Protesters in Baton Rouge have been met with a wave of police in full riot gear, and there were mass arrests at a gathering near the corner of France and East.
Louisiana is ranked 26th in per-pupil education spending, but they can afford tanks and assault gear. #BatonRouge pic.twitter.com/BcpcoDehCQ
— Capt. Jake Ballard (@kidnoble) July 11, 2016
Earlier in the day, a sanctioned march with about 1,000 protesters proceeded without incident. A second, unauthorized protest seemed to start off peaceful enough around 6 p.m. local time, but police began pushing back the crowd after about 90 minutes. Police spokesman Don Coppola claimed that arrests began when protesters attempted to enter a ramp onto the I-10 interstate.
However, according to Zack Kopplin with The Daily Beast, the crowd had assembled on the front lawn of a homeowner who allowed the protesters the use of her private property for the express purpose of allowing them to stay off the street. But the police allegedly pushed the crowd back, then arrested them as they stepped into the street. Police then claimed they were “obstructing a highway.”
Prayer Circle for Protestors as police assemble a few hundred feet away. #BatonRouge pic.twitter.com/23DSQv7aFT
— The Unorthodox Duck (@GeauxGabby) July 11, 2016
More arrests. Things getting violent as law enforcement started circling and closing in pic.twitter.com/q1SB9CQHeO
— Rebekah Allen (@rebekahallen) July 11, 2016
#BatonRouge police storm private property in order to arrest protesters who had PERMISSION to be there. Disgusting. pic.twitter.com/RSVWHtQmPd
— Jordan (@jordansdiamonds) July 11, 2016
Baton Rouge home owner “very upset” after police storm her yard arresting protesters who had permission to be there pic.twitter.com/gwE8aRGKfL
— David Begnaud (@DavidBegnaud) July 11, 2016
Police have also been seen liberally utilizing an LRAD (Long-Range Acoustic Device), or sound cannon, to disperse protesters. The controversial weapon can reportedly cause long-term hearing loss, migraines, and other medical issues, according to Gothamist, and has been deployed at massive protests, such as at the G20 or Eric Garner demonstrations in New York.
Look whats happening in Baton Rouge RNNoJusticeNoPeace #AltonSterling #BlackLivesMatter #BatonRouge pic.twitter.com/0wz54B0JqI
— liz (@lizzkatherine_) July 10, 2016
That #BatonRouge (@BRPD) is driving into a peaceful crowd of mostly silent ppl with LRAD already on says they are untrained/unprepared.
— Your Friend Peech (@_peech) July 11, 2016
Swat car literally pushing crowd back pic.twitter.com/Z4GM5lEJpU
— Rebekah Allen (@rebekahallen) July 10, 2016
Police pushed the protesters further back, blocks away, and continued making arrests periodically. Some protesters reportedly threw rocks and water bottles at police as they retreated.
Tensions high in Baton Rouge as police clash with protesters wearing riot gear and gas masks pic.twitter.com/3KRN9NMKHa
— wynton yates (@WyntonYates) July 11, 2016
More than 100 people have been arrested throughout the weekend, and dozens more were arrested at the latest demonstration.
The Louisiana National Lawyers Guild has started a collection to cover the legal expenses of protesters who have been arrested. You can donate to it here.
The post Total Chaos Erupts as Baton Rouge Police Assault Protesters and Deploy Sound Cannon appeared first on U.S. Uncut.