Protests in downtown Nashville: Arrests made for those out after curfew
12:06 a.m., Sunday, May 31
Nashville Mayor John Cooper released a video late Saturday, condemning the vandalism from people rioting downtown after a peaceful protest earlier in the day.
"Our Metro Courthouse, iconic for its role in the Civil Rights movement, was the site of much of tonight's reprehensible vandalism," Cooper said in part of his video address.
Watch his entire announcement, including information about the current curfew in place, below.
11:07 p.m.
Nashville police say no police officers were injured. At least 6 metro police vehicles were significantly damaged, including a car swarmed while an officer was behind the wheel, police said.
Nashville's Metro Courthouse, which includes City Hall offices, and several businesses on Broadway were been damaged, police said.
11 p.m.
The Equity Alliance, one of the organizers of Saturday's "I Will Breathe Rally," condemned the violent protests and vandalism that took place in downtown Nashville following the rally.
Leaders of the statewide non-profit issued the following statement attributed to co-founders and co-executive directors Charlane Oliver and Tequila Johnson:
“Our organization, in cooperation with other activists, held a peaceful rally today to protest the murder of Minneapolis resident George Floyd by police as well as to deliver a clear message to Metro and state government leaders that Tennesseans deeply oppose racism and police brutality. The event drew some 4,000 attendees and our staff registered over 300 new voters. It was a peaceful assembly.
“It is our firm belief that those individuals defacing and destroying public property after the rally were not a part of the original event. The actions by this small group reflect neither the beliefs of the groups that led today’s peaceful assembly nor those of the majority of the attendees. This behavior dishonors the memory of George Floyd and other black Americans that have died unjustly at the hands of police.
“The Equity Alliance condemns and disavows tonight’s violent rioting. We urge anyone feeling heartfelt, honest anger over the murder of George Floyd to direct that energy toward November’s election. The only true way to change our nation for the better is by taking up our civic duty as Americans and making it clear with our vote that we reject racism in all its forms.”
10:38 p.m.
A window was broken at the historic Ryman Auditorium in downtown Nashville tonight.
Security personnel outside said it appeared to be the only damage.
10:10 p.m.
Police are starting to detain people out on Broadway after the 10 p.m. curfew.
Several have been loaded into a Davidson County Sheriff's Office van.
Others are being herded toward the pedestrian bridge in order for them to leave downtown.
10:00 p.m.
Curfew in effect, Nashville police say anyone on the streets is now is subject to arrest.
9:49 p.m.
Police spokesman Don Aaron said several arrests had been made by 9:40 p.m.
“After the arson and vandalism at the courthouse, this has taken on a much different response,” Aaron said. “Those who continue to harm the city — those who continue to participate in this destruction — are being warned that they’re engaging in unlawful assembly and officers are prepared for arrests.”
9:45 p.m.
As the city prepares to enforce its 10 p.m. curfew, a look at downtown storefronts show several with broken windows.
9:26 p.m.
Over loudspeakers, Nashville police announce that anyone caught outside after the 10 p.m. curfew will be arrested.
Reporter Natalie Allison notes that there are not enough officers to arrest all the folks congregated around the courthouse.
9:13 p.m.
Gov. Bill Lee says he is authorizing the National Guard to deploy in response to Nashville protests, at the request of Mayor John Cooper.
"The threat to both peace and property is unacceptable and we will work with local law enforcement and community leaders to restore safety and order," Lee tweeted. "This is not a reflection of our state or the fundamental American right to peaceful protest."
9:05 p.m.
Nashville police says it is using more tear gas, warning the crowd of unlawful assembly.
9 p.m.
Nashville police issued a 10 p.m. curfew in the city on Saturday night after protests turned violent and City Hall was set on fire.
Police tweeted the announcement about 8:45 p.m.
8:46 p.m.
Metro Nashville police announced in a tweet that they deployed tear gas at the Metro Courthouse to protect the building after fires had been set. Nashville Fire Department is responding.
Mayor John Cooper said he has signed Executive Order No. 9, declaring a state of civil emergency.
Earlier, Mayor Cooper tweeted that this afternoon’s rally for George Floyd and racial justice was peaceful.
"We cannot let today’s message of reform descend into further violence. If you mean our city harm, go home."
More:Fire seen at Nashville courthouse and City Hall building as protests turn violent
8:25 p.m. update:
Cops with riot gear arrived as a fire burned inside a window at City Hall. Officers deployed tear gas as rioters clustered in the center of Public Square Park.
8:17 p.m. update:
A fire has been set at Nashville’s city hall. It’s just in a window right now.
8:13 p.m. update:
A statue outside the state Capitol of Edward Carmack, a controversial former lawmaker and newspaper publisher who was a prohibitionist leader and espoused racist views, has been torn down.
Carmack, an early 1900s politician and newspaper editor, was known for authoring editorials attacking fellow Tennessee journalist Ida B. Wells' writings in support of the civil rights movement, including encouraging retaliation against her, resulting in the burning of her Memphis newspaper office.
Carmack was fatally shot near the Capitol in 1908 as part of an ongoing dispute over favorable prohibitionist coverage in the Tennessean.
David Roberson, spokesman for the Tennessee Department of General Services, says nothing will be done about the statue tonight. It’s unclear whether state troopers will remain posted it by it all night, as they are now.
