Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot warned looters who ransacked the city that they are already being hunted by police who are reviewing HD security camera footage from Monday night’s chaos which saw more than 100 arrests, attacks on 13 police officers and widespread unrest.
The chaos began on Sunday afternoon when police responded to Englewood where there had been complaints of a man with a gun. The suspect has not been named but was described by police on Monday as a 20-year-old man with a criminal history that includes charges of burglary, child endangerment and assault and battery.
When officers arrived at the scene, he began running and opened fire on them as they pursued him. The cops returned fire, wounding him, and arrested him. He was taken to the hospital and is expected to survive.
A different story spread among residents of the neighborhood who were told that the police officers had inadvertently shot a child. Crowds gathered in protest, creating a tense stand-off that lasted several hours and was described by Deputy Police Chief Yolanda Talley as ‘very hostile’.
In response to that incident, people on social media organized for a caravan of cars to descend on the city’s downtown shopping district to loot. Police found out about the posts and within 15 minutes, were downtown but the violence had begun.
Cars plowed through storefronts to give the crowds easy access and despite there being 400 officers dispatched to the area, the cops struggled to keep up with the crowds.
One officer was attacked with a bottle, another had his nose broken and a group of different officers were shot at by drive-by assailants while trying to arrest other looters. On Monday morning, police were still arresting people at a Best Buy which was among the stores that had been ransacked. Some of the city’s bridges were raised and tunnels were closed while police tried to regain control of the situation.
Mayor Lightfoot abhorred the violence on Monday morning, calling ‘straight-up criminality’ that had nothing to do with peaceful protests. She is resisting calls for the National Guard to be brought in, and says the city’s own law enforcement can handle it.
She warned those involved that police were already scanning HD security camera footage to identify and arrest all those involved, saying sternly at a press conference: ‘Let’s be clear. We are coming for you. We are already at work finding you.’
The looters organized themselves on social media and gathered in downtown Chicago after hearing the false rumor that a child had been shot in the South Side. Above, a vehicle plows through one of the stores before police had a chance to catch up to them
Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Chicago Police Supt. David Brown hold a news conference Monday, Aug. 10, 2020, where they said there was ‘no excuse’ for the crime overnight and vowed to find those involved
Chicago police officers struggle with a suspected looter in Nordstrom. Looters broke into downtown shops in the early hours of the morning
An alleged looter is assisted by an ambulance after being detained in the early hours of Sunday morning
Chicago police officers grab a woman attempting to run from a store on Sunday night. More than 100 people were arrested
Chicago police officers in riot gear on Sunday night as they arrested the looters. More than 400 cops were dispatched to downtown Chicago
The extraordinary violence and tension included;
- 400 officers being sent to downtown Chicago to deal with looters who organized themselves on social media
- 100 arrests for looting, assault and attacks on police officers
- Thirteen cops being injured including one who had his nose broken and another who had a bottle thrown at him
- A store security guard was shot defending it from looters
- One group of cops facing gunfire from drive-by shooters who opened fire on them as they arrested a group of looters
- A weekend that saw 31 shootings and 149 gun confiscations
Lightfoot said it was disturbing that the looters targeted small businesses that are still struggling to recover from months of COVID-19 closures.
MAYOR LIGHTFOOT’S REMARKS: ‘THERE IS NO EXCUSE’
Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Monday called the chaos ‘straight up felony activity’
Mayor Lori Lightfoot warned the looters in Sunday’s chaos that they would be found and that a special task force was being put together to sift through the city’s expansive surveillance camera footage.
‘Let’s be clear. We are coming for you. We are already at work finding you.
‘I don’t care – I do not care – whatever justification was given for this.
‘There is no justification for criminal behavior ever. You have no right to take and destroy the property of others.
‘Our residents deserve to be safe.. Our businesses deserve to understand and enjoy safety and security,’ she said.
She pleaded with prosecutors and the courts to do their part to bring those responsible to justice once they are found and identified.
‘Our police officers deserve to be able to do their job without having to worry about shots being fired, being maced- this is not anywhere near acceptable.
‘I call upon our state’s attorney and our courts to make sure these individuals are arrested and held accountable.
‘Put your best people on this. We have made the case – these people need to be held accountable.
‘We can’t continue to allow this to happen,’ she said.
‘This was an assault on our city. It undermines public safety and breathes a sense of insecurity among our residents.
‘It undermines our recovery efforts – these same stores were hit previously, not just by looting but by closures related to COVID-19.
‘They are also small stores and restaurants all of which we’re in the process of recovering and getting back to work, and now this.’
Lightfoot warned the looters in Sunday’s chaos that they would be found and that a special task force was being put together to sift through the city’s expansive surveillance camera footage.
‘Let’s be clear. We are coming for you. We are already at work finding you.
