MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - Police in Memphis, Tennessee, on Wednesday arrested multiple protesters who had been camping out in front of City Hall for weeks to demand police reforms.
Authorities told protesters that the plaza in front of the building would be cleared Wednesday morning to make way for the start of repairs to the roof and exterior marble panels. The protesters had been camping there since mid-June.
Some protesters who remained in the area were taken away by officers. It was not immediately clear how many protesters were arrested. Police said more information would be released later Wednesday.
The arrests come one day after the city announced the launch of a new website that will allow the public to file online complaints against police officers as part of changes enacted following the death of George Floyd and ongoing protests against police brutality.
The website lets citizens submit questions and suggestions about the police department and lists policies related to police use of force in the majority Black city, Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland said during an online news conference.
Activists and community leaders demanded more transparency from the city and the department during days of protests stemming from Floyd's death in Minneapolis in May. Floyd, who was Black, died after a white police officer pressed a knee against his neck for several minutes as Floyd lay face down on the ground.
Memphis also recently banned no-knock search warrants and modified a policy to order officers to "take reasonable action to intervene" if dangerous or criminal conduct, or abuse of a subject, is observed.