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Union Avenue Protesters Confront Police During Solidarity Demonstration

WKNO

A large group of demonstrators—at times numbering more than 100—gathered in Midtown Memphis Wednesday night to protest recent incidents of police violence toward African Americans. 

Protesters rallied for more than five hours, at times chanting and marching up and down sections of Union Ave. near the area’s police precinct. Earlier in the night, officers temporarily closed a section of the typically busy street and later confined protesters to the Walgreens’ parking lot on Union and McLean Blvd.

At one point, protesters blocked east-bound traffic as they marched with signs reading: “Black Lives Matter” and “Say His Name, George Floyd.”   

It started as a peaceful show of solidarity for Floyd, the Minnesota man who died after being detained by police. A video recording showed an officer kneeling on his neck as he pleaded for air. Other people were also on protesters’ minds—Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia and Breoona Taylor in Kentucky, two additional recent African American deaths that have sparked national anger.  

Speaking through a megaphone, Devante Hill, a pastor at One Church Memphis, noted the diversity of the crowd.  

“Tonight we are in solidarity,” he said. “Our black brothers and our white brothers are joining forces, and we are going to stand against injustice.”

Credit WKNO
By the end of the night, police officers confined the protest to a Walgreen's parking lot.

The protest grew more tense as the night wore on. A steady stream of chants included, “Hands up, don’t shoot” and “No justice, no peace.” At one point, the crowd knelt in the middle of Union Ave. with their hands in the air as police blocked their path. 

Police restrained at least one protester as they began dispersing the crowd. Other media outlets reported two arrests.  

Some officers eventually donned riot helmets and shields. After warning the crowd to remove themselves from the street, police forced them off of Union and established a barricade in the Walgreens’ parking lot.  

A helicopter, believed to belong to authorities, hovered overhead well past midnight. 

Demonstrator Rico Fields, 31, said as a black man he constantly fears he’ll be treated unfairly by law enforcement. 

“The lack of self-accountability is why we’re out here,” he said. “If the police could handle their own people, there would be no protests.”    

 

Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland said in a statement that he and Police Director Mike Rallings shared demonstrators' "frustation with what happened in Minneapolis and other parts of the country."   

 

"It's right and understandable for people to express their frustration through peaceful protest; however I wish last night's protesters would have had on all masks, been six feet apart, and gone through the proper channels to ensure everyone's safety," the statement reads. "By not doing so, protesters and officers were unnecessarily put at risk." 

 

Some demonstrators wore masks and others shouted reminders to socially distance, but the crowd largely congregated in close proximity to one another as the night progressed.  

 

The Memphis Police Department has not yet confirmed the number of people arrested at last night’s protest. 

Justin Willingham contributed to this report. This post has been updated.