Milwaukee Police Fire Tear Gas at Protesters Chanting 'We Are Peaceful' in Viral Video
Demonstrators in Milwaukee protesting the death of George Floyd held their hands up while chanting "We are peaceful. Are you peaceful?" as police threw cans of tear gas to disperse the crowd.
A group of police officers arrested a person on a bike who was filming the event before cycling away from the line of police in a video shared by Milwaukee's WTMJ.
Around 100 officers were at the scene. The police were heard shouting "Move back" before tear gas was thrown towards protesters.
Police were also reportedly "shooting rubber bullets at unarmed civilians," according to a post on Twitter by @BiionFN, who also shared a video of the incident.
In a statement, the Milwaukee Police Department said protesters were ordered to disperse due to unlawful assembly after they allegedly threw rocks and glass at police officers. Police also claimed Molotov cocktails were thrown at officers in a post on Tuesday on its official Twitter account.
This Just took place in Milwaukee, WI.
— Biion (@BiionFN) June 3, 2020
PEACEFUL PROTEST, 100+ cops show up for no reason. 10 cops jump on a guy filming on his bike, not doing anything, police throw tear gas and start shooting at rubber bullets at unarmed civilians who were even chanting “we are peaceful”. pic.twitter.com/5JxvNcdJGc
"A suspect with a gun who was in the crowd has been taken into custody by MPD [Milwaukee Police Department]. For our safety and the safety of our residents we had used gas to disperse the crowd," the police said in a post Tuesday on its official Twitter account.
The "Justice for George Floyd" demonstration began at 1 p.m. local time in the Bay View area of Milwaukee and ended 6.5 miles away in downtown Milwaukee.
Newsweek has contacted the Milwaukee Police Department for comment.
Also on Tuesday, police officers in Milwaukee were seen kneeling down outside the Milwaukee Police Administration Building. The display took place as hundreds gathered for a peaceful protest march through the city.
One officer was pictured with his arm around a woman holding a sign that read "Black Lives Matter" and giving a thumbs-up.
Protestors have been ordered to disperse due to unlawful assembly after throwing rocks and glass at our officers.
— Milwaukee Police (@MilwaukeePolice) June 3, 2020
A suspect with a gun who was in the crowd has been taken into custody by MPD. For our safety and the safety of our residents we had used gas to disperse the crowd.
Protests continue to rage across the nation following the death of Floyd, who died shortly after a Minneapolis police officer kneeled on his neck during an arrest.
Several protests have resulted in violent clashes. On Sunday, a driver of a semi-truck was taken into custody after driving toward a crowd of protesters marching down a closed interstate in Minneapolis.
An exchange of gunfire that happened amid protests in Louisville, Kentucky saw the death of a local restaurant owner.
A 21-year-old was shot dead during the protests in Detroit.
The National Guard has been deployed in 15 states and Washington, D.C. to help manage protests across the country.
