Peaceful Demonstration Turns Into Chaotic Night After Richmond Police Discharge Tear Gas

By 6 PM the demonstration arrived in the area surrounding the state capitol and government buildings. Outside the complex speakers addressed the crowd on issues of social and racial justice demanding an end to use of excessive force by law enforcement.

Around 6:30 the crowd was on the move again headed westbound towards the city’s Monument Avenue neighborhood. Crowds remained largely peaceful at this point with participants calling out individuals engaged in behavior that was viewed as unproductive towards the causes of reform. WRIC reporter Ben Dennis observed a motorcyclist performing burnouts at the intersection of North Foushee St and leaders at the front of the march reminded the crowd “this is about love and peace, and not hostility.”

Some heavily individuals armed affiliated with antifa took positions along the route claiming to the Washington Post that they were there to protect demonstrators. Their presence made some participants and observers uncomfortable but thankfully there were no known gun violence incidents involving these individuals.

Just before 7 PM the westbound demonstrators reached West Franklin Street where they approached the intersection with Lombardy where the street becomes Monument Avenue. Upon arriving at the J.E.B. Stuart statue the crowd blocked traffic and gathered for speeches in the plaza surrounding the monument. Demonstrators remained stationary at the Stuart statue for about 22 minutes until around 7:21 PM before half of the crowd proceeded west to the Lee statue at the intersection of Monument & Allen.

It’s at this moment around 7:25 that things begin to get chaotic and the mostly peaceful night of protests takes a terrible turn for the worse. A group of several hundred demonstrators gathers on the Lee Monument grounds while at the same time police equipped with riot gear form a line along the western side of the intersection preventing crowds from advancing further along Monument Avenue. At this point there were no indications that the crowd intended to further advance and took stationary positions along the grounds of the monument to protest law enforcement abuses.

Meanwhile around 7:28 at the Stuart Circle intersection two individuals climbed atop the pedestal of the statue and commenced hacksawing the legs of the bronze equestrian figure. The rowdy & cheering crowd of several hundred at Stuart Circle continued to block the intersection as the vandals furiously sawed the confederate statue. Approaching 7:30 PM chants of “TEAR IT DOWN” break out among the crowd as an individual with a rope appears and begins the process of threading it around the giant statue.

Up to this point Richmond Police were largely absent from the scene at Stuart Circle but at 7:32 two law enforcement vehicles arrived at the intersection from the North on Lombardy. The approaching cars and sirens were sufficient to disperse much of the crowd around the Stuart statue who then rapidly scattered to the east onto West Franklin. A few defiant protesters and skateboarders remained at the Stuart statue as it became clear that only a small number of police were on the scene.

By 7:33 PM the remaining crowd of demonstrators at Stuart Circle rapidly swarmed around the small group of uniformed but not riot gear equipped Richmond Police Officers. Around 7:34 the nine officers on the north side of the intersection were facing a semi-circle of about a hundred demonstrators blocking the South, West & East streets. It’s unclear if this situation triggered a panic call from officers but shortly thereafter reinforcements arrived from the north via Lombardy and these officers were equipped with riot gear.

As the tense situation brewed at Stuart Circle things went absolutely haywire at Lee Circle around 7:35 PM. For the past few minutes several hundred demonstrators occupying the lawn around the Robert E. Lee monument engaged in protests and chanted “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot.” From all observations and accounts of reporters present, video streams and clips this was a completely peaceful protest with 30-40 feet of space between demonstrators and the police line.

Aerial video of the incident indicates that police in the process of developing an echelon formation in the eastbound lanes approaching the traffic circle. From the north on Allen additional reinforcements of officers would arrive to presumably bolster the police force which at this point was already more than 40 strong.

Between 7:34 PM and 7:35 PM an armored police vehicle takes position on the westbound lanes and commences the process of deploying personnel. Within seconds an unmarked law enforcement pickup truck arrives at a high rate of speed in the traffic circle’s southbound lanes. At the moment the truck comes to a halt and personnel deploy an officer located in the center of the echelon opens a tear gas canister and launches it with a strong throw towards demonstrators in the northwest quadrant of the traffic circle. Shortly thereafter the same officer fires a round of tear gas via a launcher cannon. Unsurprisingly the once peaceful protesters abandoned those qualities and some responded by launching water bottles and return tear gas back to police.

