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Thousands of demonstrators protesting the death of George Floyd remained on New York City streets on Tuesday evening, blatantly defying the 8pm curfew put in place after the city was rocked by looting, violence and vandalism last night.  

As officials braced for a fifth night of chaos, Mayor Bill de Blasio doubled down on a citywide curfew, moving it up from 11pm the night before, but rejected urging from President Trump and an offer from Governor Cuomo to bring in the National Guard.

Shortly after the curfew took effect, the mayor issued a call on the radio for everyone to go home 'so we can keep people safe,' but he was ignored by many around the city who continued marching throughout the city's streets. 

In some areas, police let people continue on their way, while making arrests in others.    

Protests over the death of George Floyd had continued across the city this afternoon, with large gatherings forming in Foley Square near City Hall, Times Square, Washington Square Park and Carl Schurz Park.   

Demonstrators marched peacefully, with some staging a sit-in near Carl Schurz Park on the Upper East Side. 

As night fell however, many remained on the streets and began vandalizing and looting businesses and retail stores once again. 

A video uploaded on Twitter showed police tackling a group of looters to the ground as they emerged from a Zara store near Fulton St, before placing them in handcuffs. 

Merchants were also seen boarding up storefronts in a bid to protect their businesses from looters who have targeted high-end designer stores on Manhattan's iconic Fifth Ave, as well as the Macy's flagship store. 

People are seen inside a broken shop window during a protest against the death in Minneapolis police custody of George Floyd, in the Manhattan borough of New York City, U.S., June 2, 2020. REUTERS/Jeenah Moon

NYPD officers face demonstrators after curfew during a protest against the death in Minneapolis police custody of George Floyd, in New York City, U.S., June 2, 2020. REUTERS/Brendan Mcdermid

A demonstrator is detained by a police officer after curfew during a protest against the death in Minneapolis police custody of George Floyd, in the Manhattan borough of New York City, U.S., June 2, 2020. REUTERS/Brendan Mcdermid

NYPD officers face demonstrators after curfew during a protest against the death in Minneapolis police custody of George Floyd, in New York City, U.S., June 2, 2020. REUTERS/Brendan Mcdermid

Thousands of people took to the streets of NYC for a fifth night on Tuesday peacefully protesting the death of George Floyd 

A number of demonstrations were scheduled for Tuesday afternoon as Mayor Bill de Blasio was forced to bring curfew forward from 11pm to 8pm after last night's carnage 

A woman holds up a Black Lives Matter sign during fifth night of George Floyd protests in NYC on Tuesday 

Protesters chanting 'hands up, don?t shoot!' march down Flatbush Avenue, one of Brooklyn's major streets, towards the Manhattan Bridge

Protesters take a knee as a sign of unity and chant during a solidarity march for George Floyd in Times Square

The daytime protests comes as the NYPD announced all non-essential traffic will be banned across Manhattan south of 96th Street starting at 8pm tonight 

Protesters chant during a solidarity march for George Floyd in Times Square Tuesday

Protesters take a knee outside of the police station in Times Square in New York City on Tuesday

While some protesters to continued marching peacefully, officers soon ordered people to move along, and began taking people into custody. 

Demonstrators who had been on the West Side Highway in lower Manhattan were herded off, with parts of the roadway blocked off behind them.

The NYPD  had announced all non-essential traffic will be banned across Manhattan south of 96th Street starting at 8pm tonight as it geared up for another night of carnage.

The NYPD has now also told cops to cancel any time off. The message to staff dated Tuesday reads: 'Effective immediately, all full duty uniformed members of the service RDO's are cancelled.' 

New York courts had also warned their workers to stay at home because of the protest. 

'The entire area around the courthouse complex will be shut down,' District Executive Edward Friedland wrote in the email, obtained by The New York Post.

'At the direction of the Chief Judge [Colleen McMahon], no SDNY staff are to come to the Foley Square courthouses tomorrow.'

One protest was scheduled to be held at 1 Police Plaza, the headquarters of the New York City Police Department, but organizers changed its location in order to not interfere with protesters in custody being released at the station, according to Patch. 

Further demonstrations in the city were planned at the Stonewall Inn and 47th Street and Broadway, in Manhattan, 98 Fifth Ave in Brooklyn, and Fort Totten and Far Rockaway-Mott Avenue Station in Queens. 

NBC reporter Phil McCausland posted to Twitter that thousands gathered in Foley Square Tuesday afternoon before they began a march north through the city.  

Before they started out, protesters took a knee, raised a fist and chanted the names of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor while helicopters circled overhead. 

As they walked north, they were saluted by medical workers holding signs that read, 'Nurses fought COVID. Now we'll fight the police.' 

Workers putting up plywood to protect businesses from further looting also showed their support banging on wood and holding 'Black Lives Matter' signs. 

In Times Square, thousands of protesters took a knee while holding their fists up in solidarity. 

