'I'm here to protect you' cop tells crying girl at Floyd protest

Footage posted on social media on Tuesday showed a police officer comforting a crying girl during an anti-racism protest in Houston, Texas, after she asked, "are you going to shoot us?"

The white officer hugged five-year-old African American Simone Bartee as her mother wiped away her tears, and reassured her that he was there to protect her.

"You can protest, you can party, you can do whatever you want," the officer said.

Bartee and her parents were attending a protest in Houston, one of many demonstrations taking place across the U.S., sparked by the death of unarmed black man George Floyd.