Philadelphia Mayor blames 'ragtag group' for violence at a mostly peaceful demonstration
Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney said Saturday that the majority of protesters in the city were peaceful marchers who were expressing “our collective grief,” and that any acts of looting and violence came later in the day from a “ragtag group.”
“The people that were doing the actual protests were not the problem," Kenney said. "The people who were actually marching for a purpose were not the problem. It was this ragtag group of people who were destructive folks, who were doing the things to our officers, to the buildings, setting cars on fire, those type of things. So, we will get through this, we will get cleaned up, we’ll get secured, and we’ll move on."
Some 3,000 protesters gathered in downtown Philadelphia earlier, police said. The demonstration began peacefully outside the city's Museum of Art, before violence broke out in the city center and some protesters vandalized property and clashed with police.
At least 14 arrests have been made so far, a police spokesperson said.
“The people that were doing the actual protests were not the problem," Kenney said. "The people who were actually marching for a purpose were not the problem. It was this ragtag group of people who were destructive folks, who were doing the things to our officers, to the buildings, setting cars on fire, those type of things. So, we will get through this, we will get cleaned up, we’ll get secured, and we’ll move on."
Some 3,000 protesters gathered in downtown Philadelphia earlier, police said. The demonstration began peacefully outside the city's Museum of Art, before violence broke out in the city center and some protesters vandalized property and clashed with police.
At least 14 arrests have been made so far, a police spokesperson said.
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