Last week, the PW Perspective reported on the peaceful demonstration that took place at Potomac Mills and the protests in Manassas where Delegate Lee Carter was attacked by state police. This article takes a look at what has been happening in neighboring communities.

Video was recorded in all three locations, however, the PW Perspective has decided not to use it in order to protect the identity of protesters.

WASHINGTON, D.C.

(What I saw in our nation’s capital)

Last night, I went to D.C. with a group to attend a vigil for George Floyd at the Lincoln Memorial. The vigil, which started at 7 p.m. was short. It was a somber, peaceful, welcoming gathering of Black people and allies standing together in unity.

The vigil however was not without its own issues. It was overtly politicized. One speaker all but told the crowd that this would all end if we elected Joe Biden president. But this isn’t an issue that Donald Trump has caused. While Trump has agitated and incited white violence across our nation, we cannot erase the fact that this violence took root in our nation’s founding history. We cannot become blind to the realities of systemic inequality. 

We began walking toward the White House around 8 p.m. but ultimately decided to follow the crowd to Lafayette Square. As we walked, volunteers wearing “ANTIFA” shirts offered us water and different kinds of fruit.

When we arrived, protesters were divided from police by a fence. On one side, a crowd of protesters shouted, chanted, and some threw water bottles. On the other side, police stood in full riot gear.

As we approached the park, a wave of protesters ran away from the crowd in our direction because the police had thrown tear gas into the crowd. Less than two minutes later, the same thing happened again. And again five minutes after that. The only time I felt unsafe within the crowd was when people were running towards us, but they were careful to move around us and not through us.

As we stood near the northwest corner of the park, just down the hill from the statue of Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben, the crowd shouted, “Hands up! Don’t shoot!” They were met with more tear gas, and another wave of protesters ran from the park. A canister of tear gas was thrown in our direction. It hit a tree and erupted into a cloud that quickly dispersed and affected a much larger area, causing one of my friends and me to quickly feel the effects.

A few minutes later, as more water bottles were thrown, we heard the sound of rubber bullets being fired on the other side of the park. Over the course of the next hour, we continued to see tear gas and hear the sounds of flashbangs and rubber bullets.

On our way out of the city, we passed the White House and the ALF-CIO headquarters, which would later be set ablaze.

FREDERICKSBURG, VA.

(Report from an anonymous source)

As a protest erupted at the Fredericksburg Courthouse, people in Downtown Fredericksburg left their homes to see what the police presence and noise was about.

At the intersection of Hanover St. and Princess Anne St., Fredericksburg City Police were blocking the road. They were heavily armed but they kept their weapons pointed at the ground. Bystanders did not feel threatened by the city’s law enforcement officers. According to our source, this was at 10:10 p.m.

There were no protesters to be seen in the area of the intersection. Our source believes that protesters were pushed past the courthouse, out of view of the intersection, or possibly moved to Caroline St. There were however protesters on Princess Anne St., between Hanover St. and George St.

While Fredericksburg Police secured the perimeter, Virginia State Police in riot gear marched through the streets toward the court house.

One bystander asked a Fredericksburg officer at the intersection what was going on and the officer responded, “We have no idea what’s going on.”

Two minutes later, bystanders at that intersection heard a flashbang go off in the distance.

After making sure vehicles were able to pass through, officers advanced past Hanover St.

At around 11 p.m. Fredericksburg enacted a shelter in place order that was announced via safety alerts and social media.

Delegate Joshua Cole (D-Fredericksburg) went downtown to make sure young people were getting home safely, but he was met with tear gas. Cole was tear gassed at least twice. He is the second member of the House of Delegates to be met with violence from police after attempting to help constituents in the past week.

STAFFORD, VA.
(Reports from anonymous sources)

In Stafford County, protesters blocked Garrisonville Rd. One driver inched toward the crowd, and when the car made contact with the protesters, they began throwing water bottles.

Within minutes, the cops arrived and told protesters to clear the street or they would be arrested.

One protester shared a video he recorded with the PW Perspective. The video will not be shared due to how graphic it is and the fact that the video included footage of minors. 

In the video, which was recorded at 6:41 p.m., police tell protesters to step back, and as they do, one Black man puts his hands in the air. He is quickly met by four police officers tackling him and another Black man to the ground. One white protester threw a water bottle at one of the police who had tackled the two men, and the officer stood up and turned around, spraying mace in the young man’s face.

A minor (15) was also maced in this altercation.

He reached out to the PW Perspective, saying, “I threw the water bottle just out of frustration with the entire situation. In my mind that was going to help. As I turned my back and walked away, the police officer that the water bottle hit came from the side and sprayed me in the face.” 

He then told us that he fled up the hill only to be chased by more police. They ordered him to stop, and he complied. He was brought to the ground in a Toyota dealership and two officers placed their knees on his back while cuffing him. Another officer maced him two more times while he was on the ground. The officers were Stafford County Deputies.

“Excessive force was used in every instance,” said the anonymous individual who provided the video.

DISCLAIMER: These are not the only incidents that took place in these localities. These are isolated stories and do not by any means represent the entirety of the brutality that is taking place across the nation.