Anna Lee

zlee@greenvillenews.com

Protesters scuffled with police late Saturday in what began as a peaceful Black Lives Matter rally in downtown Greenville.

Several people were arrested by the Bon Secours Wellness Center after a crowd of about 150 tried to breach a police barricade and shut down Interstate 385, according to Greenville police spokesman Gilberto Franco.

"We made the decision to intervene," Franco said.

Among those arrested was Derrick Quarles, who led the march and is the founder of Upstate Black Lives Matter. Quarles was charged with creating a public nuisance and pedestrian in the roadway, court records show.

On Church Street, officers armed with rifles stood by their cruisers as a barricade. Blue lights lit up the night, and two men could be seen in handcuffs near one patrol car.

The area around Academy and East North streets was also blocked off, and drivers were being told to turn around.

The scene was in stark contrast to the rally earlier in the night as protesters marched through downtown to deliver a message.

Hundreds walked down Main Street Saturday night, chanting, “No justice; no peace,” and “Hands up; don’t shoot.”

“We want everyone in Greenville to know that we want to feel welcome downtown,” Quarles said. “It’s evident by the different races here that people want change. People want inclusiveness.”

Holding a sign that said: “I am Muslim, and I support Black Lives Matter,” Noura Abualeinan, 20, said the first step to justice is unity.

“If we always say, ‘I’m struggling more than you,’ we’re never going to get anywhere,” she said. “We have to unite as a people.”

One man from Atlanta said they were part of a cultural revolution.

Similar to Friday’s rally, the protesters marched from Falls Parks to the Hyatt hotel with a police escort. A dozen or more officers walked alongside the crowd while police cruisers diverted traffic.

Read more: A promise of peace and a march of solidarity at Black Lives Matter rally

The rally, while peaceful, did have a moment of tension when protesters gathered at NOMA Square and were ordered to move by police over loudspeakers.

The march continued without incident, circling around North Main Street and back down to City Hall. Near the end, a Sheriff’s Office helicopter could be seen flying overhead.

When asked why the rallies were held on the heels of the Dallas, Texas, protest that left five officers dead, Quarles said: “We’re having it now because there’s so much division not only in Baton Rouge and Dallas but here in Greenville.”

Quarles and other organizers began spreading the word about the weekend rallies on social media Thursday night. Protesters were asked to wear black and carry signs.

Shortly before 10 p.m. Saturday, Quarles led the protesters down Beattie Street. They had been marching for about three hours. Yelling into a megaphone, Quarles told the crowd that they would "shut 385 down."

Police wound up arresting several people when they refused to stay on the sidewalk, Franco said, adding that organizers had originally agreed not to gather in the roadway.

Most of the protesters dispersed after that, Franco said. By 11 p.m., calm had returned to downtown Greenville, and roads had reopened.

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