As the cleanup of broken windows outside Dallas begins, video and images show “opportunists, vandals” involved in vandalism and looting.
There is evidence of what a veteran
civil rights demonstration leader calls “provocateurs” at work in the recent
Dallas demonstrations.
What were supposed to be
peaceful demonstrations over the Minneapolis death of George Floyd erupted into
vandalism and looting Friday and Saturday.
An NBC5 photographer
recorded video of individuals ready with buckets to cap police tear gas
canisters when they were deployed. The
buckets were then kicked back at police.
Piles of bricks were positioned along Commerce Street and Elm Street Saturday. Milk and water bottles were also placed in demonstration areas, evidently for relief from tear gas. Photos below were taken on Sunday night.
Milk and Water were positioned at several locations around Dallas demonstration areas Sunday Night, evidently for relief from tear gas.
The source of these items can’t be verified but long time civil rights activist Reverend Peter Johnson said they suggest people were preparing to provoke a confrontation with police.
“If you work in the social
justice movement, you have to deal with what we call provocateurs,” he said. They’re
people who have bad intentions if you would, to provoke our peaceful
protestors into doing stupid stuff, and to use our peaceful protest for their
own hidden agendas.”
Johnson said he was trained to deal with trouble makers while marching with Martin Luther King across the South in the 1960’s. He said leaders of the Dallas rallies were not properly trained.
“The responsibility of
leadership is to make sure you get those people out of your protest and you
point those people out to law enforcement so you don't destroy your message.”
Johnson said.
Still recovering from coronavirus restrictions, Ellen’s Restaurant in the Dallas West End was serving meals to go Monday, but now boarded up after vandalism Saturday night.
Owner Joe Groves said he
supports the cause of civil rights demonstrators, but not the looting.
“I think we have to be very careful in exposing who is actually doing a lot of this and in this particular case it was not the peaceful protesters,” he said.
Groves posted surveillance
video online from Saturday night, showing a pair of White guys inside his
restaurant wrecking the place, as peaceful protestors walked by outside.
jacklyn miller
#ICantBreathe Dallas Protesters A couple who showed up at the protest last night, hand in hand.
Jorge Alarcon
Protest photos I can’t breathe Sign
Sabah
Peaceful protests in downtown Dallas on Sat, May 30, 2020 at 5:18 PM
Sabah
Peaceful protests in downtown Dallas on Sat, May 30, 2020 at 5:18 PM
Sabah
Peaceful protests in downtown Dallas on Sat, May 30, 2020 at 5:18 PM
Sabah
Peaceful protests in downtown Dallas on Sat, May 30, 2020 at 5:18 PM
Tim R
Saturday evening in Fort Worth, waking for equality.
Matthew Malaise
Taken near police headquarters; Downtown Dallas
Miles Hearne
This photo shows two men who were leading a long line of protesters through downtown Dallas. One was dressed as Jesus and carrying a cross, just like Jesus did before his crucifixion, and the other walked beside him with a sign that reads, “Jesus was a person of color, are you going to shoot me too?”.
Miles Hearne
I went to the Dallas protest in downtown Dallas May 30 and quickly after arriving things became violent. I am not sure as to who started what became a constant bombardment of tear gas and threats of arrest, but when I first arrived I saw a man peacefully protesting get shot in the stomach with a rubber bullet. The photos I am submitting follow along with the protestors as they moved throughout downtown Dallas.
Miles Hearne
I went to the Dallas protest in downtown Dallas May 30 and quickly after arriving things became violent. I am not sure as to who started what became a constant bombardment of tear gas and threats of arrest, but when I first arrived I saw a man peacefully protesting get shot in the stomach with a rubber bullet. The photos I am submitting follow along with the protestors as they moved throughout downtown Dallas.
Miles Hearne
I went to the Dallas protest in downtown Dallas May 30 and quickly after arriving things became violent. I am not sure as to who started what became a constant bombardment of tear gas and threats of arrest, but when I first arrived I saw a man peacefully protesting get shot in the stomach with a rubber bullet. The photos I am submitting follow along with the protestors as they moved throughout downtown Dallas.
Brennon Holbrook
Dallas protest Captured in Dallas Texas, 5-30-20.
Kendall Awtry
I took a trip to Deep Elum last night and did a photo walk from about 11:30pm to 2:30am this morning. This was one of the first things I saw when I started my walk.
