DES MOINES, Iowa – A group of approximately 200 protestors met outside of the Des Moines Police Station on Monday night after the mandatory curfew at 9:00 pm. This was the fourth night of unrest in Des Moines in response to the death of George Floyd.
A majority of the group pealed off to march downtown. Those who stayed at the police station had a productive conversation with State Rep. Ako Abdul-Samad, and representatives from the Des Moines Police Department and Polk County Sheriff’s Department.
Caffeinated Thoughts was present to provide a livestream. Watch below:
The remainder of the group marched through downtown, and reassembled back at the Iowa State Capitol Building.
Des Moines Police declared the assembly to be unlawful at approximately 11:50 pm, deployed tear gas, pepper sprayed protestors, and made arrests.
Caffeinated Thoughts was not present at the Iowa State Capitol at that time, but a Des Moines Register reporter, Katie Akin, caught the police deployment on video:
Akin was pepper sprayed after identifying herself as press and with the Des Moines Register as she complied with the police order to leave.
Unlike the previous three evenings, rioting and looting did not precede police forcefully dispersing the crowd.