Things got ugly in Cleveland in May, when #BlackLivesMatters protesters and police clashed after Officer Michael Brelo was found not guilty of two counts of voluntary manslaughter. After a 22-minute car chase in 2012, 13 officers fired into a 1979 Chevy Malibu, killing Timothy Russell and Malissa Williams, who were unarmed. At one point, Brelo, who is white, jumped onto the hood of the car and began firing through the windshield.
In that case, police knew the verdict was imminent and had time to prepare for any unrest. That wasn’t the case yesterday, when a large disturbance led to police using pepper spray on an angry crowd.
What was the offense this time? No deaths, no shootings, no guns. According to Cleveland.com, transit police removed from a city bus a 14-year-old boy they said was drunk. Unfortunately for them, the bus stop at which they removed the boy was in front of Cleveland State University, which was hosting the Movement for Black Lives national conference.
A crowd gathered around the bus stop as police were taking down the boy’s information, so they put the boy into a squad car, which further infuriated the growing crowd — some even tried to grab the boy from out of the squad car.
Some of the disturbance was captured via the Periscope app and spread via Twitter and numerous TV news outlets.
#happeningNow #M4BL protesters pepper sprayed in #Cleveland @mvmt4bl pic.twitter.com/9JyFCp2vMq
— Kenny Foster (@KentaviousPrime) July 26, 2015
@KentaviousPrime @alexisgoldstein @mvmt4bl Once Again Cops Escalating The Situation !!
— Alan Parker #MMT – The Neoliberalism Destroyer (@Truman_Town) July 26, 2015
@KentaviousPrime @mvmt4bl SMDH he acting like he spraying bugs….
— I'M JuSt SaYiNg (@WatAboutThat) July 26, 2015
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@KentaviousPrime @Dreamdefenders @mvmt4bl
HE ACTIN LIKE ITZ "RAID" IN HIS KITCHEN!
OUR LIVES MATTER!— Don Dvil (@DonDvil1) July 26, 2015
@KentaviousPrime @sallykohn @mvmt4bl WHO IS THIS OFFICER? Beyond fucked up!!!!
— Sheila May-Stein (@smaystein) July 27, 2015
@KentaviousPrime thank for filming!@LorettaLynch cops out of control in the streets of #Cleveland #PoliceBrutality
— Broken Hearted Grandma ?? (@elaineprettyeye) July 26, 2015
@KentaviousPrime @mvmt4bl #BlackLivesStandUp The system won't win! Pepper spray is for cowards!
— Ezinne (@nilegirl) July 26, 2015
https://twitter.com/faeryshadows/status/625711252937969665
@KentaviousPrime @mvmt4bl #Confederate rednecks racist police have infiltrated police agencies throughout America
— canfrank matthews (@cityofbirmingha) July 27, 2015
https://twitter.com/DemonSeed7/status/625497500795797504
Does Cleveland have any good cops? Or are they all on vacation today? @KentaviousPrime @mvmt4bl
— LiberalBadIdeas (@LiberalBadIdeas) July 26, 2015
@KentaviousPrime @bettinajudd @mvmt4bl Even with a black president black citizens are classed as second class
— Just RT (@Vital_RT) July 26, 2015
@kentaviousprime @mvmt4bl this is why u should always have goggles, bandana ready at protests, if not straight up body armor and MSA gasmask
— Pinsertion (@rikki_bon) July 26, 2015
@KentaviousPrime @mvmt4bl There's nothing like treating other human beings like pesky insects.
— Atsuko Natsume (@AtsukoNatsume) July 27, 2015
https://twitter.com/BuckNayked/status/625465703253082113
WEWS-TV in Cleveland spoke to some of the protesters, and also showed the boy ultimately released into his mother’s custody.
In related news, #BlackLivesMatter protesters are expected in Cleveland next month as the city and Fox News host the first GOP debate of the campaign season. Cleveland, of course, is also hosting the Republican National Convention next summer. Time to start preparing?
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