Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Police use tear gas to control protest on Las Vegas Strip

0531_sun_BlackLivesMatter2

Steve Marcus/AP

Las Vegas Police use gas to disperse protesters on the Las Vegas Strip Sunday, May 31, 2020, in Las Vegas, over the death of George Floyd, a black man who was in police custody in Minneapolis. Floyd died after being restrained by Minneapolis police officers on Memorial Day.

Updated Sunday, May 31, 2020 | 10:43 p.m.

Third Day of Protests for George Floyd

A protester runs through gas on the Las Vegas Strip Sunday, May 31, 2020, in Las Vegas, over the death of George Floyd, a black man who was in police custody in Minneapolis. Floyd died after being restrained by Minneapolis police officers on Memorial Day. Launch slideshow »

Las Vegas police used tear gas and nonlethal rounds Sunday evening to contain a Black Lives Matter rally on the Strip.

It was the third consecutive day of demonstrations in Southern Nevada with protesters demanding police reform after the in-custody death of a black man by Minnesota police earlier in the week.

A similar rally also took place Sunday evening in Summerlin, although it was mostly peaceful and the crowd thinned after two hours. Metro Police formed a barricade to prevent demonstrators from entering Downtown Summerlin, the privately-owned outdoor area.

The protest on the Strip was also initially peaceful, with chants of “we are tired” from a few hundred demonstrators marching north on Las Vegas Boulevard from Mandalay Bay to Flamingo Road.

On the way, at the corner of Tropicana Avenue, a man held a megaphone to lead the “Black Lives Matter” call. Cars passing by honked their horns in support.

The man called for a moment of silence for George Floyd, who died in police custody after a Minneapolis officer pressed his knee on his neck for almost 10 minutes as Floyd pleaded he couldn’t breathe. The crowd obliged.

There was heavy police presence at both planned events, especially after a Saturday night protest in downtown Las Vegas brought 103 arrests and much damage to property. A pawn shop was looted, a Metro SUV was sent on fire, and store fronts were spray-painted with messages calling for justice.

Metro officials said earlier Sunday that they would act more swiftly to dissolve aggressive protesters, saying a majority of participants are attending for a peaceful demonstration and it’s their duty to provide a safe setting. Around 8:40 p.m., police made two lines to control the flow of protesters, firing nonlethal rounds at any stragglers.

After the police pushed the crowd forward, many of the protesters were able to leave the Strip through an adjoining road.

The vast majority of the crowd on the Strip seemed to support a peaceful protest. Walking through a stairwell to cross the Strip, one protester pointed out graffiti that read “Blues Lives Splatter” and remarked in disgust to another demonstrator.

Adam Berger, a high school special education teacher, held two signs, one of which read “white silence is white violence.”

“I’m out as a white ally to stand up for black allies because they need to feel safe not only in their own community, they need to feel safe in their own homes,” Berger said.

Jamaryis Geston, who works in a casino on the Strip, said black Americans are tired of the “mistreatment they have in this justice system,” and that there has been a breakdown in trust between the black community and the justice system.

Geston said the system won’t change until more black people become cops, lawyers and district attorneys.

“It’s time,” he said. “If you want change you have to be a part of the change.”

It wasn't clear late Sunday how many arrests were made or if there were any reported injuries.

About 10:30 p.m., Metro said the response to protests at "a few locations" was ongoing. "Officers are focusing their efforts on protecting citizens from harm, minimizing property damage and arresting protesters who are engaging in acts of violence/destruction."

Police said additional details would be released Monday.