‘I don’t care – I do not care – whatever justification was given for this.
‘There is no justification for criminal behavior ever.
‘You have no right to take and destroy the property of others.
‘Our residents deserve to be safe.
‘Our businesses deserve to understand and enjoy safety and security,’ she said.
She pleaded with prosecutors and the courts to do their part to bring those responsible to justice once they are found and identified.
‘Our police officers deserve to be able to do their job without having to worry about shots being fired, being maced- this is not anywhere near acceptable.
‘I call upon our state’s attorney and our courts to make sure these individuals are arrested and held accountable.
‘Put your best people on this. We have made the case – these people need to be held accountable. ‘We can’t continue to allow this to happen,’ she said.
‘We woke up in shock this morning. These individuals engaged in brazen destruction.
‘This had nothing to do with legitimate protected first amendment speech. Regardless what occurred in our downtown was abject criminal behavior, pure and simple.
‘There cannot be any excuse for it. Period.
‘This was not legitimate first amendment speech, not poor people engaged in petty theft to feed themselves and their families…
‘This was straight up felony criminal conduct,’ she said.
It was one of a handful of incidents of unrest across America that coincided with the sixth anniversary of Michael Brown’s death.
Hundreds of people smashed windows, stole from stores and clashed with police early Monday in Chicago’s Magnificent Mile shopping district and other parts of the city’s downtown.
At one point, shots were fired at police and officers returned fire. Deputy police chief Talley said the situation was ‘very hostile’.
There were multiple incidents of cops coming under fire throughout the night
‘Emotions were running high. They were responding to misinformation.
‘It happened while we were processing the crime scene.
‘We were holding the line and if there had not been a crime scene there, we would have not been there,’ she said.
At a press conference on Monday morning, Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown called the night one of ‘shameful destruction’.
‘The seeds for the shameful destruction we saw last night were sewn [when] officers responded to calls of man with a gun.
‘The individual quickly fled, as this person was running way, a gun was pointed a our police officers.
‘This person fired shots at our officers. Officers returned fire. The shooter is a 20-year-old man with four previous arrests for charges including burglary, child endangerment and battery…After this shooting, a crowd gathered on the South Side.
‘Tempers flared, fueled by misinformation, as the afternoon turned into evening,’ he said.
A CBD & Kratom store is seen after being looted as civil unrest and looting on Sunday night and into Monday morning
A door to the Block 37 retail building is shattered Monday, Aug. 10, 2020, after vandals struck overnight in Chicago’s famed Loop
Chicago’s famous DuSable bridge was raised on Monday morning to try to stunt the flow of traffic in and out of the city while cops tried to regain control
Debris lays in front of a damaged Best Buy store after parts of the city had widespread looting and vandalism, on August 10, 2020 in Chicago, Illinois
Police officers were still arresting people on Monday morning, hours after the looting began. It’s unclear what triggered the looting; earlier in the day, residents of a South Side neighborhood gathered in protest after being told, incorrectly, that police had shot a child. They’d in fact shot a suspect who had opened fire on them and the suspect is still alive
A man is taken into custody in Chicago on Monday morning near a Best Buy that was looted on Sunday night
Cops at a Best Buy in Chicago on Monday morning, arresting people accused of looting the store, as chaos unfolded across the city
A woman carries two boxes away from Best Buy on Monday morning in Chicago. It’s unclear if she was among community members who went to the scene to help clear it up on Monday or if she was among the thieves
Community members clean up the area outside a looted Best Buy store in Chicago, Illinois, U.S. August 10, 2020, after the violence subsided
Volunteers help clean up the parking lot outside a Best Buy store, Monday, Aug. 10, 2020, after vandals struck overnight in the Lincoln Park neighborhood in Chicago
Empty display tables are seen, Monday, Aug. 10, 2020, inside an Apple Store that was vandalized overnight in the Lincoln Park neighborhood in Chicago
A Chicago Police officer inspects an Apple store that was vandalized in Chicago, Illinois, U.S. August 10, 2020
The scene outside the Best Buy in Chicago on Monday morning after a night of violence and chaos
A broken storefront on Magnificent Mile in Chicago on Monday morning. The stores fell victim to large crowds who took the opportunity to loot as police dealt with escalating tensions elsewhere
Stores along Magnificent Mile in Chicago were hit by a wave of looting last night with shop fronts devastated, like this City Sports store which looters tried to storm the front of, after a day of tense stand-offs between police and protesters
Small restaurants and stores also came under fire. Pictured, workers at Rossi’s clean up the street outside the store on Monday morning
A CVS was also smashed and had some of its shelves ransacked on Sunday night