Other protests unfolded at Carl Schurz Park in the Upper East Side, as well as Washington Square Park where organizers planned to march uptown towards the mayor's residence Gracie Mansion. 

Footage shared on social media Tuesday evening showed thousands marching peacefully, a stark contrast to Monday night's protests. 

At Carl Schurz Park, photos showed demonstrators staging a sit-in and sitting on the road in silence. 

Police officers stand guard in Lower Manhattan as protesters march through the city 

Thousands took a knee as they gathered in Foley Square in Lower Manhattan in a peaceful protest that comes after four nights of chaos 

A group of people marched up Broadway on Tuesday holding up a George Floyd banner, eight days after his death 

As of early Tuesday evening, the city protests unfolded peacefully - a stark contrast to Monday night's riots 

Protesters spilled onto the streets of Manhattan ahead of the city's 8pm curfew tonight

Protests broke out in Washington Square Park where organizers planned to march uptown towards the mayor's residence Gracie Mansion

At Carl Schurz Park in the Upper East Side, photos showed demonstrators staging a sit-in and sitting on the road in silence

Hundreds of NYPD officers were seen lining the streets of Lower Manhattan as they watched protesters march on. 

Earlier on Tuesday, Mayor Bill de Blasio was forced to bring the curfew forward from 11pm until 8pm after another night of violence and crime that saw looters pillage Fifth Avenue, Union Square, Madison Square, Flatiron and parts of Soho.

Upmarket fashion store Michael Kors on Fifth Avenue was among the luxury outlets hit, along with Nike and Lego. 

Since the rioting began in New York City, more than 700 people have been arrested, according to NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea on Tuesday morning. 

The citywide curfew from 8pm until 5am is in place until Sunday.

Six people were injured last night including a police officer who was run over in the Bronx and there were a dozen shootings but none were involving police. 

President Trump on Tuesday called on Governor Cuomo to take tougher action and send in the National Guard, saying the city had been lost to 'lowlife scum' and 'thugs'.

The decision to send in the Guard rests with Cuomo and de Blasio but both are refusing to do it, saying the NYPD is better equipped to handle the situation even though they have lost control to crowds in the last 48 hours.

On Tuesday, Cuomo said neither the NYPD nor the Mayor did their job last night but he believes the situation will improve if the cops are deployed 'properly'.

'The NYPD and the mayor did not do their job last night,' Cuomo said at a briefing in Albany. 'Look at the videos. It was a disgrace.'

He said the mayor was underestimating the problem and the nation's largest police force wasn't deployed in sufficient numbers, though the city had said it doubled the usual police presence.

Unprompted, Cuomo brought up the possibility of using his power as governor to replace the mayor and deploy the National Guard over de Blasio's objections, then immediately shot down the idea as legally impractical and unnecessary.

Police Chief Terence Monahan said he was 'extremely outraged' by the governor's comments, insisting officers are 'giving their blood to keep this city safe.' 

'Our guys are tired, they're bleeding,' Monahan told the New York Post. 

'I think everyone you're going to see is walking around cut up. But they're out there again tonight. 

'I'm watching my men and women out there dealing with stuff that no cop should ever have to deal with, bricks, bottles, rocks,' he added. 'Hit in the face with bottles and continuing to go forward to make an arrest.' 

On Twitter, Trump urged a 7pm curfew and National Guard deployment in his native city.

'The lowlifes and losers are ripping you apart. Act fast!' he wrote.

De Blasio has not said how many extra cops he will put on the streets, if any. On Monday night, the police presence doubled from 4,000 to 8,000.

People who are exempt to the curfew are essential workers - as defined by the COVID-19 lockdown rules - , the homeless and people seeking medical attention.

But de Blasio said the New York Police Department was 'best equipped' to handle the lawbreaking, arguing that bringing in the National Guard risked fueling worse conflict in a city on edge.

'We will regret it if we bring outside armed forces,' he said. 'When you bring in people not trained for the circumstance but still with loaded weapons and put under horrible stress, really bad things happen.' 

The looters targeted stores all over Manhattan, ransacking several retailers in each location, before police arrived. These are just some of the known locations they targeted 

Workers survey the damage inside Camera and Computers on 34th Street after the looting on Monday night 

Camera and Computers on 34th Street was looted last night after crowds seized on Macy's in Herald Square and other stores in the iconic shopping district 

Cartier and Versace had all been entirely boarded up on Tuesday morning. Stores further down Fifth Avenue were ransacked 

Ubers and Lyfts are considered essential as are yellow taxis and restaurants can still deliver food to homes if they choose to stay open. 

In the meantime, stores that were not targeted on Monday night have been boarding up their windows and doors in anticipation of more carnage. 

The unrest comes just days before New York City's long-awaited planned reopening after spending three months in strict lockdown to battle coronavirus. 

In the week since, distress has erupted across America as Black Lives Matters protesters fend off violent responses from police forces trying to disperse them and looters and rioters cash in on the chaos.