Police use flash bangs, smoke canisters to disperse IC protesters
Lang
6/4/20
Police used flash bangs and tear gas canisters against hundreds of protesters who tried to march to Interstate 80 late Wednesday night.
It was the third night of protests in and around downtown Iowa City following the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police last week, and certainly the most contentious. As with previous protests, the event began around 6pm with a rally on the Pentacrest. Protesters then marched around downtown Iowa City, with a few spray-painting Floyd’s name and various racial justice slogans on sidewalks, fixtures and buildings. Wednesday’s march covered more ground than the marches the previous two nights, with the group walking as far from downtown as the intersection of Highway 6 and Gilbert Street.
The group then moved back downtown, and around 11pm began heading north on Dubuque Street, toward I-80. Police blocked off the interstate around the Dubuque Street on- and off-ramps as a precaution.
The protesters were met by a line of Iowa City Police and Iowa State Patrol troopers just north of Foster Road, and a standoff ensued. The group chanted “hands up, don’t shoot”.
For the most part, both sides stood their ground. But a few protesters then advanced toward the line of police, at which time the officers fired flash bangs and tear gas canisters.
Most of the protesters retreated about a block south, but after continued rounds of crowd control measures the group eventually broke up and left.
One person appeared to suffer seizures after the first round of flash bangs. That person was taken from the scene via ambulance. No other serious injuries were reported.
