MINNEAPOLIS—Hours after a now-fired Minneapolis cop was charged with murder in the death of 46-year-old George Floyd on Friday, protests exploded in major U.S. cities across the country, with demonstrators demanding that all police officers involved be brought to justice—fast.In New York City, where dozens were arrested in Manhattan a day earlier, hundreds of people swarmed to meet police officers outside the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Around 7:30 p.m., cops unleashed pepper spray on the chanting crowd.In Atlanta, thousands of demonstrators marched to protest Floyd’s death, a largely peaceful gathering until clashes with police erupted outside CNN Center.Pepper spray was used there, too, and as the standoff grew more tense, demonstrators climbed up on the CNN sign and defaced it. Videos from the scene also showed protesters apparently smashing up empty police vehicles and setting them on fire.  In Boston, police holding wooden bats stood guard outside the Roxbury station as hundreds of protesters took to the streets. And in Houston, hours after a peaceful rally, tension was in the air—with a police car being vandalized and shoving matches breaking out.Protesters in Houston also blocked an entrance ramp to Interstate 45, marched on U.S. 59, and reportedly chased away a woman spotted carrying a rifle near City Hall.  Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo was later quoted by ABC 13 saying he intends to arrest the woman for attempting to start a riot. Even the White House was on edge amid protests, as the Secret Service briefly imposed a lockdown late Friday when demonstrations broke out nearby. In Minneapolis and St. Paul, the National Guard was out in force and curfews were set to take effect in hopes of quelling days of sprawling, destructive unrest. Rubber bullets were used and warning shots were fired by the Guard in Minneapolis shortly before 8 p.m. But activists were resolute that one set of criminal charges wasn’t even close to enough. After all, three other cops were fired in connection with Floyd’s death on Monday.“I don’t plan on entertaining any curfew,” 33-year-old Joseph Bennett of St. Paul told The Daily Beast. “Ideally, things shouldn’t go down like this. But justice hasn’t been fully served yet.“The looting, fire, that’s what gets things heard,” he added. “Whatever it takes.”Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.