Thousands Protest Police Violence Across US Cities; Tear Gas Used In Phoenix "Black Lives Matter" Rally
By Tyler Durden
In the aftermath of Thursday’s Dallas and Tennessee shootings, thousands of mostly peaceful protesters took to the streets of U.S. cities for the second night in a row on Friday to denounce the fatal shooting by police of two black men this week. Overnight demonstrators clogged roadways in New York City, Atlanta and Philadelphia, and events in San Francisco and Phoenix also drew large crowds.
Arizona
Six people were injured and three were arrested in Phoenix, after confrontations broke out between protesters and police. Officers in riot gear used pepper spray on protesters, some of whom threw rocks at the police, the Phoenix Police Department said in a statement. The use of impact munitions didn’t lead to any injuries, and no arrests have been made, Phoenix Police Chief said. The Black Lives Matter march kicked off outside Phoenix City Hall at 8 pm.
#BREAKING: Officers block protesters in Phoenix, Arizona, deployed pepper spray. INFO: https://t.co/W0CbaiyzdFhttps://t.co/PVXZV9uopz
— 12 News (@12News) July 9, 2016
Protester hit with pepper spray in Phoenix, Arizona, march. Info: https://t.co/W0CbaiyzdFhttps://t.co/mEv97siGMa
— 12 News (@12News) July 9, 2016
“Get in formation, let’s go!”
Beyoncé jokes fly. #PhoenixRally @azcentral pic.twitter.com/cxC0dzh7Gj
— Alden Woods (@ac_woods) July 9, 2016
Time lapse: I-10 is stopped due to rally in downtown Phoenix.https://t.co/SZO6O3DkXv
— 12 News (@12News) July 9, 2016
An estimated 1,000 participants chanted: “Black lives matter” and “Hands up, don’t shoot” as they marched. Police officers escorting the march weren’t dressed in riot gear. Rev. Jarrett Maupin, one of the civil rights leaders that helped stage the march, acknowledged the route of the march was changed to shut down Interstate 10.
We’re about to walk into oncoming traffic. “There are drivers that do not care!” an organizer said. #PhoenixRally pic.twitter.com/F6q2INkrj0
— Alden Woods (@ac_woods) July 9, 2016
Around 11 pm, the police declared the demonstration an “unlawful assembly.”
LATEST: Riot police asking the crowd to leave. Info: https://t.co/W0CbaiyzdFhttps://t.co/yQWdkq5c9p
— 12 News (@12News) July 9, 2016
#PhoenixRally #BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/sSlu2Tv38B
— Kelcie Grega (@KelcieGrega) July 9, 2016
The time had come to disperse the crowd, Phoenix Police Chief Joe Yahner said, declaring the protest “successful” and saying the demonstrators’ message had been heard, ABC News reported.
Louisiana
In Baton Rouge, where Alton Sterling was fatally shot Tuesday, protesters marched near police headquarters. About 300 protesters faced officers in riot gear under heightened tensions. Community leaders and local officials tried to calm down the crowd by forming a line between police and protesters. Tempers flared when several protesters hurled plastic bottles of water and cups of ice at police.
Most demonstrators dispersed later in the evening only after police agreed to pull away cops in riot gear and rifles.
New York:
Protesters in Rochester, New York, sat in the street chanting “black lives, black lives.” Some protesters stood in front of police who were clad in riot gear. Video from CNN’s affiliate in Rochester showed officers attempting to move …read more
