Protesters gather against police brutality for a second night in Memphis
Protesters gathered in Downtown Memphis on Thursday, speaking out against police brutality for the second night in a row.
About 30 demonstrators originally convened around 8 p.m. in front of the FedExForum. The group doubled in size as protests moved from the Forum to the intersection of Beale Street and B.B. King Boulevard.
Well-known Memphis activists Devante Hill and Frank Gotti organized Thursday's protest.
The feel downtown began differently than the night before: No counter protesters appeared and the police presence was less pronounced.
Wednesday night's protest began at 7:30 and ended after 1 a.m. with at least 30 officers in riot gear.
Hill led protesters in chants of "Black lives matter" and "I can't breathe," a reference to the death of George Floyd. Floyd died earlier this week after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for several minutes.
In addition to the chants, demonstrators at the event were invited to speak, as a way to process recent events.
One protester asked, "How many times do we have to demand justice for our George Floyds and our Mike Browns and our Atatiana Jeffersons?"
After an amicable negotiation with the police around 9:30 p.m., Hill said, “What you just saw was peaceful, that’s how you pick up support.”
Protesters took a break around 10 p.m.
Wednesday's demonstration closed Union Avenue as protesters faced off with counter-protesters, MPD
A silent demonstration Wednesday intended to protest the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery turned into separate verbal confrontations with Memphis police and two counter-protesters.
The protest, which was shared earlier on social media, began around 7:30 p.m. when a small crowd of individuals parked their cars on Rembert Street and exited vehicles carrying Black Lives Matter signs.
Later, several of the protesters crossed the street to confront the two counter-protesters. Memphis Police Department officers kept the two parties physically apart, but as the verbal confrontation escalated, more protesters started to cross Union and some stopped in the middle of the street, kneeling and blocking traffic.
Exchanges between protesters and police officers occurred as the demonstration continued along Union. After silently standing dressed in riot gear on the fringes of the protest, the Memphis police department brought out barricades and placed them between its officers and protesters around 12:20 a.m. Protesters dispersed within the hour.
In the aftermath, activists, community leaders and the Shelby County Democratic Party criticized the MPD and Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland.
Activists and elected officials questioned why the MPD allowed two counter-protesters to use racial slurs (epithets were also hurled at police), and why three of those arrested were still in the Shelby County Jail on misdemeanor charges when the site is among the known outbreaks of COVID-19 in Shelby County.
The protest, which lasted for hours, came at a time when groups of more than 50 are forbidden in Memphis and Shelby County unless there's a clear social distancing plan.
The group of activists and officials expressed concern about Strickland’s criticism of protesters for forgoing social distancing guidelines and placing themselves and the police at risk of COVID-19.
Educator Ayo Akinmoladun, one of the organizers, said the demonstration started with observation of social distancing guidelines.
MPD and Attorney General Amy Weirich did not respond to a request for comment Thursday. The Strickland administration refused to comment beyond his initial statements and comments Thursday.
More:County, state officials criticize Memphis Police Department, administration's response to protest
Commercial Appeal reporters Corinne S. Kennedy and Samuel Hardiman contributed.