Dallas police say about 200 protesters were detained Monday evening when they blocked traffic on Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge. The group was part of a larger demonstration outside Crowley Courts Building about a block away.
"We were walking across the bridge, and once we crossed it, we should have known it was a trap. The police trapped us on the bridge. They started hitting us with tear gas," one woman who did not want to be identified said.
Demonstrators say police blocked them from crossing the bridge into downtown, and another group of officers filled in behind them.
"They just want to play with you and mess with your mind," another woman said.
We are being boxed in @KRLD pic.twitter.com/aR1ZNETLGF
— Austin York (@realAustinYork) June 2, 2020Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins says he talked with protesters. He says the group "left the protection of the county property and traveled into a bridge controlled by the city and state. I urge restraint on the part of everyone and grace towards the protesters."
Jenkins tweeted the protesters were not arrested. He said the group was bused back to the Crowley Courts Building to pick up their cars and leave.
Dallas Area Rapid Transit says it parked two buses a few blocks away, on Sports Street, to act as cooling stations for police officers. DART also says it provided two buses for the transport of people who were being detained.
"We specifically stated that no DART bus operators would be involved in this transport," DART wrote in a statement.
Scenes from Margaret Hunt Hill @KRLD pic.twitter.com/orHeEihB3H
— Austin York (@realAustinYork) June 2, 2020
