Kansas City, Missouri, police said Sunday that had found “stashes of bricks and rocks” to be used in the Floyd George protests in that city and asked people to let them know if they see any others “so we can remove them.”
“We don’t have confirmed direct info that they were placed there by protest groups, but we were very aware of the presence of these materials that could be used to harm officers or damage buildings,” Sergeant Jake Becchina, a public information officer with the Kansas City Police Department, told Newsweek.
We have learned of & discovered stashes of bricks and rocks in & around the Plaza and Westport to be used during a riot. If you see anything like this, you can text 911 and let us know so we can remove them. This keeps everyone safe and allows your voice to continue to be heard.
— kcpolice (@kcpolice) May 31, 2020
There were several reports on social media over the weekend, that such piles of rocks and bricks were found near protest sites, but few could be independently verified. While some protesters — or agitators looking to stir up conflict — have thrown items at police, including bricks and stones, there’s also been scant confirmation that such piles have been used as a repository of projectiles.
In fact, the City of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, reported that brick piles reported by several citizens in that city were part of a streetlight replacement project.
We have received several questions from concerned residents regarding small stacks of bricks that were seen in the…
Posted by City of Cedar Rapids Iowa Government on Monday, June 1, 2020
“This project has been underway for a number of months, moving from block to block,” the city said, adding that crews were removing the bricks.
"Yo, we got bricks. We got bricks!"—#Rioters in Manhattan chanced upon a cache in the street equipped with bricks and a shovel at 10:01 p.m. on Second Ave between St. Marks Pl. and Seventh St. pic.twitter.com/dYB7vHdYqL
— Kevin R Hogan (@KRHogan_NTD) May 31, 2020
A video confirmed to be from Manhattan appears to show protesters coming upon a small pile of bricks with shovels in what appeared to be a construction area.
Other videos and photos have been shared across social media with no indication of where they came from and are difficult to verify with any certainty.
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[Featured image: Screenshot from @KRHogan_NTD video]
