After two violent nights, Wichita protests end peacefully Thursday morning
After two violent nights and a bogus social media claim that looters would target white people in the suburbs, Wichita’s Wednesday night into early Thursday morning protests against racist policing ended peacefully.
Wichita police, who broke up protests wearing full riot gear on Monday and Tuesday, mostly kept their distance.
Tensions between Wichita police and protesters have been high, as officers have been shot at and protesters have been tear gassed, shot with foam bullets and arrested. Peaceful protests in Wichita and across the country have sometimes turned violent in the wake of the death of George Floyd.
Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, died after a white police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, held him to the pavement with a knee on his neck. The Minnesota police officer has been fired and charged with murder. Three other officers have also been fired and charged in connection with Floyd’s death.
The crisis point in Wichita so far was Tuesday night, when looters broke into QuikTrip at 21st and Arkansas and raided the convenience store, which has since closed.
On Wednesday night, protests and rallies in north Wichita, Derby and northeast Wichita denounced bad cops and bad protesters alike while calling for widespread changes to police policies.
Shortly before 7 p.m., members of the Latino community gathered in north Wichita at 21st and Arkansas in support of peaceful protests and to denounce violence and looting in their neighborhood.
An hour later, protesters in northeast Wichita shut down the intersection of 13th and Oliver. Wichita police initially tried to dissuade protesters from obstructing traffic, but after a group of young black women marched into the middle of the intersection and refused to move, the police left the scene.
For the next several hours, until around 1:30 a.m., demonstrators occupied the intersection. Instead of a SWAT team, police sent in a single cruiser to politely ask people to disperse.
Jacob McCray was at the 21st and Arkansas protest on Tuesday night and the 13th and Oliver protest on Wednesday. He said Wednesday night felt different and more constructive.
“There’s not the looting, for one thing,” he said.
“This one’s a lot more peaceful and the cops aren’t pushing us like they did last night,” he said.
The Eagle is monitoring protests in Wichita Wednesday night and Thursday morning. Here is what happened, by the hour:
Update, 1 a.m.
A smaller group of people remain at 13th and Oliver as the crowd has gradually dispersed on its own. The group has remained mostly peaceful. Police have not interfered with the gathering, though officers remain in the area.
Update, midnight
Protesters at 13th and Oliver have mostly cleared out of the intersection after blocking it to traffic for about two hours. The gathering continue west of the intersection with about 100 people. There is music, a cookout and a few vehicle burnouts.
Update, 11 p.m.
Wichita police have monitored two major protests Wednesday evening.
The first happened at 21st and Arkansas, which has been the site of previous protests that have turned violent. It was a different story on Wednesday as a prayer service was held before most protesters left.
A demonstration then picked up at 13th and Oliver, where protesters took over the intersection, blocking it with bodies and vehicles. The protest there is ongoing.
Tim Nolan — who helmed a grill full of hotdogs, hamburgers and chicken wings — helped collect trash and offered bottled water to protesters at 13th and Oliver.
“We take care of our neighborhood,” Nolan said.
Jacob McCray was at the 21st and Arkansas protest on Tuesday night. He said Wednesday night felt different.
“There’s not the looting, for one thing,” he said.
“This one’s a lot more peaceful and the cops aren’t pushing us like they did last night,” he said.
McCray said Wichita police escalated the situation Tuesday before looters broke into Quik Trip.
While standing outside the Quik Trip on Tuesday, McCray said police shined a laser sight on his chest, which made him very nervous that he would be hit by rubber bullet.
He said SWAT team members pointed lasers across the bodies of demonstrators before the gathering had been determined unlawful, which made it a much more hostile situation.
Wichita police later fired tear gas at McCray and his friends as they stood at the corner of 21st and Arkansas on Tuesday night, refusing to disperse, he said.
“We just want to be heard,” McCray said. “That’s all this is about.”
Update, 10:15 p.m.
Protesters have taken over the intersection of 13th and Oliver in east Wichita. Police have started blocking off street access to the area.
The protest there has drawn a crowd of more than 100 people.
Marchers started out by crossing the crosswalk through the intersection. After Wichita police officers arrived and asked them to keep it orderly, they stood in the center of the intersection in a line, fists raised to the air.
“No justice, no peace!”
