GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) — A protest turned into something much more disruptive on Saturday in Green Bay.
The protest, which began at Leicht Park, ended with police declaring it an unlawful assembly around 10:00 pm Saturday when several people began throwing things and trying to force their way into local businesses.
“As that march progressed, a lot more people joined that weren’t really interested in peacefully protesting,” Police Chief Andrew Smith told WTAQ on Monday. “They continued to march in the streets after they were given multiple warnings not to, they sat down outside the K. I. center and blocked traffic, and we began making arrests.”
It took about a half hour for police to clear out the demonstrators.
“Most people in the cars were cooperative and very patient,” said Smith. “They waited while these folks sat in the middle of the street until we could get them cleared out.”
Fifteen arrests were made in total. Several for being juveniles out past curfew. No injuries were reported. No tear gas or pepper spray was used.
Some demonstrators got into a shouting match with a group of local bar goers. Smith says he’s glad things didn’t escalate.
“People that are counter demonstrating and protesters are all very emotional. They don’t like to hear about other people’s perspective or points of view,” Smith said. “We’ve seen across the country people getting in fights and even shootings.”
In the past week and a half, protesters and counter protesters have fought in the streets of Kenosha and Portland, Oregon, with lethal results. Two were killed and a third man injured during an altercation last week in Kenosha, and another was shot and killed over the weekend during a fight in Portland.
The demonstrations stem from last week’s shooting of 29-year-old Jacob Blake, a black man, by Kenosha police.
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