I witnessed many protesters be arrested and maced as they tried to run away from the gas

I went to downtown Fort Wayne to peacefully protest in front of the Allen County Courthouse. I am a Fort Wayne native and I believe it was my civil responsibility to voice my concern with our national and local criminal justice system after the horrific killing of George Floyd. I arrived downtown between 2-3 pm. Upon arrival, the scene in front of the courthouse was covered in heavily armed officers. The protest, itself, was mostly focused along the side of the Clinton St, although many people we dispersed around the courthouse yard with signs and sitting on the grass in groups. In between traffic lights, while the traffic was stopped, protesters would walk out into the crosswalk. They would then return to the side of the street when the light shifted green once again.
At a certain point, a small group of protesters remained in the street even after the light turned green and stopped some traffic. Still no violence or harm was being done to any property; it was just a peaceful demonstration blocking Clinton St. Almost immediately, FWPD Swat vehicles arrived, trying to intimidate the protesters into leaving the streets. No warnings were made of physical force as many protesters, myself included, still remained off the street and in the courthouse yard. The police began firing tear gas into the street and into the crowd without any warning. Many teargas canisters were launched into the courthouse yard where many were peacefully and lawfully demonstrating. I ran further down the street away from the gas because it was hard to breath and see. As I made it farther down the street, I watched as many protesters stayed and others struggled to get away. Further down the street, I saw a mother trying to help her daughter who had been exposed to tear gas. Her daughter was crying and in pain. We helped supply her with milk for her eyes and get them around the building to safety. I then walked around the block and joined a group of protesters that began to form on Main St.
At this point FWPD and FW Swat had all the blocks surrounding the courthouse blocked with cop cars and officers. They were heavily armed, holding tear gas canisters, mace, and many with their hands on their holsters; even though up to this, I had not witnessed any threat to these officers. The protesters on Main St. were mostly out of the street but once it became obvious that the FWPD were blocking the traffic anyway, the group moved into the street facing down the officers. No one was armed or threatening the officers. There was music playing from a speaker and many words and chants were said, but no physical implications. Many officers laughed and snickered at the protesters. Many smiled and made a joke out of the situation although many of us had been tear gassed and disrespected. We were there for maybe just shy of an hour before a protester shouted to move towards MLK bridge. Many protesters then dispersed and moved towards the bridge. Once I arrived, there was already a large group that had spread out over the bridge. We peacefully blocked the bridge as a symbolic tribute to what we were standing for and what the Martin Luther King Jr bridge is supposed to represent in our community. There were drones circling over our head, which were believed to be police drones. Once again, FWPD cars eventually arrived near the bridge and closed in on us. Due to fear of what the officers may do next the group eventually moved again back towards the courthouse on the sidewalks.
The officers up to this point had already displayed tons of unnecessary force. It was scary, as they all were heavily armed, while the protestors, to my knowledge, were all unarmed. The group of protesters then joined together again in Freimann Square. This a public park in downtown and there was an impression amongst myself and many other protesters that this would be a safe place for us to be to use our voices and constitutionally protest police brutality and our faulty criminal justice system. However, this was not the case according to the FWPD. Once again, without warning, tons of tear gas canisters were shot into the park where many were peacefully and lawfully standing. The police had the road blocked and lined with officers in front of the gas canisters, forcing many protesters to run for their safety into the road into the officers. This is when I witnessed many protesters be arrested and maced as they tried to run away from the gas. I myself also didn’t know where to go to escape the unexpected gas, as there was no warning from anyone in the FWPD or suggestion on where we can safely disperse. I was forced to run directly through the gas, helping others along the way, as I feared running away from the gas would lead to myself being maced or arrested, though I posed no threat and broke no laws. These officers obviously did not care that I posed no threat and broke no laws, they instead wanted to arrest and hurt protesters. I made it away and saw more cop cars then I’ve ever seen in Fort Wayne circle around downtown looking for potential protesters to arrest for no reason. It was extremely disappointing as a Fort Wayne native.