Undeterred by curfews, protestors in the United States streamed back into the nation's streets today, hours after President Donald Trump pressed governors to put down the violence set off by George Floyd's death and demanded that New York call up the National Guard to stop the “lowlifes and losers”.

But most protests passed peacefully, and while there were scattered reports of looting in New York City, the country appeared calmer by late Tuesday (US time) than it did a day earlier, when violence swept through multiple cities.

The president, meanwhile, amplified his hard-line calls from yesterday, when he threatened to send in the military to restore order if governors didn’t do it.

“NYC, CALL UP THE NATIONAL GUARD,” he tweeted. “The lowlifes and losers are ripping you apart. Act fast!”

One day after a crackdown on peaceful protestors near the White House, thousands of demonstrators massed a block away from the presidential mansion, facing law enforcement personnel standing behind a black chain-link fence. The fence was put up overnight to block access to Lafayette Park, just across the street from the White House.

“Last night pushed me way over the edge,” said Jessica DeMaio, 40, of Washington, who attended a Floyd protest today for the first time. “Being here is better than being at home feeling helpless."

The crowd remained in place after the city’s 7 pm curfew passed, defying warnings that the response from law enforcement could be even more forceful. But the protest lacked the tension of the previous nights’ demonstrations. The crowd today was peaceful, even polite. At one point, the crowd booed when a protestor climbed a light post and took down a street sign. A chant went up: “Peaceful protest!”

Yesterday, law enforcement officers on foot and horseback aggressively drove protestors away from Lafayette Park, clearing the way for President Donald Trump to do a photo op at nearby St John’s Church. Today, pastors at the church prayed with demonstrators and handed out water bottles.

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