Anti-police protesters clashed with officers outside the Denver Police Department’s (DPD) headquarters on Saturday.
Police deployed chemical agents to control the group before multiple individuals were arrested, according to CBS Denver.
“Protesters at the ‘Give ‘Em Hell’ event are calling for police to be abolished,” the report said.
Some of the rioters broke windows and set two fires which were quickly extinguished.
A flyer reportedly circulating on Reddit advertised the event and encouraged protesters to “Bring Your Gear,” according to KDVR.
The flyer read:
Our City Has Failed. Jared Polis, Michael Hancock, Murphy Robinson, Amanda Sandoval, Kevin Flynn, Jolon Clark, Debbie Ortega, Stacie Gilmore, Kendra Black, Robin Kniech, Amanda Sawyer, Paul Kushmann…
Have Refused to Address Our Demands to Abolish DPD. City Council Just Blocked a Bill to Allow Denver Residents to Vote to Replace the Police with a Peace Force.
At one point during the event, a van pulled up and handed out shields to the group, according to reporter Marc Sallinger:
A protest in front of Denver Police headquarters is small but has escalated quickly. About 50 protesters are here right now, many with shields and helmets. A van pulled up and passed out shields to protesters. Protesters are at a standoff with a SWAT team now #9News pic.twitter.com/XlzmcenfG9
— Marc Sallinger (@MarcSallinger) August 23, 2020
In a subsequent tweet, Sallinger shared video of a resident confronting a rioter who smashed a window with a small axe:
Someone with a hand axe broke a window at a building across from DPD headquarters. A resident who says she lives in the building came down and yelled at them to stop. “This is not productive” #9News pic.twitter.com/ErgOZttBFT
— Marc Sallinger (@MarcSallinger) August 23, 2020
Sallinger also caught the moment protesters fired fireworks at officers:
Protesters are firing fireworks at police officers. The fireworks are exploding behind the police barrier and around the officers dressed in riot gear. Officers have fired what I believe is some sort of non-lethal weapon with an irritant #9News pic.twitter.com/D8NHFWIoFu
— Marc Sallinger (@MarcSallinger) August 23, 2020
A rioter broke the window of a Quizno’s restaurant:
People are breaking every window they see. Someone came out of Quiznos with a drink in hand and said, “I needed a coke” #9News pic.twitter.com/q5r6niZq0O
— Marc Sallinger (@MarcSallinger) August 23, 2020
Journalist Evan Kruegel shared video of the protesters trying to tear down a chainlink fence protecting the state Capitol building:
Agitators are now trying to rip down a fence surrounding the state Capitol building @KDVR pic.twitter.com/XbHlOkes0q
— Evan Kruegel (@EvanKruegel) August 23, 2020
Nine people were arrested following the riot and one officer was injured, but it was unclear how serious the injuries were, according to 9News.
In addition, the outlet estimated that the group numbered about 75 to 100 people.
Around midnight, Sallinger tweeted video footage of the Quizno’s restaurant owners cleaning up the broken glass:
The owners of the Quiznos arrived to clean up. The restaurant is owned by a family. The whole family is out here cleaning up the damage now. They’ve owned it for 12 years, never seen anything like this. “I don’t even know where to start,” he told me #9News pic.twitter.com/AU7q4AtBOe
— Marc Sallinger (@MarcSallinger) August 23, 2020
Sunday morning, Sallinger tweeted photos of the aftermath which included “Defund the Police” graffiti:
This is what some of the damage looks like this morning on the streets around Denver Police headquarters. Lots of broken windows and graffiti left from last night #9News pic.twitter.com/WQbaRSLFbB
— Marc Sallinger (@MarcSallinger) August 23, 2020
The flyer for the protest “calls out government officials for vetoing a bill that would have allowed Denver residents to vote on defunding the police and putting a Peace Force in place,” the KDVR article stated.
“The demonstration says the city has failed and refused to address their demands about defunding the DPD,” it concluded.
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