This will be an image-heavy diary. I'm still working on the videos (they came through rotated wrong) and I do have one incident on video of the police grabbing a black man and yanking him into their line to arrest him for basically showing concern for a woman who had a heart condition. At the time I thought he charged in; he actually was pulled in by the police.
Over the jump, logs of images, and then some crappy videos at the bottom.
Before the event, situation normal in the Rotunda. 1:32 pm.
People start gathering along the balconies, to watch or to particpate. 1:33 pm.
And here.
1:56 people are arriving. The rotunda is filling.
1:58 rotunda is nearly full.
2:01 it's packed and people are participating. Look at that turnout!
2:04. The rotunda and all three balconies are packed.
2:05. Banners out, chanting full-throatedly.
2:10 the police have already shown up and told us to keep back from the railing. I asked if that was a request or an order. It was a request.
2:10. This sign comes up just after the loudspeaker blares demanding the dispersal of the protesters. It was met with similar derision by the protesters.
2:12. Marching around the second floor chanting 'Hands Up Don't Shoot'.
2:13. What a crowd.
2:24. Another march around the rotunda.
By 2:45 we were pushed out of the rotunda to the corridor north of it (the corridor is called East Market at the mall) As you can see the crowd encompasses multiple floors. (There are four floors on this side of the Mall.)
Same time, different direction. They're flippin' everywhere.
And here.
2:47 - As you can see by this time the first floor has been cleared by the riot police. But those wonderful staff of that cosmetics store made a show of solidarity. Made me happy to see.
3:04. FINAL WARNING THIS R SERYUS BISNESS WE OWNZORZ THIS MALL
3:07. The rotunda itself is quite empty. You gotta hand it to the police - they know how to run an orderly police state.
3:07 - The police blocking corridors. At this point everyone's corraled in. Nowhere to go but outside.
3:11. Riot police from multiple municipalities. Police from three counties were called in to assert order. In riot gear, against a peaceful protest.
3:12. The crowd being pushed back.
3:19. I wanted to highlight this asshat on the right. An elderly couple was just made to leave and walk around the outside of the mall from the east to the west parking ramp, rather than be allowed through to make the walk indoors. (It's more than twice as far and about 32 degrees outside.) And what did he say? "You can thank the protesters for that." Because you and your riot-geared thug friends didn't CHOOSE to blockade the entire mall because of a peaceful protest, asshole.
3:36. People continue to be pushed back.
3:54. Pushed into the skyway between mall and garage, doors shut, this is what it looks like outside. Police blocking the streets because reasons.
Short video of the protesters chanting, early on. Rotunda full. Beautiful. Sorry I started with the phone sideways. Derp.
Short clip of the police forcing everyone back.
Again, video may be rotated (YouTube is supposed to be fixing). This is the police chanting "move move move" to force everyone out of the first floor. They sound like cattle, don't they?
This video shows the events including the protester (black and male, of course) being forcibly pulled into the crowd at 3:40. The woman in medical distress about whom he is concerned can be seen from about 2:10, and had to sit at about 2:30. So you can see my (crappy) recording of events there. The overall video shows how the police forced us out. Very intimidating.
After we got forced out into the skyway. Doors shut, bleh.