Charlotte’s 12th night of protests: A mural and solemn silence for George Floyd

A brief, solemn demonstration was held in uptown Charlotte Tuesday night with at least 200 people kneeling on Tryon Street for a moment of silence for George Floyd.

Tuesday marked the 12th continuous night of demonstrations in Charlotte and surrounding communities where marches, rallies and protests have been held. Participants have called for change, an end to racism and accountability for the deaths of black people at the hands of police officers.

In the last week, especially, activists in Charlotte have zeroed-in on the use of “irritants” like pepper spray by police and criticized law enforcement leaders for sending officers to protests in riot gear. Others have called for abolishing the police department.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department Chief Kerr Putney has said the use of chemical agents as a “riot control” measure is sometimes necessary. But just before Tuesday night’s demonstrations, he announced some changes within the police department.

People began gathering around 8 p.m. Tuesday on Tryon Street, which is now home to a large multi-color mural painted by 17 Charlotte artists. The Black Lives Matter mural was created Tuesday and drew hundreds of people, including activists, families and some high school students in graduation gowns, to take photos and linger on the block between Third and Fourth streets.

Around 8:20, a kneeling protest organized by Million Youth March of Charlotte began, followed by an 8 minute and 46 seconds moment of silence, in memory and honor of Floyd, who was killed by a police officer in Minneapolis.

Floyd “was calling out for his mother and they squeezed the life out of him with their knee. And he called for mama — you woke up every mother in the world. Not just black mothers,” said Lorraine Stanback, who moved to Charlotte in January from Queens. She attended Tuesday’s event to see the mural and support the cause, she said.

Stanback said she’s been attending protests for 34 years, always on the same subject: police brutality and a call to end racism and police violence. She always carries a pocket copy of the U.S. Constitution, she said, in case she needs to remind law enforcement officers of her rights.

“I’m so hurt I can’t even explain it. It’s the same hurt, but it’s compounded,” she said of the effect Floyd’s death has had.

CMPD use of chemical agents

Just before protesters gathered, Putney held a news conference and talked about the department’s approach to crowd control and protest response over the past 12 days.

“For 12 days, we had one bad day,” Putney said, referencing the use of chemical agents and “pepper balls” against protesters last week. The incident is under internal and external reviews, including one by the State Bureau of Investigation.

“(It’s) one incident I wish had never really happened to be honest with you,” Putney said.

On Monday night, Charlotte City Council members approved a budget measure that restricts the police department from spending money on buying or maintaining chemical agents, like those used on protesters on Fourth Street on June 2. Putney, though, says the department had no plans to buy more in the coming fiscal year.

For now, officers in the Civil Emergency Unit will still be equipped with chemical agents, Putney said. The vote by City Council restricts the purchase of such equipment but CMPD could still purchase chemical agents in the coming weeks, before the end of the current fiscal year.

When asked whether CMPD intends to purchase chemical munitions before July 1, Putney said “The Republican National Convention is still coming in some form or fashion and there might be a need for them then and if that is the case we will make that purchase,” he said.

Still, officers will not use chemical agents for crowd control or riot control unless deemed necessary. And Putney says the chief of police ultimately makes that call.

“The intent (of chemical munitions) is not to punish or abuse,” Putney said. “The intent is to gain cooperation.”

And Putney says officers will be more clear in the future with protest groups about what they can do or where they can exit to in order to avoid being exposed.

Once a group disperses but regroups, Putney said there will be a “reset,” when dispersal orders will be given again. That issue has been heavily scrutinized over the past week in light of the Fourth Street incident.

Witnesses have said they were ambushed while marching and were effectively trapped on a street, with a line of officers using chemical agents on either side of the crowd. CMPD officers had ordered protesters to disperse earlier but the crowd moved and many said they had no warning officers were readying to disperse chemical agents.

Swift criticism of the police department by not only activists but local clergy and many city and state leaders has diminished officer morale, Putney said Tuesday.

“There is a lack of support and a lack of appreciation for the sacrifice (our officers making),” he said.

Charlotte Observer staff writer Amanda Zhou contributed.

This story was originally published June 9, 2020 at 9:28 PM.