For the second night in a row, police clashed with demonstrators following Downtown protests over the deaths of several African Americans recently killed by police in Indianapolis and across the U.S.
Things came to a head in a haze of tear gas a little after 9 p.m., about two hours after city officials asked protest organizers to wrap up their events and clear the streets. Several protesters were arrested and widespread vandalism was reported in the aftermath.
By midnight, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department had confirmed one fatality, and said they were investigating “multiple” shootings, none of which were officer-involved.
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IMPD deemed Downtown unsafe and asked residents to stay away from the area, even as fires continued to burn in the streets, alleys and, in some cases, banks and other businesses.
It was a far different scene earlier in the day, when thousands of demonstrators marched peacefully through Downtown streets chanting slogans such as “Black Lives Matter” and “No Justice — No Peace.”
The Saturday demonstrations followed a tense night Friday in Indianapolis, where crowds of people marched Downtown to protest police shootings, including the killings of Dreasjon Reed in Indianapolis, Breonna Taylor in Louisville and, most recently, George Floyd in Minneapolis.
Police said the protests that started Friday and continued until about 4 a.m. Saturday resulted in 27 arrests and damage to at least 30 business, including a CVS that was looted and sustained fire damage.
It’s unclear how many arrests were made and businesses damaged Saturday night and into the Sunday morning hours.
A peaceful demonstration turns into something else
The slow-rolling protest Saturday elicited a mix of cheers and jeers from motorists, bystanders and people watching the action unfold live on social media.
Police took a hands off approach until just after sunset, when a confrontation occurred at Market and Alabama streets, where protesters blocked the road in front of a line of squad cars.
“This is no longer a lawful assembly. You are subject to arrest,” an officer told protesters several times over a public address system. Most of the protesters held their position blocking the road.
An IndyStar reporter at the scene saw 10 officers and four police cars. Most were wearing gas masks and standing still. One protester threw a water bottle at an officer, and several others followed.
Officers then began firing tear gas. Many of the protesters scattered from the area and retreated further back in the streets.
At a late night media briefing IMPD Police Chief Randal Taylor condemned the violence and said officers had been working very well with the protest organizers earlier in the day.
“Earlier this evening our officers worked to protect our residents’ right to peaceful protests,” Taylor said in a prepared statement. “Most of those protesters cooperated and did a fine job. For that, we’re thankful. However, there was a small group of people that escalated to violent acts, including throwing projectiles at officers and breaking windows of government buildings.”
He continued: “Since then, we have seen continued and escalating incidents of violence. This includes shots fired and loss of life. This is not acceptable in this community. This behavior will not be tolerated by IMPD.”
Officials urged peaceful assembly
In the wake of the conflict and violence less than 24 hours earlier, Gov. Eric Holcomb and Mayor Joe Hogsett issued statements urging those returning Downtown for the two Saturday protests to refrain from violence and vandalism.
Hogsett said he also asked organizers to conclude the events by 7 p.m. and encourage participants to leave the Downtown area after that time. It all went according to plan, at least initially.
Police said there were no arrests or major issues when the second protest formally ended at 7 p.m.
But few in the crowd — a mix of mostly young blacks and whites, many wearing masks — appeared to heed warnings to leave from organizers.
Instead the crowd continued to snake through city street north and east of monument circle for nearly two hours before the standoff near the northeast corner of the City-County Building.
The feelings of racial injustice fueling the protests extend far beyond Indianapolis and Indiana, said Deziree Walker, a native of Griffith, Indiana, and former IUPUI student who marched with the protesters Saturday.
“Seeing what’s been going on for years and years and years, we’re tired. We’re exhausted,” she explained. “We want change. That’s why we’re here today.”
Indy joins cities around the nation
The local protests are part of a nationwide eruption of unrest that has drawn throngs of people to the streets in Atlanta, Louisville, Minneapolis and other cities, including outside the White House in Washington, D.C.
Some cities have seen five days of protests.
In Indianapolis, Taylor said five IMPD vehicles were damaged and three officers and three civilians were injured Friday night and early Saturday morning, including a person who sustained what Taylor characterized as “severe lacerations” while kicking glass.
