'I'm not out here for Facebook. That's not why I'm doing this'

AURORA – James Jennings said he had been standing outside on Farnsworth Avenue for an estimated three or four hours.

Sweat beaded on the 37-year-old Aurora-native's forehead, as he held a white sign above his head that read "Black Power" and "End police brutality" with a black panther image in the middle.

Jennings stood in the right lane not far from Premium Outlet Boulevard as traffic drove southbound. Passersby in cars honked while dozens of people held their fists in the air. A Caucasian male pulled off to the side of the road, and walked over with a fresh bottle of water. Four presumably empty bottles lay at Jennings' feet.

"I'm not out here for Facebook. That's not why I'm doing this," Jennings said around 4 p.m. on May 31.

Protests and demonstrations around the country have erupted in response to the death of George Floyd, an African-American man who died while in Minneapolis Police custody.

Jennings, who wore a black facial mask, said this was the first time he had done a peaceful demonstration in this manner.

"I just so happened to see the video of George Floyd," Jennings said. "They [Minneapolis Police] killed that man on-camera. I can't do this anymore. I have to do something. Even if this doesn't help, I have to do something."

Jennings said he got tired of "sitting back and not doing anything."

"And, it keeps happening," Jennings said.

Facing the potential danger of standing in oncoming traffic, Jennings said he was not fearful.

"I'm Black; and I live in America," Jennings said as tears welled in his eyes. "No, I'm not fearful. What else can happen to me?"

When asked if he agreed with other forms of demonstrations – such as ones with looting and more forceful messages – Jennings said those demonstrators are "doing [it] the way they think they need to do it."

"There was Malcolm X and Martin Luther King," Jennings said. "I don't condone what they're doing, but I understand it. Everybody is mad. We're pissed off; we're tired. And, the only way for me to get attention is to stand in this street."

"That's what they're doing," Jennings continued. "Take away the violence from it. Stop looking at the violence...they want to be heard. My message is different over there on a curb than it is in the street."

Aurora Police Chief Kristen Ziman posted on Facebook Monday morning after what began as peaceful demonstrations during the day, turned violent in downtown Aurora in the late evening.

"I started my day assembling with good people who wanted to be heard," Ziman wrote. "The majority who came to our police department to say they’ve had enough were hurting — and they were kind and good. And, they marched in our streets peacefully to City Hall."

"A group walked to the Outlet Mall but it was fortified with police," the post continues. "So, they went to our downtown and tried to burn it down. They smashed windows of businesses and stole whatever they could from hard-working people who were gearing up to reopen. They set our squad cars on fire, set buildings on fire, and threw bricks at our cops. Our squads have bullet holes. Did your actions today help unite mankind and move closer to the peace we are all fighting to achieve?"

Dozens of demonstrators were visibly seen looting businesses, including Happy Daze, a vape shop, and Aurora Jewelry along North Broadway as the evening progressed. A police cruiser was also set ablaze in a parking lot off of New York Street.

Aurora Police spokesperson and media coordinator Paris Lewbel provided further detail on the extent of the damage following the aftermath Monday morning via a Twitter thread, including that 14 people have been arrested.

"In at least two instances, shots were fired at the officers working to contain the crowds. Three squad cars were also set on fire and completely destroyed," Lewbel tweeted.