George Floyd Protests Archives

Virginia Supreme Court Hears Arguments in Lee Monument Removal Lawsuits

June 9, 2021June 8, 2021 Eric Burk

The Virginia Supreme Court heard arguments for two lawsuits blocking the removal of the Lee statue in Richmond on Tuesday.

A year ago, protests sparked by Minneapolis’ police treatment of George Floyd spread across the country. In Virginia, those protests spurred politicians to start removing controversial Confederate monuments. Although Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney was able to quickly remove most of the monuments on Monument Avenue, the most famous monument — a huge statue of Robert E. Lee — sits on state property ceded to the state under conditions that have complicated efforts to remove the bronze general.

Man Sentenced for Threatening Trump Supporters Online, Brandishing Assault Rifle at George Floyd Protest

March 16, 2021March 15, 2021 Virginia Star Staff

A Texas man was sentenced to 46 months in federal jail over brandishing an assault rifle at a George Floyd protest, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Prerak Shah announced in a Wednesday press release.

Emmanuel Quinones, 25, acknowledged “he brought a loaded Smith & Wesson .223 caliber semi-automatic rifle” to the protest protesting Floyd’s death, plea papers said, according to the Department of Justice press release. Quinones also acknowledged he made threatening posts online before the protest.

Police Association Releases Number of Officers Injured During Violent Riots

December 4, 2020December 3, 2020 Virginia Star Staff

A professional association of police chiefs and sheriffs from across the country announced more than 2,000 law enforcement officers were injured in the first weeks of protests that erupted over the summer following the police killing of George Floyd, according to a report released in October.

The Major Cities Chiefs Association, comprised of local law enforcement heads from the 69 largest police agencies in the United States and nine in Canada, revealed compiled data from protests between May 25 and July 31 in the association’s member cities.

Group of Monument Avenue Residents to File Legal Brief Supporting Lee Statue Removal

October 31, 2020October 30, 2020 Jacob Taylor

Roughly 50 or more Monument Avenue residents who live nearby the Robert E. Lee statue intend to file an amicus brief with the Virginia Supreme Court in support of Governor Ralph Northam’s plan to remove the controversial monument, a lawyer representing the group said.

Local residents organized the group called Circle Neighbors after a Richmond Circuit Court judge ruled earlier this week against three plaintiffs, who also live near the monument, seeking to block the Commonwealth from removing the statue.

Richmond Judge Sides with Northam on Lee Statue Removal

October 29, 2020October 28, 2020 Jacob Taylor

A Richmond Circuit Court judge ruled in favor of the Commonwealth and Governor Ralph Northam on Tuesday, allowing for the removal of the controversial Robert E. Lee statue on Richmond’s historic Monument Avenue.

In his decision, Judge W. Reilly Marchant lifted the temporary injunction, ordered by a separate judge back in August, which barred Nortam from taking action, but said the statue could not be removed until a proper appeal process has taken place.

Richmond Protest-Related Fires Caused More Than $4 Million in Loses over 18-Day Period

September 8, 2020September 7, 2020 Jacob Taylor

Richmond firefighters responded to 48 fires believed to be protest-related causing more than $4 million in estimated losses from late May to mid-June, according to internal fire & EMS department analysis obtained by the Richmond Times-Dispatch (RTD).

From May 29, the Friday after George Floyd was murdered by police in Minnesota, to June 15th eight buildings, 16 dumpsters, six vehicles as well as other fires involving trash or debris, according to the RTD.

No Prosecution for Many Arrested at Portland’s Protests

August 13, 2020August 12, 2020 The Associated Press

People arrested in Portland since late May on non-violent misdemeanor charges during the protests that have racked Oregon’s largest city for more than two months won’t be prosecuted.

The new policy announced Tuesday recognizes the outrage and frustration over a history of racial injustice that has led to the city’s often violent protests and the practical realities of the court system, Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt said. It is running more than two months behind in processing cases because of COVID-19.

Commentary: Reckoning with the Riots

July 29, 2020July 28, 2020 Virginia Star Staff

The showdown is coming over urban violence in America. The continuing rioting and destruction erupting in new cities every few days is almost certain to provide yet another profound demarcation of opinion over how to govern the United States and address the problems that have so stirred the country since the killing of African American George Floyd by a white Minneapolis policeman on May 25. America’s toleration of a completely unjustifiable level of general violence compared to anything in its past demonstrates considerable progress in civility and restraint in the past 50 years.

Austin: Roadway Confrontation Between Antifa/BLM Protester and Driver Ends in Gunfire

July 27, 2020July 27, 2020 Virginia Star Staff

A protester allegedly armed with a rifle at a demonstration against police violence in the Texas capital was shot and killed by a driver after a witness says he confronted a vehicle that attempted to drive through a crowd blocking a downtown Austin intersection.

