Timeline

Protesters gathered outside of Martin Luther King middle school on Monday afternoon and marched west into the city's downtown. By 5 PM crowds occupied sidewalks and streets in front of city hall where they continued demonstrating for their "unmet demands."

The sound of shattering glass echoed through the center of the Carytown shopping district on the evening of Wednesday September 2nd as anti-capitalist vandals targeted windows of the Capital One Cafe.

A sit-in protest at the Richmond City Justice Center transformed into a confrontation between demonstrators and law enforcement resulting in several arrests.

On the afternoon of August 23, 2020 Jacob Blake was shot multiple times by Kenosha police officers during a call for a domestic disturbance and subsequent arrest.

The Virginia General Assembly convenes for a special session to tackle COVID-19 budget challenges and take on law enforcement reform bills. Because of the pandemic the legislature is meeting at the Science Museum of Virginia & the VCU Siegel Center on West Broad Street. The legislative body has drawn several prominent demonstrations to the city over the course of the special session.

A crowd of around 50 originating around 18th & Broad marched uphill into downtown and quickly smashed several prominent targets of anarchist ideology. First the crowd marched to the John Marshall Courthouse and demolished several large glass windows. Following that they attacked Dominion Energy windows/doors before directing their rage at banks in the financial district. Damage is estimated to be well over $200,000 for the night of downtown destruction.

Family members of slain Minneapolis man George Floyd visited Richmond for the unveiling of a holographic presentation of their lost loved one. In addition to speeches from the family several local artists performed on Monument Avenue in celebration of Floyd's life and call for action to reign in further loss of life from law enforcement/citizen interactions.

Demonstrators attempted to gather on the steps of the Cathederal of the Sacred Heart in protest of recent actions by police limiting nighttime events in Monroe Park. Further the protesters were angered by arrests of numerous "comrades" detained or arrested for activity in the park after its designated closing time.

Hours after the city woke up to streets filled with broken glass a flyer appeared on social media promoting another destructive event originating in Monroe Park at 10PM. Police arrived prior to the designated meeting time and swarmed the area warning demonstrators the park closes shortly after sunset. A number of protesters defied police orders and were arrested in and around the park.

For several days flyers circulated promoting an event to "Fuck Shit Up" & "Do What You Want" and this late night demonstration lived up to the advertising. Demonstrators gathered in and around Monroe Park at 9 PM before marching into the city's downtown. Around 11 PM a city dump truck was set ablaze as crowds began a night of mayhem & destruction stretching from the city center to deep into the Fan.

An event promoted as a "Reclamation Revival" starting on Belvidere & Clay St. marched through Jackson Ward to the coliseum. When the march returned it detoured to the West Clay St. home of Councilmember Kim Gray where demonstrators harassed residents with flashlights, lasers and fireworks.

It was a busy day for crane operators as they returned to the Maury monument to remove the giant globe from its pedestal at the intersection of Monument & Belmont. Additionally crews dismantled and removed two monuments to the Lost Cause erected inside Monroe Park.

While the statue of Jefferson Davis was already dispatched from the monument many confederate items remained including the giant Vindicatrix which stood atop the memorial's central pillar. Crews spent the afternoon dismantling and removing all confederate decor and ornamentation from the grounds.

Contracted crane crews made their way to Richmond's Church Hill neighborhood and removed the statue celebrating the Confederacy's Soldiers & Sailors. A minor incident occurred as city workers were setting up barriers and an angry man interfered and ripped down construction fencing. 

The giant equestrian statue of J.E.B. Stuart enjoyed a brief reprieve from removal over the long Independence Day weekend until crews arrived after sunrise to commence their work. Crane crews spent much of the sweltering hot morning grinding away at hundred year old bolts before lifting the statue to a truck for removal from Monument Avenue.

Demonstrators gathered on West Franklin Street in front of the Jefferson Hotel for a candlelight vigil in memory of Marcus David-Peters who was killed by a police officer during an incident on the I-95 ramp at Chamberlayne Ave. The gathered crowd marched from the vigil to the I95 interchange where they spent a few moments in the grassy area adjacent to the ramp where Peters was shot.

