Police, Rioters Clash in West Coast Cities on Anniversary of Breonna Taylor’s Death
Police clashed with rioters in Seattle and Los Angeles on Saturday night during demonstrations marking the one-year anniversary of the death of Breonna Taylor, an African-American resident of Louisville, Ky., in a police shooting.
Seattle police made a number of arrests during the clashes, as seen in footage captured by the Daily Caller. The police said 13 people were arrested on Saturday.
Seattle PD and black bloc group clashing in the middle of the streets and arrests being made #seattle pic.twitter.com/jo6498H7pr
— Jorge Ventura Media (@VenturaReport) March 14, 2021
Rioters also vandalized businesses including a Starbucks, smashing the store’s windows.
Starbucks windows smashed in #Seattle by black bloc group pic.twitter.com/kZIIURlRvx
— Jorge Ventura Media (@VenturaReport) March 14, 2021
Rioters also clashed with police in Los Angeles. Two rioters jumped on to a police car, with one remaining on the hood as the car drove off, in footage shared by journalist Andy Ngo.
At the #antifa riot in Los Angeles, two rioters jump on a police vehicle to attack it. One of the rioters stays on the car as the officer drives off. #AntifaRiots #BLM pic.twitter.com/NMOiDAab9l
— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) March 14, 2021
Los Angeles rioters also vandalized businesses overnight. The riot was backed in part by the Youth Liberation Front, a group that expressed support for riots in the summer of 2020 via its social media posts, Ngo claimed.
Los Angeles: #Antifa held a violent protest to honor Breonna Taylor. It was organized by the local cell for the Youth Liberation Front. The same organization organized the riots in Portland and Seattle last year. #AntifaRiots pic.twitter.com/A53zSafV9H
— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) March 14, 2021
Meanwhile in Portland, Ore., some demonstrators attempted to tear down plywood boards erected outside the federal courthouse in the city. However, some protesters at the vigil for Taylor condemned violent conduct and called on rioters to go home, the local CBS affiliate reported.
Just prior to these comments, some people were kicking & punching the plywood boards on the federal courthouse building. #koin6news #pdx #pnw #Portland #Oregon pic.twitter.com/c2RMV4RkZ2
— Jennifer Dowling (@JenDowlingKoin6) March 14, 2021
Demonstrations marking the anniversary of Taylor’s death occurred in other cities without reports of violence. Taylor, an emergency-room technician, was shot by Louisville police officers at her apartment during a botched drug raid.
Police said that they identified themselves before entering the apartment, however Taylor’s boyfriend Kenneth Walker claimed that he didn’t hear the police before they knocked down the apartment door. Believing there was an intruder, Walker, a licensed gun owner, opened fire on police, who returned fire and shot Taylor.
Taylor’s mother and other family members participated in a march in Louisville on Saturday commemorating her death. The march was peaceful.
“Breonna Taylor’s death was a tragedy, a blow to her family, her community, and America,” President Biden wrote on Twitter on Saturday. “As we continue to mourn her, we must press ahead to pass meaningful police reform in Congress. I remain committed to signing a landmark reform bill into law.”
