‘THEY NEED TO STOP KILLING US’
Activists in Hampton protesting death of George Floyd
Four protesters were arrested in Hampton on Friday and demonstrations continued on Saturday as Hampton Roads activists joined others around the country in protesting the death of George Floyd.
HAMPTON — Protesters and police officers faced off on West Mercury Boulevard for nearly four hours Friday night into Saturday morning.
The standoff — with more than two dozen police officers in riot gear and dozens of protesters — shut down the roadway near Power Plant Parkway.
“That could have been your son!” a protester yelled at a black police officer standing in riot gear.
The Hampton Roads activists joined others around the country in protesting the death of George Floyd, a handcuffed black man who told a white Minnesota police officer he couldn’t breathe as the officer knelt on his neck.
“They need to stop killing us. They need to stop abusing us. They need to stop using excessive force when they arrest us. It’s not right,” said Monique Holmes, 19.
There was plenty of tension — at one point, someone threw a water bottle in the direction of the officers.
Police responded by moving, pushing protesters to the other side of the road before quickly retreating. At least one protester was tackled by police before officers resumed their position in the line.
Four protesters — two adults and two juveniles — were arrested on charges that included assault on law enforcement and disorderly conduct, according to a Saturday news release from the Hampton Police Division.
As the standoff continued, several water bottles were thrown near the officers. Police threw a smoke grenade near the crowd.
Earlier in the evening, hundreds of protesters organized by Black Lives Matter 757 marched from Fort Monroe to Interstate 64 with plans to close the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel. Shortly before 9 p.m., they entered the roadway and traffic stopped in both directions, causing delays and backups.
The crowd left the interstate and drove to Peninsula Town Center, where police were waiting in the Target parking lot.
The protesters chanted and walked through the streets of the shopping center to Cunningham Drive and then onto West Mercury Boulevard near the Interstate 64 interchange. There, the crowd split into two groups.
The group led by the Black Lives Matter 757 coordinators returned to Peninsula Town Center and dispersed peacefully, Hampton police said. A Facebook Livestream showed the protest ending in prayer.
The second group walked out into the road and stopped traffic on West Mercury Boulevard as the police formed a line in front of the Lidl shortly before 10:30 p.m. Within a few minutes, police started playing a recording announcing that the gathering had been unlawful.
“May I have your attention. This is the Hampton Police Division. This gathering has been deemed unlawful. You are hereby ordered to vacate the area immediately. Failure to comply with this lawful order may result in your arrest,” played on a broadcasted loop.
Around 11:40 p.m., officers pushed the protesters onto the median of the road, which is where both groups remained for most of the following hours.
Newport News Police Chief
Steve Drew and Hampton police officers tried negotiating with protesters. A crowd gathered around them as Drew gave out his business card and offered to have a conversation.
Protesters told reporters they were demanding that protesters who were arrested during the scuffle be released.
Negotiations seemed to break down a few times. Not all protesters agreed that releasing the protesters was enough, so even after some of the protesters announced that those detained had been released, the crowd did not disperse.
Drew did not immediately respond to a reporter’s request for comment.
As the protests were winding down, several cars drove around police barricades onto West Mercury Boulevard, burning their tires among the crowd of protesters before speeding onto I-64. State police responded by pulling patrol cars onto the road to further block it.
Some of the protesters climbed on the police cars.
A little after 2 a.m., police started leaving the roadway to applause, standing in front of the Lidl and watching from a distance. Protesters cheered before dispersing.