Multiple people are behind bars after demonstrators harassed law enforcement, smashed store windows, and set a U.S. flag on fire during a night of unrest in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Between 100 and 200 people began marching at around 8:30 p.m. on Sunday before law enforcement declared an unlawful assembly after some in the crowd “began impeding traffic, throwing items, damaging property, and setting several small fires,” the Raleigh Police Department wrote in a statement. Journalists at the scene recounted the unruly demonstrators hurling eggs at media and police, burning a U.S. flag, and smashing the windows of a local Urban Outfitters before tagging it with graffiti.
A dozen people were apprehended throughout the night for charges, including failure to disperse and simple assault and battery on a law enforcement officer. The arrestees ranged in age from 19 to 49.
A vigil, which was hosted by the Wake County Black Student Coalition, was held before the violence. It was the third consecutive night of demonstrations in the city.
An organization called Smash Racism Raleigh, which self-identifies as an “anti-racist, abolitionist, anti-capitalist, and anti-imperialist” coalition, took to Twitter on Sunday and asked the public for “jail support,” including monetary donations, medical supplies, food, and water. The group announced hours later that all arrested demonstrators were released.
“Showing up let’s the victims of police brutality know they are not alone, provides them with support, and helps them when they are released,” the organization wrote. “It’s a community effort of love and solidarity.”
The protest followed the death of Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old black man, who died after former Brooklyn Center officer Kim Potter mistook her gun for a Taser and shot him one time. Potter has since been arrested and charged with manslaughter, though she left confinement after posting a $100,000 bond.
Riots erupted in the Minneapolis area following the incident. On Tuesday, more than 60 people found themselves behind bars by the end of the night, and on Wednesday, an additional 24 were arrested after authorities observed groups looting businesses, attacking law enforcement officers, and defying curfew orders.
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The violence has spread nationwide as rioters in Portland torched a prominent police union in the area earlier in the week.