As some protesters grew unruly, police in riot gear launched tear gas canisters and shot pepper balls in an effort to break up the crowd. Just after midnight, police said, someone fired shots at a Marion County Sheriff’s deputy outside 1 American Square. The deputy was not injured and did not return fire. No suspect has been arrested.
Demonstrators returned Downtown Saturday afternoon for the first of two planned protests. As they gathered at the Indiana Convention Center, city workers and private crews hustled to block off several streets and place sheets of plywood over ground-floor windows. Both events Saturday were publicized on social media by local organizers who urged participants to refrain from violence.
At 5;30 p.m., a crowd of about 1,000 gathered at the Indiana War Memorial began moving to Monument Circle chanting “Black Lives Matter” and “No justice — No peace” and “Hands up — Don’t shot.” At the circle, a protester spray-painted BLM, for black lives matter, on the Soldiers and Sailors Monument.
Earlier, about 100 demonstrators began gathering around 1 p.m. at the convention center for an event promoted as a show of solidarity with protesters in Minneapolis. It was organized by Indianapolis resident Malik Muhammad.
About 50 people from that event moved north to the war memorial for the second protest at 4 p.m. They marched north amid chants of “What do we want — body cams” and “when do we want them — now.”
The second protest, which focused on the shooting of Reed, was organized by Indianapolis resident Destiny Brown, an Ohio State University student. She called for the release of an autopsy report and the names of officers involved in the May 6 shooting.
“There has been no justice for his case,” Brown said through a bullhorn. “And there will never be justice for his case.”
The crowd quickly swelled from a few hundred to an estimated 2,000 or more. Brown said the event, which had been set to end at sunset, or 9:05 p.m., would instead end at 7 p.m. Anything that happens after that, Brown said, is not affiliated with her event.
She urged the crowd to remain nonviolent, and warned that IMPD had told her that it could use force to clear the streets after 7 p.m.
Brown’s message echoed statements earlier Saturday from Gov. Eric Holcomb and Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett. Both issued public statements acknowledging the right to demonstrate, but urging participants to remain peaceful and refrain from vandalism or looting.
Hogsett said he met Saturday morning to discuss the protests with representatives of Indy10 Black Lives Matter and the mother of Reed, 21, who was shot and killed by IMPD officers earlier this month after a police chase he recorded on Facebook Live. After exiting his car, police say Reed began to flee on foot, and at some point, they say he fired a weapon. As he ran, the officer first attempted to tase him, then shot. The shooting is under investigated.
The mayor said he made commitments to “continued change” in the areas of community policing, transparency and police accountability, including implementing body cameras and a new use-of-force review board.
“We must do a better job of listening and acting before black communities in our city feel helpless,” he said.
Hogsett added he hoped demonstrations would conclude by 7 p.m. The mayor said he asked the organizers to instruct demonstrators to return to their homes at that time.
“I will not deny your anger, for it is fairly earned,” he said. “But it is my sincere belief that in moments of anger, we all as humans have a fundamental choice: the choice between love or hate. Indianapolis, it is my hope that as you gather in anger, you will leave your peaceful protest and return home by choosing love.”
The Mayor took to Twitter at 1:30 a.m. on Sunday morning to condemn the violence.
“This afternoon, our city hosted a successful protest that allowed hundreds to lift up their cause and have their voices safely heard,” Hogsett’s social media post said. “Since it ended, a small group of people have chosen to diminish that activism through inexcusable violence. It is unacceptable, and it must stop.”
The Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce also issued a statement calling for an end to the violence.
“The opportunity to succeed is central to the growth of Indianapolis, and significant barriers including systemic racism threaten this opportunity,” said CEO Michael Huber. “We recognize the longstanding anger and frustration that has been building in our city and our nation in response to violent acts against communities of color, and we support peaceful protests that address this injustice and call for change. When reactions turn violent, however, they not only detract from this call, they undermine the important message of the protests, and shift the focus to destruction and injury.”
Reporters David Lindquist, Ryan Martin, Amelia Pak-Harvey, Elizabeth DePompei and Holly Hays contributed to this story.
Contact Tim Evans at 317-444-6204 or tim.evans@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter: @starwatchtim.