Crews arrived in the morning hours and dismantled the statue of Matthew Fontaine Maury at the intersection of Monument & Belmont. After having made quick work of the Maury statue the crews moved on and removed several cannon statues marking confederate fortification boundaries along Monument Avenue. 

Demonstrators gathered at the John Marshall Courthouse to protest against recent arrests and ongoing evictions in the city. Tensions escalated and in the chaos that ensued a window was broken and multiple demonstrators arrested.

With a new state law taking effect Mayor Levar Stoney exercised his emergency authority to remove the city's confederate statues. After a tense city council meeting on the matter Stoney defied the council & city attorney's recommendation at proceeded with the first monument removal.

State authorities arrived to dispatch crowds gathered in defiance of directives that the Lee Circle grounds close overnight. Shortly after police occupied the memorial grounds a demonstrator fired a paintball gun at several police resulting in an escalation with the crowd.  

After a chaotic few weeks for law enforcement in Richmond Mayor Stoney announces that Charlotte, NC deputy chief Gerald Smith will serve as the city's new police chief. According to reports he will officially commence his job on July 1 and current interim chief Jody Blackwell will serve as Chief of Staff.

A mysterious flyer circulated on social media seeking demonstrators to travel to an undisclosed location under the cover of darkness. The promotional materials directed participants to gather in the parking lot of Ellwood Thompson's Grocery where they would gather and discover their destination. Carpools departed the Carytown area and delivered dozens of demonstrators to a quiet south Richmond neighborhood where protesters would eventually stir up noise at the home of Commonwealth's Attorney Colette McEachin.

Demonstrators gather at Lee Circle until displaced by police and then march around the city well into the early morning hours.

Anticipating an aggressive crackdown from Capitol Police demonstrators planned for a confrontation after sunset but were met with no immediate enforcement of the announced restrictions at Lee Circle. After the majority of occupiers depart a taskforce of police arrive at 2:40 AM and dispatch the remaining demonstrators from Lee Circle. An overnight cleanup effort begins as DGS employees clear abandoned property & rubbish from the memorial grounds.

Following the end of the Juneteenth Holiday Weekend the Lee Monument grounds  will close to the public from sunset to sunrise.

Still fired up from the previous night's actions at Stuart Circle demonstrators marched from Monroe Park to City Hall and setup camp on the Marshall Street entrance. Other protesters stayed at the Lee Circle area where they took up defensive positions anticipating a raid from law enforcement. With no action occurring on Monument Ave. demonstrators gathered their gear and reinforced the crowd at City Hall. After attempting to remove protesters from blocking the street and city hall police deployed tear gas and clashed with rowdy demonstrators. 

Skaters and cyclists rolled from a solidarity event at the Texas Beach Skate Park to Stuart Circle where they closed the roads and performed tricks around the statue. As the sun dipped below the horizon the crowd became rowdier and an attempt was made to topple the statue. Richmond Police arrived and a crowd of demonstrators clashed with law enforcement for much of the evening and into the early morning hours.

Chatter spread through right-wing extremist social media groups that they should gather and perform an armed occupation of Lee Circle during the dawn hours of June 20. Both demonstrators and law enforcement were on alert for indications of people gathering for this event and police were called after an armed man was spotted scouting out a position on the rooftop of the nearby Lee Medical building.

While Juneteenth celebrations were occurring at nearby Lee Circle a group of individuals visited Meadow Park and toppled the statue honoring the First Virginia Regiment. The statue honored a militia formed 21 years before the American Revolutionary War but did contain a plaque citing their service in the Civil War.

The weekend of Juneteenth featured performances from musicians and speeches from demonstrators as thousands gathered at Lee Circle for the multi-day celebration. Crowds stayed out late into the night to watch as amateur fireworks displays exploded in the skies over Monument Avenue.

