While attending the peaceful protest, we arrived somewhat late and went to walk up to the crowd of protesters with signs and immediately were dispersed because the police began firing off tear gas. One gas can flew over my head and landed in front of me while I was running away, all the way down on the corner of East Berry and South Calhoun, which was no where near the crowd. The police were all the way down on South Clinton and East Main street.
Later on in the day, the police moved further down to East Berry street where I witnessed them pepper spray protesters that were standing on the side walk, pleading with the police. They were not in the road, they were on a public sidewalk, pleading for them to stop the brute and unnecessary force being used against them. The pepper spray that they used against the protesters I seen on that sidewalk, blew into the faces of motorcyclists that were waiting at a red light, blew into the faces of other protesters on the side walk as well as mine and blew into people’s faces that were getting in their cars and trying to leave yards away.
I witnessed very many people pouring milk and water onto their faces trying to relieve the pain, many people who were seperate from their friends and scared, and many people trying to help, offering milk and water, trying to calm down fellow protesters that were angry with the police. Towards the end when we were about to go home, we witnessed them using tear gas again on protesters that were standing on the sidewalks of East Berry. Tear gas even moved through to the cars and motorcyclists waiting at the red light on East Berry.
It was terrible and it was unnecessary for them to arrive with such a strong freightening presence when all we wanted was justice, peace and to come together to express our thoughts as we are rightfully so to do. I have seen other protests at the courthouse lawn and I’ve seen big groups gather there, but I have never seen police presence at any other protest in downtown Fort Wayne.