Black Lives Matter protesters confront Attleboro mayor
ATTLEBORO, M.A. (WLNE) – Hundreds gathering here for a Black Lives Matter protest, aiming to be peaceful and focused on speakers.
But there were also sharp tensions, revealing some deep divisions.
It started during Mayor Paul Heroux’s speech, after he said no police officer anywhere wants to use force.
That’s when some in the crowd started heckling him.
But Mayor Heroux says he’s not aware of specific complaints related to police brutality in his community.
“If there were a problem with police brutality in Attleboro, the police chief and I would do something about it,” he said. “We wouldn’t tolerate it. To heckle and hijack at a demonstration like this, that’s not the right way to fix it.”
The heckling calmed down as organizers asked the crowd to take a knee.
Todd McGhee, a former Massachusetts State Police trooper and speaker who trains law enforcement, stepped in to help de-escalate the situation.