Roberson said a meeting has been scheduled for tomorrow morning to discuss the statue’s fate, though it’s also unclear who will attend.
7:37 p.m.
Nashville's transportation service,WeGo, has suspended service and shut down the central station downtown amid ongoing protests. According to a tweet, service is suspended temporarily to protect the safety of riders and drivers.
7:33 p.m. update:
Police retreated from a crowd of protesters at Public Square Park while using pepper spray and as rocks were thrown at them.
7:04 p.m. update:
Rioters are now throwing rocks through and smashing windows at Metro Nashville’s courthouse, which is houses city hall.
6:53 p.m. update:
Some of the crowd is walking back down Broadway. Some protesters were vandalizing Bridgestone Arena with graffiti. Others pushed the city's metal trash cans into the street.
6:36 p.m. update:
A sizable chunk of the crowd says they’re headed to Broadway. Most of the protesters seem to be on the move there now.
6:20 p.m. update:
Reporter Natalie Allison captured video of a Nashville police officer being hit by a rock while holding back a line of protesters.
6:00 p.m. update:
Police officers just arrived on horses.
Some in the crowd threw rocks and water bottles toward the officers.
The horses almost reared up and seemed startled. The officers rounded the building and moved on.
In another area of the downtown protests, a woman began yelling at the line of police in ballistic gear about Daniel Hambrick being wrongly killed, yelling that officer Andrew Delke should be brought to justice.
In January Nashville grand jury indicted Delke on a first-degree murder charge in the fatal shooting of Hambrick, moving the unprecedented case closer to a criminal trial.
5:55 p.m. update:
A series of officers in riot gear with masks, helmets and batons just arrived at the front of the Central Precinct in downtown Nashville.
The crowd has converged around them. A few plastic water bottles flew toward the officers.
5:40 p.m. update:
Central precinct commander Gordon Howey says multiple people have been arrested
He does not believe pepper spray has been deployed despite people in the crowd saying so.
"It's a mess right now."
5:24 p.m. update:
Protesters bashed in the windows of a police cruiser outside the Central Precinct at Sixth Avenue and Korean Veterans Boulevard.
Police tackled some of the protesters.
5:14 p.m. update:
Thousands of protesters are marching in the street on Lower Broadway and onto 8th Avenue, blocking traffic as tourists at recently opened bars and restaurants looked on.
Small explicit graffiti phrases could be seen spray-painted on multiple businesses along 8th Avenue.
4:40 p.m. update:
Protesters began marching downtown on Charlotte Avenue after a 90-minute rally protesting the police brutality and racism following the death of George Floyd.
Organizers urged participants to remain peaceful.
Police remained at the perimeter of the group but did not appear to be interacting with the protesters.
3:27 p.m. update:
Thousands of demonstrators crowded Legislative Plaza Saturday afternoon, stretching up to the steps of the State Capitol.
As speakers stepped up to a megaphone, the throngs cheered and chanted “I can’t breathe!” and “No justice, no peace!”
Demonstrators packed together despite the ongoing threat of the coronavirus, wearing masks and lifting signs saying “Black Lives Matter” and “Not One More.”
Police stood on the outskirts of the rally directing traffic. They didn’t interact with the demonstrators.
Original story:
Nashville Mayor John Cooper said he would attend a Saturday afternoon rally protesting police brutality and racism following the death of George Floyd.
Cooper encouraged members of the city council to join him at the 3 p.m. rally at Legislative Plaza, which follows a wave of protests in other cities. The mayor said it was "an especially critical time for all of us, as Metro’s leaders, to show up and listen to black voices speaking out from across Davidson County."
Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, died Monday after a white Minneapolis police officer kept a knee pressed into his neck for more than eight minutes. The officer, Derek Michael Chauvin, 44, was arrested and charged with murder.
Floyd's death intensified anger and frustration for many who say it is an example of pervasive racism among law enforcement nationwide. Protests have swept through many major cities.
Friday night protests in Memphis and Knoxville were peaceful, but violence has erupted during protests in Minneapolis, Louisville and Atlanta.
Organizers of the Nashville rally said they wanted to create a peaceful and safe space for people to express their grief and call for change.
Organizer Hamid Abdullah said Floyd's death had become a tipping point within the movement against racism and police brutality.
"More people are coming together. More people are listening. More people are paying attention," Abdullah said. "People are fed up with brutality and they want to do something."
Abdullah said he welcomed "all people of good will" to the rally. He said he hoped Cooper would understand the need to make changes to prevent similar deaths in the future.
"We are looking to have a peaceful rally," he said. "We want to make sure that our people are heard. We want to make sure our people are respected."
The ongoing debate over policing and racial bias has been a prominent part of life in Nashville for years. In 2018, local activists spurred a citywide vote that created the Community Oversight Board, a civilian panel that investigates allegations of police misconduct.
The vote came after a white police officer shot Daniel Hambrick, 25, a black man, while he was running away during a foot pursuit. That officer, Andrew Delke, 26, was arrested and charged with murder. The case is pending.
Reach Adam Tamburin at 615-726-5986 and atamburin@tennessean.com. Follow him on Twitter @tamburintweets.