Seven people were arrested at a protest march in Indianapolis as demonstrators threw rocks at officers and chanted “Kill the police.” The crowd also chanted “Love trumps hate.”
Nothing quite says “Love trumps hate” like threatening to kill police, eh?
Three of those arrested were not from Indianapolis, say authorities.
The protest that started at the Statehouse was mostly peaceful until later in the evening when police used what appeared to be a pepper gun on some protesters walking in the street.
After rallying at the Statehouse and walking towards the Soldiers and Sailors Monument, the group splintered in two. On Facebook, the rally was set to end at 8 p.m., but a sizable portion of people continued to march, and police began asking protesters to get on the sidewalks around that time.
One group stopped at the corner of Washington and Illinois streets. The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department said at that point, protesters started chanting threats, such as, “Kill the police.”
Police decided to arrest two of the instigators. That’s when police said some protesters started throwing rocks at officers. IMPD Chief Troy Riggs said they received reports of protesters who had brought backpacks full of rocks. Around that time, police fired their non-lethal weapon.
People responded in anger with chants of, “Black lives matter” and “Hands up, don’t shoot.” Half an hour later the crowd started to disperse.
Later five more arrests were made. Police also said there was no property damage.
About 500 people initially gathered peacefully at the Statehouse at 5 p.m., alternating between chanting and giving impassioned speeches, in protest of the election of Donald Trump.
After a couple of hours, the protesters marched through Downtown and around the Soldiers and Sailors Monument. Police officers blocked traffic in response throughout the Downtown area.
“We wanted to make sure their first amendment rights were protected, even to the point where we shut down traffic,”Riggs said.
Though the march turned violent temporarily, most of the night was peaceful.
If they arrested three outsiders, you know there had to be more. And I believe that if you look at the protests across the country, you will see a lot of out-of-town protesters.
The question is, are they being sent in to foment violence? I have no doubt the vast majority of protesters are peaceful, if not a little muddle-headed. But a mob can turn violent in a flash if professional agitators move them in that direction.
Any time Black Lives Matter is involved in a protest, that scenario must be considered.
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