The deaths of Daunte Wright in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, and 13-year-old Adam Toledo in Chicago continued to spark outrage overnight, with some protests in cities across the country turning violent Friday night.
Bottles were thrown at officers in Brooklyn Center. Two people were arrested in Chicago. Multiple fires were set in Portland, where authorities declared a riot. And windows were smashed in Oakland.
This is how demonstrations in those cities unfolded.
Brooklyn Center, Minnesota
Nearly 100 people were arrested Friday night in Brooklyn Center, where Wright was fatally shot by an officer.
Hennepin County Sheriff David Hutchinson condemned the violence during a news conference, saying that it “is not going to be tolerated by myself or this operation.”
“We need to grieve. We don’t need to have more problems and destruction,” he said.
John Harrington, the commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, said the protest began with a peaceful march involving about 250 people. By Friday evening, the crowd grew to roughly 500 with some pushing against an exterior fence surrounding the city’s police station and throwing glass bottles at officers.
“We did not respond at that time. We continued to allow them to have their protest in front of the fence line for about an hour,” he told reporters.
Around 9:30 p.m., people dressed in helmets and wearing respirators and gas masks joined the protest. Others armed themselves with baseball bats, Harrington said.
After authorities gave three dispersal orders, they began to make arrests.
“This is a night that should have been about Daunte Wright,” Harrington said. “This is a night where there should have been folks there, as we’ve seen at the vigil and at other places, recognizing his death and the tragedy that that is. Tearing down a fence, coming armed to a protest is not in my mind befitting a peaceful protest.”
Chicago, Illinois
About 1,000 people came together Friday evening at a park on Chicago’s northwest side to protest Toledo’s death. The rally was held one day after body-camera video of the shooting was released.
Some people in the crowd at Friday’s protest held signs that read “stop killing kids” and “CPD can’t be reformed,” referring to the Chicago Police Department, according to NBC Chicago. Others chanted “no justice, no peace” as a brass band played music.
Reporter Natalie Martinez said there were a “few tense moments” between marchers and police, but overall the gathering stayed peaceful.
Chicago police said two people were arrested. Charges are pending, according to officials.
Oakland, California
A peaceful march for the deaths of Wright and Toledo was held earlier Friday in Oakland, but things took a violent turn when protesters set small fires, smashed windows and tagged businesses with spray paint, according to NBC Bay Area.
The city’s police department said in a tweet that the violent protests involved roughly 300 people, and a community member and police officer were injured.
Oakland said it will continue to call for peaceful protests, but told businesses and residents who live downtown that they should turn their surveillance cameras on, NBC Bay Area reported.
Jarret Whitmore, manager of a local cannabis dispensary, told the outlet that she was not mad about the businesses being targeted.
“It’s just preemptive,” he said. “I understand it. I actually am not mad at it at all.”
Portland, Oregon
In Portland, police declared a riot Friday night after authorities said protesters smashed windows and burglarized local businesses.
The protests came in response to the killings of Wright and Toledo, as well as the death of a man in his 30s who was shot and killed by police in the city’s Lents Park.
Deputy Police Chief Chris Davis told reporters earlier Friday that he did not know if the man, who was white, had pointed a weapon at the officers. According to Davis, one officer fired a device that shoots non-lethal projectiles and another fired his gun. That officer, who has not been named, is on paid administrative leave.
Protesters marched through Lents Park, tearing down police tape and standing face-to-face with officers in riot gear. After police left the park around 3:30 p.m., the crowd stood in a nearby intersection blocking traffic and chanting.
By Friday evening, things escalated when some people in the crowd hit officers with sticks and chased them. Police used smoke canisters, pepper spray and a rubber ball distraction device to help disperse the crowd.
Portland police said in a press release that four people were arrested on numerous charges. One was released until further investigation can be conducted.
The Associated Press contributed.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
