“F- you, Nazis!” the counterprotesters chanted.
As it filled with rallygoers and counterprotesters, the mix quickly became volatile. “They seemed like they weren’t there to cause trouble, but it was a concern to have rifles in that kind of environment.”Īlthough Virginia State Police and Charlottesville police were stationed along the sides and the rear of Emancipation Park, the Market Street side was unattended. “The militia showed up with long rifles, and we were concerned to have that in the mix,” said Virginia Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security Brian Moran, who worried that the rallygoers and counterprotesters would mistake the militia for National Guard forces. Although Virginia is an open-carry state, the presence of the militia was unnerving to law enforcement officials on the scene. He said members of the Charlottesville Police Department welcomed their presence. Christian Yingling, who described himself as the commander of the unit, said they were there to keep the peace.
Dressed in full camouflage and outfitted with semiautomatic rifles and pistols, three dozen members of a self-styled militia walked onto the sidewalk. SPD takes one person into custody to investigate arson.In the midst of the two groups, another force arrived. Along with the fire, some demonstrators attempt to seal one of the station's doors with quick drying cement. August 24Īfter the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Wisconsin, protesters march, tangle with police, and set fires outside of the East Precinct. So far one investigation, concerning alleged unprofessional police radio talk, is completed. Complaints include using a “knee on neck” hold tackling, punching, and dragging protesters and targeting journalists, legal observers, a medic tent, and a nurse. They’ve yielded 87 cases that OPA is investigating 58 are for excessive force, spanning from May 29 to August 15. The Office of Police Accountability announces it's received around 19,000 complaints about SPD’s response to protests. City council goes into recess-returning September 8-and defunding the department remains in limbo. Within a couple days, Black Lives Matter is written on Pine Street.ĭurkan shuts down city council’s approved 2020 budget, which contains cuts to SPD. Media and commentators soon impose a spectrum of narratives: everything from block party to anarchy. Some occupants carry guns, working as volunteer security. In the coming days, the space swells with conversation, music, film screenings, co-ops, and a community garden.
Protesters rearrange barricades and declare the area Free Capitol Hill, then the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ). Later a Crosscut report finds that it wasn’t clear who ordered the retreat-if anyone. Best says she did not. She goes into cardiac arrest-three times that night-but medics and doctors bring her back. A blast ball hits a 26-year-old protester in the chest. Citing the shooting and “heavy projectiles” coming at them, SPD orders dispersal and throws blast balls, pepper spray, and tear gas into the crowd in such quantities people living in the neighborhood complain of it seeping indoors again. That night during the Capitol Hill protest, a man drives into the crowd and shoots a protester in the arm. Image: Shutterstock by Mauro Pedro da Silva June 7īest changes the East Precinct barricades to reduce the “ militarized” vibe. A group gathers at Capitol Hill’s East Precinct. Another social media video shows cops punching a protester on the ground.
We can't buy a new Charleena Lyles." A smaller demonstration returns to downtown that night. The SPD has $410 million a year to oppress us, to over-police us. Durkan and SPD chief Carmen Best give their first of many press conferences, lamenting some protesters’ “chaos, destruction, and hate." At a rally, activist Nikkita Oliver has a different take: "I don't give a fuck about a car. Some Seattleites head downtown to clean up graffiti and board up windows.
Police cars burn people loot stores someone lifts a cheesecake. An SPD officer kneels on a protester’s neck. Governor Jay Inslee says he’s sending in the (unarmed) National Guard. At 4:46pm, mayor Jenny Durkan announces a 5pm curfew. SPD turns tear gas and flash bangs on the crowd and allegedly pepper sprays a child (still being investigated). In the afternoon, some protesters face off with SPD officers in riot gear and lob water bottles. A big crowd gathers at Westlake to condemn police brutality against Black Americans.