On a positive note, in Indy protesters and police walk together.
https://www.indystar.com/story/news...olice-demonstrators-walk-together/5313988002/
Police protests in Indianapolis: IMPD, protesters walk together, but not everyone happy
Just when it appeared that protesters and police officers would clash on the fourth straight night in Indianapolis, something unexpected happened: negotiation, and what appeared to be a moment of understanding.
Law enforcement had already given protesters two warnings to disperse as they gathered at the governor's residence a few miles north of Downtown Indianapolis on Monday night.
It was an hour past the city's mandatory curfew and tensions were clearly escalating.
Protesters cheer as IMPD officers remove their riot gear as a sign of trust, as the group promised to leave the area. Demonstrators march north on Illinois St. en route to the Governor’s Mansion Monday, June 1, 2020. Protesters around the city have marched over the death of George Floyd at the hands of a police officer in Minnesota.
Officers prepared to show 'reasonable' force
More than 50 officers from the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department and Indiana State Police, dressed in tactical gear and armed with zip ties, batons and guns loaded with tear gas canisters, had blockaded Meridian Street ahead of the group of roughly 200 protesters.
They warned protesters that they would use "reasonable force" if the group didn't disperse and anyone who didn't could be subject to arrest. As a protester moved toward the line, a spray of pepper balls hit the ground in front of his feet.
But then that man, Malik Muhammad, was allowed to approach. A negotiation began.
Before long, an officer had his arm around him. Boom mics swarmed in and cameras clicked as the assembled media attempted to make out the details of the conversation.
"We can work together. We can do this peacefully," one of them said, according to audio that was captured on a livestream. Then IMPD Lt. Andrew Rolinson agreed to walk with the protesters. For just one block.
Police began to remove their riot gear. Others took a knee while protesters cheered.
Muhammad and Rolinson began their walk. IMPD Sgt. Vince Stewart joined in. Other protesters hugged officers.
A protester hugs an IMPD officer after they removed their riot gear with the promise that the crowd would disperse.
And just like that, tensions deescalated,the officers marched the gathered crowd away from the governor's mansion and the demonstration dissipated.
'We don't shake hands with the enemy'
But it quickly became apparent that not everyone was happy with the result. While most of the protesters cheered, some others grumbled and shouted. Shortly after,Indy10 Black Lives Matter put out a tweet that said:
"Making this real clear. We don't shake hands with the enemy." The tweet included hashtags for Dreasjon Reed, the young black man who was killed by an IMPD officer in early May after streaming on Facebook Live that he was being pursued by police, and George Floyd.
BLM INDY
@indy10people
Making this real clear. We don’t shake hands with the enemy. #BlackLivesMatter #DreasjonReed #GeorgeFloyd #BreonnaTaylor
Floyd died on Memorial Day, after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for more than eight minutes. His death launched protests around the country and has been ruled a homicide.
An Indy 10 BLM spokesperson suggested that the moment of reconciliation between the protesters and police in front of the governor's mansion was staged to distract from the department's use of tear gas on Sunday, well in advance of Indianapolis' curfew.
The group also said on Twitter that police used tear gas at other locations on Monday while the demonstration was occurring at the governor's mansion.
Aliya Wishner, chief communications officer for the IMPD, said both statements are false.
"There was absolutely no discussion or planning for the interaction we witnessed tonight - it truly was organic," Wishner said, adding that the department has no record of pepper balls or gas canisters being used anywhere on Sunday night.
"Ultimately, it was the willingness of the officers and protesters to find common ground that led to the positive interaction we saw tonight," she added.
A protester hugs an IMPD officer after they removed their riot gear with the promise that the crowd would disperse. Not everyone was happy with the temporary truce.
IndyStar has reached out to BLM for further comment.
Earlier in the day, Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett and IMPD Chief Randal Taylor said they are reviewing several videos of the protests from the past weekend to ensure proper department procedures were followed.
That includes an investigation into one video that shows use of force against several arrested individuals, he said. "As I've repeatedly said, we swear an oath to protect the safety of the people in this community," Taylor said. "And we take that very seriously."
Several protesters IndyStar talked to at the scene said the temporary truce with IMPD was a start, but they wondered if it would last into tomorrow and the days beyond..
After the demonstration dispersed, Muhammad told reporters that the nearly 5 mile march from Downtown to the mansion was a calculated tactic. He thought IMPD would be reluctant to use tear gas and other non-lethal forms of force in a residential neighborhood.
“We made some sort of message. We made some sort of progress," Muhammad said later. "When we got there and they told us we had to turn around or they’d shoot, I felt like we’d done nothing. I felt like I’d made this people march for five miles for nothing."
He added: "I was not willing to turn them around without anything. Unless they marched with us, we were not going to turn around.”
Later in the evening, Muhammad said he felt the two officers who walked with him were genuine, but described it as "hella uncomfortable." "It's hard to tell what the intentions are," he told IndyStar last night. "I got mixed emotions about it."
But, he said: "I feel like it was a win because we grabbed attention to ourselves as peaceful protesters. If at any point in time they open up fire on us, nobody can deny we peacefully assembled and peacefully protested."
Deputy Mayor David Hampton, who was on scene at the governor's residence, praised the outcome of the march.
