TULSA — Crowds vandalized property near 71st and Memorial including an AutoZone during protests overnight.
AutoZone's glass door was broken and has been boarded up, with pieces of glass remaining on the ground.
The crowd got out of hand as authorities tried to push them back.
Some of the demonstrators ran away near 71st and Memorial when tear gas was deployed into the streets to try and disperse the crowd.
READ MORE: TPD: Several arrested after vandalizing businesses, throwing rocks at officers
The National Guard was mobilized around 11p.m. last night to help Tulsa police officers.
National Guard is on the ground and embedded with @TulsaPolice .
— Tulsa Police Department Chief Franklin (@TPD_Franklin) June 2, 2020
TPD described some demonstrators getting unruly and throwing rocks at them and vandalizing property.
Some of the protesters who gathered last night chanted "I can't breathe" and "No justice, no peace" to send a message against police brutality.
PHOTO GALLERY: Click on the picture below to view photos of businesses vandalized.
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While the chief of police and the mayor are open to peaceful protests, they condemn the destruction of property.
Cleanup is now ahead for these businesses including the AutoZone, Baskin Robbins, GNC, Village Inn, FedEx and TJ Maxx to name a few.
According to several social media posts, peaceful protesters are planning to help clean up the area after the vandalism overnight.
Nathan, a peaceful protester who participated in Sunday's rally, helped clean up the area near 71st and Memorial before going into work on Tuesday morning.
“When people group up at a location trash gets left over. I don’t want that at all to distract from the message that we’re sending.”
Tulsa's Mayor G.T. Bynum took to Facebook on Tuesday morningasking Tulsans to not confuse those involved in vandalizing local businesses with the city's civil rights leaders he has known for years.
I would ask that my fellow Tulsans do not confuse criminals with our city’s civil rights leaders. The criminals may show up to the civil rights events, but they do not want the same things.
The mayor says the civil rights leaders he met with on Monday have nothing to do with the "criminals who are vandalizing property in our city."
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