Baltimore activists clashed with police officers Tuesday afternoon as they protested a gun bill that would give a mandatory sentence of one year if a person has an illegal gun.
The Baltimore City Council hosted a hearing on a new gun bill meant to help crack down on the violence in the city, reports WBAL-TV. Activists grew impatient while waiting for their turn to speak after having waited outside the council for hours.
When University of Maryland and Morgan State University representatives were allowed to speak before them, the activists broke out into a protest, demanding to be heard. They tried to push though the doors, trying to force the council to listen to them.
“You got people waiting out here for two hours!” one protester shouted. Police tried to restrain multiple protesters as they attempted to break their way into the room.
One activist went so far as to throw a podium on the ground.
“Ladies and gentlemen, please step back,” one officer ordered.
“We wanted the ability to speak. We had been sitting here, we followed protocol by signing the testimony sign-in sheet, and these are the things that they were communicating back and forth, and then out of nowhere, law enforcement comes. The man said to leave and things got a little out of hand. Nobody hit anybody. Nobody did anything justifiable to get arrested,” Nicole Hanson, an activist with Out for Justice, said regarding the incident.
Police eventually arrested two people, a Baltimore police spokesperson said.
“A 29-year-old male was taken into custody as well as a 27-year-old male,” T.J. Smith said. “The 27-year-old male complained of chest pains after being arrested. He [was] transported to a local hospital for treatment.”
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