Protests in California over the police-fueled deaths of Eric Garner and Michael Brown have taken decided turns to the violent, with hundreds of angry individuals hurling objects, setting fires, breaking store windows and blocking off major travel routes in the last 24 hours.
Reuters reported that more than 150 were arrested overnight in California, mostly for blocking traffic.
Demonstrators marching from Berkeley to Oakland chanted “Turn it up, don’t turn it down. Shut it down for Michael Brown,” the Ferguson teen shot and killed by former Officer Darren Wilson, NBC News reported.
Others chanted “I can’t breathe,” recalling the words of Garner when a police officer held him in a chokehold on the streets of New York.
California Highway Patrol officials said an “explosive” had been hurled at them, and tweeted: “#CHP remain in area and continue to take thrown projectiles. Although some protesters may be peaceful, this is not a peaceful protest,” NBC News found.
Meanwhile, lanes of Highway 24 were blocked by protesters, and drivers were advised to keep their windows up and doors locked, NBC News reported.
In New York, protests continued with the participation of several high-profile individuals, including LeBron James with the Cleveland Cavaliers. In Phoenix, about 200 protesters marched on police headquarters, and at another site in New York — outside the Barclays Center in Brooklyn — about 300 gathered and blocked streets.
https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/michael-brown-shooting/eric-garner-michael-brown-deaths-spark-protests-berkeley-california-n263646
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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