Harris County DA to drop charges against more than 600 Houston protesters

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Just hours after George Floyd's funeral service in Houston, the Harris County District Attorney's Office said it's dropping charges against 796 protesters in Houston.[br /][br /][twitter ID="1270511127655481350" /][br /][Ads /][br /]District Attorney Kim Ogg said that the cases dismissed were for non-violent misdemeanor offenses, mostly obstructing a highway and trespassing.[br /][br /]Out of a total of 654 individuals criminally charged as a result of the protests, only 51 adults and one juvenile now remain charged with active cases. Their cases include 35 misdemeanor charges and 19 felony charges.[br /][br /]"The job of the prosecutor is to seek individualized justice in every case," Ogg said. "While probable cause existed for the arrests of those people who refused to disperse after being ordered to do so by police, our young prosecutors worked hard to identify the few offenders who came to inflict harm on others and intentional damage to property."[br /][br /]Dismissing the charges also allows law-enforcement authorities to focus resources on those who endanger public safety, Ogg said.[br /][br /]"We will always protect the First Amendment rights of peaceful protestors," Ogg said. "The only people I will be prosecuting are those who intentionally hurt others and intentionally destroy property."[br /]Ads /][br /][Ads /][br /]Over the past few weeks, demonstrators took to the streets of downtown Houston to protest the death of Floyd and police brutality.[br /][br /]On the weekend of May 29, 412 protesters were arrested, according to city officials.[br /][br /][media ID="6239959" /][br /][br /]"On Friday, I think we had 20 people from outside of the city that were arrested," Acevedo told 13 Investigates' Ted Oberg between planning meetings. "Word to the wise, Houston is strong. Houston is tough and Houston from the Third Ward to the Fifth Ward, North, South, East and West - we're a no nonsense city. Our people here ... this melting pot of people will stand up for Houston."[br /][br /]On June 2, [url HREF="https://abc13.com/200-arrested-when-60000-march-for-geore-floyd-in-houston-george-protest/6228638/" TARGET="" REL=""]more than 200 protesters were arrested[/url] after the peaceful march for Floyd when they jumped the fence at a vacant lot off Jackson and Saint Joseph Parkway and refused to leave.[br /][br /]The arrests were made after officers reportedly gave several orders to clear the streets but those who refused to do so were taken into custody.[br /][Ads /][br /]In total, Houston police stated they made over 200 arrests after the march when people became, "engaged in criminal conduct, including throwing rocks and bottles at police officers."[br /][br /]Protests were spurred by Floyd's death on May 25 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Video captured from a bystander shows an officer holding his knee on Floyd's neck as he cries that he can't breathe, and eventually stops moving.[br /][br /]Following his death, Black Lives Matter protests have taken place across the U.S. and in Houston, where Floyd grew up.[br /][br /]The DA's office said the charges against violent protesters will stand.[br /][br /][i]The video above is from a previous post.[/i]