“Black Lives Matter” protests took place around the country last night…from San Francisco to Rochester, where 76 people were arrested after blockading the corner of East Avenue and Alexander Street.
Most were processed through City Court this morning and released on appearance tickets.
Some 400 protesters rallied early Friday evening at the Liberty Pole, then marched around downtown, disrupting rush hour traffic and forcing RTS to close the Transit Center and stage its buses on Chestnut Street.
One hundred to 150 returned later and sat down in the East End, blocking traffic until police in riot gear chanting “Move Back” pushed them out of the street. At an early Saturday morning news conference, Rochester Police Chief Michael Ciminelli said there were 74 disorderly conduct arrests and two people charged with resisting arrest as more than 100 officers pushed the protesters back.
The two who resisted suffered minor injuries and were checked at the scene by EMTs. The chief and Mayor Lovely Warren say no weapons were or pepper spray were used as in some other cities. There was no property damage. Mayor Warren says the handling of the incident will be reviewed, but she believes police did well.
Chief Ciminelli says they at first allowed the demonstrators “flexibility” in expressing their views, but at some point there were so many officers needed downtown his department could no longer answer emergency calls. Suburban departments and the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office had to fill in. At that point, the chief says the protest had to end and he gave the order for officers to move in.
Two 13 WHAM reporters covering the protest were swept up and detained along with the protesters. They were released after being identified as members of the press. Chief Ciminelli apologized for that.
Mayor Warren says the city reached out to the protest organizers beforehand and understood that this rally would be similar to earlier ones that ended after marching down Main Street. She says they’ll continue trying to work with the organizers.