“Chief Thomas, his team and the hundreds of law enforcement officials in our City will now turn their full attention to protecting the Downtown area during tomorrow’s events.”
There were likely as many cops within 5 miles as there were protesters of every stripe. And they disappeared as soon as things lit off.
This does smell like a set piece. The park was recently renamed from Lee Park to Emancipation Park. A protest against the renaming is organized by Kessler who allegedly is associated with Occupy Wall Street - odd switch - and with CNN.