I was close to the fire. I could smell it and see it.

So I'm telling you all for a fact I HEARD the flash bombs go off & knew tear gas had been used BEFORE the fire started. This was a peaceful protest.

The fire did not start until AFTER the flash bombs and tear gas.

This was a peaceful protest.

Do not let them tell you otherwise. Don't let them use this to call Black protestors thugs.

I was there. I witnessed it. I went out to protest peacefully. We gathered peacefully. Speakers talked about coming together.

Speakers begged white allies to gather & to use our privilege to do good.

I could see and smell the fire. I could also hear the flash bombs & was getting live updates from someone else near the tear gas.

I heard the flash bombs first. Soon after we learned tear gas was being used. A child got maced.

This was a peaceful protest. Speakers reminded everyone of this and that they were here to protest peacefully.

15-20 minutes later the fire started. It was after the flash bombs and tear gas. I heard them. Someone else in contact with my group witnessed the tear gas.

I'm told the fire was started by some white anarchists, but don't have confirmation on that.

Multiple white supremacists were present - some had guns & at least one gun was stolen by a white supremacist from the cop cars.

I heard the flash bombs first. The tear gas started first. It was not a reaction to the fire. I SAW and SMELLED the fire when it happened.

The tear gas and the mace and the flash bombs were NOT a reaction to the looting or rioting that happened later. Now there is looting. Now there is rioting. But I was there.

Don't let them tell you these things wouldn't have happened if protestors were peaceful.

It was a peaceful protest.

I am VERY easily startled. I have a sensory processing disability that means I have to wear gun range ear protection to go out into the city on a normal day. I also have a severe anxiety disorder.

I'm saying this because it means I'm hypervigilant.

It means I'm very aware all the time of anything that can possibly harm me.

It means sudden loud noises startle me. I was even afraid of the toilet flush as a kid.

It means I can have anxiety attacks with VERY little reason.

It was a peaceful protest.

I did not feel anxious in that crowd until I heard the flash bombs. I did not feel like it wasn't safe until the police started macing people.

The tear gas happened first.

I am home now. They put a 5pm curfew in affect & because of my disabilities police interaction is dangerous so I cannot get arrested. I made sure everyone who I knew was there got home safely - gave a few people rides - and then went home myself.

I wish I could have done more. I wish I had been able to go to the front lines and play a medic role for injured people.

But what I can do right now from home is tell you that I was there and I heard the flash bombs and saw the fire. The fire did not happen first.

Some people are misunderstanding.

This is not meant to condemn people who protest via property damage. I cannot condemn people who are doing whatever they can to not get murdered. People tried to protest peacefully. Things still haven't changed. Nothing was fixed.

Instead, the point is this: I'm being told that police would not have used tear gas or flash bombs or mace if we had protested peacefully. But that's a lie. We were protesting peacefully. I could not have attended this at all otherwise.

I heard the flash bombs first.

Do not let them use this to claim BLM protests instigate violence.

BLM protests are a reaction to violence.

Do not let them use this to claim BLM protestors are thugs.

BLM protestors are a reaction to thugs.