A vandal struck the monument to tennis great Arthur Ashe and painted the letters "WLM" and returned to add further graffiti "WHITE LIVES MATTER." Shortly after word of the vandalism spread on social media an activist arrived and painted "BLM" on the statue pedestal. Eventually outraged residents arrived and used wire brushes to clean all the inflammatory graffiti from the monument.

Early in the morning police shut down traffic along Monument Avenue as Department of General Services crews directed construction of a massive concrete safety barrier around the Lee Monument grounds. DGS stated they built the barricade out of an abundance of caution for demonstrator's safety and to prepare the property for removal of the Robert E. Lee statue.

Demonstrators marched in torrential downpours from Monroe Park to Mayor Stoney's apartment building on East Broad Street. Once there they shined flashlights/lasers in windows before gaining entry and attempting to locate the mayor in his home. After being dispatched from the building the demonstrators regrouped and marched past RPD HQ to Monroe Park and ultimately the VCU campus where they toppled the Confederate Howitzer statue.

Mayor Levar Stoney announced that Police Chief Will Smith's immediate resignation as head of the department and that 16 year veteran Major Jody Blackwell will serve as interim chief. The resignation comes after two days of unrest as demonstrators swarmed Richmond Police Headquarters for nightlong protests.

After several nights of escalating demonstrations at the Richmond Police Headquarters the city built a series of concrete barriers to prevent vehicle attacks. The concrete barriers closed West Grace Street to vehicular traffic from North Jefferson Street to North Madison Street.

A couple hundred demonstrators returned to Richmond Police Headquarters for a second night of demonstrations triggered by the Richmond Police SUV incident. Demonstrators fumed over the arrest of a prominent protest leader and her subsequent felony charges on inciting a riot. Once more an Unlawful Assembly was declared and police discharged tear gas and pepper spray in an attempt to get the hostile crowd to disperse.

Hundreds of cyclists gathered in Monroe Park for a demonstration that would take them through the Fan, Scotts Addition and Monument Avenue. The cyclists gathered for their group ride in a show of solidarity with recent Black Lives Matters demonstrations in the city.

Video rapidly circulated social media of a Richmond Police SUV driving over a curb and through a crowd of demonstrators. Impassioned demonstrators displeased with the city's response to the incident marched on Richmond Police Headquarters on West Grace Street for an evening of demonstrations. The protest escalated through the evening after objects were thrown at police and eventually tear gas and pepper spray deployed in attempts to disperse the crowds.

Evening demonstrators at the Robert E. Lee monument blocked an approaching RPD vehicle from entering the traffic circle from the east. After a few tense moments the officer backed up while swarmed by demonstrators, drove over the curb and through a crowd of cyclists who blocked the sidewalk. According to a police statement and video multiple objects were thrown at the vehicle and the rear windows shattered.

Thousands of Black Lives Matters demonstrators braved the summer sun and blazing heat to march along a 5 mile loop through the city starting on Monument Avenue. The peaceful demonstration brought out a diverse crowd of all ages who joined together in solidarity for the BLM movement.

Shortly before 1 AM a group of trucks with armed occupants swarm the Lee Circle area and antagonize demonstrators before a clash that results in a cyclist knocked to the ground and bicycle run over by a truck.

Demonstrators marched from the Carytown Kroger to the affluent Windsor Farms neighborhood where they demonstrated in opposition to racism, eviction & gentrification.

On the same night that demonstrators in the city of Portsmouth pulled down a confederate statue a small group of unknown vandals in Richmond targeted the Jefferson Davis statue on Monument Avenue. According to eyewitness reports a sedan with ropes tied to it was spotted pulling down the statue shortly before 11 PM.

Demonstrators in the Hampton Roads city of Portsmouth gathered for protests around a 35 ft Confederate Monument. Throughout the afternoon the event escalated with vandals painting on the pedestal of the granite obelisk. After nightfall several demonstrators attempted to topple a confederate soldier statue accidentally dropped it on a fellow activist standing below. The protestor was rushed to the hospital with critical & life threatening injuries. 