Officers approaching from the north on Allen discharged tear gas on the now defiant and angry crowd sending clouds of grey gas into the air over Monument Avenue. With law enforcement aggressively advancing on the Lee monument grounds demonstrators scattered and fled to the south along Allen Avenue towards Park Avenue and the Lombardy Place alley. Crowds could also be seen sprinting to the east towards Stuart Circle as they tried to avoid the ever expanding cloud of crowd dispersal gasses. Video captured from an overhead drone showed a law enforcement officer equipped with tear gas launcher mockingly waving at the fleeing demonstrators as they ran south on Allen Avenue.

Shortly after 7:36 PM most of the Lee Circle grounds were cleared of demonstrators but crowds were still swarming and running through the area around Stuart Circle. As the chaotic situation continued to unfold law enforcement deployed a yellow tinted gas along the northern perimeter of Stuart Circle where they continued to maintain a position.

Around 7:37 police added significant reinforcements to their line on North Lombardy with nearly 40 officers now blocking the intersection with Monument. Demonstrators still outraged at the deployment of tear gas at Lee Circle begin throwing water bottles at the police line despite some members of the crowd arguing and saying “don’t throw shit!”

As the rowdy crowd attempts to form a line opposing the police presence the riot gear equipped flank of law enforcement officers begin engaging on the eastern portion of their line and advanced south. During their advance police discharged pepper spray into the faces of defiant demonstrators that declined to move.

Between 7:37-7:39 crowds made a wild dash to the east along Franklin Street as police completely secured the Stuart Circle area forming perimeters on all sides of the intersection. With crowds in retreat police occupied the Stuart Circle area until 7:56 PM and paramedics were brought in to render aid to a demonstrator suffering from complications from chemical irritants deployed by law enforcement.

Just a few minutes before the designated curfew hour demonstrators regrouped and began protesting against police on the southern and eastern sides of the Stuart Circle intersection. Around this same time police pulled back their perimeter permitting crowds on Lombardy to join with the demonstrators advancing on the police line from their regrouped position on West Franklin Street.  

At 8:01 PM a combined crowd of several hundred demonstrators gathered in the eastbound lanes of West Franklin St kneeling and taking a short moment of silence before resuming chants of “SAY HIS NAME, GEORGE FLOYD!”

Shortly after 8 PM police began the process of withdrawing from Stuart Circle but while the law enforcement perimeter was pulling back some individuals in the crowd began attacking residents of the One Monument Avenue apartment building with water bottles thrown several stories in the air.

With law enforcement withdrawing from the area demonstrators focused their attention on mobilizing again and gathered for an evening of marching. Around 8:17 PM the crowd at Stuart Circle began advancing west on Monument defying the city’s curfew and joining up with demonstrators already gathered at in the Lee Circle area. With the march on the move the crowds made their way west to Arthur Ashe Boulevard chanting “Out of Your House and Into The Streets!”

Sometime around 8:30 the mass of now hundreds of demonstrators reached the Arthur Ashe Boulevard area where they turned south and headed towards Carytown. Along the way on Boulevard demonstrators attempted to police one another demanding “THIS IS A PEACEFUL PROTEST” and implored individuals not to engage in property destruction.

Arriving at Cary Street around 9 PM leaders of the demonstration took the crowd east back towards downtown Richmond. The crowds marched along Cary St making noise and inviting more participants to join their march through the city. Around 9:30 the march passed through the VCU campus and absorbed demonstrators who had been performing a sit-in protest on South Belvidere Street at the Downtown Expressway.

While marching eastward there were a few incidents of vandalism with participants spraying graffiti on public infrastructure and buildings along the route.

By 10 PM hundreds of demonstrators reached the state capitol where they once more faced off against police guarding the complex’s barricaded entrances.  Some within the crowd intended to escalate the situation and gathered materials from nearby construction sites in preparation for conflict with police however members of the crowd directed them to calm down and keep this a peaceful protest.

Around 10:30 the march hit a snag with some wanting to march to the slave burial ground in downtown and others demanding they march towards the people with power in Richmond. These leaders directed the march along Broad Street back to Monument Avenue and ultimately Lee Circle.

Arriving at Lee Circle shortly before midnight demonstrators gathered on the monument grounds and forcefully reiterated their demands for law enforcement reforms. By 12:30 crowds largely dispersed from the area with only a handful remaining on the grounds of the monument well into the overnight hours.

• Richmond Times-Dispatch - Hundreds march in downtown Richmond on fourth night of protests; police and mayor apologize for tear gas before curfew