Police say protesters try to break into Plaza businesses as KC protests turn ‘violent’
Update: Late Saturday night and Sunday morning, more information developed about the Plaza protest. A story with the latest is posted here.
The Kansas City Police Department tweeted around 10 p.m. Saturday that protesters were attempting to break into businesses on the Country Club Plaza, where hundreds have gathered in protest of the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis Monday.
“Several large violent groups of protesters have thrown bottles and rocks, blocked streets, looted businesses and been unlawful,” said Kansas City Police Capt. David Jackson in an email.
Just before 9 p.m. police officers started assembling shields, batons, gas masks and the like — and began taking formation in the street.
It was a marked change in tone from Friday night when protesters marched, chanted, occasionally taunted police officers but largely kept the peace. There was some pepper spray on Friday as midnight approached, and five people were taken into custody at 1 a.m. after some property damage.
But on Saturday night, five people were already placed under arrest only hours after the protest started, a sign of things to come.
“This has just been disappointing,” Jackson said around 9 p.m. “This was declared unlawful some time ago.”
This story was originally published May 30, 2020 at 10:28 PM.
