Volunteers pitch in to keep clean the site where George Floyd was killed

The curfew in Minneapolis, Minnesota, went into effect Monday from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m.

But at the intersection of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue — where George Floyd took his last breaths — demonstrators gathered and stayed out all night in peaceful protest.

About 20 minutes after the curfew went into effect, a large crowd assembled at the intersection in a circle, surrounded by bouquets of flowers and chalk messages.

Later in the night, protesters stood behind a barrier intended to block advances from law enforcement and raised their fists into the air.

And as the end of the curfew neared, some demonstrators lay on the ground, resting their heads on makeshift pillows made of backpacks.

“We’re not just asking no more,” one protester chanted through a megaphone around 3:45 a.m. “But we are demanding. And we want it, and we want it now.”

The intersection has turned into a memorial

Since Floyd’s killing, the place where the 46-year-old man lived his final moments has become a communal space for gathering and reflection.

In the early morning, after the curfew lifted, volunteers were out on the streets picking up trash and sweeping the area around the memorial, video captured by CNN affiliate WCCO showed.

Others handed out water bottles to members of the community.

“We’re Minnesota nice,” one woman told WCCO. “We care about everybody.”

Another volunteer referred to the site as a sacred place, telling the station that she felt it was important to keep the space clean for reflection and mourning. “This is where we reflect,” she told WCCO.

“This is where we come to recognize what has happened over and over again, and we find a way to stop it.”

Earlier on Monday, crowds gathered at the memorial as Terrence Floyd, George Floyd’s brother, visited the site to pray and speak to demonstrators.