--- title: George Floyd's Death: Photos From Brooklyn Protests description: Malike Sidibe, a young photographer in Brooklyn, captured May 29's George Floyd protests for TIME. canonical: https://time.com/5845369/george-floyd-protests-malike-sidibe/ author: Malike Sidibe article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2020-05-30T15:46:37.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-01-22T05:50:43.000Z article:section: Ideas og:title: 'I Couldn't Just Sit and Watch.' Photographing New York City's George Floyd Protests og:description: "Everyone who was there wanted their voice to be heard," says photographer Malike Sidibe og:url: https://time.com/5845369/george-floyd-protests-malike-sidibe/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt545720492859117a/698a0ebb656a3ff3dabda268/malike-sidibe-brooklyn-protest-george-floyd-facebook.jpg?branch=production&width=1120&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1120 og:image:height: 630 og:image:alt: malike-sidibe-brooklyn-protest-george-floyd-facebook og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 'I Couldn't Just Sit and Watch.' Photographing New York City's George Floyd Protests twitter:description: "Everyone who was there wanted their voice to be heard," says photographer Malike Sidibe twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt545720492859117a/698a0ebb656a3ff3dabda268/malike-sidibe-brooklyn-protest-george-floyd-facebook.jpg?branch=production&width=1120&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- # 'I Couldn't Just Sit and Watch.' Photographing New York City's George Floyd Protests > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Inside TIME: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Inside TIME is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. A closer look at TIME's latest cover and our most compelling stories. 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Inside TIME is the newsletter where TIME's Editor-in-Chief explains cover selection and the editorial reasoning behind major stories. It is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who is the editor of TIME? Sam Jacobs is TIME's Editor-in-Chief. He writes Inside TIME, a twice-weekly newsletter about the newsroom's reporting and editorial decisions. #### Is Inside TIME free? Yes. Inside TIME is a free newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and available at time.com/subscribe-agent. Updated: Jan 22, 2026 5:50 AM UTCPublished: May 30, 2020 3:46 PM UTC  A protester, wearing a shirt that reads "Please Stop the Violence," is dragged near Brooklyn's Barclays Center on May 29, four days after George Floyd's death. A protester, wearing a shirt that reads "Please Stop the Violence," is dragged near Brooklyn's Barclays Center on May 29, four days after George Floyd's death. Malike Sidibe for TIME by [Malike Sidibe](https://time.com/author/malike-sidibe/) ## Malike Sidibe Updated: Jan 22, 2026 5:50 AM UTCPublished: May 30, 2020 3:46 PM UTC The last couple days have been very sad, and I was heartbroken, after the [death of George Floyd](https://time.com/5842687/george-floyd-killed-minneapolis-police/) in Minneapolis. I couldn’t just sit and watch. I wanted to be [part of the change](https://time.com/5844645/george-floyds-shows-we-cannot-wait-end-racism) and fight for all the black people who have lost their lives to [police brutality](https://time.com/3016326/eric-garner-video-police-chokehold-death/). As a 23-year-old black kid living in New York City, since middle school I’ve always feared for my life. I’ve had a lot of uncomfortable experiences. It’s time for a change.  Malike Sidibe for TIME  Malike Sidibe for TIME  Malike Sidibe for TIME Honestly, I was not expecting May 29 to go the way it did. I just decided around 4 p.m. that I wanted to be part of the protest and [brought my camera](https://time.com/5844377/george-floyd-protests-minneapolis-photos/) to document it. I got to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn at around 6:45 p.m. At first, everything was calm and peaceful, then all I saw was people running away, some of them crying because of pepper spray, some were getting tackled and dragged on the ground by police.  Malike Sidibe for TIME After spending a couple hours taking photos, I met up with some friends and walked over to Fort Greene Park. When I got there, there was only one police officer on the scene running after protesters with pepper spray. At one point, he left and that’s when people started lighting a police van on fire. More police eventually arrived. They started running after the protesters to arrest anyone they could get their hands on, it seemed. I decided to go home when I ran out of space on my memory card.  Malike Sidibe for TIME  Malike Sidibe for TIME  Malike Sidibe for TIME Throughout the whole protest, everyone was looking out for each other. I saw people risk their lives to help a stranger. Although there was a lot of violence going on, I felt safe around all the protesters.  Malike Sidibe for TIME  Malike Sidibe for TIME  Malike Sidibe for TIME  Malike Sidibe for TIME It’s 4 a.m. as I write this and I am still very tired from all the walking and running around. Everyone who was there wanted their voice to be heard. They stood united and looked after one another. It was very inspiring seeing people come together to fight for change.  Malike Sidibe for TIME **Later that afternoon**, I was back out with my camera, this time in Manhattan. When I left my house at 4:30 p.m. to head to Washington Square Park, where the protesters were at the time, I thought I would know what to expect. A few minutes after I arrived, everyone started walking toward the intersection of Broadway and Houston. It started out very peacefully. Police weren’t telling people to get off the streets, they just followed along as the protesters walked over to Bowery, to St. Mark’s then to Union Square. That’s when the rampage began.  Malike Sidibe for TIME  Malike Sidibe for TIME  Malike Sidibe for TIME  Malike Sidibe for TIME I felt like the cops started losing their patience with some protesters who were talking back at them as they told them to get off the sidewalk. One protester, in a red shirt and denim shorts, was getting yelled at by four officers. One of them then pushed her so hard that she almost fell onto the ground. Officers appeared to be more upset compared to the ones on Friday in Brooklyn. They seemed to liberally pepper spray, shove, tackle or detain anyone who did not obey what they said.  Malike Sidibe for TIME At one point, I got hit with a baton by an officer while I had the camera in my hands taking pictures. I asked the officer if I did something wrong, but he wouldn’t say anything to me. After asking him a second time, he yelled at me to shut up and move away from him or he would arrest me.  Malike Sidibe for TIME  Malike Sidibe for TIME  Malike Sidibe for TIME  Malike Sidibe for TIME Some protesters responded to the officers by burning a police vehicle and a few garbage cans, spray painting walls and breaking retail stores’ doors. Saturday’s protest was so full of outrage, it almost felt like a movie. Despite such anger, the peaceful protesters stood united together, looking out for one another. People were giving out water and milk for those who needed it.  Malike Sidibe for TIME  A demonstrator spray-paints a poster of Derek Chauvin’s knee on George Floyd’s neck on May 31\. “Out of nowhere, this guy pulled out a purple spray can and just started writing on it. These ladies were walking by and paused to look at it. They were looking at it, like, Is this to attack us or to stop us from being silent?” Malike Sidibe for TIME  Two men walk during a peaceful demonstration on the west side of Manhattan on May 31. Malike Sidibe for TIME Monday will mark one week since George Floyd’s death. I can tell change is coming to this city, no doubt about it. People have realized that we could only bring change if we stand united, not alone. They have understood how important it is, now more than ever, to not stay silent. Speak up! Say no to racism. And stand up for those who can’t stand up for themselves. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5845369/george-floyd-protests-malike-sidibe/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5845369/george-floyd-protests-malike-sidibe/"},"headline":"'I Couldn't Just Sit and Watch.' 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