Demonstrators Protest Outside Richmond City Commonwealth Attorney's Home
A south Richmond neighborhood was startled as dozens of demonstrators swarmed in for a surprise sit-in protest in the driveway of Commonwealth's Attorney Colette McEachin.
The chain of events started earlier today when flyers were dispatched on social media advertising a gathering at Ellwood Thompson's Grocery that would take demonstrators to an undisclosed location. Demonstrators met at 8:30 PM in Carytown and traveled via carpool to a neighborhood off Huguenot Rd where they would then protest in front of the home of the city Commonwealth's Attorney.
Upon arriving at the residence the demonstrators marched around, blocked her driveway and blocked the streets of the neighborhood. Handbills were distributed to curious neighbors with a list of demands for the Commonwealth Attorney's office.
- Drop all charges for all curfew violations from 5/31 to 6/2
- Drop all charges on protestors arrested for unlawful assembly
- Re-Open The Case of Marcus-David Peters
- Release All People From The City Jail Due To Covid-19
Starting at 10:25 PM Richmond police began advising participants that they were violating Virginia's anti-picketing ordinance and if they did not disperse they would be subject to arrest. After 20 minutes of verbal warnings the crowd was met by several dozen Richmond police officers who closed in and began arresting participants.
By 10:45 PM 15 individuals were arrested and face charges including Picking, Obstruction of Justice, Trespassing and Assaulting a Law Enforcement Officer.
The 11 people charged with picketing (Class 3 misdemeanor) were identified as:
- Harrison Sellers, 22, W/M, of Chesapeake, VA
- Julia Seliavski, 22, W/F, of Henrico, VA
- Melanie Bartell, 28, W/F, of Maidens, VA
- Leo Sinanian, 28, W/M, of Mechanicsville, VA
- Dominique Brown, 21, W/F, of Charlottesville, VA
- Andrea Gadzinski, 22, W/F, of Virginia Beach, VA
- Alexa Sanisteban, 22, B/F, of Richmond, VA
- Anah Johnson, 25, B/F, of Richmond, VA
- Marwa Eltaib, 25, B/F, of Richmond, VA
- Kyle Rudd, 25, W/M, of Chesterfield, VA
Police state Benjamin Madlinger of Mechanicsville attempted to arresting officers and was subsequently charged with trespassing after he ran into the backyard of a nearby residence.
Dometrius Holden, a 23-year-old man from North Carolina and 27-year-old Gabrielle Heinlein of Pembroke were charged with assaulting a police officer during the event.
One officer was reported injured in the demonstration but it is unclear if that is the result of the incident involving an assault on an officer.
According to multiple local media outlets Commonwealth's Attorney Colette McEachin declined to be interviewed as she is a potential witness in the cases now pending trial.
See additional coverage of the demonstration from:
Mostly Peaceful Event: Generally A Peaceful Demonstration With Minor Disruptions