Riots, protests in Minnesota, Chicago, elsewhere in reaction to police shootings

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Crowds poured into the streets in several U.S. cities on Friday night, reacting to the police shooting deaths of Daunte Wright in Minnesota and Adam Toledo in Chicago.

The greatest unrest Friday appeared to be in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, the Twin Cities suburb where Wright was fatally shot last Sunday, but events appeared to be deteriorating in Portland, Oregon, early Saturday, with reports of fires and possible gunfire.

Here are some details about some areas where crowds clashed with law enforcement:

Brooklyn Center: 100 arrests

An emergency curfew was imposed by police Friday night as rioting escalated outside police headquarters, FOX 9 of Minneapolis reported. As of early Saturday, Public Safety Commission John Harrington estimated about 100 people had been arrested.

City officials initially tried to go without a curfew Friday for the first time since protests erupted Sunday following the police shooting death of Daunte Wright, according to FOX 9.

But Mayor Mike Elliott’s attempt to “take a different approach” was reversed around 10:30 p.m., with the emergency curfew put in place from 11 p.m. Friday to 6 a.m. Saturday.

A demonstrator holds a sign bearing the names of people who died during police incidents, during a protest over the fatal shooting of Daunte Wright during a traffic stop, outside the Brooklyn Center Police Department, Friday, April 16, 2021, in Brooklyn Center, Minn. (Associated Press)

Around 9:30 p.m., rioters breached a barrier surrounding the building, drawing a police response of flash bangs and pepper spray, the station reported. The gathering – which also included objects hurled at police – was declared an unlawful assembly soon after, according to FOX 9.

Chicago: Logan Square Park clash

A crowd of thousands gathered in Logan Square in reaction to this week’s release of video footage from the March 29 police shooting of 13-year-old Adam Toledo.

Police and protesters were seen clashing at one point but the gathering was mostly free of trouble, FOX 32 of Chicago reported.

WARNING: VIOLENCE AND PROFANITY

Children wearing face masks were seen handing out water bottles to police officers, according to the station.

Demonstrators protest the fatal shooting in March by police of 13-year-old Adam Toledo, Friday, April 16, 2021, in the Logan Square area of Chicago. (Associated Press)

On Thursday, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot had called for the city to remain calm, vowing the death of Toledo would be fully investigated.

Portland: Third riot of week

Two separate marches got underway in downtown Portland on Friday night with at least one of them declared a riot, according to FOX 12 Oregon. They occurred hours after police had fatally shot a suspect in a city park.

The separate marches began in Waterfront Park and in Director Park. A heavy law enforcement presence was seen later in the evening.

Portland police posted online photos of smashed windows at the Oregon Historical Society. Police claimed rioters also tried to break into several businesses.

Video posted on social media showed a fire near an Apple Store.

Friday’s riot was the third declared in Portland this week, following unrest Monday night and Tuesday night, the station reported.

On Friday morning, a suspect accused of pointing a gun at police was killed by an officer at Lents Park. Neither the deceased person nor the officer were immediately identified.

Police said some onlookers tried to interfere with the investigation into the shooting, tearing down crime-scene tape and entering the police work area.

Some officers were struck by thrown objects as they tried to restore order, FOX 12 reported.

Raleigh/Durham: Flags burn

The two North Carolina cities saw crowds gather to protest recent police shootings that have occurred around the country.

Protesters marched through downtown Raleigh but their numbers were smaller than were seen last spring, following the police-custody death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, the News & Observer of Raleigh reported. Many businesses had boarded up in advance of potential trouble, the newspaper reported.

In nearby Durham, more than 100 people gathered near the county courthouse, according to the paper. Many carried placards with messages such as “Stop killing us,” the report said.

Some in the crowd were seen overturning trash containers and spray-painting buildings, while others burned American flags and shouted “F— the police!” the paper reported.

Oakland: ‘Unlawful assembly’

Some downtown businesses boarded up early in anticipation of Friday night’s protests, FOX 2 of the Bay Area reported.

Demonstrators began gathering around Frank Ogawa Plaza around 8 p.m., calling it “Oscar Grant Plaza” after a 22-year-old Black man who was killed by a BART transit police officer in Oakland on Jan. 1, 2009.

Friday’s gathering started to break up as the night went on, with some groups smashing store windows as they left the area, FOX 2 reported.

Police had declared the gathering of around 200 people an unlawful assembly around 11 p.m., according to the station.

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