Protesters marched again Saturday in cities aross the nation, with confrontations in some spots but mostly peaceful events elsewhere, decrying police brutality after the killing of two African-American men by police this week.
In Washington, a large group marched peacefully through downtown Saturday night, chanting, “We young. We strong. We marching all night on.” A small rally also was held Saturday afternoon in Minneapolis.
In Fort Lauderdale, Florida, a large group of Black Lives Matter supporters walked to the Broward County Courthouse and then the county jail, where prisoners heard their shouts and tapped on windows in response, CNN affiliate WPLG reported
Marchers also took to the streets Saturday night in Miami. A WPLG reporter tweeted that demonstrators had blocked a major thoroughfare.
Tensions ran high between police and protesters in some cities on Friday night, resulting in dozens of arrests in upstate New York, a handful of reported arrests elsewhere and scattered scuffles.
The protests came two days after a sniper killed five police officers during a demonstration in Dallas. Crowds gathered for an interfaith prayer vigil in Dallas to honor the fallen officers, CNN affiliate KTRK reported.
Black Lives Matter condemned the Dallas attack, calling it a tragedy not just for those affected but also for the nation.
“Black activists have raised the call for an end to violence, not an escalation of it. (Thursday’s) attack was the result of the actions of a lone gunman,” the group said in a statement on its website. “To assign the actions of one person to an entire movement is dangerous and irresponsible. We continue our efforts to bring about a better world for all of us.”
Friday, anti-police brutality demonstrations took place in several cities including Atlanta, Baltimore, Washington, Philadelphia, Detroit, New Orleans, Nashville, Phoenix, San Francisco and New York.
The protests erupted after videos surfaced showing fatal police encounters with two black men, Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, in Louisiana and Minnesota, respectively. Their deaths — along with those of several African-Americans before them — spurred anger and debate over the use of force by police and questions over racial profiling.
New York
Protesters in Rochester, New York, sat in the street chanting “black lives, black lives.” Some stood in front of police, who were wearing riot gear.
Video from CNN affiliate TWC News Rochester showed officers attempting to move protesters farther back as screams and arguments ensued. The protests resulted in approximately 74 arrests for disorderly conduct and two charges of resisting arrest, Rochester Police Chief Michael Ciminelli told a news conference. No one was injured, he added.
In New York City, protesters and police shared a moment of silence Friday evening at Union Square.
“People want justice. People want systematic change. Because you know, killing back and forth, at the end of the day, is not going to solve the issue,” Gilbert Rosa, a protester, told CNN affiliate WABC.
It was a shared moment between the two groups, paying tribute to Sterling and Castile, but also the five officers who perished in the Dallas shootings.
“They are out there visibly in that blue uniform, and last night they were targeted for wearing that blue uniform. But they still go out there and do their job,” Police Commissioner Bill Bratton said.
Bratton ordered solo cops to double up Friday evening and pulled unarmed officers off the street during the protesting.
Arizona
In Phoenix, confrontations broke out between protesters and police when police tried to block the crowd from marching onto the freeway by forming a human shield, according to a statement from the Phoenix Police Department.
It led to a tense standoff between the two sides as several protesters stood directly in front of the officers, raising both hands in the “don’t shoot” gesture, as shown in affiliate video.
Police deployed pepper balls to “move advancing demonstrators back.”
Affiliate video showed several protesters affected by the pepper spray covering their eyes and faces, sprawled on the ground in pain.
Protesters appeared to retaliate by screaming expletives and hurling rocks and other objects at the police. Three people were arrested for throwing rocks, police said. Six in Phoenix were reported injured due to falls or exposure to the pepper balls. No officers were injured, according to the city’s police.
As it neared midnight, the Phoenix crowd had mostly splintered off and a police helicopter hovered overhead, with a warning to go home.
Louisiana
In Baton Rouge, where Sterling was fatally shot Tuesday, 31 people were arrested Friday during a protest near police headquarters, said Colonel Michael Edmonson with the Louisiana State Police.
About 300 protesters faced officers in riot gear. 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.
Another demonstration was planned for Saturday evening, starting at City Hall and going with a police escort to Baton Rouge police headquarters.
The police department is already barricaded and Edmonson says police plan to help the demonstrators with “their freedom to organize peacefully.”
L.J. McNeely with Baton Rouge Police said staff are working 12-hour shifts in pairs and “on alert.”
“It’s not about being worried or scared, it’s about being aware,” McNeely said.
California
In San Francisco, people rallied at the waterfront, holding signs that read: “Stop racist police terror in the U.S.” They marched down a major street, closely watched by police officers, yelling: “If we don’t get no justice, we don’t get no peace.”
Hundreds demonstrated for hours on both sides of the Bay, marching toward San Francisco City Hall to protest police violence against African-Americans.
“All lives do matter, but at the end of the day it seems like it’s black people being killed more than any other races, every single day,” Vallejo resident Eric Green told CNN affiliate KGO.
Protesters in Oakland briefly blocked a highway Friday, stopping traffic on both sides.
Georgia
In Atlanta, a crowd of people blocked a downtown Interstate ramp during a march organized by the NAACP.
About 2,000 people participated in the march, CNN staffers at the march estimated. They included rapper T.I., who posted photos and video clips from the scene.
The Georgia State Patrol arrested two people, according to Atlanta Police spokeswoman Elizabeth Espy.
The chant “no justice, no peace,” echoed through the streets of downtown Atlanta as protesters made their way from Centennial Olympic Park toward the highway.
Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, who attended the march, told CNN’s Don Lemon that peaceful protesters in the city were practicing their First Amendment right.
Young black people today have higher expectations, which is a sign of progress, he said.
“One of the things that is exciting about this protest tonight: Our young people have an expectation that they will be treated fairly and justly. … Every generation makes their demands.”
“Their tolerance level is much different to perhaps my parents’ generation or their parents’ generation.” he added.
Reed said that while his father instructed him to go out of his way to be deferential and compliant in any encounters with police, “this generation has a different expectation.”
“My dad grilled into me the lesson of driving a vehicle as as black man. Keep your hands on the steering wheel. Look forward and say, ‘yes sir’ or ‘ma’am’ to the police officer. Place your wallet in the seat beside you. Ask for permission to do anything because he was concerned about me living. He just wanted me to get home safe.”
Reed said in 2015, Atlanta law enforcement officers fired their weapons less than 10 times in 1.6 million interactions.
“We have to respect the 99.9% of law enforcement officials who do good every day, but we have to act decisively when individuals in the law enforcement community do wrong,” Reed said.