Police in Cleveland made dozens of arrests overnight Saturday and into Sunday as protesters swarmed city streets to rail against the acquittal of a white cop accused of killing two unarmed black suspects.
‘Officers responding for reports of disruptive members of large crowd spraying random citizens with pepper spray,’ the Cleveland police Twitter account posted Saturday night.
By Sunday, 71 demonstrators had been arrested.
The unrest began Saturday after Patrolman Michael Brelo, who jumped onto the hood of a car and fired 15 shots at an unarmed couple, was found not guilty.
Michael Brelo, 31, broke down in tears as he acquitted in a Cleveland, Ohio, court of two counts of voluntary manslaughter for the deaths of Timothy Russell, 43, and Malissa Williams, 30.
The pair died during a 137-shot barage by police after a high-speed chase in November 2012.
Some protesters quickly became violent Saturday. According to reports, a protester threw a sign at a restaurant diner, hitting him in the face.
Multiple arrests were made in connection to that incident, police said.
Meanwhile, at a Sunday morning press conference, Cleveland Police Chief Calvin Williams said the day’s demonstrations were mostly peaceful.
That sentiment was echoed by Mayor Frank G. Jackson.
‘I want to thank those protesters and demonstrators who were responsible in their First amendment rights,’ said Mayor Jackson. ‘As I said yesterday, we encourage and support peaceful protestors. However, we will not tolerate activities that cross the line.’
Brelo’s trial, which began on April 6, took place as high-profile killings of unarmed black men by white police officers continue to pile pressure on U.S. law enforcement.
Before issuing his verdict, Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge John P. O’Donnell noted the recent unrest in Ferguson, Missouri, and Baltimore over the deaths of black suspects but said he would not ‘sacrifice’ Brelo to an angry public if the evidence did not merit a conviction.
‘Guilty or not guilty, the verdict should be no cause for a civilized society to celebrate or riot,’ he said.
According to Cleveland.com, the Russell family was ‘extremely disappointed’ with the verdict’.
Russell’s sister, Michelle Russell, said she believed Brelo would ultimately face justice.
‘He’s not going to dodge this just because he was acquitted,’ she said. ‘God will have the final say.’
The US Justice Department, US Attorney’s Office and the FBI will review the testimony and evidence and examine all available legal options, said Vanita Gupta, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.
Community and city leaders braced for the possibility of unrest in response to the verdict, which came as investigators work toward making a decision on whether charges will be filed in the death of 12-year-old Tamir Rice, who was carrying a pellet gun when shot by a white rookie officer late last year.
‘We will get justice,’ said Art McCoy of the Black Man Army, a coalition of black leaders. ‘We are not happy with this verdict.’
What you see now are between 150 and 200 militant protestors committing acts of aggression like throwing tables and pepper spraying innocent bystanders over this. Now, the DOJ is coming after Brelo and the Cleveland PD, with Al Sharpton in the lead. Authorities never learned why Russell (one of the deceased suspects) didn’t stop. He had a criminal record including convictions for receiving stolen property and robbery and had been involved in a previous police pursuit. Williams (the other suspect) had convictions for drug-related charges and attempted abduction. Both were described as mentally ill, homeless and addicted to drugs. A crack pipe was found in the car. What we see here is a lynch mob mentality, stoked by the DOJ and the likes of Sharpton. All in an effort to justify the communist move of nationalizing our police forces. Here it comes.