Katie Chang
I’d like to submit photos I took yesterday at the peaceful protests in Downtown Dallas following the death of George Floyd. Photographer: Katie Chang Content: Protests at the Dallas City Hall on 5/30/2020
Katie Chang
I’d like to submit photos I took yesterday at the peaceful protests in Downtown Dallas following the death of George Floyd. Photographer: Katie Chang Content: Protests at the Dallas City Hall on 5/30/2020
Katie Chang
I’d like to submit photos I took yesterday at the peaceful protests in Downtown Dallas following the death of George Floyd. Photographer: Katie Chang Content: Protests at the Dallas City Hall on 5/30/2020
Katie Chang
I’d like to submit photos I took yesterday at the peaceful protests in Downtown Dallas following the death of George Floyd. Photographer: Katie Chang Content: Protests at the Dallas City Hall on 5/30/2020
Katie Chang
I’d like to submit photos I took yesterday at the peaceful protests in Downtown Dallas following the death of George Floyd. Photographer: Katie Chang Content: Protests at the Dallas City Hall on 5/30/2020
Katie Chang
I’d like to submit photos I took yesterday at the peaceful protests in Downtown Dallas following the death of George Floyd. Photographer: Katie Chang Content: Protests at the Dallas City Hall on 5/30/2020
Katie Chang
I’d like to submit photos I took yesterday at the peaceful protests in Downtown Dallas following the death of George Floyd. Photographer: Katie Chang Content: Protests at the Dallas City Hall on 5/30/2020
Katie Chang
I’d like to submit photos I took yesterday at the peaceful protests in Downtown Dallas following the death of George Floyd. Photographer: Katie Chang Content: Protests at the Dallas City Hall on 5/30/2020
Katie Chang
I’d like to submit photos I took yesterday at the peaceful protests in Downtown Dallas following the death of George Floyd. Photographer: Katie Chang Content: Protests at the Dallas City Hall on 5/30/2020
Mark Bacot
Tear gas used to disburse crowds in Downtown Dallas Saturday night
Mark Bacot
Girl holding black lifes matter sign
Paula Lewis
Looting
Paula Lewis
Looting
Paula Lewis
Looting
Paula Lewis
Looting
Paula Lewis
Looting
Kevin Stallings
This is a demostation in progress at the intersection of Broad St. & Holland, in Mansfield. There are at least 100 or more prople on site
Cory Madden
Dallas Law Enforcement faces off head-to-head against protesters in Dallas, TX on Saturday, May 30th 2020.
Cory Madden
Unnamed Protester stands among those who were once strangers, but now allies.
Cory Madden
Protest Leaders march against injustice, backed by countless allies.
David Ianni
Photo of restaurant employee setting a table the morning after the restaurant had been vandalized in the path of riots downtown Dallas.
Jake Wright
People peacefully protesting walking across 66 bridge from Rowlett to Rockwall.
Andrea McClendon
Protect ALL kids
Andrea McClendon
Protect ALL kids
richard warren
An anonymous artist left this in a park sidewalk in White Settlement
Daniella Sandoval
My brother snapped these photos of peaceful protesters in Midlothian along with an officer stopping to bring them water. Wanted to share something good.
Daniella Sandoval
My brother snapped these photos of peaceful protesters in Midlothian along with an officer stopping to bring them water. Wanted to share something good.
Jim Wren
Downtown Dallas Enforcement of the Curfew
Travis Adkins Jr
Mineral Wells is peacefully protesting in the one way they know how. By painting the town rock. They want to show all that the protests can be done peacefully and without violence. Many people have already shared and taken photos with the rock. The two women behind the painting are Paige Johnson and Elizabeth Unerfusser. They stand with the protesters peacefully and so does most of the Mineral Wells town.
Jim Wren
Main Street downtown @ 7PM! Looking like a ghost town scene from a movie!
Andrea Richardson
Hello, Today we protested in Flower Mound and it stayed peaceful and had a great turnout. Over 100 people! Thank you, Andrea Richardson
Jason Horne
The Denton County Courthouse on the square and some peaceful democracy. Taken at approximately 7:00 pm on Monday, May 1, 2020.
Andrea Richardson
Hello, Today we protested in Flower Mound and it stayed peaceful and had a great turnout. Over 100 people! Thank you, Andrea Richardson
Andrea Richardson
Hello, Today we protested in Flower Mound and it stayed peaceful and had a great turnout. Over 100 people! Thank you, Andrea Richardson
Andrea Richardson
Hello, Today we protested in Flower Mound and it stayed peaceful and had a great turnout. Over 100 people! Thank you, Andrea Richardson
Andrea Richardson
Hello, Today we protested in Flower Mound and it stayed peaceful and had a great turnout. Over 100 people! Thank you, Andrea Richardson
“Some of the kids that were
doing this to our business were not part of that movement, they were
opportunists, vandals,” he said.
Mark Brand, the Pastor of Antioch
Church beside the West End DART rail station, said his church was vandalized
Saturday night.
“There was food
distribution out here in front of the church on Thursday and somebody comes and
trashes us on Saturday. So that doesn’t feel very good,” Pastor Brand said.
He received cell phone video
recorded that night of a multi-racial group throwing chairs at church windows.
“I believe there are people
who are trying to leverage this situation,” he said.
When cleaning up the mess on
Sunday morning, Brand said he found a pile of material that seemed like the
work of professionals, planning arson. Luckily no fire occurred at the church.
“It looked to me in
my untrained eye as if someone who knew how to start fires, knew what they were
doing, and was trying to do it in a way that would spread very rapidly. And
thankfully that did not happen,” he said.
Peter Johnson said he
was trained to conduct demonstrations that guard against side distractions like
those that occurred in Dallas last week.
“Leadership ought to have
what we call, March Marshals, teams that are responsible for making sure the
peace is kept. Consequently, your message can be clear and not tainted
with broken windows or broken bottles or broken glass,” Reverend Johnson said.
Hundreds of damaged
businesses around Downtown, Uptown and Deep Ellum demonstrate the distraction
that Johnson said, successfully tainted the protests.
Johnson said he has spoken with other veteran
civil rights leaders around the nation who believe similar provocateurs were at
work in other cities, but he does not know who is behind the actions.