In the early evening demonstrators gathered for a march in support of Indigenous Peoples on South Arthur Ashe Boulevard by the statue of Christopher Columbus. Demonstration leaders spoke of the ills of Colonialism before taking the crowd on a march along the Boulevard. As the sun set the crowd turned around and marched south returning to Byrd Park where some demonstrators then toppled the Columbus statue. Shortly after introducing the statue to the ground demonstrators relocated the sculpture to the bottom of nearby Fountain Lake.

The first of many lawsuits was filed in Richmond City Circuit Court attempting to halt Governor Ralph Northam's effort in removing the Robert E. Lee monument from the state owned property on Monument Avenue. Judge Brad Cavedo initially ruled in favor of a 10 day injunction halting the removal but ultimately litigation would drag the process out for several months.

An afternoon peaceful protest in Lakeside took a terrifying turn after an aggressive man in a pickup truck harassed the crowd and then transformed his truck into a weapon. The driver of the vehicle was later determined to be a leader of a local KKK organization and in court documents it was revealed he attempted to recruit other KKK affiliated individuals to join him in antagonizing and intimidating demonstrators.

Largely peaceful demonstrators started their night with a gathering in Monroe Park before marching eastward into downtown making multiple stops to demonstrate in the city center. Returning to Monroe Park in the late evening a demonstrator climbed atop the Gen. Williams Carter Wickham statue and proceeded to topple it to the ground. This incident would be the first of several toppling of statues in the city of Richmond.

Hundreds of demonstrators marched through the city for a demonstration against police brutality. The loud crowd made their way north via Chamberlayne crossing over Interstate 95. Eventually protesters made their way to the Richmond Police Department's 4th precinct where a sit-in occurred for about an hour.

Governor Ralph Northam made national headlines when he announced that the famous Robert E. Lee statue on Monument Avenue would be dismantled and put into storage. The governor announced that state authorities would begin the process of safely removing and preserving the equestrian statue immediately.

Several thousand demonstrators marched peacefully from the state capitol complex in downtown to Monument Avenue. Elected officials marched alongside demonstrators and engaged in conversations with the crowd about policy changes they would like to see implemented.

After several days of unrest in the city Mayor Levar Stoney addressed demonstrators on the steps of City Hall.

Demonstrators marched along Monument Avenue and briefly gathered at Stuart Circle where speeches were made and at one point attempted to topple the giant equestrian statue. A large group proceeded to the Lee Circle area where they climbed atop the pedestal and chanted towards a police line to the west. Compared to recent nights this event was relatively peaceful until an officer erroneously discharged tear gas at the crowd and triggering an evening of chaos.

Several nights of destructive rioting forced city and state authorities to enforce an 8PM citywide curfew. The imposition of the curfew triggered yet another night of demonstrations that ended up being met by mass arrests. Police reported the following day that more than 200 individuals were apprehended on charges of curfew violations.

Hundreds of Black Lives Matter demonstrators gathered in the mid-morning hours and marched from Brown's Island through downtown and to the 17th St. Farmer's Market. The peaceful demonstration brought out a diverse group of Richmonders both young and old that were eager to have their voices heard. Throughout the morning and afternoon speakers shared their emotional stories and demanded action from elected officials attending the event.

Demonstrators gathered around the intersection of North Belvidere St. and West Broad St. and commenced marching through downtown. In the late evening vocal demonstrations had transformed into violent clashes with abuse directed towards law enforcement. By midnight destructive rioting broke out with fires lit throughout the downtown Broad Street corridor and dozens of stores vandalized and looted.

After three nights of protests in Minneapolis unrest and anger towards law enforcement spread across the country to Richmond as crowds swarmed the streets of downtown. Peaceful evening demonstrations originating in Monroe Park transformed throughout the evening into outright rioting with many shops looted and fires lit.

On May 25, 2020, George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, was killed by a police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, during an arrest for allegedly using a counterfeit bill. 

Throughout the following day demonstrators gathered in Minneapolis as protests and unrest grew ultimately leading into a week of nightly demonstrations.

On March 13, 2020, Breonna Taylor was killed in her home by Louisville Police Officers during the execution of a no-knock search warrant of her home.