Police arrest 50 people in second night of Plaza protests

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — People are taking to the streets across the nation to protest the death of George Floyd.

12:30 a.m. | Kansas City, Missouri Police say they arrested more than 50 people on Saturday on the second night of protests on the Country Club Plaza.

At least 10 people were injured, though police say none of their injuries were considered life-threatening.

12 a.m. | Kansas City, Missouri, police have declared an unlawful assembly.

11:55 p.m. | Windows of Tommy Bahama on the Country Club Plaza are shattered, but not broken.

11:35 p.m. | More businesses on the Country Club Plaza have been vandalized, including West Elm and Cupcake à la Mode.

11:20 p.m. | The Kansas City, Missouri, Fire Department is trying to answer medical calls in the Country Club Plaza area and requested that protesters allow responders to reach those calls for service.

11:11 p.m. | Additional footage of tear gas being dispersed on the Plaza:

11 p.m. | Jackson County sheriff's deputies are assisting KCPD with the protest.

Kansas City, Missouri, Mayor Quinton Lucas urged protesters to "get home safely."

10:37 p.m. | A police vehicle is on fire at the Country Club Plaza.

10:35 p.m. | 41 Action News Anchor Kevin Holmes provides an update on the protests.

10:25 p.m. | Various stores on the Country Club Plaza have been vandalized.

10:23 p.m. | A KCPD spokesperson said that "several large, violent groups" of protesters threw bottles and rocks and also looted businesses. Arrests have been made, but the spokesperson did not say how many.

Outside agencies also have responded.

10:20 p.m. | Tear gas has been deployed at 46th Street and J.C. Nichols Parkway.

10:15 p.m. | Items are now being thrown on the Country Club Plaza.

Tear gas also has been dispersed at Emmanuel Cleaver II Boulevard and Main Street.

9:53 p.m. | KCPD said a man was shot near 37th Street and Main Street, the area where protests are happening. The injuries are non life-threatening, but people in the area are trying to disrupt the crime scene.

At 8pm near 37th and Main, Police were called by a man who said someone shot him. Additional calls reported sound of shots in the area. The man has non-life-threatening injuries at the hospital. People in the area are trying to disrupt the crime scene investigation.

— kcpolice (@kcpolice) May 31, 2020

9:34 p.m.| Missouri Gov. Mike Parson issued an executive order declaring a State of Emergency.

The Missouri National Guard and Missouri State Highway Patrol "stand ready to support local authorities," according to a news release.

“Violence and destruction are not the answers,” Parson said in the release. “I support those who are calling for justice and peace. However, a small element has seized on these peaceful demonstrations to commit violent acts that endanger the lives of citizens and bring destruction to our communities. This violence not only threatens public safety and destroys economic opportunity; it drowns out the voices of the peaceful demonstrators calling for justice and working to improve our nation.”

9:26 p.m. | More Missouri State Highway Patrol troopers have arrived in Kansas City.

9:22 p.m. |Kansas City, Missouri, Mayor Quinton Lucas said he was not happy to see gas deployed or bottles thrown during the protests.

9:20 p.m. | An officer blocked a water bottle with a shield.

Missouri State Highway Patrol vehicles arrived at the Country Club Plaza.

Officers also are pushing the crowd east.

9:15 p.m. | Kansas City, Missouri, police said they have used tear gas to encourage protesters to stay off the streets and in line with city ordinances.

8:45 p.m. | A U.S. flag was burned during protests at the Country Club Plaza.

More tear gas was deployed as well.

8:20 p.m. | Police have used tear gas and flash bangs against protesters at the Country Club Plaza.

7:43 p.m. | Protesters have now made their way onto a building in the Plaza area.

7:33 p.m. | Protesters have started to move back south.

7:30 p.m. | Three people were apprehended near Mill Creek Park.

7:10 p.m. | In an update at 7 p.m., KCPD Cpt. Dave Jackson said pepper spray was deployed into a crowd at a Mill Creek Park. Warnings were given to the crowd to stop throwing water bottles and stay in the park. One officer and one protester were hurt.

