RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Saturday morning the city was still feeling the effects of Friday night’s protests over the death of George Floyd.
The protest was in response to the events that led to Floyd’s death, who was seen on video being pinned down by three Minneapolis officers while in police custody. One officer, Derek Chauvin, is seen kneeling on Floyd’s neck as he continuously yells in distress.
Following the nationwide outrage, Chauvin was fired and has since been charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter.
The protests started about 8:30 p.m. Friday night in Richmond and lasted until the early hours of Saturday morning. Protesters started at Broad Street and Franklin Street before making their way towards the Governor’s Mansion.
The Department of General Services announced they would not reopen Capital Square to the public on Saturday because buildings around it were damaged during last night’s Richmond protest. This includes a broken window in the Barabara Johns Building, which houses the Office of the Attorney General.
Other buildings vandalized included the Virginia Capitol Visitor’s Entrance, Virginia Supreme Court Building and Washington Building.
During last night’s protest, a GRTC pulse bus was set on fire at the intersection of West Broad Street and Belvidere Street. There were no GRTC injuries during the incident.
The bus was being towed this morning around 9 a.m. and crews were still cleaning it up at 9:30 a.m.
Bus service for GRTC routes was delayed until at least 9 a.m. Saturday in the aftermath of demonstrations. In a tweet, GRTC added they may announce additional service changes during the day to keep their drivers and passengers safe.
Mayor Levar Stoney sent a tweet Saturday afternoon saying while he understood the pain felt by protesters “two wrongs don’t make a right.”
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