Protests sparked by the killing of an unarmed man at the hands of Phoenix police -- and
energized by the "no indictment" decision in the chokehold death of a Staten Island man
during a police altercation -- were mainly peaceful in downtown Phoenix, according to
multiple reports. ---- The protests were staged near "First Friday" functions on Roosevelt
Road in Phoenix and at one point included more than 100 people, according to one report.
---- Though a "die-in" was staged at one point and police reportedly threatened to make
arrests of jaywalkers throughout the night. ---- This, after one Valley activist held fear
that an anarchist group could turn things violent during the protests. ---- Nearly 200
members of anarchist groups, such as the Dark Carnival Anarchoclowns, posted on Facebook
that they would meet at 8 p.m. Friday near Fifth and Garfield streets. They said they
intended to show "solidarity with everyone who is a victim of racial profiling and/or
police brutality."
The Rev. Jarrett Maupin, a local activist, was not in support of the march.
"The group that is protesting tonight is actually involved with several anarchist groups,"
he said Friday afternoon while a guest on KTAR News. "They have had a tendency to engage
in violent behavior. We saw some of that several days ago when they broke storefront
windows in Old Town Scottsdale."
Maupin said the group is predominantly white, but is protesting against what it sees a
police brutality against African-Americans in places like Ferguson, New York City and now
Phoenix after officers killed an unarmed black man. He said the group is not affiliated
with or supported by any other groups that have been protesting the past few nights in the
Valley.
"Protest in a non-violent, peaceful, and dignified way to honor the lives of the people
that we've lost to police brutality," he said.
Phoenix police said Friday in a written statement they are aware of the potential protest.
They ensured that they would have "enough (personnel) on hand to ensure a peaceful night."
As of 10 p.m., no arrests had been made.
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Deon Johnson, 19, of Washington, DC, raises his fist as he and others take part in a four
and-a-half minute "die-in" while blocking an intersection in downtown,Washington, Friday,
Dec. 5, 2014, during a demonstration against the deaths of two unarmed black men at the
hands of white police officers in New York City and Ferguson,.
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