Jackson said they want to provide a safe environment for protesters to express their First Amendment Rights.

6:56 p.m. | Protesters have started moving north.

6:26 p.m. | The Kansas City, Kansas, police department tweeted Saturday night that protesters are being heard.

6:21 p.m. | 41 Action News will remain on the air through 7 p.m. with live coverage of the protests at the Country Club Plaza.

Some protesters still are throwing water bottles at police officers.

5:53 p.m. | More businesses have been boarded up as a precaution.

5:48 p.m. | Some protesters threw water bottles at police and were escorted away in zip ties.

5:41 p.m. | An Oak Park Mall official said the mall is expected to reopen on Sunday.

5:36 p.m. | Police now are moving protesters toward the J.C. Nichols Fountain.

5:33 p.m. | Another protester has been detained at the Country Club Plaza.

5:30 p.m. | As one protester is detained, crowds chanted, "Let him go."

Crowds already have exceeded Friday's count and more protesters were seen in zip ties.

5:20 p.m. | Lucas and Jackson have finished speaking as protesters continue to arrive to the Country Club Plaza.

5:15 p.m. | Lucas also said the community "can't go back to the same old thing" after the protests.

"After this, when we invoke the name of George Floyd, we say we changed something," Lucas said during the press conference.

He also urged protesters to leave the drama behind.

5:10 p.m. | Kansas City, Missouri, Mayor Quinton Lucas and KCPD Spokesperson Cpt. Dave Jackson speak briefly ahead of planned protests.

Jackson said that the crowd Friday night was around 500 people, and of the four to five arrests, they all were local.

Lucas said that this has been a "challenging time."

"I was proud of our protesters, officers and our community,” Lucas said.

4:54 p.m. | Businesses along the Country Club Plaza have been boarded up as a precaution before protests get underway.

One person also has been handcuffed as protests are about to begin.

4:52 p.m. | Peaceful protesters continue to arrive at the Country Club Plaza.

4:15 p.m. | One protester in St. Louis has died after being dragged by a FedEx truck, according to a report from KSDK.

4:10 p.m. | Five people were arrested after protests Friday night that continued into the early morning hours on Saturday, according to KCPD spokesperson Cpt. David Jackson.

Jackson said an "unlawful assembly" was declared around 1 a.m. and pepper spray was deployed on about 50 "non-lawful protesters."

Roughly three businesses had windows shattered, and three to four police cars were damaged, according to KCPD.

3:35 p.m. | Oak Park Mall in Overland Park will close at 4 p.m. Saturday, according to OPPD.

3:10 p.m. | Protesters have started to gather around the Country Club Plaza ahead of the scheduled protest, which begins at 5 p.m.

3:10 p.m. | Protesters have started to gather around the Country Club Plaza ahead of the scheduled protest, which begins at 5 p.m.

10:40 a.m. | Because of planned protests, Country Club Plaza will close at 4 p.m. and remain closed through Sunday. The plaza will re-open at 11 a.m.

10:35 a.m. | A protest is planned for 5 p.m. at the J.C. Nichols fountain, the same place where people gathered Friday.

--
A white former Minneapolis police officer, Derek Chauvin, has been charged in Floyd, a black man's, death after video showed him kneeling on the man's neck during an arrest over an alleged counterfeit bill.
--
Chauvin is one of four officers who has been fired from the Minneapolis Police Department for their alleged role in Floyd’s death.

Protests in Minneapolis turned violent and have lasted several nights. Those in the streets even burned down a police precinct.

Other cities across the U.S. are also holding protests, including Kansas City.

Friday night, hundreds of people met near the Country Club Plaza for a peaceful protest and marched to Westport and back.

Protests are planned to continue over the weekend, and 41 Action News will bring you updates as they come in.

Protests are planned to continue over the weekend, and 41 Action News will bring you updates as they come in.