Clean up set in aftermath of Atlantic City destruction

Atlantic City residents are coming together in the aftermath of violent destruction that followed a peaceful protest Sunday.

Broken windows and ransacked businesses greeted those who entered the city Monday morning.But on Monday morning, the cleanup was noticeable, as groups came out to handle the aftermath."You saw Atlantic City at its worst yesterday," Mayor Marty Small said in a news conference Monday morning. "Today, you see it at its best."

There were 17 arrests, with six Atlantic City residents, Mayor Marty Small said.

“I’m pissed, I’m extremely disappointed at the behavior, I’m extremely disappointed about the embarrassment of our city,” Small said in a news conference Sunday night as police filled the streets trying to bring order.

The riots started after a peaceful protest that lasted hours ended at the steps of the Public Safety Building.

Steve Young, who organized Sunday’s protest, said he will address the aftermath at 1 p.m. Monday, near the 7-Eleven where another peaceful protest had been planned.

Young led about 300 people through the streets of Atlantic City on Sunday, it what was a peaceful protest that had the help of police blocking traffic as the marchers walked down Atlantic Avenue, through the Walk and temporarily closed the Atlantic City Expressway entrance into the city.

There was then a rally on the Boardwalk at Kennedy Plaza, and then a return to the Public Safety Building.

But comments Young made before the walk started have now come under fire.

“We gonna do some window shopping today,” he told the crowd. “Window shopping is when you look in the window and see what you like and you come back another day to get it. You come back another day to get it.”

He then added: “Understand that. We’re not saying nothing about violence, we’re not staying destroy anything. We’re just gonna do some window shopping.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFfGom9r9Xg&feature=youtu.be

Young told BreakingAC he would address those comments, but has yet to follow up.
“Everyone wants to say the amount of outsiders, but was people that live here too going in stores in front of police officers taking things that don’t belong to them,” an angry Small said Sunday. “When is this town going to wake up? Today was Atlantic City at its worst.”

Destruction follows peaceful protest in Atlantic City

Hours after a peaceful protest in Atlantic City on Sunday, mayhem broke out.More than 60 state troopers were heading into help, Mayor Marty Small said.“This is a disaster,” he said. “You have these thugs going around destroying our great city, destroying businesses that are prepping to open back up.”Small said he spoke with the governor ... Read more