As GOP convention nears, skirmishes break out in uptown between police, protesters
The weekend before the start of the Republican National Convention in Charlotte opened Friday night on an unsettling note, as demonstrators skirmished with police and at least four people were arrested.
The turnout in uptown Friday night was small compared to the outpouring of marchers who flooded into uptown following the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd in May. But confrontations did occur.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police said on the department’s Twitter feed at 11:15 p.m. that an unspecified number of officers had been “assaulted” at Trade and North Tryon streets and “multiple arrests had been made.” The department did not detail the alleged assaults. One video from the night, taken by Queen City Nerve, shows a person in the crowd appearing to spit at an officer then run away.
In other videos posted on social media officers with bicycles are seen attempting to move protesters away from an intersection in uptown. Video shows protesters asking officers why they were hitting them with bikes and several videos show officers roughly tackling people or using pepper spray during arrests.
Police said they used pepper spray “to keep the crowd from interfering with arrests that were taking place.”
There were no reports of property damage. Earlier in the night, a group gathered in Marshall Park as part of an anti-RNC demonstration.
According to WBTV, an Observer news partner, a skirmish also broke out on South Tryon Street when bicycle cops attempted to keep marchers from interrupting traffic, then used pepper spray when some of the demonstrators grabbed at the bikes.
Around 50 to 60 people participated in Friday night’s protest.
Tension grew as the crowd temporarily blocked traffic at several points.
CMPD officials on Saturday said one 23-year-old man was arrested while impeding traffic and was also charged with disorderly conduct and resisting police.
As the march continued, demonstrators surrounded a car at North College Street and Trade Street and police made three more arrests. Those arrested were charged with assaulting a government official and resisting a public officer.
Meanwhile, Republican delegates and party officials have already begun gathering in Charlotte for a convention radically streamlined by the COVID-19 pandemic. On Monday, they are scheduled to nominate President Donald Trump as their party’s candidate.
Demonstrations are expected to continue — and likely build — through the weekend and into Monday. Nightly protests and “Resist RNC” events are planned for Marshall Park and uptown.
This story was originally published August 22, 2020 at 12:54 AM.
