tuesday’s demonstrations, the Washington State Patrol had to close and reopen I-5 throughout the evening as the protests neared the freeway. The closure was from I-90 to State Route 520.

Tuesday’s protests followed a night of unrest in the city of Seattle. Police used tear gas and flash bangs to disperse a crowd outside the East Police Precinct on Capitol Hill.

But there were moments of solidarity when police took a knee with protesters earlier in the evening. For the most part, the marches remained peaceful.

Earlier Tuesday, there was a protest that focused on art and artists. The crowd demanded justice for George Floyd, and change for local arts organizations.