Dallas protesters meet outside curfew zone, move onto freeway where police fire tear gas
Hundreds of protesters in Dallas moved onto Interstate 35 East and other city highways, following earlier peaceful protests Monday night that stayed outside the curfew zone.
Lights were shut off on the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge as protesters began crossing.
Police have fired tear gas, paintballs and smoke to try to push people back.
Earlier story:
Hundreds of people who began protesting outside Dallas police headquarters on Lamar Street on Monday night moved to the Frank Crowley Courthouse when a nightly curfew began for parts of the city at 7 p.m.
Community leaders spoke to those gathered in front of the courthouse just west of downtown, which they’ve been told is outside of the curfew area. Shenita Cleveland, from Cedar Hill, shared her experiences getting arrested on Sunday while protesting. She was shot four times with rubber bullets, she said.
Police, state troopers and the National Guard were in place, blocking off the curfew zone.
Many officers stood in the curfew zone on the other side of the street from the courthouse. There are barricades in the middle of the street.
One protester asked some troopers if people would start getting arrested if they’re in the zone, and was told yes.
Protesters have been giving out the phone number for a local attorney, Jasmine Crockett. They have also been alerting others there are medics in the crowd, identified by bright bandannas on their backpacks.
Nicole Mansfield, 21, of Dallas, says she wishes police would march with the peaceful protesters but feels they’re instead “treating us like we’re about to do something.”
Police Chief U. Renee Hall said there are no plans for police to arrest protesters unless they cross over into the curfew zone.
There has been some confusion Monday night over the boundaries of the curfew area.
Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins provided some clarity. The courthouse is a county property and therefore exempt from the city’s curfew, he said. He spoke with Dominique Alexander, a protest organizer from Next Generation Action Network, and they agreed protesters would clear the courthouse by 10 p.m..
This story was originally published June 1, 2020 at 7:54 PM.
