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Fifth day of protests in North Texas sees curfew zone extensions, more police and protester dialogue

Protests and rallies happened in North Texas locations like Dallas, Fort Worth, Arlington and Carrollton.

Hundreds of protesters who led marches and demonstrations Tuesday afternoon in the downtown areas of Fort Worth and Dallas wrapped up by 8 p.m. on the fifth consecutive day of protests over the death of George Floyd while he was in Minneapolis police custody, but some protests continued in Fort Worth and Oak Cliff until late Tuesday night.

Leaders in North Texas called for peace ahead of the demonstrations. The city of Dallas extended the curfew zone boundaries to include Deep Ellum, Uptown, Victory Park, West Village, Trinity Groves and other areas. 

The zone change comes after hundreds of protesters blocked the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge in Trinity Groves on Monday night. 

RELATED: Protesters detained after blocking traffic on Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge in Dallas Monday night

They were detained and will have criminal charges filed against them, Dallas police Chief Reneé Hall said Tuesday, though they were not booked into jail due to capacity issues.

Dallas police officials said 674 people will face a class B misdemeanor charge of obstructing the highway. There were 21 protesters arrested in downtown for violating the curfew. 

One woman was arrested on charges of unlawful possession of a firearm and obstructing the highway. 

Hall said protesters were warned not to go onto the bridge but did anyway. The chief said that though demonstrations were peaceful, the protesters still broke the law by blocking the road.

"If you break the law, we will arrest you," Hall said.

Gov. Greg Abbott joined Hall and other local leaders when he visited Dallas Tuesday to address the protests and violence that have occurred in recent days. He also discussed the state's response.

RELATED: How Texas lawmakers will address protesters demands

"We will not be asking the U.S. military to come into the state of Texas because we know that Texans can take care of Texans," Abbott said.

Abbott joined Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson, Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price, their police chiefs, the Texas Department of Public Safety director and the adjutant general of the Texas National Guard at Dallas City Hall. 

He said 1,000 state troopers and hundreds of National Guard troops were sent to the Dallas-Fort Worth region in response to local demonstrations. 

Abbott said looting and violence has been "committed by criminals who are hijacking peaceful protests in order to plunder and in order to loot." 

The governor said many of those arrested crossed state lines.

And in Arlington, police gathered with community clergy leaders for a peace prayer in front of police headquarters at noon.

More protests occurred across North Texas Tuesday, including at locations in Dallas and Carrollton.

Follow along below for the latest updates across the region:

10:42 p.m.: A Dallas police officer got out of his car to talk to protesters in Oak Cliff. They thanked him for stopping. 

9:40 p.m.: Some protesters are still gathered in Oak Cliff, outside of the City of Dallas' curfew zone. 

Reunion Tower announced that it will not be lit up for the second time in its existence in solidarity with the #BlackoutTuesday movement.

7:49 p.m.: In Fort Worth, many protesters are leaving, but some are staying. The citywide curfew is at 8 p.m.

7:00 p.m.: Curfew begins in central Dallas and lasts until 6 a.m.

5:42 p.m.: Plano Police Chief Ed Drain was speaking to protesters and marching alongside them for more than three hours, WFAA's Alex Rozier reports. "He's answering every question he is asked by community members."

5:31 p.m.: At the protest in Arlington, an Arlington police officer took a knee with protesters and was hugged afterward.

4:31 p.m.: Protesters in Dallas were marching near the Arts District in Downtown Dallas.

3:38 p.m.: Hundreds of people gathered to protest in Carrollton.

3:25 p.m.: President George W. Bush, who lives in North Texas, released a statement on the protests, saying it is not time for leaders to lecture but to listen after the nationwide unrest related to the death of George Floyd.

3 p.m.: Protests were planned to begin at 3 p.m. in Fort Worth and in downtown Arlington.

1:30 p.m.: Demonstrators gathered outside Dallas City Hall where Abbott spoke. 

1 p.m.: The Texas governor said he understands the protests in response to the death of George Floyd in Minnesota.

"George Floyd's death has touched every corner of our country. People are rightfully angry, but the beautiful thing about America is every person has the right to make their voices heard," Abbott said. 

12:15 p.m.: Downtown Dallas Inc. tweeted protests are expected to begin around noon ahead of a news conference with Gov. Greg Abbott at Dallas City Hall.  

11:30 a.m.: About 300 protesters who demonstrated on the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge on Monday night will have criminal charges filed against them, Hall said during a news conference. 

Officers took down the names and information of those in the crowd but did not book them into jail, Hall said, mainly due to capacity issues.

"Although peaceful, the protesters broke the law," Hall said. 

It is against the law to walk in the middle of the road of a freeway overpass, she explained. 

She repeatedly said during the news conference that her department would enforce the law and arrest those who did not follow it. 

Hall also said police told the protesters to stop before entering the bridge and then told them to leave or they would be arrested. 

"We warned them," she said. "They did not stop. They decided to take a knee on the bridge and hold their hands up and say, 'Don't shoot.'"

One person in the crowd was arrested for allegedly having an illegal handgun, Hall added.

10:15 a.m.: Arlington clergy and police will hold a prayer for peace at noon in front of police headquarters, police said. 

8:45 a.m.: Dallas Chief of Police Renee Hall announced she will hold a news conference at 11 a.m. at police headquarters to address the protests and call for calm and peace. The news conference comes the day after police detained about 300 peaceful protesters on the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge. 

7 a.m.: The protests in Dallas have been an encouraging sight to see for George Floyd's family, co-counsel Lee Merritt said during an interview with WFAA. Merritt, a lawyer from Dallas, is part of the team of civil rights lawyers representing the family. 

"The images coming out of Dallas of protesters peacefully marching, standing up and demanding equality not only for the Floyd family, but in the ample cases of police injustice in North Texas, the family is encouraged by that sight and we ask you all to continue," he said. "We are also asking law enforcement to avoid violence and any escalating, agitating protesters and righteous people who are standing up for their community."

Merritt also said that demonstrators should center their energy "on actions that actually impact the outcomes we're looking for" by placing pressure on the powers that be. 

WFAA digital producers Eline de Bruijn, Jennifer Prohov and Jake Harris contributed to this report.

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