Lang
6/1/20
The unrest that has gripped the nation over the last week following the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis Police has now come to the Iowa City area.
A social media post circulated Sunday encouraged residents to meet at Coral Ridge Mall at 10:30 Sunday night. The post, which appears to have originated on Snapchat but was also screencapped and shared to Facebook, encouraged people to wear masks and meet at North Ridge Park on Holiday Road. They were then told to use the walking path under Interstate 80 to “hit the mall” at 10:30, saying “we can all run out the blue”. The post ended by saying “we deserve this s—” because “they” have been stealing from “us our whole” lives.
Police from multiple agencies converged on the mall around 10pm, as did an estimated 50 people, some of whom later told police they intended to “go shopping”. A standoff ensued for the next few hours, with at least ten poeple being taken into custody. At one point during the standoff, one subject threw a punch at a police officer, leading to two flashbangs being used. Rocks were also thrown at officers.
While there was no looting or damage at Coral Ridge Mall itself, there was damage to the nearby Walmart and Smokin’ Joe’s.
The crowd finally dispersed around 1:30 Monday morning, although some in attendance said they would return Monday night. Police say they plan to return as well.