Commentary: On Being Pounded with Lies, Damned Lies, and More Damned Lies about ‘Systemic’ Racism in America

June 22, 2020 Virginia Star Staff

We all know the story of the Emperor’s New Clothes. It is not just a children’s story. Rather, it is an eternal story about human nature. If people are surrounded by a mass or a mob who speak nonsense as a Truth — with a capital “T” — then perfectly sensible people who internally know better will fall into line and babble the same “Truth.” For a reality check and sanity in the public arena, it ultimately often takes a little kid who simply has not been taught social conformity and political correctness to look and say, “But this ‘Truth’ simply is not true.”

Commentary: Violence Seen and Unseen

June 18, 2020June 17, 2020 Virginia Star Staff

Morally speaking, we live today as a people peering into a mirror without reflecting glass. As a culture, we hardly know who we are.

This has become most clear to me as a consequence of the experiment I have conducted in recent days. I requested people of disparate backgrounds, dispositions, understandings, and political inclinations to respond to a video that has circulated around the web. The video engages the drumbeat narrative of racial differences and their consequences, and I sought to discover whether anyone at all could peer beyond the now orthodox content to identify the Mengele-like substance.

President Trump Signs Executive Order on Police Reform

June 17, 2020June 16, 2020 The Associated Press

Following weeks of national protests since the death of George Floyd, President Donald Trump signed an executive order on policing Tuesday that he said would encourage better police practices and establish a database to keep track of officers with a history of excessive use-of-force complaints.

In Rose Garden remarks, Trump stressed the need for higher standards and commiserated with mourning families, even as he hailed the vast majority of officers as selfless public servants and held his law-and-order line.

Dem Candidate On Looting: ‘So What? Burn It To The Ground If That’s What It Takes’

June 13, 2020 Virginia Star Staff

A Democratic congressional candidate downplayed looting and arson during a digital campaign event on Tuesday.

Responding to a questioner who said she was concerned about the left-wing push to abolish the police, Democratic Texas candidate Kim Olson argued that police departments are overfunded, before pivoting to downplaying looting and arson. Calls for abolishing or defunding the police have come in the wake of protests over George Floyd, who died after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for several minutes, video showed.

Dem Leaders in Seattle Surrender to the Mob, Allow Antifa Goons to Take Over Part of the City

June 12, 2020June 11, 2020 Virginia Star Staff

The weak Democrat leaders of Seattle have surrendered to the antifa mob, boarding up a police facility, allowing unruly radicals to flood a city council building, and even take over a large section of the city.

Hundreds of far-left agitators and at least one City Council member stormed Seattle’s City Hall Tuesday night to demand the mayor’s resignation if she refuses to defund the city’s police department.

These Are the Police Officers Shot During the Riots

June 12, 2020June 11, 2020 Virginia Star Staff

At least twelve police officers have been shot in the line of duty as riots and protests raged throughout the country following the death of George Floyd.

Floyd was a black man who died May 25 after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for several minutes, video of the incident showed. Derek Chauvin, the officer who knelt on Floyd’s neck, has been fired and arrested on second-degree murder and manslaughter charges.

Hawley Calls For Investigation into Officials Favoring Protests While Targeting Religion

June 11, 2020June 10, 2020 Virginia Star Staff

Republican Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley called for an investigation into free speech double-standards, saying that state officials have favored protests while targeting religious freedom.

He asked Attorney General William Barr and the Department of Justice to launch a “full civil rights investigation” into violations of “free exercise and free speech rights of religious Americans” in a Tuesday letter.

Democrats Bow to Progressives, Propose Sweeping Police Overhaul Measures

June 9, 2020June 8, 2020 Star News Staff

Democrats proposed a far-reaching overhaul of police procedures and accountability Monday, a sweeping legislative response to the mass protests denouncing the deaths of black Americans in the hands of law enforcement.

The political outlook is deeply uncertain for the legislation in a polarized election year. President Donald Trump is staking out a tough “law and order” approach in the face of the outpouring of demonstrations and demands to re-imagine policing in America.

Two Killed During Protests in Oakland, Detroit Over Police Death of George Floyd

May 31, 2020May 30, 2020 Virginia Star Staff

Two people, including a federal security contractor, were killed Friday night during protests over the death of George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man who was killed in police custody earlier this week, according to police and the FBI.

The FBI is investigating the fatal shooting of a Federal Protective Services officer outside of the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building in Oakland on Friday, reported the San Francisco Gate.