Fuck the Police protesters hold night march, note DC's $130K for tear gas
On the 17th of October, the "Fuck the Police" march took to the streets at its usual Saturday night time. In addition to the usual focus on police murders of Black and Brown people, marchers called out the DC government for spending $130,000 on tear gas for expected "riots" after the election.
This time around, police made no attempts to kettle or disperse the march, though bike cops rode in their usual menacing positions as though to claim that the march could be kettled and mass arrested at any time. The route of the march was different this time around: instead of 18th st, marchers went to U St, where a lot of Black and Brown people dining in less expensive restaurants cheered for the marchers. This may have created unfavorable conditions for any form of police repression. Widespread civilian support for any kind of insurgent forces can present any government with a problem they are not capable of handling in the streets.
As for the tear gas, the same Mayor Bowser who condemned Trump for gassing protesters is now stockpiling ammunition to do the same thing herself. MPD (like most police departments) has a notoriously low threshold for considering a protest a "riot." Worse, this threshold will surely be different for Black Lives Matter and anti-Trump protesters than it will be for violent Trump supporters.
Bike cops blocking the street behind the FTP march
Cops BEHIND a restaurant, as though to consider both the diners and the protesters as equally hostile
A bike cop with NO MASK at the FTP march
Another bike cop wearing his mask improperly, with his nose showing and blowing droplets
