George Floyd protests live updates: Here’s what to know in Charlotte on June 8

We’re keeping track of the most up-to-date news about local protests over the death of George Floyd, a black Minneapolis man who died while being detained by police. Protests have continued in Charlotte, Raleigh and across the country.

Check back for updates.

Tenth night of uptown protests

Charlotte saw its tenth consecutive day of protests Sunday, with hundreds gathered for three largely peaceful demonstrations in Ballantyne, Romare Bearden Park and Marshall Park.

Charlotte Mecklenburg Police reported only one altercation in uptown: It happened around 10 p.m. on Fourth Street, involving a diverse group of protesters who surrounded a lone officer and tried to block him from walking with demonstrators.

The department shared a three-minute video of the incident on Facebook, showing another group of protesters guarding the officer until motorcycle officers arrived to intervene. The video, recorded by Keep Charlotte Boring, had been viewed more than 15,000 times Monday morning on Twitter.

CMPD says two people were arrested during the incident and an officer was injured. The extent of the officer’s injuries and how it happened were not released. One of the two people arrested, Glo Merriweather, was charged with assault on a government official, CMPD said.

“Captain Brad Koch, who has walked more than a hundred miles with protesters this week, fended off an attack by several angry protesters uptown. He was aided by other protesters who protected him,” CMPD said via Twitter.

“We want to thank all of the protesters who looked out for Captain Brad until officers arrived,” the department said.

The protesters who stepped in to help the officer were thanked and praised on social media.

CMPD said Monday that 125 people have been arrested during the 10 days of protests, and 19 officers have been injured.

Should CMPD be restrained?

An overhaul of funding for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department will be discussed Monday by the City Council as it adopts a $2.5 billion budget for the coming fiscal year.

CMPD is expected to get $290.2 million, about 40% of the city’s nearly $719 million general fund.

Council member Braxton Winston, who was arrested during one of the uptown protests, wants to cut money used by police to buy chemical agents — and money used to maintain the existing stockpile — for crowd control and dispersal, The Charlotte Observer reported Friday.

Winston has also advocated for the creation of a City Council oversight committee “that scrutinizes and adjusts police spending and policy.”

CMPD has been criticized for its use of chemical agents during the protests, including accusations it has used them on peaceful protesters in at least one incident.

Charlotte’s NAACP supports Winston’s proposal and is lobbying City Council members to ban the use of “chemical weapons” by CMPD.

‘Die-in’ to be staged

A coalition of clergy known as Charlotte Clergy Coalition for Justice is staging a “die-in” at 10 a.m. Monday at the Government Center, 600 E. Fourth Street, to bring attention to demands for changes in police enforcement policies.

The event is intended to be “a visual living statement representing the death of many unarmed black and brown adults and children, along with cruel treatment of our immigrant community,” the group said in a press release.

Coalition officials say they support Braxton Winston’s proposal to cut some CMPD funding and want to “restructure policing in our city and county.”

The Charlotte Clergy Coalition for Justice is a coalition of faith leaders that seeks to address “the harms and injustices being visited upon our communities in Charlotte,” according to a release.

Blocking Interstate 277

CMPD says it successfully prevented a group of protesters from blocking Interstate 277 early Sunday, the third time in 10 days that demonstrators have tried to block traffic on the interstate around uptown.

The incident began around 12 a.m. Sunday, when 20 protesters started standing on the shoulder of the interstate and the numbers continued to grow, CMPD said.

“Around 12:40 a.m., a group of approximately 30 protesters began to intentionally disrupt traffic and then surrounded a patrol vehicle,” police said in a press release.

CMPD says it was able to deescalate the situation, but made one arrest, charging Jimmy Huntley, 22, with impeding traffic and resisting a public officer.

This story was originally published June 8, 2020 at 8:04 AM.