Protesters met with police in riot gear outside Republican debate in Cleveland

Blocked from entering E. 4th St.; No arrests made

Homa Bash
7:57 PM, Aug 6, 2015
12:19 AM, Aug 7, 2015

Protesters were met by Cleveland Police officers in full riot gear outside Quicken Loans Arena and downtown's popular E. 4th St. ahead of the first GOP debate Thursday.

WEWS

Protestors are arguing with police outside Quicken Loans Arena as Republican candidates prepare for the first debate of the 2016 presidential primary election season.

WEWS

A few protesters have gathered outside Quicken Loans Arena in response to the Republican debate taking place there tonight.

Homa Bash, newsnet5.com
Copyright 2015 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

A few protesters have gathered outside Quicken Loans Arena in response to the Republican debate taking place there tonight.

Homa Bash, newsnet5.com
Copyright 2015 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

CLEVELAND - Protesters were met by Cleveland Police officers in full riot gear outside Quicken Loans Arena and downtown's popular E. 4th St. ahead of the first GOP debate Thursday.

Fewer than 200 protesters gathered with signs outside the Q, a barricade across Huron keeping them from getting too close to the arena's entrance. 

Many had signs pushing for issues from immigration and tax reform to same-sex marriage rights. A podium and microphone set up allowed them to speak their piece.

But as soon as a group of about 20 made their way down toward busy E. 4th St., packed with diners, dozens of police officers and Cuyahoga County Sheriff's deputies in full riot gear blocked the path.

"This is ridiculous," said protester Aaron Black. "We’re not dangerous, we’re not trying to cause trouble. We’re just trying to stand somewhere and hold our signs up."

After about 20 minutes at a standstill with no serious issues, both police and protesters dispersed. Snipers remained on the roofs of nearby buildings, about a dozen motorcycle officers drove around the Q and mounted officers were visible on street corners.

According to Cleveland Police Lt. Ali Pillow, no protest-related arrests were made as of about 10:30 p.m. Thursday. 

Follow newsnet5.com's live coverage of the GOP debate here.

Copyright 2015 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Print this article Back to Top

Comments