Richmond Update, if you want.
Posted by
colin (aka colinski)
Jun 23 '20, 12:48
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The state and city police have decided that they're going to declare anything they don't like and unlawful assembly and are citing a piece of code from the books put in place in 1968 (!!!!) to say that officers, once they've declared unlawful assembly, are NOT liable for anything they do to protesters. They tell protesters by tweeting out a graphic and an announcement over loudspeakers at the location.
First day of this, they declare unlawful assembly at a statue. State and local police stated different reasons for this, contradictory, so... off to a good start. This resulted in them tear gassing, pepper spraying, and arresting a few people, plus advancing on another group that had been hanging out on Father's Day around Lee monument, not protesting, just families having a nice time.
Second day, a number of Black and LGBTQ+ youths (CHILDREN) decided to hold a sit/camp in in front of city hall. They had people teaching, they were getting ready to watch a movie. Unlawful assembly declared. 150 state police, armed to the teeth, showed up to disperse a group of about 70 people, mostly children. They held off long enough for the people in wheel chairs to leave, then unloaded on the crowd. They fired tear gas and rubber bullets directly at people from less than 15 feet away. We went down around 1AM to see if anybody needed a ride out, stayed nearby for about an hour. Observed a Michigan SUV with some white nationalists in it filming people, zooming around, acting fucking creepy.
Yesterday they also declared the area around Lee Monument closed at 8PM every day and said any gathering of 10 or more needed a permit, along with a number of other rules. The monument has been a rallying point, an attraction for the first time, for many families and people in the city and surrounding area. I've seen amazing, beautiful things there - art, graduations, weddings, etc. The city is putting operating hours on lawful gathering.
Police (and the mayor with his silence) has decided to wage war on citizens, starting with the statement of "we're taking back this community" (from the community?). The current police chief murdered a man in 2002 serving a warrant, said there was a gun.. gun found much farther away the next day with no prints on it. RPD said he was fired... the family in seeing him promoted to chief said that was the first time they found out he was still with the force.
Someone is going to die here. The police are out for blood. More protesters are showing up armed (we can open carry here). Tonight a group is defying the order to leave at 8PM at the monument.
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