Protests, Marches Over George Floyd's Death Expanding In North Texas
NORTH TEXAS (CBSDFW.COM) - North Texans protesting George Floyd's death while in Minneapolis Police custody, are continuing to expand their marches to cities outside of Dallas and Fort Worth.
Richardson's new Public Safety Building is the setting for a gathering of demonstrators Wednesday evening.
Nine people were arrested Tuesday evening in Lewisville and police used tear gas after protesters blocked a road.
Police said the group refused to move.
It's one instance where there has been a confrontation in North Texas outside of Dallas and Fort Worth since the protests over Floyd's death started across the country.
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Demonstrations and marches in Frisco, McKinney and Plano have been peaceful.
Retired officer Mark Herrera worked for the Department of Homeland Security and is an expert who trains in crowd control.
He said he concerns about manpower and equipment in suburbs and says it's important for police departments to try and initiate a dialogue with protest leaders in advance.
"The best thing that an agency or an individual with the department can do is actually connect with the leader of that particular protest group in advance and express to them that they want to allow them to exercise their First Amendment rights in a reasonable manner," said Herrera. "At the same time, they have a responsibility to protect all of those that come in and kind of piggyback off of the peaceful process."
None of the police departments CBS 11 contacted wanted to comment on this issue.
Most of them use intelligence units and infiltrate social media groups to stay ahead of protests so they can be adequately prepared.