Huntsville Police Chief Mark McMurray

While small demonstrations continue, something else has grown more quietly: A coalition of more than 2,000 Madison County residents who aim to change local government if it is unresponsive.

Huntsville Police Chief Mark McMurray told Huntsville City Council members that the use of crowd control weapons to prevent rioting in early June was based on information that indicated there were plans by agitators to do damage to the city. McMurray said that those agitators appeared to be members of or sympathizers with the group … Continued

From the deployment of tear gas to the shooting of protesters with kinetic impact rounds — which include bean-bag rounds and rubber bullets — the three agencies that dispersed crowds in Huntsville a month ago appear to have violated guidelines.

Huntsville’s police chief and the Madison County sheriff defended the use of tear gas and rubber bullets on protesters in downtown Huntsville Wednesday evening, claiming the demonstrators “came here for the fight, not us.” Chief Mark McMurray said Thursday that demonstrators — whom he described as “anarchists” — “brought this on themselves” after refusing to … Continued