New Orleans City Council President Jason Williams, who also serves as chairman of the Council’s criminal justice committee, has called an emergency committee meeting at 1 p.m. Thursday, June 11, in council chambers, to discuss the New Orleans Police Department’s (NOPD) use of tear gas to disperse a crowd of protesters on Wednesday, June 3.
Local protesters have taken to the streets, marching to Duncan Plaza, NOPD headquarters on South Broad and other locations throughout the city, including the Crescent City Connection, in the wake of the murder of George Floyd, joining demonstrations taking place across the nation against police brutality and racial injustices.
Protests throughout the New Orleans area had largely been peaceful with the exeption of June 3, when NOPD officers sprayed the crowd with tear gas.
NOPD Chief Shaun Ferguson, Public Integrity Bureau Chief Arlinda Westbrook, and Independent Police Monitor Susan Hutson are expected to attend the emergency meeting.
NOPD officets have contended that they sprayed tear gas as protesters rushed them attempting to cross the Crescent City Connection during the Wednesday night protest. Some protesters have contended that NOPD sprayed the crowd without provocation, however
Hutson’s office has issued a call to the community, seeking videos, photos and their first-hand accounts of the incident. Anyone with such information can contact the IPM at 504-309-9799.
