National Guard in Nashville put down riot shields

More than 60 National Guard troops put down their riot shields Monday evening at the request of peaceful protesters who had gathered in front of Tennessee's state Capitol in Nashville to honour George Floyd.

Guardsman had initially rushed to grab their shields and form a hard line to block the slowly moving crowd - which was singing and chanting - from advancing up the Capitol steps. As the National Guard began moving, Tennessee State Police grabbed batons and formed a line behind them. However, the crowd remained calm.

Democratic legislators leaving the Capitol asked to be able to move past the line of guards to join the crowd. As the crowd continued to sing and call for justice for Black Americans, slowly the shields began to drop. The state troopers declined to drop their batons, but backed farther away from the crowd.