Thousands of Hong Kong residents rallied in the streets on Saturday morning to show support for the police forces as the city was gripped by escalating violence during the week.

Gathered in front of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government Headquarters, residents chanted, waved the SAR and the China's national flags, and held posters saying "We Support HK Police."

The crowd included both young and elderly participants. They said they hope HKSAR government can devise effective policies to curb violence and chaos and restore peace and order in Hong Kong as soon as possible.

Saturday's rally comes after more chaos erupted during the week, leading to the suspension of all school classes until Sunday, transportation has been heavily disrupted. And in a confrontation between protesters and local residents, a 70-year-old man was hit in the head by a brick hurled from among some black-clad rioters. The elderly died later from the injury.

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On Saturday, traffic in various districts in Hong Kong was gradually resumed after clean-up operations led by several SAR government departments along with the police force. 

Some residents also volunteered to help clear roadblocks and obstacles in the city after some major roads, including Tolo Highway, the main spot in a standoff between police and rioters earlier this week, Tai Po Road in the New Territories, and Junction Road in Kowloon had been paralyzed throughout working days.

Dressed in ordinary clothes, dozens of officers from the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Hong Kong Garrison joined the clean-up efforts on Saturday afternoon. 

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