Police initially moved in on foot and then horseback to secure the intersection outside the Quicken Loans Arena, where the convention is being held, temporarily blocking access into the secure zone.
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Williams said protestors were not arrested for the flag burning, which in most cases is legal. Officers on rooftops watched through binoculars, while police on bicycles pedaled along the streets with no other traffic.
“This was a city effort, this was not a Division of Police effort” Chief Williams said.
Among those arrested was Gregory “Joey” Johnson, who burned an American flag outside the GOP convention in 1984, resulting in the 1989 U.S. Supreme Court decision that ruled that flag burning was legal as protected free speech.
This was just a few blocks from the Republican convention.
CLEVELAND (AP) – Tensions gave way to relief in Cleveland as the Republican convention concluded quietly with two dozen arrests over four days thanks to a massive police presence and protesters’ own concerns for their safety. Protests on Tuesday in nearby Public Square had attracted hundreds of police but no one was detained.
“You don’t pull something like this off without a little luck and a lot of prayers”, Williams said Friday. According to the police scanner, officers planned to charge the unidentified suspect with assault of a police officer.
Cleveland police say two officers have been treated for skin irritation following reports of stickers that cause a burning sensation when applied. The chaos prevented delegates and members of the media from getting into the Quicken Loans Arena for the evening’s proceedings.
Williams said an individual whose trousers were on fire got defensive when an officer tried to extinguish the blaze and assaulted the officer.
“Almost every prohibited item we have confiscated”, Mr Williams said. But she wound up holding a pro-Trump banner in Public Square.
Police officers, including members of the Columbus mounted unit, swarmed in to stop a scuffle over a flag burning outside the Republican National Convention this afternoon.
Activists said deadly attacks on police in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Dallas had scared off some would-be protesters.
About 50,000 people are expected in Cleveland this week for the Republican National Convention, at which Donald Trump is expected to be formally nominated to run for the USA presidency in November.
Perez, wearing wooden earrings with the words “Mi Mexico Lucha” – “My Mexico Fight” – said the message to Trump is clear: “We’re not afraid of you, what you’re saying”.
Dozens of people chanted “Love Trumps Hate” and carried signs that said “Ban All Trumps Not Muslims”.
Numerous police responded as skirmishes among protesters broke out.
Cleveland Police Chief Calvin Williams said that he spent three hours Tuesday evening riding with bicycle officers on patrol and that he waded into one confrontation because he’s “still a police officer”. The Cleveland officer reported numbness in his neck, WOIO reported.
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The health commissioner for Ohio’s Erie County said Wednesday that the 11 people who fell ill are recovering and taking precautions not to spread norovirus, or what’s commonly known as stomach flu.
