South Dakota police declare ‘unlawful assembly’ at Sioux Falls pro-choice march; smoke deployed, arrests made

A pro-choice protest in Sioux Falls, South Dakota Wednesday escalated as several hundred demonstrators marched down a street, blocking traffic and police deployed smoke and declared an “unlawful assembly,” according to reports. 

The protest, which police said wasn’t permitted, started in downtown Sioux Falls around 7 p.m., according to Dakota News Now. 

A “couple” of protesters were arrested for failing to disperse or other misdemeanors, Sioux Falls Police Chief Jon Thum said, according to the Sioux Falls Argus Leader. It was unclear exactly how many protesters were arrested.  

The unlawful assembly was declared after 9 p.m. 

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The protesters chanted slogans like “Abort the Supreme Court” and “My body, my choice” as they marched down the street, with some doing a sit-in on the street, the Argus Leader reported. 

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“I think what you saw tonight was incredibly restrained policing,” Thum said, while confirming police never used any chemical agents during the protest, Dakota News Now reported. 

The march follows a busy weekend of similar protests across the country against the U.S. Supreme Court 5-4 ruling overturning 1973’s Roe v. Wade last Friday, which gave women a constitutional right to an abortion.