City leaders praise rally response by police officers, community
Local leaders on Monday praised the work of the Knoxville Police Department and the response from the community that kept a weekend rally organized by a white supremacist group from turning violent.
“It was really a nonevent, to be honest,” said City Councilman Nick Pavlis, who represents Fort Sanders, the site of a monument honoring fallen Confederate soldiers and the site of the Saturday rally that had far more counterprotesters than protesters.
Confederate 28, the newly reformed white supremacist group that originally announced plans for the protest, has since disbanded. Early Thursday, Confederate 28’s website banner read “DISBANDED” in all capital letters. It has since been taken down completely.
Police Chief David Rausch said Saturday that counterprotesters outnumbered the other side 70-1. Most of those who did show up for the rally — about three-dozen people — denied any ties to racist groups.
“I think it says a lot about our city and what we’re about and what we stand for,” said local NAACP President Deborah Porter. “We aren’t going to allow people who stand for hatred or racial hatred have a say in what needs to happen in our community. We’re going to stand for what’s right, we’re going to stand for love, for peace.”
Dan Brown, a city councilman who previously served as the city’s first black mayor, agreed.
“It shows the spirit of the majority of people, that they really don’t want that kind of thinking,” Brown said. “I think it’s a good thing they are vastly outnumbered.”
Both Brown and Pavlis credited Knoxville Police for keeping the event safe and de-escalating tensions between the two sides.
Officers shut down 17th Street near the University of Tennessee campus, towed more than 80 cars left parked near the rally site, and barricaded the sidewalks, with rally participants clustered around the monument on one side and counterprotesters on the other.
Demonstrators on each side had to pass through security checkpoints, with no guns, flagpoles or other weapons allowed.
KPD called in help from Oak Ridge and Chattanooga officers, along with Knox County Sheriff’s Office deputies, Tennessee Highway Patrol troopers and federal agents.
“I think from what I read and saw on TV, at least no one was injured,” Brown said. “There wasn’t any violence and I think the police did a good job.”
The precautions and restrictions taken by police likely helped keep everyone at the event safe, Brown said.
“I’m sure it did, because you have to have parameters on those types of gatherings because you could have a mess on your hands,” Brown said.
Knoxville police took precautions immediately after organizers said they planned to hold a rally at the site of the 1914 memorial to fallen Confederate soldiers who fought in the Battle of Fort Sanders.
Rausch said Saturday there was only one arrest.
Online petitions to tear down and to keep the memorial began circulating earlier this month in the wake of the violent rally over a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee in Charlottesville, Va.
Rausch and Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero wouldn’t say exactly how many officers worked the rally, and overtime costs for the police presence weren’t yet available.
“We’re very proud of our team and we’re excited that Knoxville did it right in terms of coming out peacefully protesting on both sides without any issues,” Rausch said Saturday.
MAYOR: THE BEST OUTCOME
Rogero, who was at the police department’s command center throughout the day, said she was impressed with the plan Rausch had put into place and his department’s execution.
“It’s the best outcome we could have hoped for,” she said Saturday.
Pavlis said he “couldn’t be more proud” of the work police did.
“I was just really happy it didn’t turn into what we’ve seen nationally, and I’m glad people got to air and be heard and have their voice, and now, hopefully, we can move on from it,” he said.