Volunteers Take To Boston Streets To Clean Up Damage After Protests

BOSTON (CBS) -- Volunteers from in and around Boston wasted little time to start the cleanup process in the city after protests grew violent late Sunday.

On Monday morning, crews were boarding up broken store windows while groups equipped with brooms and bags cleaned up the debris.

"Just to do something, I feel like this is everyone's city. We love Boston and I think everyone just feels helpless right now," said a volunteer named Jonathan.

After thousands peacefully protested for hours in response to the death of George Floyd, the crowd became hostile after dark.

• READ: A Timeline Of Boston Protests Over George Floyd Death 

"I believe the protest was justified it's unfortunate it got violent I feel like that undermined what the protest was about but I understand that people are angry," another man said. "We don't know who caused what and what happened."

Sierra Rothberg told WBZ-TV she took part in some of the protests with her children last week. On Monday, she put out the call on Facebook for people to meet at Park Station with any cleaning supplies they had.

There was "an overwhelmingly positive amount of people from all different communities around Boston saying 'I would like to do something what can I do,'" she said. "We want to show support to the city and also to the rally itself."

Jonathan was just one of the volunteers who came out to help.

"I think it's generations of institutionalized racism in this country that are coming to a crux right now and I wish I knew what I could do," he said.

Other volunteers said coming together to clean was a healing process and anyone is welcome to join.