A pedestrian hops over debris Monday, Aug. 10, 2020, after a jewelry store was vandalized in Chicago’s famed Loop. A store security guard was shot last night while defending the area and he is in a critical condition
Kajal Dalal walks through her family’s food and liquor store Monday, Aug. 10, 2020, after it was vandalized in downtown Chicago
Kajal Dalal walks through her family’s food and liquor store Monday, Aug. 10, 2020, after it was vandalized in downtown Chicago
People check out of the Hotel Julian near a crime scene where a shooting took place on Michigan Ave hours after the city suffered from widespread looting and vandalism
A person exits an Old Navy store in the Chicago Loop with an armful of clothing in the early morning of Monday, Aug. 10, 2020
Police inspect an Apple store that had windows broken after parts of the city had widespread looting and vandalism
Police react to hearing gunfire in the distance after parts of the city had widespread looting and vandalism
A door to the Block 37 retail building is shattered Monday, Aug. 10, 2020, after vandals struck overnight in Chicago’s famed Loop
Pedestrians walk and jog Monday, Aug. 10, 2020, past the Block 37 retail store and clothing on the sidewalk after vandals struck overnight in Chicago’s famed Loop
Chicago police gather after rioting and looting occurred in the Gold Coast area of the city early in the morning of Monday, Aug. 10, 2020
Glass is shattered in the Nordstrom store after a riot occurred in the Gold Coast area of the city early in the morning of Monday
The unrest was triggered by a false rumor in the South Side. The crowd was told cops shot a child, but police say they came under fire from a 20-year-old suspect who had been reported for having a gun. They returned fire, injured him, and he was taken to the hospital. This is the weapon they say they recovered from him
Along the Magnificent Mile, people were seen going in and out of stores carrying shopping bags full of merchandise as well as at a bank, the Chicago Tribune reported, and as the crowd grew vehicles dropped off more people in the area.
One officer was seen slumped against a building, several arrests were made and a rock was thrown at a police vehicle, the newspaper said. Police worked early Monday to disperse the crowds.
There was a large police presence Monday morning outside an Apple store located north of Chicago´s downtown area.
Blocks away, debris was strewn in parking lots in front of a Best Buy and a large liquor store.
Train and bus service into downtown was temporarily suspended at the request of public safety officials, the Chicago Transit Authority said on Twitter.
Bridges over the Chicago River were lifted, preventing travel to and from the downtown area, and Illinois State Police blocked some expressway ramps into downtown.
SEATTLE
In Seattle, there were clashes between Black Lives Matter protesters and The Proud Boys – an alt-right organization who are often referred to as neo-fascists.
Seattle also witnessed further violence yesterday as alleged Proud Boy members got into a violent clash with Black Lives Matter supporters in Seattle during a pro-police rally.
Thousands of pro-police supporters donned blue and American patriotic colors as the massive crowd of demonstrators wrapped around city hall for a ‘Back the Blue’ rally.
The pro-police group was gathered outside Seattle City Hall ahead of today’s City Council vote that is expected to defund parts of the police department.
Pro-police protesters were soon met with a group of anti-racism, Black Lives Matter supporters who arrived to counter-protest.
The situation turned violent when a number of alleged Proud Boys marched through the group of anti-racism protesters.
Proud Boys is a far-right group that focuses on ‘Western Values’ while having a history of misogyny, transphobia, islamophobia and white supremacy.
SEATTLE: In Seattle, groups of pro-police and anti-racism demonstraters both made their voices heard ahead of the city hall’s decision over the police department being defunded
Protesters who arrived at City Hall were asked to wear blue in support of law enforcement and were heard chanting ‘Blue Lives Matter’
Thousands of pro-police supporters wrapped around Seattle City Hall on Sunday to fight against the police department being defunded
A protester in Seattle, Washington, on Sunday
Some of the anti-racism protesters reportedly followed the alleged Proud Boys and a skirmish broke out.
Members of each group threw punches and fought on the concrete street as witnesses stood nearby.
KOMO News reports that at least one counter-protester was pepper sprayed by an alleged Proud Boys member.
FERGUSON
Meanwhile riot police in Ferguson, Missouri have beaten back and pepper sprayed crowds of protesters who were commemorating the sixth anniversary of Michael Brown’s death, hurling themselves into the throng with batons and guns drawn, and making a series of arrests.
‘You don’t need that gun!’ one protester yelled, as a police officer charged into the crowd gathered outside the police headquarters, pointing his weapon at the demonstrators.
Ugly scenes unfolded as protesters were wrestled to the floor and arrested.
The chaos on Sunday night was captured in a video posted on Twitter by journalist Chuck Modi.
In Phoenix, Arizona, at least eight people were arrested on Sunday and police fired what appeared to be flash-bang grenades over a few dozen people who had gathered to pay tribute.
Shortly after 7pm, protesters pushed down and walked past the barricade in front of the Phoenix Police Department headquarters, AZ Central reported.
