“Protesting is our constitutional right as Americans. We have the strongest voice when we come together and use it as one and express our outrage.”City crews spent the morning boarding up broken windows as other workers picked up debris and cleaned off graffiti.On Sunday evening, several hundred people took part in a march along historic Route 66 in protest of the death of George Floyd, the black man who died after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee into Floyd’s neck even after he stopped moving and pleading for air. "In order to contain the public safety risk, the City will be removing the statue until the appropriate civic institutions can determine next steps. (Adolphe Pierre-Louis/The Albuquerque Journal via AP) ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A man was shot Monday night as protesters in Albuquerque tried to tear down a bronze statue of a Spanish conquistador outside the Albuquerque Museum. Michelle Lujan Grisham in a statement Monday afternoon condemned the violence in Albuquerque, saying she was concerned that a small group of people “took a wrong turn.”“That sort of behavior is an attempt to distort the important work of the peaceful protesters – who have every right to demonstrate in peace – and puts both the protesters and public safety officers at risk,” she said. “What we saw last night in downtown was not a protest, it was not Albuquerque,” he said. The mayor said officials will do whatever they can to keep it from getting to that point and he asked for the public’s help.“We can do this without violence on our own city and without more violence on each other,” Keller said.City officials also talked about court-mandated efforts over the past several years to restructure the police department, changes to the way it deals with excessive force and the inclusion of anti-racism and ethics training for police officers and all city employees.Democratic Gov. Notifications from this discussion will be disabled. "Our hearts go out the victim, his family and witnesses whose lives were needlessly threatened tonight," Keller said, adding that the sculpture that was the point of contention for protesters will be removed. Police moved in because they were afraid the building would be set on fire.Another group tried later to force a confrontation with police but ended up leaving.Mayor Tim Keller said there dozens of firearms looted from at least one gun shop and that there was damage to numerous locally-owned coffee shops, breweries and restaurants along the Central Avenue corridor.

(CNN) - Protests against police brutality in the US remained mostly peaceful Monday night, though demonstrations in three states ended in chaos, with a shooting, arrests and the closure of one city's downtown.Vigilantes may have instigated violence that led to a In Tennessee, troopers detained 21 protesters who refused to vacate Capitol grounds, they said.A man was shot Monday night during a protest in Albuquerque's Old Town, the Albuquerque Police Department said.The victim was taken to the University of New Mexico Hospital and is critical but stable condition, authorities said.Police detained people involved in the shooting after using chemical irritants and flash bangs to protect officers at the scene near the Albuquerque National History Museum, a The police chief said he believes vigilante groups might have spurred the violence. They objected to closures aimed at slowing the spread of COVID-19 and a state public health order that mandates masks be worn at all times in public. Michelle Lujan Grisham is monitoring the situation and praying for the victim, she said, adding that she does not approve of anyone who may have instigated the violence. ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The mayor of New Mexico’s largest city is blaming small groups of what he called agitators for violence that broke out hours after hundreds of people gathered for a largely peaceful protest in downtown Albuquerque.Dozens of small fires were set, windows were broken and police officers say they were fired upon early Monday in front of the historic Kimo Theater.Police were responding after the building’s windows were broken and some people got on the roof. "We are receiving reports about vigilante groups possibly instigating this violence.