Which 2009–2017 US protests led to major property damage and arrests?

1. The scale question: arrests versus nonviolent protests

Most protest activity during the 2017 period was nonviolent and did not lead to arrests, according to researchers at Harvard’s Protests Under Trump project, which found “the vast majority of protests did not have arrests or injuries” ^[5]. That research is important context because high-arrest events like the G20 protests and post-acquittal demonstrations stand out against a much larger background of peaceful demonstrations ^{[5] [1]}.

2. 2009: G20 Pittsburgh — concentrated clashes, many arrests

The 2009 G20 summit in Pittsburgh produced significant law-enforcement action: sources list about 193 arrests connected to the September 24–25 demonstrations ^[1]. Reporting groups compiled lists of incidents and arrest totals that single out the G20 protests as among the larger-arrest events in that year ^[1].

3. 2017: a year of repeated flashpoints

2017 contained multiple episodes with major property damage and arrests. After the acquittal of former St. Louis officer Jason Stockley, protests produced mass arrests — reporting notes “more than 100 people” arrested during concentrated demonstrations around the jail and related actions ^[2]. The May Day 2017 protests produced violence and property damage in Portland and Olympia; Portland incidents involved thrown projectiles, arson and “multiple cases of property damage,” with about 25 arrests there and nine arrested in Olympia where windows were broken ^{[3] [4]}.

4. Types of damage and who was arrested

Accounts differentiate vandalism, broken windows and arson from mass peaceful civil disobedience. May Day reporting cites shattered storefront windows and thrown projectiles injuring officers ^[3]. The post-Stockley mobilization included mass civil disobedience and arrests during repeated days of demonstrations ^[2]. Academic researchers emphasize that when arrests occurred during this period they were often for civil disobedience rather than interpersonal violence ^[5].

5. Conflicting narratives and political framing

Different sources emphasize different narratives. News outlets count arrests and highlight property damage in city centers ^{[3] [2]}, while Harvard researchers stress that most protests were nonviolent and that many arrests involved nonviolent civil disobedience ^[5]. Political actors likewise characterized some unrest as the work of “outside agitators,” an assertion government officials made during later protest waves, but source materials here indicate local participation was substantial in several events ^{[6] [5]}.

6. Why exact lists are hard to compile

Public tallies vary by reporter, agency and methodology. Wikipedia lists and journalistic year-in-review pieces capture many episodes ^{[1] [2]}, but scholarly compilations note that the “vast majority” of protests did not involve arrests, complicating simple narratives about an era defined by property damage ^[5]. Available sources do not provide a single authoritative, exhaustive catalog limited to 2009–2017 that ranks every protest by property damage or arrest totals; researchers and journalists must stitch together event reports to form a picture ^{[1] [5]}.

7. Bottom line for readers

If you are looking for the 2009–2017 U.S. protests that led to major property damage and large arrest numbers, key episodes to study include the 2009 G20 Pittsburgh protests (~193 arrests) and several 2017 disturbances — notably the post-Stockley protests with 100+ arrests and violent May Day actions in Portland and Olympia with documented property damage and arrests ^{[1] [2] [3] [4]}. For comprehensive lists and finer arrest/property-damage tallies, consult combined archives of event reporting and academic datasets because single sources emphasize different facts and frames ^{[1] [5]}.