Protests have always been a way for ordinary citizens to make their voices heard. However, over the last year protests have become more common and incredibly destructive.

Protestors are encouraged to loot, damage personal property, and set fires to voice their displeasure regarding police officer and their actions. South Carolina is the most recent state to join the ranks of frequent protests.

Arrest Response

In Rock Hill, South Carolina, law enforcement officers from the Rock Hill Police Department and the Department of Homeland Security arrested two black men. The two brothers were arrested in the midst of a traffic stop.

Their scuffle with law enforcement and subsequent arrest was captured on video by a bystander. The person live-streamed the arrest in a 15-minute video.

According to officials, the brother had two bags of marijuana, a single bag of cocaine, and a handgun in the vehicle. One was charged with possession with intent to sell marijuana and cocaine, plus charges for possession of the firearm.

The other brother was just charged with resisting arrest. Apparently, citizens were not happy with the arrest and decided to take to the streets to voice their displeasure.

Fiery Protest

About 100 protesters congregated outside Rock Hill's police headquarters at 11:00 p.m. the evening of the arrest. In the video of the incident, you can see one officer trying to make way for the firefighters to come and put out the fire started by the protesters.

However, his presence further aggravated the protesters. In the video, you can see an object being thrown at him. It looks like it could have been a plastic bottle.

You cannot tell if the bottle hits the officer or narrowly misses him from the footage. However, fire crews eventually were able to reach the flames and extinguish them.

There were zero injuries due to the protest, and officers did not arrest anyone. They also did not use any crowd dispersal tactics. Throughout the protest, they did not use any tear gas or other nonlethal measures.