Political Rally Turns Violent

By Kevin Lynn
Saturday at 12 pm, Protesters gathering outside the Marshall Pit Police station to and were set to march all the way to City Hall. The walk was slow and has they moved the crowd grew. All the marchers were chatting and carrying signs that said “STOP THE VIOLENCE!”, “SERVE AND PROTECT?” and many others.

From 12 to 7 the Rally marched around Marshall Pit and then turned to its sights to City Hall. The crowd started up Lincoln Street. The crowd was peaceful, but was growing to an almost unmanageable size. At the intersection of Lincoln and Rock Road the Rally was stopped by a Police Line.

There were about 60 Police behind the wooden horses. Most of them wearing riot gear and some with tear gas guns, but they were not in any aggressive stance or formation. The Rally was armed only with signs, rage and broken spirits. The line was starting to be challenged and someone in the crowd threw something into the police lines. The crowd became enraged and the Police response was to use non lethal bullets to push the mob back away from the lines.

City Officials told the Morning Times that there were 10 protesters wounded and 30 arrested. No members of the Police Department were hurt during the fight. During the aftermath, protester Nathan Scholes said, “This is exactly the kind of thing we’ve come to expect to see in the Pit."