Dallas police respond after shots were fired during a protest over recent fatal shootings by police in Louisiana and Minnesota, Thursday, July 7, 2016, in Dallas.
Advertisement
He encouraged protestors gathering this evening at Centennial Park and the Center for Civil and Human Rights to “maintain the King-ian tradition of protest, which means respect the law”.
Atlanta Police Chief George Turner spoke first with 11Alive and said that this will continue as long as they remain peaceful. Images from local news helicopters showed a peaceful march.
He said officers would be out in force and expressed concern that the shooting deaths of five officers and wounding of others during last night’s protests in Dallas could have happened in Atlanta.
Numerous state trooper patrol cars and Atlanta Police Department officers blocked an entrance ramp to Interstate 75/85 where a portion of the protesters tried to enter the highway. I want to one day have children in America, but I have fear of bringing them into a world filled with so many injustices to black people.
Among the several groups attending the rally were Black Lives Matter and the Georgia NAACP, who insist that race is still an issue in the USA and that people need to rally for a better society.
The protesters gathered in Manhattan’s Union Square Friday night for speeches before splitting into small groups escorted by police.
Reed said Americans are naturally frustrated at the constant cycle of black deaths at the hands of police.
The Atlanta mayor shared a message for young people, who are so often active participants in the Black Lives Matter protests, reminding them that social media can either help or hurt the situation.
He said officers and the public need to communicate more with each other.
While police may have come to their own decision on the case, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reid has already issued a statement saying that the city has referred this case to the Federal Bureau of Investigation in order to further investigate the case. He said he believes there are no easy answers to the tensions plaguing the country.
Hundreds of people took part in a Black Lives Matter protest in London on Friday. “It does terrify you”, Wyche said.
Advertisement
Marchers covered city streets earlier in the afternoon.