Police wearing riot gear and holding weapons came out and pushed protesters back to the street, fired what appeared to be flash-bang grenades into the air and fired pepper spray directly at a protester.
The day of memorial had begun peacefully, with Michael Brown Sr releasing a pink dove to mark the anniversary.
His black teenage son, Michael Brown Jr, was shot and killed on August 9, 2014, by a white police officer, Darren Wilson.
Brown’s death sparked weeks of protests and riots in Ferguson and across the United States.
The 18-year-old’s killing became a flashpoint in race relations, and the Black Lives Matter movement was formed in part by a group of activists who were based in or traveled to the Missouri city to protest.
FERGUSON, MISSOURI: Riot police are seen forcing protesters back from headquarters of Ferguson police department
The police in the Missouri city clashed with protesters by graffiti reading ‘RIP Mike’ and BLM
A protester is seen being dragged away by police, outside the headquarters in Ferguson
Wilson, who resigned in November 2014, was never charged with any offense, after a grand jury and the Department of Justice both found insufficient evidence to charge him.
RIOT DECLARED IN PORTLAND: TRUMP TELLS GOVERNOR TO CALL IN NATIONAL GUARD
As more chaos and protests continued in Portland, a riot was officially declared.
People have clashed with the cops there for 74 days in a row. They have focused their efforts on federal buildings like the courthouse.
For weeks, federal agents were in the city to control the crowds but their presence only inflamed tensions.
After weeks of negotiating, they agreed to withdraw last week and hand control of the situation over to state police.
But with no progress since, President Trump is urging the governor to accept help from the National Guard.
ON Monday, he tweeted: ‘Portland, which is out of control, should finally, after almost 3 months, bring in the National Guard. The Mayor and Governor are putting people’s lives at risk. They will be held responsible.
‘The Guard is ready to act immediately. The Courthouse is secured by Homeland!
The Brown family filed an unlawful death suit against the city of Ferguson in 2015, which was settled two years later for $1.5 million.
At the end of July the senior prosecutor for St Louis County announced that he too would not be pressing charges.
Wesley Bell, St Louis County’s first black prosecutor, had announced he would reopen the case after he took office in January 2019.
Bell quietly launched a review of the case earlier this year – but the family’s hopes for justice were crushed when he said that he will not be pressing charges against Wilson.
‘Can we prove beyond a reasonable doubt that a crime occurred? The answer to that is no,’ Bell said at a news conference.
‘My heart breaks’ for Michael’s parents, he added.
‘I know this is not the result they were looking for and that their pain will continue forever.’ Flowers were strewn on the road in Ferguson on Sunday, in tribute to the teenager.
A memorial was held at Canfield Green Apartments, where Brown was gunned down, with guest speakers and performances.
Brown was shot walking through the complex where he was living with his grandmother. Hundreds of residents saw his body lie for four hours in the street under the hot August sun.
There was a four-minute moment of silence to symbolize the hours Brown’s body was left in the middle of the street.
Later, a ‘Black Celebrities and Chosen Fathers’ virtual town hall discussed police brutality, community violence and systemic racism.
Michael Brown Sr., Rev. Al Sharpton, activist Shaun King, Chicago rapper Chance the Rapper and reality TV star Porsha Williams were among speakers set to attend.
The day before, Brown Sr had traveled to Kentucky to address a rally demanding justice for Breonna Taylor, and said he was ‘dying inside’.
‘I can only imagine what the family goes through every day when they wake up not seeing those smiles. No talk. No hugs,’ Brown Sr. said at the rally, while standing in front of a two-story mural of Taylor in Louisville’s West End.
Taylor, 26, was killed on March 13 by Louisville police, who fired at her inside her own home after midnight, while she was in bed.
‘Those things will definitely kill you from the inside out,’ he added.
‘We might look OK in the face, but we dying in the inside.’
One protester was seen being pushed to the floor by an officer in the melee
Michael Brown, left, was shot and killed by police officer Darren Wilson, right, August 9, 2014
Filmmaker Chris Phillips is treated after being maced during the protest on Sunday night in Ferguson, Missouri
The clashes pitted protesters against heavily armed riot police on Sunday evening
Large numbers of heavily armed riot police patrolled the streets of Ferguson on Sunday night
Chaotic scenes on Sunday night in Ferguson, Missouri were captured by journalist Chuck Modi
Michael Brown Sr, Brown’s father, released a pink dove at the site where his son was killed six years ago. Their peaceful memorial services are not thought to have anything to do with the violence that unfolded later in the day
Brown Sr laid a rose at the site, in memory of his 18-year-old son whose death helped birth BLM
Cori Bush, Democratic nominee for Missouri 1st congressional district speaks at the event