Police Targeted Protestors: Live Rounds Fired After Missiles Aimed at House

While all the havoc was taking place inside the National Assembly, outside was no different.  Just around high noon, what had been a peaceful protest on the steps of the National Assembly descended into scenes of near-riot after a protestor began firing missiles toward the Assembly building. Police responded with live warning rounds fire over the protestors’ heads. A protester was detained and a large section of the crowd shouting abuse at the police officers lined up in front of the Police Headquarters. President of COLA Geovannie Brackett, who co-signed the permit for today’s event, picks it up from there.

Geovannie Brackett

Geovannie Brackett, President, COLA

“I’m just trying to talk to the officer, trying to get an understanding what transpired. I know a couple of the people – I don’t know if they camped or came with us, I don’t know where the missiles came from, I  don’t even know if it’s the Government paid people to aggravate (interruption). But what I know, we’ve been trying to work with the police from morning, we’ve been having a peaceful demonstration, a constructive revolution, so to speak. The police is not our enemy out here, and we’re trying to work with the police. Our enemies are those who sit up there in the foothills. So I will try to talk with the police, I just want to say that we have made our point, and (interruption). But we believe in civil disobedience, I believe that some of our people got hyped up, but we’re trying to calm the crowd down and I know that the officers will release the individual and we are trying to work with them.”