After spending most of the afternoon in a standoff with police in downtown San Diego, protesters calling for justice for black people killed by police found a place to breathe.

They suddenly turned away from the officers who had fired tear gas, flashbangs and less-lethal ammunition at them and made their way to the County Administration Building, where the group of roughly 1,000 held a moment of silence for more than six minutes.

Speakers called for unity and end to racial inequity in policing.

“Black lives matter now and forever,” one man said, addressing the crowd through a megaphone.