As looting continues in Philadelphia following rioting and violence Saturday night, peaceful protesters were caught on camera debating tactics in Center City.
Protesters, including former Philadelphia Eagles player Malcolm Jenkins, gathered outside City Hall Sunday afternoon as part of a nationwide response to the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Floyd, who pleaded for breath as a police officer knelt for nearly nine minutes on his neck despite the man being handcuffed, died on the ground. His death has sparked nationwide protests, both peaceful and violent, over police brutality and racial inequities in the U.S.
During Sunday’s protest at City Hall, video captured two protesters who called for people to “take it further.” In a tense exchange, other protesters responded by saying “this is not your protest” and “you’re not from Philly.”
The protest continued as the situation deescalated. Later, two people claiming to be the two protesters in the video reached out to NBC10, insisting they were not advocating violence and that the disagreement was about marching.
"We were speaking to those who are sick and tired of this madness to be part of making an actual revolution to get humanity free of this system," they said. "And in the immediate sense, 'take this further' meant marching, which the organizers of the rally did not want to do. We are 'outside agitators' if by that you mean we care about people worldwide.'
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The incident shed light on claims from some city leaders and activists in other areas of unrest that outside agitators were infiltrating groups of protesters and helping to incite violence.
In Philadelphia, violent looting, rioting and clashes with police officers occurred in Center City Saturday night after two peaceful protests at City Hall and the art museum. More looting continued in Kensington, Port Richmond and West Philadelphia on Sunday.
Mayor Jim Kenney claimed that many of the rioters who were arrested were from outside Philadelphia, calling them "anarchists," and "right wingers" all the while praising the restraint shown by the city’s police department.
A citywide closure went into effect at 6 p.m. Sunday and businesses were closed as a result.
In the aftermath of the overnight destruction, residents gathered in Center City to help clean up blocks and stores that had been damaged by looters.
