TUCSON, Ariz. --A protest broke out after the Black Lives Matter celebration at the University of Arizona.
This happened the night of June 7th.
Thousands gathered to celebrate black lives at the University of Arizona.
The event ended at 6 o’clock in the evening; that’s when more than 100 people took to the streets.
Haley McShane attended the Black Lives Matter celebration at the University of Arizona.
Then followed protesters to the streets when it ended.
“For the most part it was okay and then it started getting rowdy on I don’t know what side,” she told KGUN9.
She also said it seemed like protesters did not really know where they were going.
“It wasn’t super organized so we didn't really know the direction that we were going at first and then everyone reconvened and we went to I-10 frontage Road,” she added.
Pretty soon she says there were flash bangs, followed by smoke.
In that moment, she looked around and felt something wasn’t right.
“It did seem like a lot of the protesters were white. My friend and I thought that was a little off. We didn’t necessarily feel it was a Black Lives Matter or organized by the black community. So once it started getting sour we were like we should...we should go,” McShane told KGUN9.
An officer line formed underneath the I-10 bridge.
Officers retreated once protesters began to disperse, after the 8 o’clock curfew.
And while McShane and her friends left the protest early, she says she stands by the Black Lives Matter movement.
She also assures she will use her privilege to stand up against injustice.
We just need to support black people and people of color and I think it’s our prerogative as white people to follow in their footsteps and their movement and do what we can to support that movement,” she said.
