The City of Asheville has seen five straight nights of protests; spurred by the death of George Floyd. A candlelit vigil was held along with multiple moments of silence. Over a thousand people were within the crowd. Earlier this week, the mayor declared a citywide curfew from the hours of 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. In Asheville, protests have been mostly peaceful during the daytime. However, in past nights, things escalated including police using tear gas and flash bangs to disperse people that were breaking the curfew. There were multiple downtown businesses damaged in the process.”Empowering each other and lifting each other,” said one of the event organizers, London Newton. “Though there were plenty of black people here, there were a lot of white people and I think a lot of white people need to know where their place is in this movement.”Newton says she’s been working alongside city leaders to ensure that the Black Lives Matter movement’s message remains the focal point of these latest efforts. “Today I met with the mayor and deputy chief of police and we talked about the stuff that’s happened this week,” Newton said. “They’ve shut down these streets to keep things as contained as possible.” The move is to support peaceful protesting and ensure pedestrian safety.
The City of Asheville has seen five straight nights of protests; spurred by the death of George Floyd. A candlelit vigil was held along with multiple moments of silence. Over a thousand people were within the crowd.
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Earlier this week, the mayor declared a citywide curfew from the hours of 8 p.m. to 6 a.m.
In Asheville, protests have been mostly peaceful during the daytime. However, in past nights, things escalated including police using tear gas and flash bangs to disperse people that were breaking the curfew. There were multiple downtown businesses damaged in the process.
“Empowering each other and lifting each other,” said one of the event organizers, London Newton. “Though there were plenty of black people here, there were a lot of white people and I think a lot of white people need to know where their place is in this movement.”
Newton says she’s been working alongside city leaders to ensure that the Black Lives Matter movement’s message remains the focal point of these latest efforts.
“Today I met with the mayor and deputy chief of police and we talked about the stuff that’s happened this week,” Newton said. “They’ve shut down these streets to keep things as contained as possible.”
The move is to support peaceful protesting and ensure pedestrian safety.
