3 arrested at Phoenix protest of recent police shootings

When the protesters approached the police barrier, officers used pepper spray on the crowd.

The Phoenix Police Department declined to discuss specifics, but it said it was “preparing for any demonstrations or activities that may require a significant police presence”.

“We changed a few things and we’re going to continue to adjust to make sure our officers are safe, make sure they’re efficiently providing service to the community”, Yahner said.

Thursday night, a peaceful protest in Dallas turned into an ambush as five police officers were shot and killed and several others were injured.

Police Chief Joseph Yahner and protest organizer Jarrett Maupin argue over the safety and routes of a protest in downtown Phoenix Friday night. He says the protesters are committed to non-violence.

Phoenix police form a line in the face of protesters on 7th Street at Fillmore Avenue in downtown Phoenix on Friday.

The Arizona Department of Public Safety was on standby to help Phoenix police as needed, DPS spokesman Bart Graves said.

Some protesters remained in the area beyond the use of pepper spray while others left. The police response seems to have been mixed as well, as some cities saw officers in riot gear block groups of protesters, resulting in standoffs and arrests, while in other cities police simply observed from the background with few or no confrontations.

Maupin said Saturday that the interstate was never part of the plan. “The goal of organizers was to threaten that action and we believed that the threat would facilitate the closure of the freeway”, Maupin said.

The demonstration is scheduled to being at 8 p.m.

In Baton Rouge, hundreds of protesters who descended upon the vicinity of police headquarters clashed with riot gear-wearing officers, who reportedly detained at least a dozen individuals. Police deployed pepper spray.

About 1,000 people chanted “black lives matter” and “hands up, don’t shoot” as they marched. People yelled, people got in close proximity with police, people were emotional. People began to lie down on the ground, yelling, “No justice, no peace”.