On Tuesday, August 11, Black Lives Matter demonstrators made their way to the 7th District police station in Englewood to stage a rally against the arrest of a person who shot at police officers. According to the Chicago Police Department (CPD), the 20-year-old suspect fired on officers, which forced them to return fire, wounding the criminal who was later arrested and charged with attempted murder.
The arrest sparked confrontations because of a malicious rumor that the suspect was 15 years old. This led to a night of widespread looting and rioting that got over 100 Black Lives Matter rioters arrested, injured at least 13 CPD officers and caused over $60 million in property damage to local shops and businesses.
Tuesday's rally, which was organized by the city's Black Lives Matter chapter, met opposition after they made their way to the 7th District station. Dozens of Englewood residents converged upon the demonstrators to show the would-be rioters what they really think of the movement.
“If you ain't from Englewood, get the [expletive] out of here!” said Darryl Smith, a resident who shouted at the demonstrators. Smith, who has lived in Englewood for the past 51 years, said that he is very angry about how Chicago's recent ordeals came about because of fake news.
“First time they heard something he was 15,” said Smith. “He got shot and a lady got shot. It goes to social media and you have to learn the facts, you have to have facts in this matter.”
Smith further said that a lot of people are now blaming the start of the renewed wave of chaos and civil unrest on the residents of Englewood.
But Smith said he does not believe that the rioting started in Englewood. He argued that people used the name of the community for their own gain.
“We're not having that. It didn't spark from Englewood. These [looters] are opportunists, and we're tired of Englewood getting a black eye for any and everything that happens.”
Charles McKenzie from God's Gorillas, a community-based violence prevention group, agreed with Smith, stating: “We refuse to let anyone come to Englewood and tear it up.”
Learn more about the Black Lives Matter movement by listening to this episode of the Health Ranger Report, a podcast by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, as he talks about how the Democratic Party, which rules over Chicago, does not actually care about Black lives, especially if it does nothing to support the rights of unborn African Americans.
The demonstrators from the Black Lives Matter movement said they came to the neighborhood to hold a peaceful rally that called for defunding the CPD. One of the protest groups that organized the event, Good Kids Mad City, said that many of their participants were also Englewood residents. They also admitted that many of their members were not in favor of either defunding or abolishing the police.
Good Kids Mad City is a Black Lives Matter-affiliated group that is supposedly a youth organization dedicated to fighting against gun violence. It was formed in early 2018 by teenagers from the North Lawndale neighborhood in Chicago's West Side in response to the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida.
Pressure from the community proved to be too much for the Black Lives Matter demonstrators, however, and they dispersed after some tense moments that included shouting matches and some pushing and shoving.
Englewood has long been plagued by gun violence, and this year is no different for the embattled community as the rest of Chicago also sees a spike in shootings and homicides. Many of the residents believe that the arrival of Black Lives Matter into the area will just cause even more chaos. (Related: Chicago sees 139% increase in gun-related murders, and 75% increase in shooting incidents under gun-grabbing Mayor Lightfoot.)
The Black Lives Matter movement is growing rapidly, and they have been invigorated into causing even more chaos and destruction across the country. Learn about their latest attacks against life and property at Rioting.news.
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