Round 2: Protests spread to more U.S. cities

Protesters in Philadelphia block access to a highway Thursday night

Thousands of protesters took to the streets in more U.S. cities Thursday evening to show solidarity with Freddie Gray, his family and Baltimore residents.

Family members of Gray allege he was injured at the hands of police, and those injuries led to his death at a hospital several days later.

In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, thousands gathered for a “Philly for Baltimore” rally outside city hall and moved toward Rittenhouse Square.

Protesters surrounded a police car and stopped a bus, According to Philly.com.

A video of the protest showed crowds standing in the road near a major freeway, shouting, “Shut it down!”

A woman named Angela told CNN, “This is about police ignoring the cry for treating everyone equally. We want answers, and we want them now.”

Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Joe Sullivan told CNN, “Protesters are citizens, not suspects. Our job as police it to keep them safe while they exercise their First Amendment rights.”

Sullivan said he’s not worried about violence in the city, according to the report.

Film footage of the scene showed crowds dancing in the streets and chanting, “Hey, hey! Ho, ho! These racist cops have got to go!”

Protests in Seattle, Washington; Portland, Oregon; and Oakland, California, are scheduled for Friday, which is also May Day.

On Wednesday, protests took place in Boston, Chicago, Denver, Houston, Minneapolis, New York, Washington, and Ferguson, Missouri.

As WND reported, about 120 were arrested in New York City, as thousands took to Times Square. Police eventually set up a barricade to contain the protesters; more than 1,000 flowed into the streets, essentially shutting down the popular New York City spot to traffic and travelers.

Other sites in the city also came to a standstill because of protesters, many of whom shouted the now-familiar “hands up, don’t shoot” slogan as they marched.

“A group of protesters spilled into the street, disrupting traffic” and attempting to block Holland Tunnel and other major roadways, WNYC reported. “Dozens of police officers moved in with plastic handcuffs and began making arrests while officers with batons pushed the crowd back onto the sidewalk.”

NPR reported police were forced to use pepper spray to disperse crowds by the Colorado State Capitol in Denver. The Denver Post reported 11 adults were arrested during confrontations with police.

 

 

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