Jamie Foxx serenades crowd with hymn and demands justice as more than a thousand gather for kneel-in protest to remember George Floyd in San Francisco

Jamie Foxx sang before protesters urging them to decry police brutality following the shocking killing of black man George Floyd at the hands of a white Minnesota police officer.

The singer and Oscar-winning actor, 52, spoke to a crowd of over 1,000 in San Francisco at a 'kneel in' demonstration at the Civic Center Plaza on Monday, where he urged protesters to be active in social change even after the demonstrations stop.

When Foxx first grabbed the microphone he sang lines from a hymn: 'No weapons formed against me, shall prosper, it won’t work. No weapons formed against me shall prosper.'

The crowd cheered and clapped as he serenaded them alongside Mayor London Breed and black community leaders.  

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Jamie Foxx, 52, spoke before a crowd of over 1,000 peaceful protesters at a kneel-in demonstration on the steps of City Hall in San Francisco on Monday

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When Foxx first grabbed the microphone he sang lines from a hymn: 'No weapons formed against me, shall prosper, it won’t work. No weapons formed against me shall prosper' as the crowd cheered

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Foxx called for the police system to change and called on his celebrity friends to respond to the movement and participate

Foxx, who has participated in protests Minneapolis and came to San Francisco at the invitation of local NAACP president Rev. Amos Brown, said that the way police treat black people in this country has to change.  

'We have to make sure change can come when it comes to police brutality. There has to be a deterrent. If that man can be handcuffed, if that man can sit on that man's neck for that long and feel comfortable about it, that means that he's not afraid of what's going to happen,' Foxx said. 

He was citing how white Minneapolis cop Derek Chauvin dug his knee into the black of George Floyd's for eight minutes on Memorial Day despite Floyd's desperate pleas to stop saying, 'I can't breathe'. 

'We have to change the language. They have to be worried that "I could go to jail for this", they have to be respect us. They have to love us,' Foxx said. 

'How can we see it as a murder and they see it as a misunderstanding?' he added.  

Foxx spoke before the crowd wearing a black hoodie that said: 'Busy making my ancestors proud.' 

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Demonstrators hold up signs showing people killed by police during a kneel-in to protest police racism at City Hall Monday in San Francisco

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Protesters in San Francisco pictured participating in a peaceful kneel-in protest on the steps of City Hall on Monday carrying posters naming and depicting Ahmaud Arbey and Michael Brown

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A woman holds up a sign that says 'Justice is a right not a privilege' during Monday's kneel-in protest in San Francisco

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San Francisco has imposed curfews after protests over the weekend resulted in some violence. People pictured kneeling in front of the Hall of Justice in San Francisco on Sunday

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Mariesa Stevens, left, gestures in front of a line of police officers blocking a street in San Francisco during a protest on Sunday

He also called upon his celebrity friends to join him in the fight for equality.

'What I want to say to my Hollywood friends is you got to get out here. You can’t tweet. You can’t text…You have to understand, people are hurting,' he said.

Mayor London Breed, a black woman, opened up on her own experiences with racism at the rally.

'You know, my heart has been heavy. Yes, I'm the mayor, but I'm a black woman first,' she said. 

'In 2006, sadly my cousin was killed by the San Francisco police department. When his mom showed up wanting to know what happened, she was treated like a criminal.

'I am angry. I am hurt. I am frustrated. I am sick and tired of being sick and tired. I don't want to see one more black man die at the hands of law enforcement,' she said as the crowd cheered. 

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George Floyd (above) is the black man who was killed by Minnesota police on Monday May 25. He was arrested on suspicion of using a fake $20 bill and pinned to the ground with an officer's knee behind his neck for eight minutes. His death has sparked international outrage and protests across the US

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White cop Derek Chauvin was caught on video with his knee behind Floyd's neck for eight minutes, killing him

Protests have spread like wildfire across the country to decry George Floyd's death. 

Demonstrations have unfolded in over 140 cities including San Francisco. When some peaceful protests led to looting and store raids, Breed issued a citywide curfew Sunday night ordering residents to stay home from 8pm to 5am.

Sunday evening saw a peaceful protest at City Hall where 87 people were arrested for allegedly violating curfew. The curfew was extended to Monday night.

Demonstrators at Monday’s event wore masks and attempted to practice social distancing.