DES MOINES, Iowa and OMAHA, Neb. (AP/KCAU) — Des Moines Police and Omaha Police used tear gas to disperse hundreds of people after peaceful rallies on Friday evening.
Des Moines Police used tear gas to disperse a crowd of several hundred people who gathered near the downtown police headquarters after a peaceful rally earlier on Friday evening.
Live video by KCCI-TV showed police trying to talk with protesters at a rally several days after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis while in police custody.
Floyd’s death has led to nights of protests and unrest in Minneapolis and St. Paul that have spread to other cities around the country.
Organizers of a rally outside Des Moines police headquarters had asked people to leave after the hour-long event but some remained nearby, occasionally shouting slogans at police who were wearing helmets and holding shields.
Police fired tear gas at about 9 p.m., leading many protesters to run into nearby streets.
Meanwhile, Omaha police are using tear gas to disperse hundreds of people that blocked one of the city’s busiest intersections and smashed windows of an empty store after a peaceful gathering earlier on Friday evening.
Live video from KETV-TV showed police trying to push protesters out of the intersection and explosions of tear gas at the intersection of 72nd and Dodge streets, a heavily traveled business district.
Some protesters said they had been hit by rubber bullets.
The gathering follows the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis after police officer Derek Chauvin pressed a knee into his neck.
