Black-And-White Photos From The Tense Scene That Played Out After The Rally Against White Supremacy, As Counter Protesters At Pioneer Plaza Clashed With Rally Attendees.
All photos by Allan Hayslip.
There were no arrests made Saturday night when about 2,300 people attended the Dallas Against White Supremacy rally at City Hall Plaza.
But that didn’t mean tensions weren’t running high. Across the way from City Hall, a small band of counter-protesters took a stand in defense of the Confederate monuments at Pioneer Plaza for the three hours of the scheduled rally. And then, once the official rally ended, they took a stand against the opposition’s protesters themselves.
Shortly after 9 p.m., some 100 to 200 attendees from the main event made their way across the street to this park, to confront the 20 or so who gathered in defense of the Confederate statues. Things got heated: Voices raised, water bottles flew, a few shoves and punches were thrown, threats were made and, although no one could determine the source, pepper spray was definitely expelled.
Before things took a serious turn for the worse, though, mounted police were able to clear the park.
That things played out like this isn’t a surprise. But that things didn’t escalate beyond this point? That, surely, was a blessing.