The mayor and chief of police of Richmond, Virginia, have each apologized after police opened fire with tear gas on kneeling protesters with their hands raised above their heads, roughly 30 minutes before a citywide curfew.
Police claimed they’d fired on protesters attempting to tear down confederate statues located on Monument Avenue in downtown Richmond, adding that several officers had been cut off by violent protesters.
#RICHMOND #VIRGINIA peaceful protest attacked. pic.twitter.com/saxfBeDkAn
— JUST ADD HAND SANITIZER (@Justiceaddwater) June 2, 2020
Video of the tear gas spreading through crowd during #richmondprotest / #GeorgeFloydprotest in Richmond. pic.twitter.com/ohLxZrOOeF
— VPM (@myVPM) June 1, 2020
The tear gas was deployed on protesters on Monument Avenue, who had just completed a peaceful march through downtown.
Addressing “peaceful protesters,” Richmond police said: “We stand with you today and will keep supporting your rights to express your opinions in safety.”
The officers who opened fire with the tear gas have allegedly been pulled from field duty and face disciplinary action by the Richmond police department.
#BlackLivesMatter #richmondprotest No warning. Before curfew. During a peaceful protest. #GeorgeFloyd pic.twitter.com/MDHRO0Vd62
— Walker Smithson (@smithson_walker) June 2, 2020
Dear @GovernorVA @RalphNortham …I came to Richmond today to peacefully protest with my son, daughter, and her friends. 20 minutes before your imposed 8 pm curfew, your police force decided to teargas us. I’m a 20 year Army veteran and this is what I get as a VA resident? pic.twitter.com/3kdwMkNieD
— Jonathan B. White (@iamjonbwhite) June 2, 2020
Mayor Levar Stoney issued a public apology on Twitter and called for a public meeting with those involved so he could publicly apologize in person.
“Words cannot make this right, and words cannot restore the trust broken this evening. Only action. Only action will repair this community. Come to City Hall tomorrow at noon. I want to say sorry. I want to listen.”
Meanwhile, another officer was filmed apparently spitting repeatedly beside a detained, handcuffed protester who was sitting on the ground.
WTF?! @RichmondPolice Badge #3119 spitting on a detained demonstrator. You lie and you assault. WE SEE YOU 🐝 pic.twitter.com/tsaW0f2OoO
— RVADirt (@RVAdirt) June 2, 2020
It was the fourth day of protests around the city of Richmond after the death of George Floyd in Minnesota. In the intervening days, in scenes witnessed across the US, businesses have looted and sporadic violence has broken out between demonstrators, rioters and police and at least one person has been shot.
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