World news: Bikers, cowboys & dances: Protesters hit US streets for George Floyd in peaceful marches (VIDEOS, PHOTOS)

Thousands of people have taken to the streets of US cities as protests against police brutality, sparked by the killing of George Floyd during his arrest, approach the 2-week mark.

In contrast to the protests ahead of the weekend, which often descended into chaos and riots and were marred by looting, demonstrations on Sunday afternoon - including the major Black Lives Matter rallies in Washington and New York - proceeded incident-free.

#BLMDC
Sunday, June 7, 2020#KremlinAnnex pic.twitter.com/KTeHNoL6HZ
— Kremlin Annex (@KremlinAnnex) June 7, 2020

Videos shared on social media show DC protesters marching from Dupont Circle to the area near Lafayette Park, where hundreds sprawled themselves on the ground in a “die-in.”

Ten days since DC first saw protests in the wake of George Floyd’s killing, the area near the White House is still bustling with people demanding action against police brutality.

Hundreds held a die-in near Lafayette Park this afternoon after marching from Dupont Circle. pic.twitter.com/9aMMcBlFMh
— Alejandro Alvarez (@aletweetsnews) June 7, 2020

The protesters could not move into Lafayette Park, located directly in front of the White House, because its entrances were fenced off earlier this week after rioters defaced walls and a monument inside the park with graffiti. The walls were subsequently plastered with signs in support of racial justice.

A sign painted by protesters stating "Defund the Police" is seen next to a Black Lives Matter sign in Washington, DC © REUTERS/Joshua Roberts

A sizable crowd gathered around the part of 16th Street, recently renamed by Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Browser, to “Black Lives Matter Plaza.” Bowser herself has been actively participating in the rallies. The crowd chanted “Black Lives Matter” and “Say Their Names.”

Sunday afternoon at Black Lives Matter Plaza. #BlackLivesMatterDC #blm #dcprotest #SayTheirNames #protest2020 pic.twitter.com/ZQVtmkmuY5
— Lis Meyers (@LisMeyers) June 7, 2020

Thousands of protesters flocked to Times Square in New York City on Sunday. They raised their fists, referring to George Floyd, an unarmed black man who choked to death under a police officer’s knee in Minneapolis, Minnesota, as "the man who changed the world."

In Compton, southern Los Angeles County, protests had a party flavor to them, with horse-mounted protesters and bikers joining the “peace walk” that saw demonstrators marching and riding from the Gateway Towne Centre to the Martin Luther King Jr. monument near City Hall.

The procession, which resembled a carnival more than anything, was led by bikers with horse-mounted protesters donning cowboy hats mingling with the crowd.

I've arrived at the protest in Compton where there may not be many horses, but there's a motorcycle escort, which is pretty cool. pic.twitter.com/ds2Zocio05
— Bradley Bermont (@bradleybermont) June 7, 2020

Compton Peace March: Hundreds of people marched to the Civic Center to protest racial injustice and promote peace. Compton Cowboys are among the crowd @NBCLA pic.twitter.com/jRO7tv9uFQ
— Rick Montanez (@RickNBCLA) June 7, 2020

An impromptu dance party broke out as the people marched on.

#Compton was a beautiful success 🙌🏾 closed it out with An eletric slide n lots of Love. people hugging & kissing baby’s saying hi to one another. now that’s it’s finished everyone’s leaving Happier filled with Hope. Blacks , Latinos, Samoans ✊🏿✊🏾✊🏽 so many people❤️ Keep going ! pic.twitter.com/R5aQV8LohW
— Fat jesus (@FatJesus562) June 7, 2020

The Compton rally boasted several celebrities in attendance, including Houston Rockets basketball player Russell Westbrook and San Antonio Spurs wing DeMar DeRozan.

Russell Westbrook and DeMar DeRozan are together with protesters in Compton.

(via taco_mell/Instagram) pic.twitter.com/4cRbkHq7SE
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) June 7, 2020

Westbrook, a Long Beach, California native, even took to the improvised stage to address the crowd.