“I feel that everyone, yes, you can protest, but I want everyone to protest the right way”, he said. The shooting was captured on cellphone video.
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Another suspect, identified as 20-year-old Malik Bridgewater, was also arrested Sunday at his home and charged with burglary and theft of a firearm, police said, noting that detectives recovered three of the stolen handguns from him.
According to NOLA.com, “protesters expressed disbelief that police would break up what had largely been a peaceful protest leading up to the arrests”.
Alleging “excessive force, physical and verbal abuse, and wrongful arrests to disperse protesters who were gathered peacefully”, the ACLU released a statement alleging numerous violations of demonstrators’ First Amendment rights.
“This exercise of constitutional rights has been met with a military-grade assault on protesters’ bodies and rights”, reads the lawsuit filed by the ACLU.
Baton Rouge’s top prosecutor is weighing whether to pursue charges against almost 200 demonstrators arrested in weekend protests over the killings of young black men as criticism mounts by protesters over the tactics officers used on the crowds.
Baton Rouge police are hunting for the fourth suspect in a burglary at a pawn shop that’s believed to be part of a wider plot to kill law enforcement in the Louisiana capital.
Critics have slammed authorities for their use of full riot gear and apparent heavy-handedness in detainments of protesters. Baton Rouge police said the incident started when officers responded to a disturbance call from someone who said a black man selling CDs wearing a red shirt threatened him with a firearm. Chief Dabadie said that during questioning, Thomas revealed “real, credible evidence” that officers would be under attack.
A stream of mourners is paying their respects to Alton Sterling, a 37-year-old man who was fatally shot by Baton Rouge police on July 5.
People gather to protest the shooting of Alton Sterling on July 10, 2016 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Investigations by the Partnership for Civil Justice Fund’s found various federal agencies have regularly labeled peaceful protests as violent and incited local police departments against them for several years starting with the Occupy Wall Street protests in 2011.
“The only thing I saw thrown at police was a flower, after a protester asked officers, ‘Are you here to protect and serve?'” she said.
More than 100 people were arrested during a protest Saturday, including two local journalists and activist Deray Mckesson. “Not in violence”, he added after thanking supporters.
They were protesting police brutality, including the fatal shooting of Philando Castile by a suburban St. Paul officer during a traffic stop last week.
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The American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana announced the lawsuit Wednesday.
