PORTLAND, Maine — On June 1st, Portland Police arrested 22 people in connection to Black Lives Matter demonstrations near police headquarters. The following night, officers made 10 more arrests in the ongoing protests.
Video from both nights showed officers struck with rocks, bricks, and bottles, according to the Cumberland County District Attorney, Jonathan Sahrbeck. Sahrbeck said in a news release each case was investigated by police and reviewed by prosecutors, but the charges for the people arrested will not be pursued, citing insufficient evidence that they took part in the violence.
“It would be unfair and unjust to treat all members of a group as perpetrators of a certain act based solely on their associations,” said Sahrbeck.
The DA's office says police had probable cause to make the arrests and those actions helped slim down a disorderly crowd on a main road.