“Black lives matter!”
“What’s his name? George Floyd!”
Six vehicles and dozens more protesters joined the initial marchers, mostly high school and college-aged black girls and women.
Marcus Hunter, a protester at 13th and Oliver, said he doesn’t attend many political demonstrations.
“We’re not here to tear anything up,” Hunter said. “We just want to end police brutality. We want to be treated the same as everyone else. Right now we’re at the bottom, man. I’ve been pulled over two or three times by Wichita police with their guns drawn, when I hadn’t done anything wrong. That’s my experience as a black man in Wichita, Kansas, and it needs to stop.”
Update, 9:45 p.m.
Protesters are disrupting traffic at 13th and Oliver, though the intersection is not completely blocked. People are standing in the street, and a few vehicles are parked in the intersection.
Protesters have occasionally chanted “I can’t breathe,” “say his name, George Floyd” and “we won’t move.”
Update, 9:20 p.m.
Protests have started at 13th and Oliver in east Wichita, where police report some people have gone into the road and disrupted traffic. Police asked them to move out of the street, and they complied.
However, police reported that they spoke with the organizer of the protest, and “they got it in their mind that they’re going to block the intersection.”
Update, 8:40 p.m.
A Wednesday evening protest at 21st and Arkansas has been peaceful since it started about two hours ago.
Live videos showed protesters taking turns speaking, reading Bible verses and praying in the parking lot of the Metro store.
“We’re not going to fight fire with fire,” said one speaker.
“I love the police ... they put their lives on the line every day,” he added as the crowd clapped and cheered.
Police speaking on their emergency radios said some “aggressive” counter-protesters armed with weapons, including a machete, have also arrived. They told police they were there to “protect the neighborhood.”
Police have blocked off some parking lots, though traffic does not appear to be otherwise affected by the protest or police. There was a relatively light police presence.
Shortly before 7 p.m.
Members of the Latino community, gathered near 21st and Amidon, called for justice and reform.
“Today, the Latino community calls for justice and reform through policy and action to address the social and racial injustice in America impacting communities of color,” Angel Martinez said in a statement. “We stand in solidarity with the fight against racism and injustices directed at our Black/African American community.
“We understand the outpouring of peaceful protests and nonviolent gatherings happening around Wichita and the country because of the countless deaths and lynching’s of black people. It is unacceptable that far too many black and brown people live in constant fear of losing their lives in our country. We condemn the ‘opportunistic’ looting and violence-taking place in across the city but specifically at 21st and Arkansas in our neighborhood.”
Original story:
After two nights in a row of violent protests being broken up by Wichita police in riot gear, the police chief said they are prepared for more protests Wednesday night.
Police Chief Gordon Ramsay said at a news conference Wednesday afternoon that he is aware of social media posts about planned protests in Wichita and surrounding towns
“It’s been sent to me about 100 times,” he said. “There’s a lot of social media stuff going around. Some of it is people toying with people. But we are prepared. We are ready to deal with anything that comes along. We are going to keep this city safe.”
“We are going to aggressively go after those that are victimizing our businesses and our neighborhoods.”
The intersection of 21st and Arkansas has been a focal point for protests the past three days. A Sunday night gathering eventually dispersed without police involvement. But gatherings Monday night and Tuesday night turned violent before they were forced out by riot police.
Late Tuesday night, the QuikTrip convenience store there was looted. It has since closed.
Ramsay said the Tuesday night gathering at 21st and Arkansas “started out as I think a well-intended protest (and) was hijacked by some individuals with other intentions. I think it’s going to have a significant negative impact on that community.”
Police are monitoring the area again Wednesday evening.
In Derby, peaceful protesters gathered Wednesday afternoon at the corner of Madison and Rock. They chanted “I can’t breathe” and “black lives matter.”
In Park City and Valley Center, emergency scanner traffic indicated officers were gathering at the police departments.
The Valley Center Department of Public Safety said in a Facebook post Wednesday afternoon that it was “aware of a potential threat of violence in our community.” It is unclear whether officials mean there may be a protest. The El Dorado Police Department in a Facebook post said it is “aware of a potential protest in our community” and asked for suspicious activity to be reported to 911.
This story was originally published June 3, 2020 at 7:08 PM.